The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Ronnie's whole life blew up. Fortunately it wasn't a literal explosion, but her parents' divorce, and her father's subsequent move from NYC to Wrightsville Beach, NC, have not been easy to handle. Always a fan of her father, Ronnie now finds herself at odds with him and his way of life in the smaller town when she and her younger brother Jonah are sent to spend the summer with their father.

Still bitter and angry about everything, as teen's are apt to be, Ronnie ditches her brother and any attempts at peace-making by her father for the teen scene. While out that night she meets Will and Blaze out at a carnival. Desperate for a diversion she mingles between them both despite the obvious polarity between good-boy Will & misunderstood Blaze. She is instantly attracted to Will by his charm and winning smile, but the brooding Blaze seems like the most likely friend for a club-hopping, New Yorker like Ronnie. The girls grow attached quickly and Ronnie sees Will from time to time when he comes to care for a sea turtle nest near her home.

As the summer progresses, Ronnie begins to soften her steel-plated exterior. As she learns the truth about Blaze's relationship troubles, her father's secret, & acknowledges her feelings for Will, she starts to determine what is really important to her. A long summer of thinking and feeling allows her to take the necessary steps in order to follow her heart. Only it's too late for some things.

The Last Song has returned to Sparks's formulaic story. There is always a girl, there is always a boy, and no one seems to survive. The main reason I really enjoy reading his novels is the setting. As a native Tar Heel (born and raised in the Triad) I appreciate the local flare that Sparks adds to his stories. For me, it adds a certain depth and reality to a book when I can picture the exact location that is being described, and while that can be achieved with copious amounts of extra work when creating a location, it is so much more effective when you are simply describing a location already in existence.

Ronnie was definitely annoying at the beginning of the novel, but as a child of a nasty divorce, I can completely understand and compartmentalize her reaction and behavior. There is no structured outlet for that kind of frustration and I can't imagine having a parent move so far away in that kind of situation. I really liked watching her relationships with the other characters change over the course of the novel. I felt like she really grew as an individual and that those around her benefited from her actions. The alternating points of view also lent an interesting slant on how multiple people can view the same situation. Very telling indeed.

All in all, while it wasn't quite as good as The Lucky One, this was still an enjoyable read. Beaches, teen angst, love, and loss all in just 405 pages. Dig in!

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

As I've stated before, this blog is mostly YA books, but it is also books that I think YA readers would enjoy. Nicholas Sparks is known for his love stories. Let's face it, the man has found a pattern that works for him. But this story was different. To me, this has to be one of his best books yet! I was expecting sappy love (which I will deal with in order to enjoy his characters) but that was BARELY there! Truly a story about faith (believing in something, anything) and understanding.

Logan Thibault was just like any other U.S. Marine, serving his time in the sandbox. Danger surrounded him constantly and he came close to death on more than one occasion. That is until he found the picture. A beautiful young woman at some kind of fair. Everybody jokes about it until it seems to be the only reason Logan hasn't died during his 3rd tour in Iraq.

Finally, after losing his best friend, Logan decides it's time to leave. He gets processed out and sets out, on foot, to find the woman in the picture. That trek takes him from Colorado to Hampton, North Carolina where he decides to settle in for a while. He meets the kinetic Nana, who runs a dog training facility with her daughter Elizabeth and grandson Ben, and chooses it as a place of employment.

Overtime, as Logan becomes comfortable with this close-knit family, he begins to question his real reason for staying. Is it the search for the elusive girl or something more? The discovery he makes not only changes his path, but also the path of those around him.

As always, Sparks weaves a simple storyline into a more complex analogy. What this book is really trying to get across to its readers is faith and fate are quite important. If you really believe in something, then you should go all out for it. Shallow attempts at going for something really means nothing. And fate is not clear and defined. It is a modifiable path that we can chose to take. I found this book's characters very likable and I found myself actually caring what happened to them. Logan's background in the Marines is a different starting point than Sparks normally takes and I thought it was very appropriate for this time period and specific character. All in all, this was a great story that didn't take me too long to read. Give it a try if you haven't read anything by him.