Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green (Twitter)
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publish Date: January 10, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 318
Source: Personal Copy

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Hazel knows the outcome of her life. It's the same as everybody else, but she knows that her final conclusion and last hurrah will come a whole lot sooner than most. She lives her life on borrowed time, unsure of her place but sure of herself - unsure of why she should make connections if all she'll leave behind is a memory of pain, loss and sadness. But one person enters her life that could very well make her see everything differently. Augustus Waters is a ball of light in her support group, and his perspective might just be enough to take her breath away...but this time, in a good way.

I've read a couple of John Green's novels before, and I've never been disappointed, so I was fairly confident that The Fault in Our Stars would be no exception to the rule. I'm happy...no, delighted...to say that I was right. This book is simply overflowing with love, life and existential meaning. Powerful characters, a truthful, honest and relatable voice and clever touches of transcendent humour merge to compound upon an already-soulful premise. The Fault in Our Stars will rightfully challenge you to consider whether you're truly living your life the way you should, or if you're simply biding your time.

I've always said that the books we love the most are the hardest to review, so I actually considered not reviewing The Fault in Our Stars. There's an inherent conundrum here. Guys, I will never be able to put into words how much this book made me feel and why, so no review will ever do it justice. All I can hope to do is simply articulate the power within the pages and the promise that this novel will, at the very least, give you something meaningful to think about. Hazel was the perfect protagonist to follow through this story. At the beginning, I had a hunch that she was rather self-deprecating, but I began to realize that she actually built a sort of cocoon around herself - not so much to protect herself, but to protect those around her from the inevitable outcome of her cancer. Despite her disease and diagnosis though, Hazel radiated hope, snark and a wisdom beyond her years, though she would be happy to dispel that theory. Augustus, too, had this aura about him, making him a character that felt less like a character and more like a friend. Despite his cancer and subsequent amputation, he managed to keep his wits about him, and there was such a beautiful, tangible soul to his character. He made it easy to fall in love with him...and to fall in love with his interactions with Hazel. There was a gentle romance that soared through the novel, but I'm happy to say that The Fault in Our Stars proves that teenage love, even in the most dire of circumstances, does not have to be insta-love or overdone. There is nothing cloying about the romance of this novel. It's sweet, it's subtle, it's heartbreaking, and I challenge you not to actually put yourselves in the characters' shoes throughout. Even the secondary characters soar through this novel. Isaac, though a bit of an enigma to start, ups the ante as the story leads on, and we begin to realize just how important he is to both Hazel and Augustus. Less plot-driven than character-driven, The Fault in Our Stars will nevertheless have you laughing, crying and smiling along the journey with Hazel, Gus and Isaac. 

I can't say enough good things about this book and, as I said, no review will ever measure up, so I'll simply stop there so I don't give spoilers. I give this book a 5 out of 5, and honestly, I'd recommend it to anyone - YA and up, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction. Trust me...it's a must-read.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publish Date: January 12, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 272

Green stated, "The title is inspired by a famous line from Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar. The nobleman Cassius says to Brutus, 'The fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.'"

Green also promised that every copy of the first printing will be hand-signed by him. He proposed that the general public vote on the color Sharpie he will use to sign the book. The voting resulted in him signing the books with a variety of Sharpie colors, each in proportion to the amount of votes received for that color. He has also been allowing fans to submit their book cover designs.

The book focuses on a girl named Hazel who is suffering from terminal cancer and is forced by her parents to attend a support group.

Ok. Seriously? I can't find any information about this book at all. Not kidding. I perused the web for hours, and hours and hours. What did I come up with? Nadda. Fine, that one last sentence in bold up there. That's what I know. So why am I so excited for this one? Well, folks, it's John Green. That's your answer, in and of itself. Basically, I have no official cover, no official synopsis and pretty much a release date and an author to go on, and I'm salivating for this one. That's that. I'm sold. But seriously...you should see some of the fan covers made for this one...the one I used is just one example! What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Brought to you by the lovely ladies of Bewitched Bookworms, let's celebrate those books with birthdays this week! Here are the rules:

- Each week, pick one (or more) book that comes out that week and post the cover and short synopsis in your BBSO post. Also, we'd love to hear why you want to celebrate that book, what about it has you most excited.

- When posted, come back here and share your link in the linky tool so that others find your post and come to your blog.

- The genre doesn't matter!! YA? Romance? Paranormal? No matter what, just add the genre in your linky!

- Visit other bloggers on the list and leave some comment love.

Title: Imaginary Girls
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Publisher: Dutton BYR
Published: June 14, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Buy: IndieBound

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Nova Ren Suma is a New York native who graduated with an MFA in fiction from Columbia University and BA in writing and photography from Antioch College. Imaginary Girls is her YA debut, and she's hard at work on her next book, slated for release in 2012. You can keep with her at her blog, distraction no. 99.

Why I'm Stoked: Uhhhhh let me count the ways: 1) Cover lust, 2) Amazing premise, 3) Promise of an eerie and haunting plot, 4) Dark and twisty...yeah, I'd say that pretty much covers it in just a few words! I totally can't wait to have this in my hands! Happy book birthday to Nova Ren Suma and Imaginary Girls!

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Published: November 30, 2010
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 366
Source: Personal Copy

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Matched is the story of Cassia, a teenage girl living in a time where Society decides everything for you. She’s always trusted it, always believed it, and always looking forward to finding the one person that Society would match her with. So, when Society declares her match to be Xander, Cassia believes it, until an image of Ky flashes onto the screen, setting just a hint of doubt in her mind. Cassia begins to wonder…what if Xander isn’t right for her? What if it’s supposed to be Ky? And if Society matched her wrong, what else could they be wrong about?

Matched is certainly one hyped-up book, and I have to be honest, the premise promises something extraordinary in the realm of dystopian novels. Ally Condie presents a story of right and wrong, love and the freedom of choice, and the decision to create one’s own destiny. With a host of characters that are strong, poignant, and resonate feeling, Matched has all the makings of a great story, and Condie has an easy and fluid writing style that creates a fast-paced read.

That said though, I had some issues with Matched. While I loved the character development and the fact that I could get inside Cassia’s head and see a full view of Xander and Ky, I felt that Matched was extremely lacking in the world-development aspect. It felt a bit flat, if you know what I mean, and I couldn’t understand why Society was doing the things they were doing. Part of what makes a dystopian is the warped logic behind future society’s misjudgments, and I felt that while we saw what they were doing was wrong, I never really understood it. That, essentially, left the entire plot of Matched resting on the shoulders of the characters, and it’s kind of a hit or miss thing that way.

Overall, I don’t think Matched was a bad read by any means, but I have to say that I didn’t really love it either. I’ll definitely try the next book in the series, but I guess the main thing is that with the emergence of popular dystopian fiction, this just didn’t live up to some of my other favourites. I give it a 3 out of 5, and I’d recommend it to those who enjoy dystopian novels and a good, sweet romance.