Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Spiegelman were best friends growing up, but the two separated in high school, with Q as the outcast and Margo as the popular girl. A month before their senior graduation Margo suddenly reappears in Q’s life, with an eleven-part plan to get revenge on the people that hurt her. Margo used Quentin as a getaway driver and sometimes an accomplice. Quentin follows along with her as they attack her “best friend” and her cheating boyfriend. Quentin still has romantic feelings for Margo from when they were kids, and hopes to pick up where they left off. That night the two part ways with two different ideas of how the rest of their lives will go. Margo is reported missing by her parents after three days. Quentin and his two friends soon discover items that Margo has left for Quentin. The three of them, along with one of Margo’s ex-best friends, go on a quest to find her, fearing she may have committed suicide. They skip graduation and road trip to Agloe, New York. A paper town. Along the way, Q’s friends find romance among themselves. You should check out the book for the surprise ending!

I believe that this book is totally appropriate for young adults. John Green’s use of teen romance and the feeling of not belonging is relatable to any teen. The use of paper towns to represent fake “paper people” is shown in everyone’s life if they grew up in a small place. In small towns, everyone knows everything about you and your problems. The book teaches kids it’s okay to break free of things you’ve always known. It shows that you need to be the real you and fight against the pressures of conformity in a small town. It also addresses the possibility that Margo committed suicide, which is a real issue for teens of today. Although it’s not the best John Green book, it mixes a clique teen romance with a detective twist. It perfectly ends with a bittersweet ending that no one knew they needed, like life.