Book Review: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads): "Dear John", the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.
When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined.

My Thought: Dear John is an quick, emotional, but enjoyable read. Like most books by Nicholas Sparks, this one definitely tugs on the heart strings. Though I didn't cry, I am just lucky Aunt Flow wasn't visiting or I might have actually broke down and bawled, I felt connected to the characters and their situations. Let's just say you know your in for an emotional rollercoaster when the prologue makes you feel disheartened.

Line from the prologue: "Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. And although this is the way all stories unfold, I still can't believe that ours didn't go on forever."

If you cry easily, you may want to have some tissue ready. In other words if you are looking for that classic happy ending then turn away now.

Love is a beautiful, breathtaking thing that can turn your whole world around. Love is also a challenge, and sadly love is not always as simple as we wish it could be. Sparks covers every aspect of that in Dear John. Of course no love story would be complete without both the highs and lows. And when the two main characters John and Savannah fall in love -- it is simply delightful.  So sweet and pure, the kind of love people often hope for. The lows of the relationship were kinda like running into a brick wall - painful. Aren't most that way? Sparks did have a few bittersweet moments, but as I already mentioned he mainly just tugged at the heartstrings. My heart felt heavy when I finally closed the book.

The writing flowed and I enjoyed how I easily read multiple chapters in one sitting. It is an easy book to connect with and though at times I found some of the characters too perfect -- it did NOT change my overall opinion of the book.  Because overall the characters were likeable and more importantly relateable.

Dear John is a love story that includes: survival, young love, heartbreak, sacrifice, responsibilities, and that scary "whatif" factor. And it is now one of my favorite books.


Quotes:

"I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."

"Believe me, I'm no romantic, and while I've heard all about love at first sight, I've never believed in it, and I still don't. But even so, there was something there, something recognizably real, and I couldn't look away."


Thanks for taking the time to read this review. Feel free to comment :)