The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Synopsis

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

The first sentence of this synopsis had me leaving this book on the shelf. I can freely admit that books about cancer scare me. I suppose that before The Fault in Our Stars I never read books like this because life is full of, quite frankly, very scary things so I like to keep my fiction simple. Possibly that's why I like fantasy so much. But enough of all this introspection. I wanted to read this though because I love the Vlogbrothers and all things Nerdfighteria and I'd heard such great things about TFIOS that I knew I'd have to get over my fears.

Hazel starts the book depressed. Her life revolves around her parents and the medication that's keeping her alive. She's sent to a support group which is the most depressing place in the world. The kids who attend tend to die leaving everyone wondering who's next and it's run by a cancer survivor who retells his story at the start of each meeting. However, Augustus comes to support his friend Isaac and so meets Hazel. What follows is as much about teenage relationships as it is about dealing with death and illness. Both Hazel and Augustus are survivors but their experience has left them in a strange place. Previous friends and pass times are no longer an option which means they both seem to be frozen at a certain age, a certain part of their adolescence. Hazel, for example, constantly re-reads a fictitious book called An Imperial Affliction by Peter van Houten about a girl who has cancer. It isn't until Augustus lends her a book that she finally starts a new chapter. Sorry, clumsy metaphor I know but it really is touching watching Augustus change Hazel's life.

There's not much more I can say about the plot without spoiling it. It's clear to me that The Fault in Our Stars is a very special book. Hazel and Augustus teach us that you need to grab happiness where you can but also revel in the ordinary aspects of life. There are some very thought-provoking passages but also some ridiculously funny lines. Isaac is another fantastic character and the three of them use humour and brutal honesty to get through their ordeal. Hazel shows us how isolated she is and how much she worries about her parents. Though she doesn't always realise it she shows us how her parents have struggled to come to terms with her illness. Hazel's mum, for example, appears to allow her life to revolve around her daughter. As the book progresses we see that she's planned ahead, she hasn't let Hazel's illness curtail her future.

I'm failing to put into words how wonderful this book is. I spent much of it in tears but there's so much beauty in this book. If you haven't read it please don't let the subject put you off. Hazel and Augustus may well be my favourite romantic couple of the year. Unlike Hazel and An Imperial Affliction I have a pretty good idea about what happens after the book ends, but I'm okay with it.

Also, last few lines of this book? Best ever.

For those who have finished TFIOS there is a Q & A with John Green but please don't check this out before reading.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Synopsis

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

I loved Anna and the French Kiss and I was excited to get stuck into the next book which was a present from Liz for Christmas (thank you Liz!). I was also a little scared though. Would I love it as much as Anna? Would I bond with the main characters? Lola is no clean cut little girl. She has a twenty two year old boyfriend who plays in a band to whom she lied about her age. Now she has to endure Sunday brunches with said boyfriend and her two dads which she finds excruciating but are a necessity so that they can keep tabs on Max. Despite all of this they seem rock solid at the start of the book and I wasn't sure how anything could come between them (apart from the fact that boyfriend Max continued seeing Lola when he discovered her age and on occasions calls her Lolita - ewwww!).

Lola is a flamboyant character who dresses as though she's going on stage and doesn't let the snide girls at school deter her. But when the neighbours return she's forced to revisit her feelings about them. Calliope is a figure skater who's aiming for the Olympics and Cricket is her twin brother. Bit by bit the story behind Lola's dread of their return comes out and I found my feelings towards all the characters in the book flip-flopping as I read on. At one point I'm behind Max for his determination to make Lola's dads happy but then little by little I start feeling for Cricket and become curious about his past.

Alongside this little triangle is the story of Lola's mum who got pregnant at sixteen and ran away from home. She then had problems with alcohol and drugs and was homeless for a while. She's still unable to handle her life and moves in with Lola (her brother is one of Lola's dads). This makes Lola understandably furious but this subject is treated well; there's no attempt to make her a fairy tale ending but I loved watching this character develop. I was also intrigued by the way that Lola changes too. At first she considers herself as a good daughter as she keeps her grades up and phones home when she's expected too but she's constantly sneaking around behind her dads' backs and easily lies to Max too rather than have an uncomfortable confrontation. By the end of the book I think she's a pretty wonderful girl with a loving extended family.

Anna and Etienne make an appearance and it was great to catch up with them and to see their relationship from another viewpoint. I'm so looking to forward to Isla and the Happily Ever After which will be released in the autumn which is described as the final companion novel to Anna and Lola.

ETA: Stephanie has just announced on her blog that Isla will now be released in 2013. I really felt for her when I read this and I wish her all the best.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Synopsis

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

I don't read much contemporary YA which is something I decided to remedy this last month. I saw so many people raving about this book in particular that I decided to start with it. The basic premise is full of conflict - Anna's forced to attend a private school in Paris instead of the perfect year she had planned in her beloved Atlanta. Back home she had a job, the perfect best friend in Bridgette and budding romance with Toph. Because her dad has become a best-selling novelist their circumstances have changed and he's keen to broaden her horizons.

I was so caught up in this book from the first page. Anna's voice is spot-on perfect, loveable despite her obvious upset of being left on her own in a strange city. She doesn't speak French and knows no one whilst everyone else have been together for years. However, she doesn't sound whiny just lost and vulnerable which is a tricky balancing act. She soon meets Meredith, Rashmi, Josh and Etienne and although not everyone makes her feel instantly welcome I loved watching her friendship with these guys grow as the book progressed. Etienne is a pretty cool guy, kind to Anna and obviously loyal to his friends. He has a girlfriend who also used to be part of their close-knit gang but she's moved to another school in Paris and this puts a strain on their relationship. To be fair to both Anna and Etienne they try to keep their relationship on the level but as the months fly by it's clear that there's more going on than it appears.

The breaking point is Christmas and I loved how this period apart really changed their relationship. Anna has been hanging on to relationships at home, Etienne's mum is ill and he's been desperate to see her and they both have to spend time with their divorced parents. They exchange emails and phone calls that illustrate how much they have in common and how close they've become. Back in Paris their relationship is hot and cold, push and pull. I wanted to reach into the pages and shake them.

Aside from all of this, the hot and cold relationship and the will-they-won't-they shenanigans I haven't even touched on the amazing emotional journey that Anna goes on. To begin with she's too scared to approach the chef at school so spends her time eating apples and bread. However, she loves films and soon discovers that Paris is full of cinemas. She sets herself the task of learning how to ask for one ticket in French. Eventually she's ordering food, a coffee connoisseur and travelling across the city with confidence. I think it's this, alongside the friendships and relationships that make this book so wonderful.

After reading Anna and the French Kiss I will read anything that Stephanie Perkins writes. Lola and the Boy Next Door is first on my wish list!