Scan barcode
A review by mhinnen
Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Dreamland follows two storylines, each from a different point of view. It's got all the feels - one story has lots of suspense. The other is a classic story about young love. When the stories eventually come together in the last quarter of the book, buckle in for a roller coaster of emotion.
Colby is a farmer, caring for his family farm in NC. He also is a singer/songwriter and gladly takes a week's vacation to play a gig in Florida. Of course, while he's there he meets the gorgeous and talented Morgan and their chemistry sparks making beautiful music together. (I didn't care for the emphasis on Morgan's eating habits and slender weight . . . it seemed irrelevant). I loved the process of how they encouraged each other and worked together to write songs - their creative energy was exciting. And the love story is what it is - Sparks has the ability to move with you a little at a time until all at once they fall in love.
Meanwhile, poor Beverly is escaping an abusive husband who works for the government and has the power to track her. She saves up and comes up with a plan to get her son away without her husband finding them. They end up settling in a house but she doesn't eat a lot so that her son can have a varied diet but she does her best to create a home for them. She is terrified of being found and her fear keeps her from fully settling into their new place. There are some weird holes in her storyline that make sense later in the book.
The back and forth between stories offers natural breaks, though I read this in pretty much one sitting. It would be great for an airplane ride or day at the beach or curled up on a snowday.
#Dreamland #NetGalley
Colby is a farmer, caring for his family farm in NC. He also is a singer/songwriter and gladly takes a week's vacation to play a gig in Florida. Of course, while he's there he meets the gorgeous and talented Morgan and their chemistry sparks making beautiful music together. (I didn't care for the emphasis on Morgan's eating habits and slender weight . . . it seemed irrelevant). I loved the process of how they encouraged each other and worked together to write songs - their creative energy was exciting. And the love story is what it is - Sparks has the ability to move with you a little at a time until all at once they fall in love.
Meanwhile, poor Beverly is escaping an abusive husband who works for the government and has the power to track her. She saves up and comes up with a plan to get her son away without her husband finding them. They end up settling in a house but she doesn't eat a lot so that her son can have a varied diet but she does her best to create a home for them. She is terrified of being found and her fear keeps her from fully settling into their new place. There are some weird holes in her storyline that make sense later in the book.
The back and forth between stories offers natural breaks, though I read this in pretty much one sitting. It would be great for an airplane ride or day at the beach or curled up on a snowday.
#Dreamland #NetGalley
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicide