I first read The Fault in Our Stars when it came out January of 2012. Before publication, John Green posted two videos on YouTube where he read aloud the first two chapters of the book. I fell in love. Apart from the stunningly beautiful prose, John Green has (in my opinion, although I may be biased) a wonderful reading voice. On nights when I found it difficult to sleep, I would open up those videos and listen to John's calming voice until I fell asleep. 
 As these videos had been a huge success and there was a lot of demand for John to record the audiobook, a limited number of copies were released through DFTBA, in complement to the official audiobook which was read by an actress. I didn't buy a copy of this at the time because, I'll be honest, it was a lot of money. Combined the cost of a 6 Disc audiobook and shipping from Missoula to Australia was a tonne and I figured that I would live without it. The copies sold out, and I did not buy one. I'm not even joking when I say that I have regretted that decision ever since. So when, earlier this year, DFTBA announced that they would again be releasing John's recording of the book, I literally ran to my computer to pre-order it. It was heinously expensive for me, but guys, this is so so worth it. 
 There's something to be said about listening to an author read their own work. And having just finished another audiobook where the actress put strange emphasis on words that I'm sure was not as the author had intended it to be written, it's nice to know that how John read it is how he planned it to be read. 
 I didn't have as strong of an emotional reaction to the book as I did the first time I read it, although I did cry enough to impeded my vision and lead to me stabbing myself several times with the needle I was sewing with. I think in a way I had a closer emotional connections to the book when I could control the pace of reading myself, reading over and over the most heartbreaking sections. Of course, the fact that this was a re-read might also explain this. 
 I think that I would still recommend that new readers experience The Fault in Our Stars through a physical copy of the book first, because there is nothing like experiencing the story of Hazel and Augustus at your own pace. But this audiobook is an absolutely wonderful complement to this outstanding narrative and I know it is one that I will revisit many times.