Paper Towns in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jan 09, 2014 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: american-fiction, fiction

The last one of John Green's books for me to read. I cannot decide if I liked it better than Looking for Alaska or not, but I think it is one of the top two for me. Possibly because no one dies. Or possibly because it's about leaving, with which I am so familiar.

Update: I've also realized this story is so poignant because it's about learning that not everything is a Hollywood ending, and that a lot of life is about how you get where you're going, instead of just getting where you're going. And a ...more

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Dec 18, 2009 Lydia Presley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, coming-of-age

So.. I wanted to love Paper Towns by John Green. And for about half of the book, I did. I loved the witty quips throughout the book made by the odd trio of friends. I loved the eccentricities each family brought to the table. I loved every character introduced - except one. Who just so happens to be one of the main characters the book revolves around. I hated Margo Roth Spiegelman.

Basically this is a story about how a well-adjusted boy goes crazy his last month of his senior year in high school. ...more

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Jun 21, 2008 stephanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, would-rec, 2009

okay, i was debating between a four and five, but the fact that i couldn't put it down and found myself wanting to quote whole chunks of the book means that it gets a five.

it's a classic john green story, which means it's a nerdy boy with some social problems and a girl who seems so unattainable and perfect - but of course, comes with a lot of flaws.

Paper Towns starts off in florida, and with the exception of radar's obsession with omnictionary (basically wikipedia) and his brilliance with hi okay, i was debating between a four and five, but the fact that i couldn't put it down and found myself wanting to quote whole chunks of the book means that it gets a five.

it's a classic john green story, which means it's a nerdy boy with some social problems and a girl who seems so unattainable and perfect - but of course, comes with a lot of flaws.

Paper Towns starts off in florida, and with the exception of radar's obsession with omnictionary (basically wikipedia) and his brilliance with his PDA, there isn't some crazy mathematical genius or complex whatevers. these characters were more real, more usual.

as usual, i loved the secondary characters the best - radar with his house of twelve thousand black santas, ben with his obsession regarding prom, and lacey with her cluelessnes and yet sincerity, most of the time.

Q and margo roth speigelman are the pins around which the story revolve, though this isn't margo's story (in the same way Looking for Alaska wasn't alaska's story). however, i really found myself not like margo, and perhaps especially at the end. and, strangely, i found myself comparing margo and Q to hannah and colin from 13 Reasons Why - perhaps because so many people thought that hannah wasn't realistic and hated her and compared the book unfavorably to Looking for Alaska. but margo isn't like hannah really, either.

it's a mystery inside of a poem inside of a novel. margo tends to go missing, joining a circus for three days and so on. (the parents in this book are really annoying and not at all sympathetic.) but when margo goes missing after a big night that includes codfish, vaseline, and seaworld, people start to get worried. when Q learns that margo often leaves clues behind, and finds the first one, the journey truly begins. the clues are seemingly directed at Q, asking him to find her. and so he goes, and his friends end up coming with him - all against the backdrop of graduating high school.

the use of walt whitman's "song of myself", along with all the other clues is classic john green genius. the idea of paper towns themselves - fake towns put on maps by companies to see if other people steal their maps.

it's story of finding out that people aren't who they are. that we each see each other, and ourselves, differently. maybe whitman put it best -

"You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,/But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,/And filiter and fibre your blood.

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,/Missing me one place search another,/I stop some where waiting for you" ...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Ainsley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-2008

Well. It was good. Again, parts of it made me laugh out loud. But it seemed a little bit like John Green said "Okay. Need to write a book. Looking for Alaska was successful. An Abundance of Katherines was successful. What if... I take Alaska and put her together with Colin and Hassan, and throw in some more wacky shenanigans and another road trip? Bingo!" I mean, this book literally could've been called Looking for Margo.

This is not to say that I disliked the book. I flew through it and enjoyed ...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Kate McCartney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-fiction

I wasn't sure at first when I started listening if I was going to be able to finish it. Fortunately for me I have an hour round trip commute so I was forced to get through the first disc and by that time I was hooked. Q. is a likable guy who is has always had a crush on his adventurous neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman. He has not lived one moment on the edge in his 18 years of life, that is until Margo Roth Spiegelman ( he refers to her by her whole name as the name identifies her persona, who he ...more

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May 12, 2013 Courtney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was my 3rd favorite of all of the John Green books that I read. He had my heart racing in moments, my heart bleeding in others. He is such a strong author.

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Jun 04, 2008 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 10, 2008 Julie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: teen

I'm a big fan of John Green, but I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. Another troubled girl and a boy obsessed with her. The characters were good, but for me it was trying to be like "Looking for Alaska" too much...which is still my favorite. ...more

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