Author of several of my favorite books, John Green really catches your attention and pulls you in to his book, An Abundance of Katherines. Full of laugh- until-you-cry humor, characters with fantastically well described personalities, a follow-along message, and the adventurous story, you’ll fall in love with everything about it.

The book’s humor was something I definitely did not expect to find after reading Green’s other books: The Fault in Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, and Paper Towns. An Abundance of Katherines is serious when necessary, but has an inappropriate sense of humor to bring it to life. I definitely suggest you read it, that is, if you’re prepared for side-aching laughs and some absolutely hilarious dialogue. It’s relatable, real even, and appropriate for anyone set with an open mind of any age willing to experience a great read.

Something that stood out to me for sure in An Abundance of Katherines is the imagery and personification John Green used to describe and paint a picture of the book’s characters. Not to spoil anything for you, but the book starts out with the main character, Colin Singleton, in a tub remembering his previous girlfriends, all 19 of them, all named Katherine. Colin is a smart teenager, able to come up with facts, acronyms, and a wide variety of things you wouldn’t expect anyone to know. His best friend, Hassan, decides to take him on an adventurous drive to cheer him up and hopefully get his mind off of his ex girlfriend, Katherine XIX (K-19), using any means necessary. They end up in a small little town called Gutshot in the middle of Tennessee, where they end up meeting Lindsey, a colorful, wild character who leads your mind to begin to hypothesize that Colin will fall in love with her and finally break the Katherine debacle. Green uses this to string you along with such emotional depth and imagination, to really bring the characters to life.

Something else I loved about An Abundance of Katherines is the message you receive and take with you after reading it. It goes into detail and makes you think. It makes you think about bravery, love, friendships, freedom, and not falling for the temptations of society. At the very beginning of the book, Colin asks his mother, “Will I ever have an ‘Aha!’ moment?” Throughout the story, Colin unknowingly starts to realize that his “Aha!” moment is going to come. He learns that his friends Hassan, and Lindsey, both believe that he matters. He finds valuable friendships and some love in this outstanding book.

The story of the book is a beautiful painting put together with the imagination and mindset of John Green. The plot all fits together perfectly. Even though the two characters, Colin and Hassan, seem to have the best bond; after truly reading the book, you quickly begin to notice that Colin begins to open himself up to Lindsey, progressively showing that there is a connection beginning to “spark” between the two. Colin learns about what it is to matter. For real, this time. Lindsey takes his mind off of Katherine number nineteen and the other eighteen Katherine-failed-relationships. His best friend Hassan planned a vacation of a trip without any idea where they were going, and it turns out that it was exactly what Colin needed. His life began to turn around.

I definitely recommend this book to those of you who are strong readers with a mind open to some foul yet well-used language and character personality. This book is not for everyone, but it’s worth the read in the long run. I laughed, cried laughing, smiled, and got sucked into this book every time I opened it. Let the author speak to you, too, in An Abundance of Katherines.