I understand now why this book has made such a mark. The first half, I felt like “yeah, this is good, John Green is a good writer” but I also had this dual sense of I don’t think I would have liked this as a teen, largely because so was such a goodie two shoes I wouldn’t have found it relatable, and as an adult, it just felt so teen. But then the second half hit and I totally turned around. It was brilliant. The realizations Miles had about his own character flaws and the ways he had to grapple with not really knowing someone, the final prank which made me laugh and cry, the remaining ambiguity of the mystery which felt powerful and true. It surprised me how  raw it was able to go while remaining hopeful in the end. 

On THAT aspect (if you know, you know, Nabor spoiler ahead):

I had NO IDEA Alaska died in this book. I thought it was like Paper Towns, where she disappears and they have to LOOK for her. Sure, it’d be weird to do that twice, but I didn’t expect him to KILL A TEENAGER twice. Anyways, as a result, that part of the book was very effective; even had I known, I think it would have been. The shock and emotional response of the characters was very powerful and incredibly well done.