PHS HWOC discussion

This question is especially interesting because John Green is male, and I've had some male students who have loved this book. Still, the vast majority of readers have been female. Could it be, in part, because females are more comfortable crying?

Girls like this book more than boys because it is a book about feeling and love stories and guys don't tend to enjoy that.

Stereotypically speaking, it is seen as "uncool" for guys to be open about their feelings. I find this sad because girls aren't judged for expressing feelings like sadness and love, yet a lot of boys are often trapped behind what people see as the norm. Honestly, if boys didn't "believe" in love, then how come there are so many happily married couples everywhere? Just because love doesn't always work out doesn't mean it can't.
That's part of why I liked this book, even though I usually hate love stories. John Green was able to make a realistic, yet still masculine character (Augustus Waters) who simply decided enjoying his own life was more important than fitting in.