"Paper Towns" - John Green

Hello fellow bibliophiles! This Sunday was filled with rainy skies, cold temperatures, and nothing to do but lay in bed with a cup a coffee and read all day. It was glorious :) Once again I jumped on the John Green bandwagon and divulged into his next book that will be soon gracing the big screens. I had not heard a lot about Paper Towns but something has always intrigued me about the story. So I picked up the book, started reading, and didn't put it down until I was finished. Here's what I thought:

I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It's a great story that I am glad I read as an adult rather than an adolescent who the book is targeted towards. The story is about a boy, Quentin, and his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, who have been intertwined since they were kids. Q has always loved Margo even though she hardly acknowledges him or sees him more than as just a friend. Now seniors in high school, Margo appears at Q's window one night and convinces him to help her play out a series of revenge ploys. The next day, Margo has disappeared and no one but Quentin seems to care. Q is lead on a wild goose chase from clues left by Margo to find where she is and why she left. Will he drive himself crazy trying to find her? Does she even want to be found? Is she still alive? Questions that keep the reader guessing and hanging on through every chapter of the book, right up until the end.

What I loved best about the story are all of the underlying themes and messages Green gives to the read. Green is right when he says we all see people differently, through different "mirrors" or "windows" and think we know each other's true selves. But do we really know each other or do we just believe what we want to think? In this book, Quentin and the other characters are all brought together because of Margo and her semantics. They realize different things about each other outside of their stereotypical, judgmental opinions they held before as high school students. I also really liked the literal use of paper towns throughout the story. The use of the word and its meaning changes and evolves throughout, guiding the reader down a path of self discovery both literally and figuratively. Many other reviews I read said this book was not as good as his others but since I have only read this book and Fault In Our Stories I cannot agree one way or the other. I did enjoy the book and do recommend it! Feel free to share any opinions, suggestions, and feedback!

Happy reading fools :)