“Don’t forget to be awesome.” This phrase, coined by John Green, undoubtedly rings true for his fourth novel, “The Fault in Our Stars.”

As a 16-year old girl with terminal cancer, Hazel Grace Lancaster is somewhat pessimistic about her future. But as fate may have it she meets fellow “cancer teen” Augustus Waters and with this one-legged, former basketball star, Hazel develops a meaningful relationship. The novel shows the journey of these two characters as they find love in each other and in life. John Green shows us that the fourth time is a charm as this book easily moved its way up to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list.

The Fault in Our Stars, TFIOS for short, is usually highly recommended by anyone who reads it, including MD/UD Librarian Christina Arcuri. Arcuri says “This is not just a typical ‘cancer book.’ It’s about taking advantage of the life you have. It makes your heart happy.”

This book not only paints a picture of tragedy, but of comedy and of romance, a perfect blend of emotions. While reading it, you are guaranteed not only to cry, but also to laugh out loud.

As a big fan of John Green, I was very excited when I discovered that he was releasing a new book, but still, I remained wary. Could even an author who had written so many other good books really write a good book about cancer? But I was not disappointed. As I became immersed in the beautifully written 318 pages of “The Fault in Our Stars,” the book soon became one of my favorites. John Green uses the two main characters to show us the importance of love, family, and living the life you’ve been given, no matter how bad of a hand you’ve been dealt.

It seems the world has agreed with my opinion of this book, as TFIOS has been on Amazon’s list of the 100 most popular books for over a year and a half. USA Today gave the book four out of four stars and Time magazine named it the top fiction novel of 2012. This book has received such critical acclaim that Fox 2000 optioned the rights to the book in January 2012, its first month of release.

Since then the movie has signed on Shailene Woodley (known for her role in The Descendants) as Hazel and newcomer Ansel Elgort as Augustus. Also set to star in the movie are Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, and Sam Trammell. Filming started this past August in Pittsburgh.

Some diehard fans think the book is too good to ever be translated well into a movie. In response to a question about the casting of the TFIOS movie Arcuri said, “I don’t care about the casting because I don’t want to see the movie. The book was too perfect.” Whether or not you decide to see the movie, “The Fault in Our Stars” is sure to be an entrancing read that will certainly become one of your favorite books too.