Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio
Published: September 29, 2020
Source: Print – Hardcover via Grand Central Publishing / Audio via Library
Summary:
In the romantic tradition of Dear John and The Lucky One, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with the story of an injured Navy doctor — and two women whose secrets will change the course of his life.
Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, NC. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked as an orthopedic surgeon sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.
Tending to his grandfather’s beloved bee hives while gearing up for a second stint in medical school, Trevor isn’t prepared to fall in love with a local . . . and yet, from their very first encounter, his connection with Natalie Masterson can’t be ignored. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she’s hiding.
Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road from his grandfather’s cabin. Claiming to be 19, she works at the local sundries store and keeps to herself. When he discovers she was once befriended by his grandfather, Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather’s death, but she offers few clues — until a crisis triggers a race that will uncover the true nature of Callie’s past, one more intertwined with the elderly man’s passing than Trevor could ever have anticipated.
In his quest to unravel Natalie and Callie’s secrets, Trevor will learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness . . . and that in life, to move forward, we must often return to the place where it all began.
My thoughts:
It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a Nicholas Sparks book. There was a time when I used to read his books as soon as they came out, but I seem to have outgrown that phase…not that I don’t enjoy his books but reading tastes have changed and I just don’t read as much romance as I used to. But I will say this was as charming as I remember this writing being, with just the right amount of substance to it to keep it from being too fluffy.
I appreciated that there was more to this story than just a romance. I loved the veteran angle that Sparks explored here, especially since my husband is one. While he is fortunate to not need major services, there are many others out there that are not as lucky.
The characters, as is typically found in a Sparks’ novel, are well-drawn and you can’t help but become attached to them. I loved the mystery that surrounded a few of them and found myself completely caught up in needing to know just what was going on with them. The secrets are slowly revealed and while I had an inkling of some, I was caught off-guard by others.
I’m glad I finally had the time to pick this one up. It’s a story that definitely tugged at my heartstrings and if you haven’t had a chance to read it, I certainly recommend doing so.
Audio thoughts:
I was able to grab this audio of this one from the library and really enjoyed listening to it. The narrator, Kyf Brewer, was new-t0-me, but I thought he did a fantastic job in narrating this story, really bringing it to life. The pacing and intonation were spot on. I think moving forward, listening to Nicholas Sparks’ books will be the way to go for me!
