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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This book was actually really good. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to read what was going to happen next. It was very enticing to read.
Julie has had a rough life from the very start. She grew up in a single parent household where her mother brought home many different men. They also never stayed in the same place for very long. Julie decided to leave that life by running away and ended up living on the streets for a short amount of time. That's when she met Jim.
Jim told her to come to North Carolina if she was still on the streets in a week and he would help find her a job. That's exactly what he did. In the end, they fell hopelessly in love and ended up getting married, settling down in Swansboro, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, Jim passed away from a brain tumor. But, he did leave a surprise for Julie when he left the earth. He left her a puppy, a Great Dane to be exact, and told her to find happiness with someone else. This was just the beginning.
Four years later, Julie and Singer (the Great Dane) are doing pretty good. In fact, Julie is ready to start dating again. She meets a man named Richard Franklin in the salon (where she works) and decides to go on a date with him.
Enter Mike into the story. Mike is Julie's and was Jim's best friend. He grew up with Jim and when Julie came into the picture, they were so perfect for each other. However, when Jim passed away, Mike started to realize he had feelings for Julie and didn't even think about acting on them until he found out she was ready to start dating again. Even then, he was a nervous wreck and couldn't gain the nerve to ask her out.
After going on several dates with Richard, Julie wasn't feeling that spark between them, knowing that he wasn't the one for her. As Mike had, Julie started to look at Mike in a more than friendly way, and she decided to take the big step and ask Mike out since he was too much of a shy boy to do it. The rest is history.
Julie and Mike fall into a deep and passionate love. It was never awkward for them even though they were friends before. However, one person did not approve of their relationship. It was Richard. What will Richard do to try to break them up? Will he just let it go or will he border on possessive until Julie becomes his forever?
Another thing I noticed was there were a lot of mistakes, mostly spelling, in this book. I've never read a book with so many distinctive errors. I was very disappointed in the revision process because they let so many slide. (This isn't a reason why I didn't like a book, this is just a complaint I had on the effort it took people before letting the book be published.)
Lastly, I hate that Singer was killed. I can't ever watch dogs die in movies because I will always cry. When humans die, I'm like no big deal but when a dog dies, that is a whole other story. It was so sad, no tears fell but they were in my eyes. All in all, I love dogs and I wish they didn't have to kill them.
Overall, this a good read. It was very suspenseful.
Again, I'm coming to the realization that not all of Spark's books are about romance. This one had a lot more plot in it, which made it a tad more exciting to read. Not that the ones with just romance are boring, because honestly none of them are just romance. They all have romance and then they have some other story, which draws us in even more.
Julie has had a rough life from the very start. She grew up in a single parent household where her mother brought home many different men. They also never stayed in the same place for very long. Julie decided to leave that life by running away and ended up living on the streets for a short amount of time. That's when she met Jim.
Jim told her to come to North Carolina if she was still on the streets in a week and he would help find her a job. That's exactly what he did. In the end, they fell hopelessly in love and ended up getting married, settling down in Swansboro, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, Jim passed away from a brain tumor. But, he did leave a surprise for Julie when he left the earth. He left her a puppy, a Great Dane to be exact, and told her to find happiness with someone else. This was just the beginning.
Four years later, Julie and Singer (the Great Dane) are doing pretty good. In fact, Julie is ready to start dating again. She meets a man named Richard Franklin in the salon (where she works) and decides to go on a date with him.
Enter Mike into the story. Mike is Julie's and was Jim's best friend. He grew up with Jim and when Julie came into the picture, they were so perfect for each other. However, when Jim passed away, Mike started to realize he had feelings for Julie and didn't even think about acting on them until he found out she was ready to start dating again. Even then, he was a nervous wreck and couldn't gain the nerve to ask her out.
After going on several dates with Richard, Julie wasn't feeling that spark between them, knowing that he wasn't the one for her. As Mike had, Julie started to look at Mike in a more than friendly way, and she decided to take the big step and ask Mike out since he was too much of a shy boy to do it. The rest is history.
Julie and Mike fall into a deep and passionate love. It was never awkward for them even though they were friends before. However, one person did not approve of their relationship. It was Richard. What will Richard do to try to break them up? Will he just let it go or will he border on possessive until Julie becomes his forever?
Spoiler
I really liked that Richard turned into a stalker. I honestly didn't get that from the first couple of dates that he and Julie went on, but once we learned more about his background I was very shocked to see what turned him into the man he was. He had very many problems. I really thought Nicholas Sparks did a nice job portraying a creepy, possessive, and dangerous character. Richard made me feel uncomfortable and I'm just the reader!Spoiler
The one thing I did not like about this book was that when it got to the investigation part, it took the police literally FOREVER (or what felt like forever) to figure out that Richard Franklin was not in fact Richard Franklin: he stole someone's identity. I figured that out way before it was explained. Then it took Romanello (one of the police officers in charge of the stalking case) forever to figure out where she saw a trans am, when we all knew where it was because it was put in the book. I know that it was prolonged to add more suspense to the book but honestly I thought it was just to keep adding words. I just felt like some parts were rambling on, when again we knew what was going to happen/what evidence they were going to find.Another thing I noticed was there were a lot of mistakes, mostly spelling, in this book. I've never read a book with so many distinctive errors. I was very disappointed in the revision process because they let so many slide. (This isn't a reason why I didn't like a book, this is just a complaint I had on the effort it took people before letting the book be published.)
Lastly, I hate that Singer was killed. I can't ever watch dogs die in movies because I will always cry. When humans die, I'm like no big deal but when a dog dies, that is a whole other story. It was so sad, no tears fell but they were in my eyes. All in all, I love dogs and I wish they didn't have to kill them.
Overall, this a good read. It was very suspenseful.
Again, I'm coming to the realization that not all of Spark's books are about romance. This one had a lot more plot in it, which made it a tad more exciting to read. Not that the ones with just romance are boring, because honestly none of them are just romance. They all have romance and then they have some other story, which draws us in even more.
emotional
hopeful
Super good read. It will definitely tug at your heartstrings.
The book is just beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes.
i loved this book couldn't put it down i laughed cried and even got a little scarred at some parts.
mysterious
slow-paced
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very good book but did not like the one character bc one he was a stalker and two he hurt an animal 😔
I think this was a good first attempt at writing a "thriller" from Nicolas Sparks. It still had the typical love story in small town NC, along with a predictable, yet well written, twist. I finished it in one day sitting on the beach!
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes