Review: Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks comes a tender story of hope and joy; of sacrifice and forgiveness -- a moving reminder that love is possible at any age, at any time, and often comes when we least expect it. At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. Reeling with heartache and in search of a respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina to tend to a friend's inn for the weekend. But when a major storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne's perfect getaway will be ruined -- until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort -- and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.

MY TAKE:
My only experiences with Nicholas Sparks' work before this book were watching A Walk to Remember and The Notebook and reading A Walk to Remember.

In Nights in Rodanthe, Adrienne is a divorcee who is looking after her friend's inn. Paul is a former doctor, who is also a divorcee, who is the inn's only guest that week. A storm comes to the area, which prompts the two of them to become even closer than they probably originally intended.

Before reading this, I was already aware that this was also made into a movie. I never watched it, though, because when it came out, I was still quite young and I felt like I wouldn't be able to relate to the characters because of their age.

Now that I've read it, I can say that while younger me probably wouldn't have liked this story, present-day me thought it was sweet and heartbreaking in a way that you'd be familiar with if you've read Nicholas Sparks' other books.

I guess I should have expected this story's outcome, given what happened with A Walk to Remember. The book's ending was less predictable than I expected, although the emotions it brought was actually expected, if that makes any sense.

I liked the description of the storm. I live in a country that typhoons, the really strong ones too, like to pass through. In fact, as I was reading this, it was raining here. I've come to like the rain over the years, especially if everyone is safely indoors and we can just watch the storm pass.

Paul and Adrienne made a sweet couple, although I never truly felt connected to them. I don't think it's their age that's the problem though. Maybe it was all the backstory that distracted me.

THE GOOD:

1. It has an important message.
2. It will appeal to more mature readers.
3. It's classic Nicholas Sparks. 

THE BAD:

1. The backstories and descriptions can get boring after awhile. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“Men are like that sometimes - if they meet someone and fall in love, it's real, no matter how fast it happened. But if someone falls for a woman they happen to care about, all they do is question the man's intentions.” 

READ IT IF:

1. You feel like you'll never find love.
2. You liked the movie Nights in Rodanthe.
3. You liked Nicholas Sparks' other books. 

RATING:


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