2024 the best of me novel review

Price: $0.99
(as of Nov 16, 2024 23:48:06 UTC - Details)

In this number one New York Times best-selling novel of first love and second chances, former high school sweethearts confront the painful truths of their past to build a promising future - together.

"Everyone wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She'd believed in it once, too, back when she was eighteen".

In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in their small town in North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.

Now, 25 years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back home for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined...and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew - about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear - was not as it seemed.

Forced to confront painful memories, the former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

Reviewer: Teresa Oxford
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book
Review: WOW, great book. Loved the story line.I knew where the ending was going, but didn’t want it to be true.

Reviewer: Byrnie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I couldn’t put it down
Review: I loved this book. The storytelling kept my interest. I don’t think I have read an entire novel as quickly as I did this one. It had everything: love, action, tragedy, compassion, forgiveness… The romantic thread was beautiful and dreamlike. Mr. Sparks adeptly floats the love story along as delicately as gossamer amidst the harsh events that were occurring that kept me wanting the story to go otherwise. Truly an example of not always getting what you want, but rather what you need.

Reviewer: Donovan Tracy Jones
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Spectacular reading- helped my 18 hour plane ride go by quickly!
Review: If you ever had a first love that got away, this is the book. It was a real page turner. It brought out a range of emotions, including tears. I really enjoyed this book. I read reviews where people said it was predictable. Maybe so at times, but I say it is a true romantic story. He wrote it with other characters involved in the story, and left us to fill in the details of their lovemaking. He tells a story, not just focusing on jumping in and out of bed. I found this very refreshing. I've read 2 more books by him since this read. I've found an author who actually tells a story.At first I thought I knew how the ending would be, but boy was I wrong. A funeral brings two high school lovers back together, but only for a short time. An old man's last wishes, a bar fight, car accident, and a one in a million chance of getting a transplant will keep you reading this book untill the very end.I'm not a big romance novel fan, but I tend to find myself enjoying Nicholas Sparks books anyway. I love how his stories are really well developed and thought-provoking, rather than just revolving around the physical aspects of love as many other romance novels do. "The Best of Me" had to be one of Nicholas Sparks' best novels yet. Yes, the basic theme is one that's been done over and over again - two high school sweethearts having to let go because real life interferes, and then running into each other again years later. But this story is so much more than that. You find yourself really sympathizing with the characters and understanding how difficult their situations are. Nicholas Sparks captures and holds your attention until the very end in this book, and this story is one that I'm sure will stick with me for a long time.The Best of Me follows the struggles of Amanda as she must decide between her imperfect family and her first love, Dawson. Her decision is heart-wrenching, and the events that ensue will inevitably bring tears to your eyes. Amanda discovers what really matters in life, and Dawson is able to truly give the best of himself to Amanda in a shocking manner.In true Nicholas Sparks fashion, The Best of Me is simultaneously heart-warming, melancholy, and suspenseful. How Dawson gives life to Amanda is sure to change your view on what is important to you.

Reviewer: Joan Brewer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: wonderful
Review: What can I say. It’s Nicholas Sparks. Beautifully written. Flows with reality. Love, heartbreak, loss, dreams, and characters that are so real you think of them as family. The one and only complaint I have is all of Nicholas Sparks Books are the same. I love them, but it’s very easy to have a. Pretty good idea of what’s going to happen chapters before the end of the story.Great book.

Reviewer: M. Alvarado
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Gutwrenching
Review: I have always loved all of Nikolas Sparks books but this one was definitely outstanding and gut wrenching , and throughout the whole reading process you never wanted to stop until the end.. My congratulations.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Best of Me
Review: This is a wonderful love story. Actually, two love stories. There is sadness and heartbreak mixed in with drama. The title The Best of Me is perfect. I loved it!

Reviewer: Jade E
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Eh. It's the same formula with minor detail changes
Review: Nicholas Sparks novels are kind of my guilty pleasure... I know I'll never come away from his novels with an enlightened or deepened view of the world, but I always know I'll walk away from his novels feeling the love from the characters. That being said, it's hard for me to rate this novel because even though I love his novels, I really am starting to get tired of the recycled plots/characters formula. But I'm gonna try my hardest to explain what I did and didn't like about this one.The Good: I really loved and appreciated the way Sparks took on the topic of alcoholism. He didn't make the character the stereotypical dirty, violent, raging alcoholic. Instead he chose to showcase the character as a high-functioning alcoholic, a middle class, white collar, nice family man. I think Sparks made a great choice doing this because there are SO many families that experience alcoholism in a parent even though on the outside they may seem completely normal. Even successful, charming businessmen and women can fall into the traps of alcoholism. Sparks also did a magnificent job creating the worlds scariest brothers. Oh my. Ted and Abee Cole are some frightening characters. These are the type of guys who wouldn't blink an eye at killing someone if they were provoked. They are the main character's brothers and I don't blame Dawson for hating his kin. There were actually passages that I cringed because the brothers were that creepy/scary. The one thing I ALWAYS love about Sparks books are the settings. I love the North Carolina southern-ish type of setting. He always describes the setting in such detail that I think I can visit North Carolina in my head rather than actually going there. It makes me want to move there!The Bad: Okay. Besides being horribly predictable, this book is basically The Notebook/Message in a Bottle/Nights in Rodanthe mixed into one. Rich girl meets poor boy, they fall in love, girl is forbidden to see boy because her parents disapprove, boy and girl have fight, life goes on but both think about each other often, then something happens that brings them back together and they rekindle their "one true love" status but both believe things should go back to "normal" until one of them realizes that's the wrong decision and then something tragic and bad happens and there is a sappy ending. Something else I've noticed is that the older I get and the more and more I read, the less and less Spark's sentences seem unique. They seem a bit contrived, forced and cheesy honestly. I'm really not trying to dog on him because I truly do love him and his ideas, I'm just saying there are some things you don't realize until you get older and the quality of his writing is one of those things. As far as the characters go, it's hard to get attached to the characters because as far as I'm concerned, I've seen Amanda and Dawson in Sparks other novels. Whereas when I read The Notebook, Noah and Allie were such unique, different characters that I couldn't help but fall in love with them. I also thought the character of Tuck could have been SO MUCH MORE. He was supposed to be this great character that represented the past for Amanda and Dawson but he just didn't live up to the hype he was given in the first couple chapters. There's a part where he leaves letters for Amanda and Dawson and Sparks builds up the scene like these letters are going to contain some serious information or advice and once the letters are revealed, they really aren't anything great. I was highly disappointed.Overall, I'm not denying the fact that I finished this book in a day and a half and that I plowed through it with intensity like I do for amazing books, all I'm saying is that this is a novel I've seen many times before, mostly from Sparks himself and I was hoping it would be a little different. I'm going to give this book a C.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: One of his best books!
Review: Couldn't put this down, I was up all night reading this book. Well worth your time. You won't be sorry.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I needed some books to read and since the Library is closed due to Covid l decided to order them online. After buying brand new once figured l would try second hand ones. Well there is nothing wrong with it and arrived at my door earlier than expected and the book was in good shape and ready to read. Very happy with my purchase

Reviewer: Lynn Knudsen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Always enjoy Nicholas Spark’s books and this one is as good as they all are

Reviewer: Josy&Laura
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: "The Best of Me" von Nicholas Sparks ist ein herzzerreißender Roman, der die Leser auf eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt mitnimmt. Die Geschichte handelt von der unvergesslichen Liebe zwischen Amanda Collier und Dawson Cole, die sich nach 20 Jahren zufällig wieder treffen. Ihre Beziehung war einst von tragischen Umständen und gesellschaftlichen Unterschieden geprägt, und ihre Wiedervereinigung zwingt sie, sich ihren tiefsten Ängsten und Geheimnissen zu stellen.Sparks' Schreibstil ist fesselnd und einfühlsam, und er schafft es, die Figuren und ihre Beziehung auf eine Art und Weise zum Leben zu erwecken, die den Leser wirklich berührt. Man kann sich kaum vom Buch trennen, da die Geschichte einen in ihren Bann zieht."The Best of Me" ist ein Buch, das man nicht verpassen sollte. Es ist eine herzergreifende und romantische Geschichte, die den Leser nicht nur unterhält, sondern auch zum Nachdenken anregt. Sparks beweist einmal mehr, dass er einer der besten Schriftsteller unserer Zeit ist.

Reviewer: Barbara Boyles
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A wonderful story from Nicholas sparks. This book has everything it's a story of first love, loss and an extraordinary friendship that brings back memories of a special person. It's also has some quite graphic violence throughout but it all adds to the story that will make you feel very emotional and you might need tissues. A fantastic 5 🌟read

Reviewer: Christian
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Amazing story...Nicholas Sparks gets love like not many...