Ira and Ruth, and Sophia and Luke are two different couples separated by generations, yet their worlds will collide with astonishing poignancy. Given his history of violence and reckless decisions, not to mention the ever present threat of ending up in prison, Colin Hancock is willing to go the extra mile with his second chance.
Determined to play by the book, he channels all his energy towards his teaching degree whilst avoiding negative elements that haunted his earlier life. Having learnt his lessons the hard way, the last thing Colin needs is a serious relationship. From a daughter of Mexican immigrants to a Duke Law School graduate working at a reputable firm in Wilmington, Maria Sanchez epitomizes the kind of success attained through hard work. Yet behind all the success lies a harrowing past; one that prompts her to return back to her home town.
But when Maria crosses paths with Colin, love unpredictably takes over, until strange reminders from her past threatens their future together. What however looks like the perfect life soon turns sour when Russ looses everything he initially took for granted in his life.
Without a job or a wife, he struggles to make ends meet in a bid to take care of his young daughter. Now a single parent, Russ begins a new chapter that will be as terrifying as it is gratifying; testing his emotions and abilities well beyond his wildest imaginations. With her father also recently diagnosed with ALS, Hope decides to spend a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina; preparing it for sale whilst also using the time to ponder over her future.
At the same time, Tru Walls makes his way to Sunset Beach after receiving a letter from a man who claims to be his father. He hopes that the trip to North Carolina will provide answers to longstanding questions surrounding his mother's early life, and restore some memories lost as a result of her death. An incomprehensible electric connection will be sparked when the two cross paths, but strong feelings are often accompanied with choices that may have heartbreaking effects.
Trevor Benson never had any plans of returning to New Bern, North Carolina, until an injury forced the orthopedic surgeon to leave Afghanistan. At home, he takes over a ramshackle cabin his grandfather left him. When he crosses paths with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson, the two share an intense chemistry.
Natalie however seems to be hiding something. When Trevor meets a teenage girl named Callie, who knew his grandfather, he hopes that she will help him uncover the suspicious death of his grandfather. When Maggie Dawes was sixteen, she was sent to Ocracoke, North Carolina to live with an aunt that she knew nothing about. Although she missed her friends and loved ones, everything changed when she encountered the gorgeous and sincere Bryce Trickett.
Decades later, having become a celebrated travel photographer, Maggie manages a thriving New York gallery and takes pictures of distant locations. Unable to travel during the festive season due to a recent medical diagnosis, she draws closer to her young assistant.
And as the days go by, Maggie will open up about another unforgettable festive season, decades earlier. While refurbishing a plantation home, Noah is distracted by thoughts of the beautiful girl he met and fell in love with fourteen years ago. Although he is not able to find her, he is fulfilled to live by the beautiful memories of the summer they spent together. Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun of The Notebook , candidly admits that the romantic spark has dimmed from their marriage after spending thirty years together.
Determined not to let their love go down the drain, Wilson must find a way of making Jane fall in love with him all over again. Being an accomplished estate attorney, he has managed to fend for his family, although his biggest problem remains his inability to freely express his emotions. Good-looking, always clad in black and part of the media elite, Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker. A letter about ghost-like lights in a legend-shrouded cemetery makes Jeremy drive to Boone Creek, North Carolina, to conduct investigations.
What Jeremy conceived would have been a quick week in the small town soon turns into something more, as he falls in love with Lexie who equally develops strong feelings for him. But to be together, Jeremy must make a difficult choice: one that entails doing something that he has never done before.
Jeremy Marsh was certain that he would never leave New York City, never fall in love again after having one failed marriage, and never become a parent. But that was before he met Lexie Darnell. Currently living in the small town of Boone Creek in North Carolina, Jeremy is engaged to his beloved Lexie, and is even on the verge of starting a family.
Just when things seem to be finally falling into place, a strange and unsettling email triggers the beginning of a series of events that will dramatically alter the love life of the young couple. Browse Authors:. Home S Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks books in order More about Nicholas Sparks. Quick Search:. Sort by:. Position Position Year Alphabet. Message in a Bottle. Where Serena was outgoing to a fault, Maria had always been quieter and driven, the more serious and studious of the two. Even so, they were close, best friends as well as sisters.
He speculated that perhaps Serena saw traits in her sister that she wanted to emulate, and vice versa. He felt a frisson of excitement at the thought of the weekend, knowing it might be one of the last times the family would all be together with any semblance of normalcy.
He wanted to see how they would act before tension began to infect their sweet happy family… before the fear took hold. Before their lives were slowly — and then furiously — brought to ruin. Its name was vengeance. He guessed that it would deepen to a dark purple by the time he woke tomorrow. Even grazing the bruise made him wince, and while he knew from experience that the pain could be overridden for a while, he wondered whether it would hurt to breathe in the morning.
His face, though… That might end up being a problem — not for him, but for others. Certainly his college classmates would stare at him with wide, frightened eyes and whisper about him behind his back, though he doubted that any of them would actually ask him what had happened.
During the first few weeks at the university, most of his classmates had seemed nice enough, but it had been clear that none of them knew what to make of him, nor had any tried to speak to him.
Not that it bothered him. For one thing, virtually all of them were six or seven years younger than he was, all were female, and he suspected that as far as recent life experiences went, they had little in common with him.
Still, he had to admit that he was particularly ghoulish right now. His left eye was swollen and the white of his right eye was a bloody red. There was a gash in the center of his forehead that had been glued back together, and the lead-colored bruise on his right cheekbone resembled a birthmark. His split, swollen lips completed the picture.
What he really needed was to put an ice pack on his face as soon as possible if he wanted the girls in his classes to be able to concentrate at all. But first things first; right now, he was starved and he needed fuel. But if the place had one saving grace, it was that none of the other customers cared how he looked when he made his way to the table. People who came to dives like this late at night were good at minding their own business.
As far as he could tell, half the people here were trying to sober up after a night of hard drinking, while the other half — designated drivers, no doubt — were sobering up, too, only marginally less intoxicated. But Evan must have suspected the same thing about possible trouble. Colin turned on the faucet and wet his hands before bringing them to his face. The water was cold, exactly what he wanted. His skin felt like it was on fire.
And I have to sit right next to him! He shook the water from his hands. Leaving the restroom, he spotted Evan in the corner booth. Unlike him, Evan would have fit right in at the college. He still had a baby face, and as he approached, Colin wondered how many times a week he even had to shave.
For the same reason you do. You always tell the truth. Like when your girlfriend asks if a particular outfit makes her look fat, you should tell her she looks beautiful. Sometimes, you need to… stretch the truth to get along with people. It makes them uncomfortable or hurts their feelings. And just so you know, employers hate it. Just tell my boss what I really think of him without caring about the consequences.
You choose not to. Sometimes lying is necessary. For instance, if I told you that I saw a couple of roaches under the table while you were in the bathroom, you might feel the same way about eating here that I do. You look terrible, by the way.
I think you popped a few blood vessels. Keep yourself hidden from the neighbors tomorrow. He outweighed Evan by at least thirty pounds, and he liked to joke that if Evan had ever set foot in a gym, it was probably to conduct an audit. Considering my reputation and all. No snide comment? But you could see your parents in Raleigh. Or your sisters. The one after yours was awesome. Took the guy down like a stud, maneuvered him into a choke hold, and it was lights out.
The dude moves like a cat. I mean… you know. The clouds that had been threatening a storm for the last few hours finally obliged, releasing a torrent of wind and rain punctuated by lightning and thunder.
The facts were fairly straightforward: He was the third child and only son of wealthy parents with a fondness for nannies and absolutely no desire for a third child. He drove his parents crazy at home, ran off one nanny after another, and struggled endlessly in school.
He had a great teacher in third grade who made things better for a while, but in fourth grade, he started going downhill again. He got in one fight after another on the playground and was nearly held back.
It was around that time that he came to be regarded as having serious issues, and in the end, not knowing what else to do, his parents shipped him off to military school, hoping the structure would do him good. His experience that first year was horrific, and he was expelled halfway through the spring semester. From there, he was sent to another military school in a different state, and over the next few years, he expended his energies in combat sports — wrestling, boxing, and judo.
He took his aggression out on others, sometimes with too much enthusiasm, often just because he wanted to. He cared nothing about grades or discipline. Five more expulsions and five different military schools later, he graduated, just barely, as an angry and violent young man with no plans for his life and no interest in finding any.
He moved back in with his parents and seven bad years followed. He watched his mother cry and listened to his father plead with him to change, but he ignored them. When Colin was twentyfive, he was given one final chance to make changes in his life.
Unexpectedly, he did just that. And now here he was, in college with plans to spend the next few decades in the classroom, hoping to be a mentor to children, which would make no sense at all to most people.
Their lives with their parents, after all, had been different from his. Both of them were college graduates and married with kids. They lived in the same upscale neighborhood as their parents and played tennis on the weekends. He knew that his parents, like his sisters, were essentially good people. So what if his folks had finally thrown in the towel and shipped him off to military school? Serious crap. They never contacted the authorities when he broke into the beach cottage, even though he did serious damage to that place as well.
As part of his probation, Colin had been required to spend four months at an anger-management treatment facility in Arizona. Consequently, Margolis hated Colin with a passion. Having argued strongly against the deal in the first place, he then insisted on monitoring Colin regularly and at random, like a makeshift probation officer.
Despite the requirements, despite having to deal with Margolis, who plainly itched to place him in handcuffs, it was a great deal. An unbelievable deal, and it was all thanks to his father… even if he and Colin had trouble speaking these days. Colin was technically banned from ever setting foot in the house again, though his dad had softened on that particular stance lately.
Evan had been living there after graduating from North Carolina State and had been equally surprised to see his old friend. Cautious and a bit nervous, too, but Evan was Evan, and he had no problem with Colin staying at his place for a while. By that point, their lives had diverged. Three years later, he was still paying rent to the best friend he had in the world. So far, it was working out well. He mowed the lawn and trimmed the bushes and paid a reasonable rent in return.
He had his own space with his own entrance, but Evan was right there, too, and Evan was exactly what Colin needed in his life right now. Evan wore a suit and tie to work, he kept his tastefully decorated house spotless, and he never drank more than two beers when he went out.
He was also just about the nicest guy in the world, and he accepted Colin, faults and all. She was also just about the most drop-dead gorgeous girl Colin had ever seen, and it was no wonder that Evan was putty in her hands. With her blond hair and blue eyes and an accent that sounded like honey even when she was angry, she seemed like the last person in the world who would give Colin a chance. And yet, she had.
And like Evan, she had eventually come to believe in him. And on two separate occasions, it had been Lily and Evan who had kept Colin from making the kind of impulsive mistake that might have landed him in prison. He loved her for those things, just as he loved the relationship between her and Evan.
But all good things come to an end. Like tonight, for instance. Nor had he asked Evan to sit with him while he ate.
But Evan probably suspected that had he not done those things, Colin might have ended up at a bar instead of the diner, unwinding with shots instead of midnight breakfast. Finally exiting the highway, Colin steered onto a winding county road, loblolly pine and red oak mingling on either side, kudzu playing no favorites between the two. It was less a shortcut than an attempt to avoid an endless series of stoplights. Lightning continued to strike, turning the clouds silver and illuminating the surroundings in otherworldly strobes.
The rain and wind intensified, the wipers barely keeping the windshield clear, but he knew this road well. He eased into one of its many blind curves before instinctively stomping on the brakes. Up ahead, a car with storage racks across the roof was halfway off the road at a cockeyed angle, its hazards flashing.
The trunk stood propped open to the elements. As the Camaro slowed, Colin felt the rear fishtail slightly before the tires caught again. Not only was the storm limiting visibility, but drunks like the ones back at the diner would be setting out for home right about now, and he could imagine one of them taking the corner too fast and plowing into the back of the car.
Not good, he thought. He understood the engine in his car, but only because the Camaro was older than he was; modern engines had more in common with computers. Besides, the driver had no doubt already called for help.
As he rolled slowly past the stopped car, however, he noticed the rear tire was flat and behind the trunk, a woman — soaked to the bone in jeans and a short-sleeved blouse — was struggling to remove the spare tire from its compartment. Lightning flashed, a long series of flickering camera strobes that captured her mascara-streaked distress.
In that instant, he realized that her dark hair and wide-set eyes reminded him of one of the girls in his classes, and his shoulders slumped. A girl? Why did it have to be a girl in trouble out here? With a sigh, he pulled over to the side of the road, leaving some distance between her car and his. He turned on his hazards and grabbed his jacket from the backseat. By then the rain was coming down in sheets, instantly soaking him as he exited, like the diagonal spray of an outdoor shower.
Running a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath and then started toward her car, calculating how quickly he could change the tire and be on the road again. Instead, staring at him with stricken eyes, she let go of the tire and began slowly backing away. As soon as he stepped out of the car, all those truths went out the window and the only thing she could think was that she was a young woman all alone in the middle of nowhere.
When he began to walk toward her, panic flooded through her. It was bruised on both sides; one eye was swollen shut, the other one bright red and bloody. She was pretty sure that even more blood was dripping down his forehead, and it had been all she could do not to start screaming.
But for whatever reason, not a sound escaped her. Why would God intervene to keep her from ending up dead in a ditch out in the middle of nowhere? Lift weights all the time? Maybe he was using it to hide… A knife. Or, God forbid, a gun… A squeak escaped her throat and her mind began racing through options as she tried to figure out what to do.
Toss the tire at him? Scream for help? Letting go of the tire, she began backing away, focusing only on creating distance between the two of them. Wheeling around, he started back toward his car, his figure suddenly receding. His reaction was so unexpected that for a second she felt paralyzed. He was leaving? Why was he leaving? He turned on his heel as he reached his car. He squinted at her through the downpour.
He closed some of the gap between, stopping when he could be heard without shouting, but not getting too close. Thank God. She shifted from one foot to the other, thinking Now what? The app, I mean.
I want to call my sister. He tucked the phone into the folds of his jacket and as he began to approach, she reflexively took another step backward. He placed the jacket on the hood of her car and gestured at it. She hesitated. She hurried to the bundle and found his iPhone tucked inside, the same model as hers.
When she pressed the button, the screen lit up and sure enough, he was getting service. Of course not. She typed in the code with trembling fingers and dialed her sister. Maria did her best to keep her frustration in check as she left a message, explaining what had happened to the car and asking her sister to come pick her up.
She tucked the phone back into the jacket on the hood and then stepped away, watching him. Instead of answering, she let out a breath, trying to keep the tremor from her voice.
No further explanation? As he stood in place, obviously waiting for the answer to his earlier question, she glanced at the trunk, wishing she actually knew how to change a tire. She watched as he reached for the bundle on the hood and tucked his phone back into his pocket before slipping his jacket on.
He unscrewed something, then lifted the spare tire out and set it aside before he disappeared behind the trunk again, no doubt to retrieve the jack. Just go slow. To distract her somehow? To get her to turn her back? A plan that included letting me use his phone? And removing the tire from the trunk? Rattled and self-conscious, she got into the car and started the engine, slowly but surely edging it back onto the road and setting the emergency brake. By the time she opened the door, he was rolling the spare toward the rear tire, lug wrench in hand.
A moment later, she could feel the car lifting slightly, bouncing its way slowly upward and then stopping. She watched as he finished unscrewing the bolts before sliding the tire off, just as the storm began to intensify, rain blowing in gusty sheets.
The spare went on quickly, along with the bolts, and then all at once, the car was being lowered again.
He placed the flat tire back in her trunk along with the jack and the lug wrench, and she felt him gently push the trunk closed. And just like that, it was over. Still, she startled a little when he tapped on her window. She lowered the glass and rain began to spit through the opening. With his face still shadowed, it was almost possible to see past the bruises and the swelling and the bloody eye. Almost, but not entirely. He jerked his door open and slid behind the wheel.
She heard the roar of his engine and then — before she knew it — she was alone on the road again, albeit now in a car that would get her home. Beside her at the table on the back porch, Maria nursed a cup of coffee, the morning sunlight already warming the air. I was with a crazy person and I needed you to rescue me. He sounds like a nice guy. Trust me. And then he let you borrow his phone.
And after that, he changed your tire and then got back in his car and drove away. If it was me out there, I probably would have peed my pants.
Probably still on my desk. What if one of my clients finds it? Copo was a female, nearly all-white shih tzu. After Serena had moved to the dorms, she and Maria had returned home one Christmas to find that their parents had purchased a dog. Now Copo went practically everywhere with them: to the restaurant — where she had her own bed in the office — to the supermarket, even to the accountant.
Copo was far more spoiled than either of the girls had ever been. I almost gagged. We never had one growing up, and I begged them for one for years. I even promised to take care of it. I filled out the application, wrote an essay, got recommendations from two of my professors and everything.
So there. I want to surprise him. Inside, they could hear their mother humming to herself in the kitchen, the smell of huevos rancheros drifting through the open window. Why were you out so late? Did you forget who I was talking to? Instead, you work. You read. You watch bad TV. And I tried to get you to come to that warehouse with me, remember? With the salsa dancing on Saturday nights?
Some of us have responsibilities. Serena rolled her eyes. You think I tell them everything? Maybe it did. Serena had always been quick-thinking, but more than that, she was endowed with a common sense that sometimes eluded Maria. I was asking about your date. Did you bring your computer and work the whole time?
It was just… bad. Tell me all about it. My friend from work? The one who came over for brunch and scooped Copo up and almost gave Dad a heart attack? Was the guy hot? But the problem was, he knew it. He was rude and arrogant and he flirted with the waitress all night long.
I think he even got her phone number while I was sitting beside him. Or maybe he thought that you and his friend would make pretty babies and you might name one after him. Luis and I were together for over two years. And just so you know? He may have been sexy as hell, but Luis was a total loser. Jill and Paul decided for me.
Going out, enjoying life, making friends? It beats working all the time. You only work a couple of shifts a week. The one you went to with your boss? With three kids? Threaten him with sexual harassment, or whatever. You met a nice guy last night. Having you around gives Mom and Dad someone else to worry about. You were kind of wimpy like that. You might get a scholarship, remember?
I meet guys all the time. I tend to have pretty good taste. But he seems like a nice guy. He even volunteers at the Humane Society, doing pet adoptions on Sundays. Or just like? Are we in middle school now? But you definitely need a date. What you need is to get lucky. After we get out of here? Are you going paddleboarding again? Maria smiled. What are your plans?
She hooked her thumb toward the windows. Masonboro Island was the largest barrier island along the southern coast of the state, and while she sometimes navigated to the Atlantic side of the island, most of the time she preferred the glassy waters of the marsh. As always, the wildlife was spectacular. But out here, it was easy to think about those things without necessarily worrying about them. Usually, within a few minutes of being on the water she was left with the sensation that all was right with the world.
Serena was wrong about paddleboarding. Not that it would matter. Luis, on the other hand, had made it clear that he was content to continue going out — and sleeping with her — as long as she never expected anything more than that. But then? Where had she gone wrong? Had she been too pushy? Too boring? Or too… something else? Looking back, she had no idea. Or even if there really was such a thing anymore. Or guys who believed that picking up the check on a first date was a classy thing to do?
Or even a guy with a somewhat decent job and plans for the future? She momentarily broke off her paddling, allowing the board to glide as she straightened up, stretching her back. Well, actually, they probably had, she thought. And maybe that had been the problem. Right — he was already off the market.
These days, it seemed like Mr. Rights tended to fly off the shelves, perhaps because they were as rare as California condors. Yet in the past couple of years — as she began inching closer to thirty — there had been moments when she thought that it might be nice to have someone to go dancing with, or who would join her while she paddleboarded, or even someone willing to listen to her complain after a bad day at work. She supposed that she could try to reestablish contact, but by the time she finished up at work, all she usually wanted to do was unwind in the bathtub with a glass of wine and a good book.
Or, if she felt energetic, maybe hit the water on the paddleboard. Her last year in Charlotte had been traumatic, and… She shook her head, forcing away the memory of that final year. There were a lot of good things in her life. She had her family, her own place, and a job she enjoyed… Are you sure about that?
Barney was in his early sixties and a rainmaker for the firm, a legal genius who wore seersucker suits and spoke with a slow, heavy drawl straight from the mountains of North Carolina. To both clients and juries, he came across as the friendly grandfather type, but beneath the surface, he was hard-driving, prepared for everything, and demanding of associates. In working for him, she had the privilege of time, expertise, and money to prepare her cases, all of which was a far cry from her work as a prosecutor.
Jill was a bonus. As the only women in the office aside from secretaries and paralegals, who had their own cliques, Jill and Maria had hit it off right away, even though they worked in different departments. The real problem was Ken Martenson, the managing partner of the firm, who seemed to hire paralegals based on their attractiveness as opposed to their qualifications and spent too much time hovering around their desks.
That is, until Ken began to set his sights on her. And then? If she ever wanted to use it, all she had to do was ask. And had he mentioned how rare it was to work with someone who was both intelligent and beautiful?
Could the man have been more obvious? In the past few years, firms of all sizes had been cutting back, salaries were dropping, and right now there were too many lawyers chasing too few positions. Lawyers hated no one more than other lawyers who might sue them. For the time being, she was stuck.
For now, that was all she could do, aside from pray that he turned his sights back on one of the paralegals. It had become evident that even dangerous criminals often went free, the clogged wheels of the system turned impossibly slowly, and her caseload was never-ending. The world might view her as a young, home-owning professional, but there were moments when she felt like she was faking the whole thing.
For the next hour, she pulled steadily at the paddle, the board gliding forward as she did her best to enjoy her surroundings. She noted the slowly shifting clouds and the trees reflected in the water.
She concentrated on the salty fresh scent of the breeze and basked in the warmth of the sun on her arms and shoulders. Every now and then she snapped a photograph, including a good one of an osprey clasping a fish in its talons as it rose from the water. It was too shadowed in the viewfinder and a little too distant, but with enough work in Photoshop, it might be something worth keeping.
She watched people as they walked along Market Street, idly wondering what their lives were like. It was a harmless, relaxing capstone to a weekend that had its share of both highs and lows. Like the blown tire. But when? Part of her was relieved by the brevity of the encounter, but at the same time, the sudden frosty professionalism left a bad feeling in her stomach, because it no doubt meant he was angry at her. A few minutes later, Jill poked her head in to apologize for the blind date, clearly mortified.
As soon as Jill left, Maria started calling garages, trying to find someplace close where she could get her tire changed after work, but soon discovered that all of them would be closed by the time she arrived. Her only option was to try to get it done over her lunch hour. It took six attempts before she was finally able to snag an appointment at half past noon — cutting it close for the initial client meeting at one thirty.
She warned Barney that she might be a few minutes late getting back. He frowned but told her to do her best, emphasizing that her presence was important. She left the office at a quarter to twelve, hoping that the mechanics would be able to start early.
Nor did they even start on time. By the time she reached the conference room, the meeting had been in progress for nearly forty-five minutes.
An icy stare from Barney signaled his displeasure, belying his slow, easy drawl as he welcomed her into the conference room. After the meeting, she apologized profusely to Barney. He was clearly irate; gone was any trace of the friendly grandfather that clients were accustomed to. Things remained tense between them for the rest of the afternoon. She labored past midnight on both Monday and Tuesday, and with Jill out of the office, she worked through her lunch hours all week, eating takeout at her desk while toiling on various briefs.
Later that afternoon, however — as she was finishing up a conversation with Barney in his office concerning an insurance claim that they both strongly suspected was fraudulent — she heard a voice behind her. Looking up, she saw Ken standing in the doorway. He nodded at Maria. She could feel Ken staring at her, could feel the tightness in her chest as she turned to face him. By then, Ken had already turned to leave, and without a word, she followed him down the hallway and through the reception area.
Her feet dragged when she realized he was heading toward his office. As they approached, his secretary averted her gaze. Ken held the door open for her, then closed it behind him. All business now, he moved behind his desk and gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite. He gazed out the window before finally turning to face her. When she was finished, he said nothing for a moment.
And why you were hired? Our clients expect a certain level of professionalism. And I know our clients are important.
And that you took this opportunity off the table because you felt the suddenly urgent, desperate need to change your tire during business hours? I haven't read him in awhile so hopefully he's gotten back in the groove! And if you really want to read The Choice, you won't need but a few hours if you're a slow reader and half a brain,,,there is no plot a 6 yr.
Man falls in love, woman can't decide between this too-good-to-be-true-in-every-way man and her boyfriend that she's not even happy with. He's her next door neighbor, blah blah blah. Shelves: adult , romance. When a new Nicholas Sparks novel comes out, you know what you're in for - a southern romance between a romantic, lovable, handsome man and an intelligent, independent, naturally beautiful woman.
It will be a fast read that makes you long for the simple, small town life. I'm not a big fan of romances, but Sparks books are simply good stories and always enjoyable reads. Also, one never knows whether the ending will be a certifiable tear-jerker or joyful happiness.
Readers don't find out what choice the title suggests until deep into the story. So I thought the Notebook was a little disappointing, but suspected that was because I'd seen and adored the movie so much that it overrode the contents of the book. I must be a sucker for punishment. First, Travis is perfect. Utterly perfect, and I would punch him in the face if I met him in real life, not fall madly in love with him. All he seems to do is exercise, so accordingly, he is physical perf Yech.
All he seems to do is exercise, so accordingly, he is physical perfection. Gabby, who already has a decent if not slightly boring boyfriend, realizes the stud muffin next door is 'the one' and bam, on to chapter two and they're married with kids, yada yada yada. Now Travis has to make a 'choice' clever use of a title I spent the whole book hoping that the next page I turned would be the last.
I love sappy romance, but I like believable sappy romance, and there wasn't much here. I hired out another of Sparks' books at the same time as this one, 'Dear John', but it might be a few days before I get over the bitter aftertaste this one gave me before I can even attempt to read it! I'm one of the few people on the planet who is not a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, but that said, I liked this book. This is a book for those times when you just want to sit in front of the fire and read something that isn't too deep.
It's a very easy read, something that you can put down when the kids need diapers changed or someone has started a kitchen fire, and when you have the chance to pick it back up, you won't be totally lost. The story line is easy to follow, not so many characters that thi I'm one of the few people on the planet who is not a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, but that said, I liked this book.
The story line is easy to follow, not so many characters that things get complicated. Sep 20, Zainab added it. Travis wants a life with his wife and children, but he didn't find the right one, until one evening, his neighbor Gabby stood in front of him and complained about the dog.
Beautiful days passed, years went by and suddenly everything changed. But Travis does not give up, because he now has everything he always wished for. It is a beautiful book, typical Nicholas Sparks. But what if. No one can write a love story like Nicholas Sparks. There something about the way he tells a story that gets me every single time.
What made the story great was Travis and Gabby. Their banter and teasing made me laugh and their connection felt natural from the start. They just sort of fit. It was hard for me to believe that anyone would be ready to say the l-word after only one weekend together th But what if. It was hard for me to believe that anyone would be ready to say the l-word after only one weekend together though.
I cringed when it happened, not once, but three times. Why, oh why, would he do that? With any of his books, you have to expect a sad turn. The story is broken up into two parts and with the start of part two, I felt like one thing was happening, when in fact, it was something totally different.
Something worse actually. It was sad and devastating watching Travis struggle. Of course, it made me contemplate what I would do if I was in his situation. In the end, he made the right choice.
Aug 29, Paul E. This was my first Nicholas Sparks unless you count the movie version of The Notebook and it was OK, actually. Yes, it's schmaltzy but I'm a big ol' softie beneath my tank-like exterior and am not completely averse to some schmaltz from time to time. While this didn't exactly set my world afire, it was quite entertaining and even had some poignant moments. I'll probably read some more Sparks eventually but there're definitely a lot of books in front of it in the queue View all 8 comments.
I have to be in a certain type of mood to read a Sparks book. A friend told me this was a good, but I get irritated with Sparks tendency to kill off his protagonists by the end. The Choice is a great read and thoughtful I loved the Part One where Travis and Gabby "grow" in love. Part Two moves too quickly, but this might not be a bad thing. As a reader, I wanted more details, but admit this would have muddle the plot and ultimatel I have to be in a certain type of mood to read a Sparks book.
As a reader, I wanted more details, but admit this would have muddle the plot and ultimately the point of the story: How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? A great read for a snowy afternoon under a quilt. View all 4 comments. I am undone. I finished this General Market novel with tears rolling down my face. Travis' story begins and ends in , however, the vast majority of the novel takes place in Travis is established as a veterinarian in his home town and has a great group of married friends.
He would love to have a family, but is waiting for the right woman. The story line and writing are both engaging. I adored Travis' sister Stephanie. And the moment the meaning behind the title, The Choice, became clear, I am undone. And the moment the meaning behind the title, The Choice, became clear, my heart ached. Then I decided to give it another chance since it's about a medical student kind of obsessed with the concept and read the book during the summer, just going to be honest here, I couldn't even finish it.
I do feel bad giving this book less than 3 stars but damn Nicholas Sparks, you could do SO much better! The plot actually had potential, it started off as okay but then shit turned bad. This book takes my breath away. The title of the book is so right and I hope that I will never have to do that choice. Nicholas Sparks wrote another incredible book that I won't forget any soon! I without a doubt recommand The Choice to everyone, it makes me feel grateful for what I have.
Seriously people, read this book!! May 29, Selena rated it it was amazing. I loved it. I loved everything about it. By the way.. You'll cry a river reading this book.. Jul 15, Fizah Books tales by me rated it liked it Shelves: read. I expected more from the ending. Shelves: romance , nicholas-sparks. This book is very interesting. Like most of Nicholas Sparks romance books you fall in love with the characters and what the best to happen for them, but in a small way some thing goes wrong, but it always ends up leaving you all warm inside.
I find this one different because even though the back cover describes the book to be about Travis, most of the story line is about Gabby's side of view in there whole time of getting to know each other. The first part of the story starts out in Feb , an This book is very interesting. The first part of the story starts out in Feb , and Travis is going to the hospital where is wife worked to see her. Unsure of the choice he was going to make. It dates back to when they first met and how they came about to fall in love.
Gabby moved in next door to Travis. She has a purebred collie who is pregnant and believes Travis' dog is responsible. As she goes over to his house to tell him to take responsiblitiy everthing thing goes wrong.
She ends up leaving like a stupid person and finds out that Travis is the vet. Evenutally they spend a weekend together while Gabby's boyfriend is out of town, as friendly neighbors with all of Travis' married friends. By the third day they know they are in love and she decides to be with Travis. In the second part of the story, Travis is sitting at the hospital going over his memories of the past and how they get married and have two girls. Some of the fights they have, and why things started to go wrong.
Travis and Gabby were in a horrible car accident and she went into a coma. As Travis sits at the hospital he is trying to make "the choice" that will change his life. Gabby made Travis sign a living will, where if she was ever in a coma; after three months if she didn't wake up, he promises to let her die. She made him do it because of some one she met a hospital who the husband went insane because the wife was put in a nursing home and after six years was still in a coma.
The kids went off the deep end too, and Gabby didn't want that to happen to her family. After three months Travis makes his decision. I can't spoil the ending for you all, you'll just have to read it. I will say during the second part have some tissues handy it was a tear jerker. It does end well as all his books do, I closed the book feeling satisfied. However, I don't understand why this author - one of my all-time favourites - so often features cheating in his books.
And he does so in a way that is seems like he considers it - romantic? To me, cheating is not romantic at all, and I always find it more difficult to connect with the characters and the reasons for their actions if something like this happens.
Apart from this, as I said, a pretty typical Nicholas Sparks, I had a good time reading it. I've seen at least four of his movies and really enjoyed them all, so I hope my first experience with a book of his is just as good. To be continued The only ones I've missed are Message in a Bottle just looked way too sad for me and The Choice too new. After reading the book I'm glad I didn't shell out for cinema tickets to the movie.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book I read it in one night, something about it must have grabbed my attention , but a rom-com isn't really the kind of movie worth going to the cinema to see unless it's particularly spectacular or someone else is paying.
And now that I've read the book I'm pleased to see that I made the right choice in waiting for it to come to tv which doesn't take all that long these days, only a few months most of the time.
The second part was a bit of tear jerker once I realised what the reveal was, as Travis' dilemma is my worst nightmare. Like Travis I'm not sure if I could make that final decision despite knowing that's what at least one of my family members would choose.
I would always be terrified by the idea that if I waited just one more minute, one more second they might wake up. Even if the probability were low, it's never completely impossible and I don't know if I could deal with the possibility that I was killing my family member when there was any likelihood that they weren't gone.
I look forward to reading more from Sparks although I think I'll do my best to avoid the more depressing ones, I'm not a fan of books that make me full-on cry. I surely have a problem. I read another book from Sparks. He is trying to be Jodie Picoult, but it's not going for him. His characters are awfully shallow and stereotypical - his story is so so, but he doesn't know how to describe it.
He is a Budweiser guy, she is shy and naive. He is uber sexy, she is not so. And he tells her he loves her after 2 days although he was a complete vagabond for his 30something years , and she does as well, but he tells her that first. Sparks' popular psychology ana I surely have a problem. Sparks' popular psychology analysis are ridiculous.
He is funny with his free advices that are too general and one-dimensional. And I'm being eloquent now. The only thing that I like about his book s is how he describes North Carolinas. Writers from that US area always describe their states with great words and gentle connotations. Overall, I like southern literature, just it would be nice to find proper writers.
I can't just solely depend on Pat Conroy. Movie 1 28 Feb 07, AM Mrs. Anderson's E Readers also enjoyed. Videos About This Book. More videos Adult Fiction. About Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone. Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook , over a period of six months at age
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