https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:58:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hb-book-club-feb-tfios-week-4-discussion-wrap-up#post-1450176 Wed, 26 Feb 2014 09:16:44 +0000 reverie 1450176@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sigh it took all month to get off the waiting list for the digital loan at the library.... I thought I finished just in time but it looks like I missed most of the discussion. </p> <p>I like the book and thought the writing was "pretty" but the language was very poetic for teenagers (even teenagers forced to age by their disease). I accidentally read about spoiler about Gus's fate so I don't know if that shaped my reaction, but it didn't have the punch I was expecting going into it -- my friend who I tend to be in sync with said TFIOS caused her to ugly cry. </p> <p>The only quote that got some emotion from me was "You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful".</p> <p>Anyway, for two nights of reading I think it was a worth while adventure but it won't be one of the great novels of my life. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hb-book-club-feb-tfios-week-4-discussion-wrap-up#post-1445922 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:05:33 +0000 NeekieRose 1445922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had been excited to participate in my first book club. I even bought the book for my Kindle...and then didn't read it until this weekend. But I finished it this weekend so I can participate now!</p> <p>So here are my overall thoughts on the book:</p> <p>1-The humor was fantastic. I found myself laughing out loud a few times, which is not what I expected from the book. Maybe it's an inappropriate sense of humor, but Gus and Hazel's rapport was very funny at times. Add in the interactions with Isaac, it was very entertaining.</p> <p>2. Nothing was terribly surprising. It would have been too obvious for Hazel to die, it had to be Gus. </p> <p>3-The whole Peter van Houten (PvH) storyline just didn't make much sense the more I thought about it. First of all, Hazel acknowledged how well PvH captured dying from cancer without having actually died from cancer, yet she didn't think that was because someone (likely a daughter) had died from cancer? That just seemed out of character for Hazel who was supposedly so preceptive.</p> <p>4-Additionally, the final chapters where Hazel is looking for what Gus had written is also completely out of character. Gus wanted to hear his friends eulogize him, but he would write Hazel's eulogy and not send it to her? He would send it to someone who had shown to be a not good person? But this could somewhat be explained by PvH's slight redemption in coming to Gus' funeral. But again, PvH was corresponding with Gus before his death, yet didn't read the letter Gus had sent with the eulogy? It just seems to contrived. </p> <p>5-I thought the parents were portrayed really well. And as others have said (maybe on the other threads), Hazel's mom saying she would not be a mother anymore was heartbreaking. </p> <p>6-I didn't cry while reading this. Which means there may be something wrong with me. Or it might be because I can't imagine my daughter as a teenager yet. So I couldn't relate to the parents of a teenager. This did somewhat surprise me though, because I do cry at sad things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hb-book-club-feb-tfios-week-4-discussion-wrap-up#post-1445647 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:29:45 +0000 lovehoneybee 1445647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to be hit as hard by Gus's death as I was. I wasn't bawling or anything, but I definitely cried a little bit there at the end. And my cry-trigger was pretty much non-existent for the rest of the night. I cried watching The Wonder Years! </p> <p>I thought the book as a whole was quite good--witty, sharp, and smart, dealing with death in a way that made it feel...bearable to me (at least to read). Going in to the last section realizing what was happening I thought I would be more upset reading it as a mother (and to some extent, I was) but it hit me harder as a wife. I was putting myself more in the shoes of Hazel, losing someone she loved and trying to imagine how I would handle losing D than in the shoes of either set of parents, burying their child. </p> <p>I'm not quite sure what that says about me as a mother, except that maybe some big part of me realizes how completely devastating it would be to have to bury my baby...even thinking about it is upsetting me...so I just refuse to think about it being possible, whereas there's a coin flip's chance that I'll be burying my husband. Even odds it WILL happen, but I can't even really let myself think of the possibility of having to bury Evan. </p> <p>I can only hope that if, god forbid something like this does happen to E that I will be able to face it with the grace and dignity that the parents showed. Hazel's mom, in particular, trying to soak up as much of her as possible, but planning for the after. </p> <p>@pui: I agree, I don't think it'll make a particularly good movie. I think it'll just be a boatload of sad things, without any of the wit that balances it out. Unless they voice over her thoughts, but I'm not sure that would work. I might watch it when it comes out on video if I'm home alone and need a cry. </p> <p>Overall I enjoyed it. I rated it a 3 here, because I enjoyed it but likely won't reread it, but if I was rating on Amazon I think I'd give it a 4. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hb-book-club-feb-tfios-week-4-discussion-wrap-up#post-1445421 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:33:37 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 1445421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I liked the book and its perspective. I thought Gus and Hazel seemed too mature for their age, but I'm sure having cancer changed their perspective. The beginning of their relationship didn't seem realistic to me, but I liked it better as the story went along. </p> <p>I thought it was interesting that Gus didn't really like his ex-girlfriend before she died, but stayed with her out of loyalty. It directly confronted the "cancer patients are heroes" mentality. </p> <p>The saddest parts for me involved Gus and Hazel's parents. </p> <p>I don't re-read books often, so I don't think I'll read this again, but I did enjoy reading it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hb-book-club-feb-tfios-week-4-discussion-wrap-up#post-1445212 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:43:16 +0000 pui 1445212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always wanted to read it because I follow John and his brother Hank on YouTube and they're both awesome, smart people. I think it's the perfect book for high school, as there is so much to dissect and learn from it. Overall though I thought the book was good, but not great.</p> <p>I honestly don't get how it's going to make a good movie... I feel like most of the value in the book comes from Hazel's interpretation of her and Gus's situation and that will be lost in the movie. The story itself is a little ho-hum without her analogies. Still I'll probably watch it when it comes out on DVD. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hb-book-club-feb-tfios-week-4-discussion-wrap-up#post-1445184 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:37:54 +0000 lovehoneybee 1445184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mmmk so if you've been following along silently but haven't commented yet because you finished the book in one sitting and didn't want to accidentally spoil anything, this is the thread you should come in and comment on :) </p> <p>I'm not going to ask any serious questions today. What did you think about the final section, and about the book as a whole? Did you think it deserves the now 10,000 review strong 5-star rating it currently holds on Amazon? Will you watch the movie when it comes out? </p> <p>Any other thoughts/questions about this section, or the book, that you'd like to share?</p> <p>ETA: I'll come back and comment myself as soon as E goes down for a nap :) </p>