Entertainment

7 Things 'TFIOS' Taught Us About Relationships

by Kadeen Griffiths
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Has everyone recovered from The Fault in Our Stars yet? And, if you haven't recovered, can you at least see the monitor through your tears by now? The Fault in Our Stars has inspired everything from awesome TFIOS merchandise to even more awesome TFIOS shout outs on Orange is the New Black. It's also inspired everyone from fans to celebrities like Colton Haynes to become depressed or just outright spend most of their time sobbing. Essentially, it's a cultural phenomenon that's sweeping the nation and that shows no signs of slowing down just because the movie has already come out. It's no Frozen, but it's still a respectable box office juggernaut.

But despite the fact that it's a "cancer movie", The Fault in Our Stars gets a lot of praise for the beauty of the love story between Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace, played by former on-screen siblings Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley. Woodley and Elgort have been shoving their chemistry in our faces since the very first look at The Fault in Our Stars and there wasn't a single dry eye in the house when they were done clenching our hearts in their tiny fists. At this point, we probably all want a relationship like Hazel and August's.

So what is it about Hazel and August that has us so captivated? How can we replicate their on-screen success in our own relationships? Well, that's pretty easy. Spoilers below.

1. Be willing to take risks.

Before she met August, Hazel wasn't really living. She didn't have many friends, she hardly went out, and she didn't really experience life, much to her parents' concern. That all changed once August and Isaac came into her life and she found herself taking more and more risks as she and August grew closer. Hazel could have chosen to keep herself closed off and not let love in, but she didn't and her life was richer because of it.

2. Always be honest with each other.

All right, so we understand why August didn't tell Hazel right away about his cancer relapse. But just because we understand it doesn't mean it was necessarily the right thing to do. There's never really a "right time" to give someone bad news, but if it's news that's going to affect the both of you and the future of your relationship? It's always better not to keep that to yourself for very long.

3. It's good to share some common interests.

Hazel and August had a lot in common and they even tried to have even more in common when they agreed to read each other's favorite novels. Having common interests and being willing to compromise is an important part of making a relationship work and it's a pretty important part of that whole "getting to know you" stage.

4. But it's also good to be completely different.

However, at the end of the day, Hazel and August were two completely different people and that's how they really made it work. They balanced each other. Hazel was sarcastic and practical while August was philosophical and pretentious. He drew her out of her shell and she kept both his feet firmly on the ground. Those little differences will help keep the spark alive in a relationship.

5. Wear each other's clothes.

The circumstances under which we discovered that Hazel was wearing the shirt that August had been wearing earlier in the movie were less than ideal — i.e. it ripped our chests open and stomped on our hearts — but in theory it's just an adorable thing to do. There's a reason boyfriend shirts are a trend in and of themselves.

6. Accept that sometimes he's going to break your heart.

Most relationships can't get by without a little conflict and that usually results in those fights that make you so angry and hurt and frustrated that you want to scream. A relationship that runs on too much fight and not enough good times is a relationship to walk away from, but the risk you take in any relationship is accepting that, sometimes, that boy is going to break your heart.

7. Don't call anything a metaphor.

You'll become a meme. Just don't do it.

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