I Read Every John Green Book And I Have Some Unpopular Opinions

Ranking 6 books by John Green from worst to best

John Green is one of the most popular Young Adult authors, with over 50 million copies of his books in print worldwide. He has published five fiction books, one nonfiction book, and two books co-written with other authors. His most popular book, The Fault in Our Stars, is one of the most best-selling books of all time and had a movie adaptation in 2014.

After reading all of John Green’s books, I decided to rank his work from my least favorite to favorite book. Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion and my enjoyment is not always based on the literary merit or larger importance of the book.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite John Green book is.

6. Looking For Alaska

My least favorite book from John Green is his debut, Looking for Alaska. The story follows a boy named Miles who goes to boarding school for the first time and meets a girl named Alaska. The coming-of-age story has won a lot of awards. But, I didn’t like it.

This was one of those books that I finished and felt meh. I’m not sure if it was because of the writing or the characters, but I never got attached to anyone. I felt as though the narrative didn’t have a lot of direction and could be quite choppy. I found myself lost in the story. Alaska seemed to be a girl that is ‘not-like-other-girls,’ quirky just to be different from other people. I think the themes and ideas explored in the book are interesting, but I just didn’t like the overall story enough.

“Francois Rabelais. He was a poet. And his last words were “I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” That’s why I’m going. So I don’t have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps.”― John Green, Looking for Alaska

5. Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down is a meaningful book for a lot of people. The story centers on Aza, a character with OCD, and a mystery to find a fugitive billionaire for a cash reward. John Green has been open that he also struggles with OCD and included a lot of his experience within the story.

I thought the exploration of OCD was well done (if, at times, hard to read). But, I felt that the plot was disjointed. The two storylines, Aza and the billionaire, didn’t really connect for me. I understand how the book could work for other people, but I felt like there was something missing for me to love it.

“The worst part of being truly alone is you think about all the times you wished that everyone would just leave you be. Then they do, and you are left being, and you turn out to be terrible company.”― John Green, Turtles All the Way Down

4. An Abundance of Katherines

When I was a teenager and read all of John Green’s books that were published at the time, I used to always say An Abundance of Katherines was my favorite. If I reread this now though, I don’t think it would hold up.

This book follows a boy named Colin who has just gotten dumped by Katherine, again. Colin seems to only date people named Katherine, and so far, after nineteen of them, it hasn’t worked out in his favor. To help him feel better, Colin’s friend takes him on a road trip.

Overall, this book just hasn’t stuck with me over the years. When I try to think back on specific moments from the book, I come up blank. I remember liking the writing style and the voice of the story. I laughed while reading. But nothing happens plot-wise besides a road trip. I also think I would be frustrated with Colin as a character now and the way he thinks about women (for example, labeling them as numbers).

So, this book isn’t bottom of the list for me, as I did like it at the time. But, it’s definitely not a favorite anymore now that I have grown up.

“I figured something out. The future is unpredictable.”― John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

3. Paper Towns

I thought Paper Towns was really fun when I read it. The story follows a boy named Quentin who has always been entranced by his neighbor, Margo, ever since he was young. One night, Margo randomly decides to take him on an adventure to get revenge on the people that have wronged her.

I do see the critique that Margo is a ‘manic-pixie-dream-girl’ character in the story with not a lot of development. However, I still thought the plot was entertaining. I liked the idea of getting swept up in a late-night adventure. I also enjoyed the second half of the story where Quentin gets drawn into the mystery of Margo’s disappearance. I was pleasantly surprised with the ending. The book overall is still memorable to me years later.

“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.”― John Green, Paper Towns

2. The Fault in Our Stars

For the sheer nostalgia and memories I have attached to this book, it has to be in one of my top spots. The Fault in Our Stars is one of John Green’s most well-known books, and for good reason. I think it is one of his best. The story follows two characters, Hazel and Augustus, who both have cancer.

There is a tendency when a book gets popular to subsequently hate on it. But honestly, I think this book is very well done and moving. I still remember the feeling I had when I read this book for the first time. It made me cry. I enjoyed both the themes and the characters. It’s a memorable story that I still think about now. It definitely is cheesy and not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.

“You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world…but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

1. The Anthropocene Reviewed

My favorite book of John Green’s is his most recent nonfiction book, The Anthropocene Reviewed. I had no idea what to expect with this book, but I loved this so much. I read the book earlier this year, and I’ve been recommending it to people since. It is one of my favorites.

If you’ve ever watched Vlogbrothers on Youtube (where John and his brother Hank make four-minute videos discussing random things in life) you would probably love this collection of essays. In it, John reflects on various topics and arbitrarily rates them on a scale from one to five. There were so many things in the book that I learned about for the first time. Even topics that may not have seemed interesting to me at first were fascinating when John told them. I would love for him to write another book in this format.

Also, if you can get your hands on the audiobook, John narrates it himself and it is fantastic!

“We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.”― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed

As for his co-written books, I decided not to include them in my official ranking. If I were to include these books, they would be somewhere in the middle — not a favorite but also not terrible. I liked Will Grayson Will Grayson when I read it. I thought the story was interesting and humorous. When I read Let it Snow back in the day I enjoyed it. But, when I recently went back to re-read it, I didn’t love it as much.

Have you ever read a John Green book? Which one is your favorite?

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