Paper Towns by John Green Book Review

I have been in love with John Green's books since I was in middle school for the simple fact that, as an author, he was not afraid to test the bounds of what we would normally think of in a contemporary book setting. He was not afraid to deal with the darker topics of misconceptions, mental health, and death.

I connected with that in a deeper way as I had been into darker poetry at the time. I wrote more, felt more, and dealt with more as the world seemed to crumble around me. I felt heard by this author more than most.

That is why his works will forever be a part of my life, but we are here for a review so let me stop running my fingers.

After all. . .

“The town was paper, but the memories were not.”

Summary.

We are thrown into a world where two young kids, both friends, come across something that will change their lives forever. Both react differently and from that moment on are estranged to each other but never forgotten.

We follow one, a boy named Quentin, through a typical high school day where nothing out of the ordinary happens. Til that night. His friend, who had become estranged to him, hangs on to his window sill and tell his he is going with her on an adventure.

Oh did I mention he has a crush on her?

Of course he says yes and he sees a side to her that he had never noticed before. They go to the store, prank some people, break into an abandoned amusement park, and head home.

The next day he hopes to see her. She is a no show, not something new. Then she continually does not show up and finds out she has been missing. He finds out that is a pattern for her, but this time is different.

He decides he will look beyond what others may not be seeing to find her. Th clues lead him to believe that she is out of the state and hours away from the town. He wants tog o find her but with graduation that night he has to make a choice.

He decides to follow his heart. His friends are right behind him and they take the fastest trip ever to search for a girl that they don't even know wants to be found. After the impromptu, road trip they find Margo.

She asks them why they are here and proceeds to ask Quentin if he wouldn't mind walking with her. They both sit down and he discovers that the girl he once admire from afar was not the girl that was sitting in front of him right now.

She explained that he, like many of the others at their school, had bought into stories that she told them. Had bought into the perception of who she was because they did not want to look past it to see the messiness underneath.

He started to realize that maybe he was wrong and that she never needed to be rescued in the first place. She asks him to stay and he declines. He has learned what he needed to from her, but he also was just not enough like her to continue the journey.

They part ways with a new understanding and appreciation of the other. Not to mention one hell of a story to share.

Rating.

4/5 stars!

This was a beautifully-crafted YA contemporary novel that pushed the bounds of stereotypes and presuppositions. There was plenty of action to not be overly slow, there were moments were a change of pace would have been appreciated. The characters themselves were rounded out rather well. And the messages that were hidden in the text were astounding.

We find in Quentin, our main protagonist, our insecurities and fears of pursuing passion based on what societal norms tell us we have to be. Throughout the book we come to the understanding that it is ok to show others what makes us different and unique.

In Margo we see someone who has created a life outside of themselves because they are tired of the life they have and know no other way to be. Throughout the book we learn more of her on an outsider's perspective level and we can appreciate all the things that bring her down to earth and make her more relatable to our subconscious rather than as an enigma or persona.

As with all books it was not the perfect piece of literature with some rushed transitions here and there, moments of too much dialogue dragging out a scene rather than setting, and of course there are points where the author is trying to show you everything while also trying to give a monologue through our main character.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read with lovable characters, beautiful life lessons, hard truths, and a good sense of a fun time and adventure!

If you want to own the book for yourself you can click right here and own it today!

As always thank you so much for reading! You can also catch up on new book reviews, fun bookish games, and my general thoughts on my YouTube channel. I also post frequently on my instagram babbling_bumbling_booknerd.