REVIEW | PAPER TOWNS BY JOHN GREEN

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Now, grab a cup of tea and a custard cream- this is a long one. I know I've mentioned this book in a couple of posts and I've done a couple of mini reviews here and there but I feel like I should do a full review to show my love for Paper Towns. If I had seen this on a shelf in a book shop, I would probably would have never picked it up because of its preteen-style cover (never judge a book by its cover but c'mon, who doesn't?). If it wasn't for everyone's raving I would have never have discovered just how great it is.

Set in the sunshine state of Florida, the book follows Quentin Jacobson on his journey to find out who the real Margo Spiegelman is. Having been best friends during their childhood, Quentin is forever trying to get her attention in any way possible. Then, following the break up of her relationship, she spontaneously asks him to join her on one crazy night filled with revenge and spray paint. After spending the night in awe of Margo's pranks and madness, he wakes up to find that his childhood love has gone missing. The majority of the book is based around him following clues to try and find Margo, and, well, live happily ever after.

I can always tell a good book by how addictive it is. Can I put it down or will I be staying up until the early hours to find out the conclusion? I definitely could not put this down. The first chapter grabs the readers attention and opens you up to the whirl wind that is Margo Spiegelman. I liked the structure of this book as it has an exciting event and plot twist at the beginning whereas in most books you end up flipping through the first few chapters just to find any form of excitement. I did think that John Green dragged out the clues and Quentin's failed attempts at finding Margo a bit too much however. 

Despite this tiny slump, the book soon picks up again when Quentin discovers where she is and throws four mates into his beaten up van to travel to the fictional destination of Agloe, New York. The pace of the book is quite fast and tense and I felt like I read it in minutes. Despite the general tense mood of the book, there are many parts where I actually laughed out loud to myself and must have sounded a bit crazy to anyone that could hear me! 

I did have one slight problem with the book- the ending. The climax, where Quentin actually finds Margo in a bit of a state, seemed to be a bit rushed and didn't really come to any conclusion apart from the fact that she didn't want to go back with him. We didn't discover much about where she will go or Quentin's emotions to her decision. It was all a bit abrupt. 

However, this is one of my favourite books despite the shoddy ending. I'm not sure I'd stretch as far as saying I prefer it to The Fault In Our Stars but it is up there.

Have you read Paper Towns? What are your thoughts?

Abbie

xo