Absolutely loved this book. I had just about given up on Nicholas Sparks. I've read every book he's published but really have not enjoyed the last several ones. I only bought this one because I longed to be as touched by one of his books as I was years ago. The Longest Ride did it. It was fantastic and I hated to see it end.
Another good entry by Nicholas Sparks. His last few books have seemed like they were written to be a movie, unlike his earlier writing.
While I was not surprised that I did not get pulled into this book, I was really hoping that I would like it. For some reason I always get my hopes up that Sparks will pull out a magnificent book that I just fall in love with since he gets so much publicity. However, I have yet to find what really has made him so popular when his books just aren't that great in my opinion. This one lost me in the first chapter, but I forced myself to read until the fourth one. It never picked up for me. I have enjoyed a couple of his books, but this was not one of them.
This is a book that tugs at your heartstrings. I kept wondering how these 'two stories' would tie together and what a pleasant surprise. As with the other Nicholas Sparks books I have read I was caught up in the lives of the characters and when I had to put the book down I could not wait to pick it back up again.