Let me state this up front: I hate sad books. I hate cancer books. I hate books designed to make me cry. And oh boy, did I ever cry. 
 I can see why John Green is a best-selling author. He's witty, funny, deep, personable, and crafty in his writing talent. It's at once eccentric and down to earth as it follows the lives of two kids on a collision course with cancer-related deaths. It's so compelling and I was so eager to see what would happen next that I stayed up half the night to see what would happen. It tugs on heartstrings on every possible level, which I admit, is a little bit trite. 
 My only complaint with it -- it's a little superior in its attitude at times. The author, as others have mentioned, is unrealistic in his totally abstract deviations from reality. And yet, that lends itself to a certain charm. It's an excellent books overall -- the first half of it is glorious, but the second half's turn into epic sadness will keep me from ever reading it again. I avoid emotional books like the plague, so -- well done, sir. I plan on not seeing the movie. Crying a lot of tears over something once is reasonable -- doing it again seems like self-torment.