by John Green

5 Stars

In their childhood, Quentin and his neighbour Margo stumbled upon the dead body of a man who had shot himself in the park. Margo’s investigation of his death evoked a love for mysteries that is still present today. Fast forward to the current day, and Quentin’s dreams of going to prom with Margo are far-fetched, considering she rarely speaks to him. However, during the middle of the night, only a couple of weeks before graduation, Quentin hears a knock on his window and finds Margo standing outside. They spend the entire night carrying out an extreme revenge plan on all of Margo’s enemies, and Quinten believes the chance to befriend his now solitary neighbour is much closer than before. Plans are made to meet up at school the following day, yet Margo never shows. It is not uncommon for Margo to disappear, and she often leaves clues of where she has gone. The significance of this disappearance, however, is that the clues are specifically intended for Quentin.  

The story of Paper Towns tells the adventures of Quentin and his friends on the search for his runaway neighbour in hopes of finding her before they graduate from high school. What the future holds for them is unknown, but what Quentin does know is that Margo only wants to escape Orlando, Florida, what she considers to be a ‘paper town’.  

Paper Towns is a captivating novel that combines contemporary romance with mystery and suspense. I loved the structure of the novel, and I found the characters to be very relatable. The plot was intriguing and fast-paced, creating a book you do not want to put down. I would highly recommend this novel to teens interested in contemporary fiction and mysteries.

Emily B.

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