Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green
Published by Speak
Date: September 22, 2009
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Pages: 305
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

Two-time Printz Medalist John Green’s New York Times bestseller, now in paperback!

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life — dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge — he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues — and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

- Goodreads

Margo Roth Spiegelman has intrigued Quentin Jacobsen since they were kids. So, when Margo mysteriously disappears and leaves clues behind, Quentin makes it his mission to solve the mystery that is Margo. He searches for clues that he hopes will help him find Margo. Along the way, Quentin not only finds the trail of clues Margo left behind, but he also realizes that he never really knew Margo to begin with.


One of the highlights of this book was its interesting plot. The mystery surrounding Margo's disappearance sucks you in just as Quentin gets sucked into solving it. As I read, I found myself trying to decipher the clues alongside Quentin. For the most part, the plot was nicely paced, but it did have its occasional slow moments with added events that weren't entirely necessary.

One thing I really disliked about the book was the characters. To be honest, as I was reading the first few chapters or so, I had absolutely no complaints about the characters. However, as I got deeper into the story, I started to dislike the characters, particularly Quentin and Margo. As Quentin really gets into detective mode, he starts to become more and more obsessed with Margo. What started out as an innocent infatuation quickly became an unhealthy obsession. With Margo, I felt that she was overly pessimistic. I understand why she developed her particular worldview, but, like Quentin, she took it to an extreme level. I think my main issue with the characters was their lack of development. They didn't have any other substantial qualities to round them out.

Overall, I thought Paper Towns was underwhelming. It was my second encounter with John Green, and I was not as impressed with Paper Towns as I was with An Abundance of Katherines. It's still a good book, but it's not something I feel the need to rave about. On the plus side, rumor has it Paper Towns is being made into a movie (source). Even though I thought the book was just okay, I'll probably still see the movie.

Click here to check out my review for An Abundance of Katherines, also by John Green.