The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

"He wanted to tell her again how much he loved her. Instead, he'd watched her go, knowing in his heart that this was the last time he'd see her."

Nicholas Sparks is well known for his love stories such as 'The Notebook', 'The Last Song' and 'Dear John' which have all become best-sellers and popular films. So when I saw 'The Best of Me' I had high expectations for a gripping romantic novel, however, disappointingly this did not transpire.

The plot focuses upon two main characters, Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier who were once in love but were torn apart at a young age and separated to live their own lives. They are reunited after the death of  Tuck Hostetler who was a mentor to both Dawson and Amanda during their high school years and this rekindles the flame which they once had. Dawson and Amanda are no strangers to adversity, facing challenges in their youth because they both came from completely different backgrounds but now the obstacles are even greater with Amanda having married.

Nicholas Sparks - the author

Although the premise of the novel is promising, I found the plot to be predictable and slow which meant that I did not particularly enjoy it. In my opinion, the segments written focusing on Dawson's family were much better than those following the main plot and surprisingly, my favourite part of the book was the last 20 or so pages because it was then that I really enjoyed the plot.

After having read so many Sparks novels which were brilliantly written I will continue to read his books but I don't think that I'll be rushing to read 'The Best of Me' again!

Please let me know your comments below - I'd love to know whether I am the only one to think that this is Nicholas Sparks' most disappointing novel.

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