Hong Kong’s annual book fair took place last week and I went crazy book shopping seeing that so many books are on major sale. Among all the books I picked up at the book fair (Massive book haul coming soon!!) is a box set of 5 John Green books, including The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, The Abundance of Katherines, Looking for Alaska, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Although John Green received a lot of hype and praise last year because of The Fault in Our Stars, I have yet to read any of his books because I am so used to reading dystopian/ romantic chic flick books that anything sad or cancer related did not really appeal the slightest to me :/
Seeing that the box set was 40% off (It was originally HKD$500 [£41.5] and at the book fair it was discounted to HK$300 [£25]!!!), I thought I would give these 5 books a go because I am slightly sick of reading dystopian books and these books are a great value. I started reading Paper Towns first knowing that it is coming out as a move soon starring Cara Delevingne and didn’t expect much from the book seeing that the cover is not anything that grabs my attention.
When I started reading the first page of the book, I was so sucked into the story that I could not put the book down. I ended up finishing the book in less than 2 days :O To give a simple overview of the background setting of the book (no spoilers here!), the story is set in high school where the main protagonists – Quentin(Q) and Margo Roth Spiegelman are next door neighbours since they were young. Q is quite a nerdy guy and he admires Margo from afar, while Margo is quirky and beautiful and also happens to be the most popular girl at school. Margo is incredibly adventurous and loves mysteries, and the story began when Margo showed up outside Q’s window with black face paint all over her face at midnight asking Q to go on an adventure with her and they did all sorts of crazy things. When the next morning came, people discovered that Margo had gone missing. Most people were not concerned about Margo going missing because Margo had disappeared from the face of Earth several times before and she always ended up coming back after a couple of days, but Q was worried and he decided to go on an adventure to look for the missing Margo Roth Spiegelman.
To start off my thoughts, I just want to say that I absolutely LOVE this book. Everything about it – from the way it is written to the protagonists to the meaning behind the book is perfect. I love that it has a really unique plot and that the protagonists are easy to like (Q is the sweetest and smartest boy and Margo is so quirky and has a mind of her own), while the book, which has an element of mystery in it (something like Gone Girl!) is written in a humorous yet intriguing way. I laughed so many times throughout the book, which I did not expect at all, and I could fully imagine every scene of the book by the way John Green describes it. This is definitely my favourite book that I have read recently and I cannot wait to start reading the other John Green books that I have picked up and maybe do a comparison between all of them when I have finished reading those 😀
The trailer and the movie!!!
I did not watch the trailer of the movie until I finished reading the book because I did not want to see any spoilers but I knew that Cara Delevingne is playing Margo in the movie even before I started reading the book. Throughout the book, I constantly have this thought that Cara is THE PERFECT MARGO. Everything Margo does in the book makes me think of Cara Delevinge and her quirky personality and I cannot be happier that Cara is chosen to play her role 😛
When I watched the trailer, I could tell that some parts of the storyline have been changed but the plot seems to be mainly unchanged. Q also seems to be pretty similar to what I thought he would be like in the book, so looking at the trailer, I am super excited to see the movie which is coming out in Hong Kong late August <3
Have any of you read any John Green books? Which one is your favourite one and if not what are your favourite books currently? I would love to hear your thoughts as well on Paper Towns or any John Green books you have read!
♡
I haven't read any of his books but somebody actually recommended Paper Towns to me the other day! I'm going to have to buy it now!!
Have a lovely day 🙂
Rosanna x
Rose’s Rooftop
Definitely get it! I really recommend this book <3 Have a lovely day to you too 🙂 xx
Great review! Definitely going to pick this one up! 🙂
Urban Obsessions // Vegan Food, Beauty & Lifestyle
Brill review – thanks for the reccomendation xxx
sophiejc.blogspot.co.uk
awesome review! i really want to watch/read paper towns!
Thank you! <3
Thank you 🙂 xx
I recommend the book and am so excited to watch the movie! <3
I’ve heard so many good opinions about his books and the movies that were released…. But I admit I never read any… I was afraid The Fault In Our Stars would be a bit too emotional for me to handle lol!! Hopefully you won’t be disappointed with the new movie after reading the book 😉
x Josune, Your Beauty Script ❤
http://yourbeautyscript.com/
I'm also not a huge fan of The Fault in Our Stars because it is way too sad for me! Paper Towns is so different though! <3 I actually just saw the movie and I wasn't disappointed! 😀 Although I still think the book itself is much better <3 Have a great day! xx