I went into this knowing that Nicholas Sparks is the king of tragic romance, and I was happy that this wasn't entirely tragic. It doesn't have what most people have come to think of as a typical Sparks ending. The novel is full of bright spots — however, the story is a little too saccharine for me. Not the story itself. The story is good, obviously, or the movie version wouldn't have done so well. It's one of those timeless tales of romance. Sparks goes for the really flowery descriptions here, instead of the straightforward way he usually tells his stories. There is a lot of emphasis on how Ali and Noah feel, but rather than demonstrating their nervousness or their love for one another, large parts of the book are simply descriptions of what is going on inside their heads. And not in a good way. The way his main characters speak to one another is overly formal, making the dialogue between them incredibly stiff for much of their reunion. And it just seems to be a little too much.

If given the option, I'd actually give the book a pass (which is definitely a rarity for me) and see the movie instead. Sparks had a great idea with his characters, but I think his execution was flawed. The characters have the life and chemistry on screen that they don't have in the pages of the book.