Jennifer G. (JenG) reviewed on 12/30/2009 + 5 more book reviews

I really liked this story up until the very end. I haven't read any other Nicholas Sparks books, so I don't know if this is his usual approach, but he uses what I consider a cheap author trick at the ending. The book *ends* with you thinking a main character has died. It's only by the 3rd page of the 4 page long epilogue that you realize in a very oblique way that the character actually survived. If an author wants to pull emotionally manipulative crap like that, they should do it earlier in the story. You just do NOT have the last sentence of the story end on a lie. The epilogue can be used to tie things together, sure, but it shouldn't be used to introduce completely new information. The *only* reason for an author to use this method is emotional manipulation beyond the story itself - in other words, the story isn't strong enough on its own, so let's add in a lie to make it stronger. Cheap. Author. Trick.

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