Ever since he was little, Quentin Jacobsen has idolized his neighbour Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. Weeks before his high school graduation, he longs to be closer to his childhood friend but will not abandon his monotonous yet comfortable and safe routines to make any moves to become reacquainted with her. Fortunately, he is saved from this by Margo, herself, at about midnight on what seems to be an ordinary Wednesday. His bedroom window is graced with the presence of her, cloaked in darkness, determined to take him on what they both believe will be the adventure of a lifetime, concluding hours before the sun comes up.

The next day, Quentin wonders what he will say to Margo at school, but his worry is needless. Margo is gone. She has run away, leaving clues behind that are meant to lead Quentin to where she is keeping refuge. But the phrase that Margo mentioned the night before — “paper towns” — keeps eating at Quentin. What does this particular idea have to do with Margo and could it be the key to locating her whereabouts?

The characters of Quentin and Margo become increasingly well-developed as their ever-present dark sides and insecurities begin to show through cracks in their armour as they reveal parts of themselves to the reader over time. This book has an honesty that many others of the same genre lack, making it perfect for almost any reader. This quality, combined with well-placed humour, makes Paper Towns both believable and immensely engaging.

Similar novels are The Fault in Our Stars, also by John Green, and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.