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lzjolo's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Car accident, Mental illness, Suicide, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Title: Dreamland
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: September 20, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Musical β’ ClichΓ© β’ Unpredictable
π S Y N O P S I S
Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.
But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.
While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.
π T H O U G H T S
Nicholas Sparks is one of those authors I have a love/hate relationship with. He was originally an auto-buy author for me back in the 2000s and early 2010s, but his more recent releases haven't exactly been my cup of tea (except The Wish). Dreamland was certainly no exception, and despite all of that I will continue adding his future releases to my TBR. It's like I just can't quit!
The first half of Dreamland was engaging, yet the two perspectives felt completely disjointed from one another - kind of like two separate novels running along side on another. This structure really bugged me as there really didn't seem to be any inclinations of how they'd connect.
And I honestly preferred Colby's portion, despite loathing Morgan. I enjoyed the mystery of Beverly's sections throughout the first half, but that side of the novel went in a direction that just didn't sit well with me.
Additionally, I liked the musical aspect and the idea of a lost dream. I also thought Sparks did a good job at portraying farm life realistically - the long days and never ending hours - while avoiding some of the more stereotypical 'farmer' traits. When it comes to Colby and Morgan, he came across a lot older than her. In fact, he seemed a lot older than he actually was which really played with my mind.
Finally, my biggest issues is how the two perspectives came together. In my opinion, it was very poorly done. It felt as though Sparks was going for the shock value of thrillers, and it just didn't work for me at all. Without giving too much away, it came across as distasteful and incredibly insensitive. The overuse of mental illness as a plot point irks me to no avail. The epilogue could have easily been left out and I'd have been happier with how it ended more realistically.
Despite this one missing the mark, I will likely continue to add his books to my TBR, although I am no longer rushing out to pick them up on release day. It's quite possible my tastes have evolved since my early days reading Sparks, but they are still easy and quick reads.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ Nicholas Sparks devotees
β’ musical readers
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"The logical side of me knows that what we want and what we get are usually two entirely different things."
"But love, I realized wasn't always enough."
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: September 20, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Musical β’ ClichΓ© β’ Unpredictable
π S Y N O P S I S
Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.
But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.
While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.
π T H O U G H T S
Nicholas Sparks is one of those authors I have a love/hate relationship with. He was originally an auto-buy author for me back in the 2000s and early 2010s, but his more recent releases haven't exactly been my cup of tea (except The Wish). Dreamland was certainly no exception, and despite all of that I will continue adding his future releases to my TBR. It's like I just can't quit!
The first half of Dreamland was engaging, yet the two perspectives felt completely disjointed from one another - kind of like two separate novels running along side on another. This structure really bugged me as there really didn't seem to be any inclinations of how they'd connect.
And I honestly preferred Colby's portion, despite loathing Morgan. I enjoyed the mystery of Beverly's sections throughout the first half, but that side of the novel went in a direction that just didn't sit well with me.
Additionally, I liked the musical aspect and the idea of a lost dream. I also thought Sparks did a good job at portraying farm life realistically - the long days and never ending hours - while avoiding some of the more stereotypical 'farmer' traits. When it comes to Colby and Morgan, he came across a lot older than her. In fact, he seemed a lot older than he actually was which really played with my mind.
Finally, my biggest issues is how the two perspectives came together. In my opinion, it was very poorly done. It felt as though Sparks was going for the shock value of thrillers, and it just didn't work for me at all. Without giving too much away, it came across as distasteful and incredibly insensitive. The overuse of mental illness as a plot point irks me to no avail. The epilogue could have easily been left out and I'd have been happier with how it ended more realistically.
Despite this one missing the mark, I will likely continue to add his books to my TBR, although I am no longer rushing out to pick them up on release day. It's quite possible my tastes have evolved since my early days reading Sparks, but they are still easy and quick reads.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ Nicholas Sparks devotees
β’ musical readers
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"The logical side of me knows that what we want and what we get are usually two entirely different things."
"But love, I realized wasn't always enough."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Car accident, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Blood
partner death, overdoseraimeyreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death and Child abuse
Minor: Car accident
catbree10's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Child death
meliroo's review
mysterious
2.0
Alright, I've given myself some time to process this one. Gotta start by saying I can't remember the last time I read a Sparks book, so I honestly can't recall if this is just how he writes, or if this particular story was just a dud (for me at least).
I can say that I have very little enthusiasm for the insta-love trope, so that had me cranky from the get-go. I genuinely did not pick up on any of the chemistry between the two leads, and with the timeline being so condensed, everything felt rushed and flat. This vacation love story felt like the side plot, with the compelling part of the book coming from the seemingly unrelated and totally disconnected "mom-on-the-run" POV. Seriously, it felt like two very different novels were forced to cohabitate.
Unfortunately, despite being the more interesting part of the story, Beverly's half wasn't without its own problems-and the twist wasn't exactly a shocker.
I also need to point out that using darker foundation as a disguise tactic rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, this didn't do much for me. 2/5β
I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review
I can say that I have very little enthusiasm for the insta-love trope, so that had me cranky from the get-go. I genuinely did not pick up on any of the chemistry between the two leads, and with the timeline being so condensed, everything felt rushed and flat. This vacation love story felt like the side plot, with the compelling part of the book coming from the seemingly unrelated and totally disconnected "mom-on-the-run" POV. Seriously, it felt like two very different novels were forced to cohabitate.
Unfortunately, despite being the more interesting part of the story, Beverly's half wasn't without its own problems-and the twist wasn't exactly a shocker.
I also need to point out that using darker foundation as a disguise tactic rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, this didn't do much for me. 2/5β
I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Child death, Death, and Grief
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