The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Book Published: 2012 | Movie Released: 2014| Genre: Young Adult Romance
I’m writing this review from the perspective of the 14-year-old girl who read this book and cried. It is completely nostalgia-filled. I have many favourite book-to-screen adaptations, but very few where I loved both the book and the movie equally. In my Get to Know Me, I mentioned Twilight as the best book-to-screen adaptation (lmao, don’t judge me). However, I think, I only read one of the books, and I wasn’t fully hooked on the series until Breaking Dawn: Part 1 came out. From that point on, I was obsessed with the films, but the books never gave me the same level of satisfaction.
So, when I thought about which stories I truly loved in both forms, I had to dig a little deeper. My first thought was To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but I’ve already covered that one. While searching online for inspiration, I was reminded of The Fault in Our Stars, the first book that ever made me cry. I wasn’t a particularly emotional teenager, but this story absolutely gutted me. I remember I read it just three days before seeing the movie with my friend, wanting the experience to be as true to the book as possible. Looking back, it’s definitely one of my favourites.
I’d consider the screen adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars a faithful take on John Green’s novel. Of course, there are some key differences in tone and characterisation that shape how audiences experience the story. But honestly, I think those changes work. They help the transition from page to screen feel smoother and make the film a more streamlined experience.
Synopsis
Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
Casting & Characters
I think what really elevates the film is the cast’s performances. Even in the smaller roles, every actor was clearly committed to their part. But of course, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort truly steal the show. While writing this, I learnt that both of them were fans of the book, and Elgort had even read it before auditioning. That passion shows — they embody their characters so well and clearly wanted to do them justice.
Hazel
Shailene Woodley is especially compelling as Hazel. Her portrayal of Hazel’s emotions is powerful yet understated, with expressions that carry immense weight without ever feeling forced. In the book, Hazel’s narration is filled with dry, sharp wit and a cynical outlook on life. She often refers to herself as a “grenade” bound to go off, determined to minimise the casualties around her. This fear drives her to withdraw socially and initially push Augustus away. Her deepest anxieties are about what will happen to her family after she’s gone, and this underpins her obsession with An Imperial Affliction. In the film, however, while Woodley’s Hazel is still guarded, these more complicated layers of anxiety are either softened or omitted. She is quicker to warm to Gus’s charm than her book counterpart, and although her wit remains, it’s channelled more into her dialogue with others than into her private, philosophical reflections.
Augustus
Ansel Elgort’s Augustus, feels exactly like the character John Green created — and then some. He is a former athlete turned nerd, hiding behind a suave façade but, at heart, just a goofy and vulnerable teenager. In the book, Gus can sometimes come across as pretentious or pompous, especially in his speeches about philosophy, or in his symbolic gestures like the unlit cigarette metaphor. The film keeps these quirks but tones down his more self-important side, instead highlighting his charisma, good looks, and boyish charm. And that charm is undeniable: Elgort makes him utterly lovable, which only makes his decline and death all the more devastating to watch.
Tones and Themes
The Book Experience
At the time I picked it up, I had only just started reading John Green and discovering “real life” in books. Up until then, my tastes leaned towards dystopian, fantastical, and action-packed stories.
The Fault in Our Stars was different — it offered a far deeper insight, not just into the perspective of someone living with a terminal illness, but into the life of a young person navigating something ordinary, like falling in love, under the extraordinary weight of impending death.
In the book, we live entirely inside Hazel’s head. So much of what we experience comes directly through her voice — her fears, her humour, and, most memorably, her sharp sarcasm. That intimacy makes Augustus’s death hit much harder. For me, it’s what makes the book the more emotional of the two mediums. The humour in the novel is darker, and the story as a whole leans more into philosophical questions about mortality. Both Gus and Hazel do come across as slightly more pretentious in the book, but it makes sense: they’re intelligent teenagers who, by circumstance, have spent far more time reflecting on the meaning of life and death than the average teen.
The Screen Experience
I absolutely loved the film. It managed to capture everything good about the book, and as a lifelong cinema lover, it felt extra special. At that age, very few films had made me truly emotional in a way that felt grounded and real (bar Lilo and Stitch — but that’s another conversation).
The movie leaned more into the romance than the book, almost framing it as a tragic rom-com. It became a more conventional love story, simply shaped by the fact that both lovers were terminally ill. By contrast, the novel never let you forget the raw and painful reality of cancer. These two threads run concurrently in both versions, but in the film, the romance takes centre stage while the darker reflections on mortality are dialled back. The tone is sweeter, less sarcastic and less pretentious than the book.
This difference is especially clear in how Gus’s death is handled. In the book, it’s brutal, lingering, and devastating. In the film, it’s still sad (I cried!) but more hopeful in tone. Yet, I have to admit, that eulogy scene… goodness. Seeing it hurt so much more than reading it. That’s the thing: no matter how evocative a book’s language can be, actually watching a moment play out on screen will always hit differently.
“You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have a say in who hurts you. And I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.“
Why This Adaptation Works
I know I’ve spent some time now talking about the differences between the book and the film, which might make it sound like there were a ton of changes. But honestly, The Fault in Our Stars movie is about as faithful an adaptation as you could hope for. It feels like an almost exact replica of the book, it couldn’t have been truer to John Green’s story if it tried. The screenwriters and director, Josh Boone, were huge fans of the novel and clearly committed to doing it justice. So not only did we have Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, two fans perfectly cast in the lead roles, but also a team of creatives behind the camera who genuinely loved the material. Simply put, this adaptation was a labour of love. You can feel how much the people involved cared about John Green’s story and how determined they were to bring it to life just as he wrote it.
“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”
John green
Final Thoughts
Both versions tell the same unforgettable story, just in different mediums. So, should you read the book? Absolutely, reading will always give you deeper insight into the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and the philosophical undercurrents of the story. But you should also watch the film, because it beautifully brings the novel to life on screen. The whole cinematic experience, from the performances to the soundtrack — lands differently, hitting harder in moments where you don’t need to imagine the visuals, because they’re right there before you.
The book made me feel deeply, the film warmed me, and both made me fall in love with the story all over again. I will say, though, I haven’t been able to re-read or re-watch it since. All my brain remembers is the heartbreak I went through at fourteen (even the soundtrack made me cry), so when I started writing this and revisiting clips and excerpts, it all came flooding back. Oh, my poor teenage heart.
The Fault in Our Stars definitely takes the cake as my favourite book to screen adaptation!
I hope you’re enjoying getting to know me through all my favourites this month! This walk down memory lane has been so fun and nostalgic, and I cant wait for my next posts.
Do stick around and explore some of my other posts!
Signed,
