“One of the great things about a leaf,” he said to her, “is that it reminds you to live as well as you can for as long as you can, until it’s finally time to let go and allow yourself to drift away with grace.”
I can't say that the first thing I would pick up when I walk into a book store is a romance novel. I enjoy a good love story and happy ending as much as the next girl, but lately I have tried to stay away from ones that are too sappy and predictable. After my couple recent thriller reads, I decided to pick up Nicholas Sparks' latest novel, Every Breath.
Synopsis by Author
Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At 36, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina, but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty and personal happiness against each other in devastating ways.
My Review: 3.0/5.0
Nicholas Sparks is a very talented author.. we all have read his books (or at least heard of him). His novels usually have wonderful stories including the twists and turns of life. Some have happy endings, some leave you wanting more, and some you find yourself next to a Kleenex box in the end. When reading Every Breath, it was refreshing to get wrapped up in his stories again.
Since I am used to the writing style of Sparks, I figured when reading the synopsis that the story would be unraveled with exquisite details of the characters individual lives and emotions. While there was some background of the two main characters given, there was not the usual context into their lives before meeting one another. If we are being completely honest, I also felt they fell in love too quickly. There was not much development of their relationship or the seeking out one another. With the "soul-mate" kind of love they have, the quickness of their relationship made it seem almost not believable.
When I reached part II of the novel, I was more engaged. Without revealing too much in my review, I enjoyed the chance to figure out what happened during the "lost time". However, some of the continued details of the characters happened too quickly and were almost unbelievable. There were times in the end of the story, especially when finding out what happened to Tru, that I almost rolled my eyes. I enjoyed Hope's relationship with her parents and related to some of her feelings. I do, however, wish the story about Tru's father and mother was more in-depth and played a bigger part of the novel.
With all that being said, I did like this book, but held my expectation high because of Spark's other pieces of work. His writing in Every Breath was as beautiful as always. I loved the idea of Kindred Spirit. The ending of the novel came together quite well. Was it my favorite of his works? No... but it did have a good story with valuable lessons in between the pages.
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