Turtles All The Way Down | Book Review

Turtles All The Way Down, another one from John Green that has been receiving rave reviews since it was out late last year. And deservedly so.

This is my fourth book from John Green's that I've read. I've read The Fault in Our Stars (of course), Paper Towns, and An Abundance of Katherines. Among those four, I like this one the best. Yup, better than The Fault in Our Stars. Let me tell you why.

I know I just finished reading Turtles All The Way Down, so I'm still pretty much emotionally attached to it which is probably why I like it the best. But that's not it. I read TFIOS years ago, and I still remember how I felt after reading it. Indeed it was sorrowful, but... it wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it'd be. Maybe because of the expectation I had before reading it. For quite awhile I honestly thought John Green was overrated. Pardon me, I was young and naive.

TATWD, to me, is more complex than Green's previous works (the ones I've read). Not that it's difficult to read (not at all). The plot line is clear, easy to follow. But the fact that the main character, Aza, has mental illness, brings this YA fiction to a different level of complexity. Green successfully depicts the struggle of Aza's anxiety and compulsion. The voices inside her head, her chain of thought that goes on like a tightening spiral (hence the cover), and the way she tries to overcome it. Green makes it understandable and even relatable. I like the fact that Aza's mental health is the main focus of this story, and not the romance. Yet, the romance part is actually one of the best teenage love stories I've read, ever.

The romance part is actually one of the best teenage love stories I've read, ever. 

What I like the most about John Green is how he always writes teenage characters as knowledgeable and intelligent. Especially in this one. Not one character is plain dumb or incoherent. Not even Daisy, who was quite annoying most of the time. Like people in real life, they each have something they can be proud of. They are not dumb.

And about the ending... *sigh*, I couldn't think of a better closure than that one. I want to make this spoiler-free, so I won't spill anything. But I gotta assure you, it's not cheesy.

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Turtles All The Way Down ratings
Goodreads: 4,08/5
Book-bosomed: 4 stars out of 5