Chick Lit Uncovered was lucky enough to participate in the blog tour for
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks (author of
The Lucky One and
A Walk to Remember.) The film tie-in edition will be released next week to coincide with the release of the movie adaptation, which stars James Marsden.
Despite constantly hearing about this author and his work, and the successful movie adaptations that have followed
(The Notebook, anyone?) admittedly I had not read any of his books previously. So when I was contacted about the blog tour, I was intrigued. And annoyed later, at the fact that I had left it so late, because
The Best of Me is a very,
very good read.
Dawson and Amanda were young lovers, forced apart in their teenage years. Despite their passion and determination, their backgrounds were enough to pull them apart in their small town. With Amanda's family deeply unhappy that she had chosen to be with Dawson, a member of the criminal Cole family, their otherwise perfect relationship ends, with Amanda heading off to college and Dawson remaining with his bullying father until finally finding work. In fact, the only person looking out for Dawson Cole is Tuck; a friendly, lonely man who shares a love for cars.
Tuck is a friend and mentor to both Dawson and Amanda, for in later years, when Amanda heads back home to visit her mother, she and widower Tuck regularly meet to talk about life.
But when Tuck dies, both Dawson and Amanda are shocked to find that they are both called to the private funeral of their old friend. That they will have to face each other again, after all these years...
With Amanda now married to Frank, and with children of her own, having to face her teenage sweetheart is going to be a hard task. And with Dawson now living a quiet life alone, having never dated since Amanda, setting foot in his hometown is going to be equally difficult. Even more so when he is sighted in town by his family. The family who still haven't forgotten Dawson and vow to see him punished...
The Best of Me is a beautifully written love story that's very hard to put down. With Cole and Amanda finally together, I found myself wanting to find out what would happen to them; would they fall in love again? Or would they finally have to part? With Tuck's clever yet saddening plan put into place, the couple find themselves fulfilling their friend's last wish, but nothing is ever simple, especially when Dawson's family show up again.
I highly recommend
The Best of Me, and I really wish I had read this book sooner - it's a highly enjoyable, heartwarming romance with a twist.
Rating: 5/5
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
They were teenage sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks - with a passion that would change their lives for ever. But life would force them apart.
Years later, the lines they had drawn between past and present are about to slip . . . Called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter when they needed it most, they are faced with each other once again, and forced to confront the paths they chose. Can true love ever rewrite the past?
This is the new epic love story from the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Notebook, The Lucky One and The Last Song.
About the Author
With over eighty-five million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. His novels include twelve No. 1 New York Times bestsellers.
All Nicholas Sparks' books have been international bestsellers and have been translated into more than forty languages. Nine of his novels have been adapted into major films: The Best of Me, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember and The Notebook.
Nicholas Sparks lives in North Carolina with his wife and family. You can visit him and sign up for the Nicholas Sparks eNewsletter at www.uk.nicholassparks.com, and follow him on Twitter: @NicholasSparks.
