Review Detail

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."

I wanted to love this book the wit and humor was delightful, the story tragically beautiful, but I felt as though I was kept at a distance. Technically it was perfect. I should have loved it and been extremely emotionally invested in it. But for some reason I never became completely engaged in the story and the characters. Instead of crying at the end, I felt a strange sense of depression. Sadness, but also annoyance, annoyance that I didn’t feel sadder, frustration that Hazel, the narrator, was holding me at a distance. Perhaps, the author did this on purpose. A key part of the book was her grenade-ness; or maybe it was an unfortunate side effect of her opinion on herself. She only opened up to Augustus, and even then I felt out of the loop as if I was being kept out and held at arms length. Whether it was purposeful or side-effectual it hindered my enjoyment and appreciation of the book as a whole. Mentally it was enjoyable, but for me emotionally lacking.

Theme Song: Amsterdam by Coldplay