Positive reviews of "Looking for Alaska" have been attributed to Green's honest portrayal of teenagers and first love. The novel's review in "The Guardian" describes the story's honesty, writing that "the beauty of the book is that it doesn't hide anything." Others cite Green's success as a result of his candidness in portraying death, loss, and grief. In a journal article titled “Although Adolescence Need not be Violent..” scholars Mark A. Lewis and Robert Petrone comment on the novel's ability to portray loss in a format relatable to high-school readers. They write that many teenagers experience loss throughout adolescence and Green's portrayal of real characters aids in this relatability.