Now, in order to partially explain why this book wasn’t as good as it could have been, I need to tread into spoiler territory. (Though Looking For Alaska being the sort of book it is, any details I could give away wouldn’t necessarily negate its entertainment value; it’s not a mystery [certainly not in the traditional sense], and you’re likely to have some inkling of what’s going to happen from page 15 onward.)
Part of the “problem” is that Alaska—a student at the aforementioned boarding school—turns out to be one of the most interesting characters of the whole book. Her absence, while presenting a good foundation for a book, also has a negative impact on the book. It did for me, at any rate.
Anyway, Looking For Alaska, by John Green (who coincidentally happens to have a sort of obsession with last words), is a relatively quick, painless, and potentially interesting read.