After reading John Green's The Fault in Our Stars early last year, I kept meaning to return to another of his books, especially now that the trailer for the movie has been circulating. On a whim, I decided to pick up Looking for Alaska
When I finished the book, I immediately thought to recommend this to my 18-year old sister, who loves fast paced love stories, especially of the Nicholas Sparks variety. I asked her what she liked in that type of books, and she explained that most of it was reading the story of this couple, but another aspect was the predictability of a happy ending. I still would recommend this book (and other John Green works) to her, and I have; however, for any of you out there who is really looking for the happy ending, this is not your book. That's not to say that the book doesn't close neatly or that there isn't a sense of understanding and closure. Mostly it's just to warn you that the plot will take a sad turn and that one of the major themes is overcoming.
All in all though, the story was compelling (and fairly short, I believe it's around 250 pages). If you're looking for a love story and you don't mind shedding a few tears over a book, then add John Green to your list!