John Greene’s novel The Fault in Our Stars is about life, companionship, love, and death. Hazel Grace Lancaster, a cancer patient, finds love with Augustus Waters, who also has cancer.

This novel is based on this loving couple who have a short, but great, time together. The story has helped countless people deal with similar problems. And for those who want a more visual experience, there’s a movie version, released in 2014, only two years after the book hit the stores.

According to Parent reviews for The Fault in Our Stars | Common Sense Media, many parents agree that this novel has a beautiful message behind it and say that it inspired their own children. As one reviewer who goes by the screenname Mollypop said, “Excellent, and here’s why: when you read books about cancer, and especially about kids with cancer, they tend to be overly saccharine and preachy. This one isn’t. It’s a true (though not factual) tale of what it means to fall in love and become fully alive even as your life is slipping away in the most brutal way.

“John Greene has carefully-crafted vocabulary, with well-developed characters, and he doesn’t sugar coat the reality of living while dying. He perfectly captures the teenage angst and thoughtfulness that comes with facing your own death. You know how teenagers get very philosophical and “misunderstood” sometimes? That’s in here, but it’s for once not annoying, or pretentious. Hazel and Gus actually THINK, they truly FEEL, and even when their thoughts and ideas are diminished by the adults around them they still keep thinking and exploring,” Mollypop continues.

“Their youth and idealism are counterbalanced by their maturity and cynicism. Nothing in life is cut-and-dried, or black-and-white, and The Fault in Our Stars gets at that concept. This is fresh and honest, and far better than most silly teen literature available today.”

Although there have been many good reviews on a variety of sites, there are also many concerns about the swearing and the sexual relationship written in the novel. Parents at Common Sense Media and other sites suggest that this novel shouldn’t be read by kids or teens, especially younger teens.

Despite the criticisms, I think this novel has a great message for the teens and adults struggling the same way Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters struggled. It shows readers (and viewers of the movie) that there are others in the world who struggle with the same challenges.

This novel, for me, was a 10/10. Although I’m more of a movie person, reading this book made me realize the many problems in the real world.