John Green

An Abundance of Katherines

From the bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down and The Fault in Their Stars, a beautiful tale of love, loss and not so fool proof mathematic equations. When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

Katerina

Thoughts by my teenage self in 2013: Without a doubt, I claim that this books deserves even more than five stars. There is not a page in it that I did not find interesting. There is not a page in it that is not my favorite. There is not a quote in it that I wouldn't go back to and reread over and over again. Brilliant, witty, smart, funny and most of all - original. John Green has managed to yet again amaze me with his talent. 

Thoughts by adult me in 2021: There is a reason the genre is "Young Adult".

Itzel

It's amazing how now the only John Green book I'm missing is Looking for Alaska.

I like a lot his books, as I may have mentioned before.

In this case, it was the fact that Colin was a former child prodigy that made him likable (at least to me). And oh, you may ask. How does one get to be 'a former child prodigy'? By growing up, because most child prodigies do not grow up to be adult geniuses.

Which may strike a little bit close to home.

Anyway, the anagrams within the book were superb, and now I kinda want to try my hand at them. The mathematical formulas, however, I couldn't understand them at all, but that may be because me and math simply do not get along. Not at all.

Now, even as I have mentioned how I could relate to Colin Singleton in the intelligence aspect, I certainly... well, it's a bit obsessive how he dated nineteen Katherines in the course of his life at the point the book begins (view spoiler)[ actually, he only dates eighteen of them. (view spoiler)[

But I guess it could happen. Certainly I wouldn't go chasing the same name all of my life. 

It began with a promising premise (I'm not really good at anagrams, but am agreeably apt at alliteration), what's with the roadtrip (As seen in my Paper Towns review, I crave a roadtrip), but Colin and his friend Hassan (Who is also a wonderful character, one of those sidekicks who take the stage for them. Think kind of Tiny Cooper) quickly stay in a little in-the-middle-of-nothing town.

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand deserves a honorable mention. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Colton Ray

I tried to get through this book, but I just couldn't. Paper Towns and Looking For Alaska are the only John Green books I can stomach. The characters got on my nerves and the plot was going nowhere. Boring.

Maui Santos

Loved how geeky this book is. An enjoyable read.

★★★★ // extremely hilarious and almost—almost—my favorite John Green book.

Mehak Rathour

carolreadabook

I adored this book and I know lots of people disagree with it. 

I like this book because Colin is annoying and so full of references that the only thing he knows to do is say "this happened because of that" and I enjoy how he progressed in the book from being so selfish to care more about Lindsey and her feeling about how everyone sees her. 

The part when they run away is so precious to me. It's about being able to be around someone that makes you comfortable to be your true self.

And Lindsey, don't worry, everyone makes up to everyone, just be yourself around those you trust.

The colindsey theme's song is Lost Boy by Ruth B because they are both trying to

Jehan Chawla

I like John Green Novels; but this one just wasn't for. I'm glad it was a short read because I just wanted this novel to end. It's not that the book was horrible, I just didn't like the plot or the main Protagonist one bit. It had nothing captivating to hold my attention. The book just read like ramblings followed by more ramblings. Thanks to this book I've started hating the word KATHERINE. The basic premise wasn't appealing. The book had no redeemably. I don't even look back fondly at any character featured. Huge Parts of book were just a drag to read by.
Glad It's over though.

Hannah Yang

So this book does get better!

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for far too long. It's a John Green book. I freaking love John Green. So why was it so hard for me to pick this one up and get through it? The beginning felt so slow - it seemed to drag a little. It was all information, information, Colin whining, and information. 

I was actually super upset at first because this is one of the first times I've ever considered not finishing a book, and it was a John Green book. John Green, people. Plus, I really hated hearing the name Katherine by the end of the book. However, trust me, it got better. Quickly.

I loved the characters and their quirks. 

Enter Colin Singleton, who's definitely going to be single for a while, because he only dates girls named Katherine. K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E, no more letters and no less letters. And he has been dumped by exactly 19 girls called Katherine. As the main character of this book, I was greatly intrigued by the lovely informative footnotes and the way he thought. I think the descriptions of how empty he felt after the last Katherine dumped him were impeccable. 

It was overemphasized throughout the book, so I'm glad at least it was well done. The only thing that annoyed me about Colin was... well, the Katherines. That name just bugs me now.

Meet Hassan, Colin's not-a-terrorist best friend of sorts, who whisks Colin on a road trip to get him out of being a depressed couch potato. Hass was one of my favorite characters. Hass got the sassssss. *clears throat* Hassan was really funny and I love how honest he is. He's not a backstabbing friend or some lame phony, he did genuinely care about Colin and he had totally the best mindset when he found out about Katrina and TOC. I loved how he was such a loyal friend even when Colin was being a freaking annoying whinybutt.

And my favorite. Lindsey Lee Wells. She's got that "tragic" backstory: unpopular when she was little, became emo, now she's a cool kid. She's pretty and energetic and bubbly and sweet and funny and sassy. She's not named Katherine (thank God). I think I loved her because, well, I admire her in some ways. Sure, she's not a perfect, good kid or anything. She's slightly screwed up. But she's fun and she's an amazing friend. I loved reading the parts with her in it. Plus #Colsey (is this a thing?). 

So in the end, instead of liking this book, instead of hating this book, or anything in between...

I kind of fell in love with it.

It's actually kind of hard to explain this book. There were definitely dragging points. There were flaws. Some of the characters made me want to stab them (hint hint, TOC. I'm comin' for ya). But I felt like I was right there, watching it all happen, feeling everything the characters felt. That's a powerful thing - how writers capture moments, pen them, and let readers feel them too. Not every writer can pull it off. But John Green's great at it.

I'm not even sure how I feel about this book, it's just that when I finished I sat back, sighed, and felt totally peaceful and content. Not sure how else I would describe it, but I felt like "Whew, I finally finished an amazing book that I should have read ages ago".

Anyways, I would... recommend with caution. 
I don't think this book is everybody's type. It's definitely a good book. Like most John Green books, it's an unbelievably quirky story, but it is still a lovely read, so if you're up for it, go ahead -- I don't think you'll regret it.

Lara Engle

The concept of this book really seems rather ridiculous. A recent high school graduate named Colin has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Katherine. In fact, this is the 19th Katherine in a row to dump him. Now, Colin is a former child prodigy who wants to become a genius. His solution for filling the Katherine-shaped hole in his gut and for becoming a genius is to develop a theorem that can accurately track (and predict) the trajectory of a relationship between any two people.

Of course, he has summertime adventures and learning experiences, but his focus is on the theorem. To me, as a reader, this all seems silly and probably completely cliched in a typical John Green way. However, I was still completely pulled in. Yes, I saw where this was going. Yes, Colin learned what I hoped he would learn. But somehow it was still fun and fresh and enjoyable. The characters are varied (even if most do follow the typical John Green character type chart) and I liked spending time with them. It's a quick, breezy, not-too-heavy read.

Lamia Hajani

Lo and behold, for once in his life, John Green did not rip my heart out and step all over it.

But I also wasn't as particularly impressed with this one as I was with TFioS. Probably because this didn't make me sob my heart out. That would make sense, actually. Maybe I'm a masochist.

Anyways, it wasn't bad. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It just didn't have that one unf factor to it that would bump it to a 5 stars. But I'd still recommend it to everyone I know.

Briar's Reviews

An Abundance of Katherines was an interesting book by John Green - it's the perfect mix of YA and contemporary fiction in my mind. While it's not his best book (in my opinion), it's still a really intriguing read. John Green knows how to write a unique narrative and pull in the reader. Although, his books all tend to be different so you aren't guaranteed to enjoy this book if you liked his other novels. He does an excellent job at changing genres and narratives, and making different stories every time he writes a book.

Colin isn't the most likable protagonist, but that's why I liked him. He wasn't the typical YA character we fall in love with, he had his flaws. His friends were more likable, but to me it made him seem more real. We don't all love ourselves the way we should, so sometimes the protagonist should be more "realistic". 

As for the plot, it's has a smooth flow and doesn't build very much. It's more of a contemporary fiction piece that follows the characters throughout. There's no major plot twists or devices that jumped out at me. Yet, this book still worked well in this context! With most authors, I would have given up with a plot like this, but somehow John kept me hooked. That takes a fair bit of talent!

The best part of this book is that it is full of epic quotes. John Green knows how to make quote worthy books that relate to teenagers and adults alike. I have found countless quotes that I can either relate to myself, my situation or my friends and family. That's one of the major things this book has going for it! 

I definitely wouldn't recommend this as the first John Green book you read (unless you want to start off "weaker"). While I think it's fantastic, it's not the strongest book (in my opinion, yet again). Especially since this book is the type of novel that you either love or you hate (just look at all of the other reviews - it is split right down the middle). So, take a swing at this book once you've convinced yourself that John is truly remarkable through his other books first.

Five out of five stars - what can I say? I enjoyed it.

Such a fun one! I wish it was longer but John green always writes a good one

Ayesha ahmed

I don't think the characters were annoying like most people agree; I actually loved them. The problem was the story was too predictable. I don't like predictable. That's all I have to say.

Maite Alarcon Leon

Although it took me quite a while to finish it (due to a lot of happenings in my life) John Green surprised me with a brilliant, interesting and both, fun and funny, book which did not let me down after TFiOS. It is true, of course that they're different kind of books, but I am to believe that An Abundance of Katherines lets us witness more clearly John Green's great storytelling.

Victoria

Disappointing. Lame story. I kept reading because I was waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did and I ended up thinking, 'Why, John Green, whyy???' It was sad, really.

From the #1 bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars Michael L. Printz Honor Book Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist Katherine V thought boys were gross Katherine X just wanted to be friends Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail K-19 broke his heart When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

Katherine Yang

Rereading. More light-hearted and less emotionally-impactful than other Green books, but I love me some beautiful graphs and anagrams and footnotes.

Beatriz Aguiar

5 stars. I knew it. How can you not relate? And I don't mean with Colin, I mean with everyone. Granted, if you're not into maths, this book probably will irk you but it's a dream if you sometimes view life as a mathematical equation. Which isn't a common thing, I know, but still. Excellent book. The main characters are so different from one another and yet I couldn't help but understand them all. Incredible. The struggle Colin faces (not the relationship one) felt stupidly real and touching, though I realise many people won't understand it - he is a genius after all...

Rachel Kanyid

3.5/5 
I liked this.. Not the best book I ever read, but it was nice reading a book by John Green that was slightly more upbeat for most of it!

Jeannette Ordas

Smart, funny and sweet, I enjoyed this book even though I could smell the ending a mile away. It's full of footnotes, anagrams and Venn diagrams, but even the math didn't get me down.

After he is dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to find a new direction in life, while trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.

aisha

Could not have been funnier or better. Just the perfect story to get some weight of your chest.

devin.reads

I didn't like this book one bit. I couldn't even finish reading it! Green is my favorite author, but this book was a true disappointment.

Haylie

John Green is amazing, this book always made my day.

I havent fully made up my mind about this book yet. That's why the rating is 2.5. Its good, the plot is unique, the structure, the theorems were super cool (although I am no fan of math). The book was clearly very John Green, the cleverness (omg Hassan), the witty dialogue, and the footnotes. 
 
I think the plot just wasnt that engaging. No plot twists, no character development, no emotional outbursts and stuff. I dont know. It was too bland for me, I guess.