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katietotallybooked 's review for:
Every Breath
by Nicholas Sparks
So I've been a Nicholas Sparks fan since I read The Last Song (which is still one of my all-time favourite books) about ten years ago. I realize he wrote many books before releasing that one, but because of my fandom at the time for Miley Cyrus (who starred in the movie version in 2019) and my love for piano and music, it was the first one I read. Although Sparks has become an auto-buy author for me (meaning that I will automatically purchase a copy of anything he has written) I still haven't read all of his books...but I'm working on it.
When I purchased Every Breath this fall, I was very excited to read it and January was finally the month that it made it on to my TBR (to be read list). However, I DID NOT LOVE IT and that was a little bit of a personal let down for me. Do I think the book was well done? Yeeeeeessss, and no. Here's why:
Sparks tried a literary device this time in his novel which he explains in his author note called self-insertion. This is where Sparks sandwiches the book by adding a written note at the beginning and at the end claiming to know the characters of Tru and Hope, which makes you think that these characters are actually real people - when in fact they are not. So, that's what had me confused first and anyone who knows me well knows that I don't like to be confused and I don't handle confusion well. This set me off from the beginning. The other aspect that I am not sure was well done about the book is that the story simply just ends and without giving any spoilers, I felt like I would have liked a longer ending. Now Sparks also claims in his author's note that the bulk of the story is the middle and that is the story of Tru & Hope that he wanted to tell. But I really think there should have been more because it would have suited my tastes better. And lastly the part that I struggled with, through no one's fault but my own however, is that I didn't realize there was a time jump in the novel until I was half way through. I did not pick up on the 1990 time stamp at the first chapter, so when it jumped to 2014 in Part II, I was displaced. Completely my own fault by not being focused enough when I started the book.
Ultimately, I do think the book was just "too romantic" and predictable for me. I like romance but not too much of the "whirlwind, love at first sight, deeply in love after 24 hours" kind. But I get that Nicholas Sparks is a contemporary romance author and the book is exactly that genre. So that being said, maybe I just like some of his works more than others?
My final verdict is a 3 star rating on Goodreads - I liked it. The book was well done but there are reasons that the book was not quite to my taste.
When I purchased Every Breath this fall, I was very excited to read it and January was finally the month that it made it on to my TBR (to be read list). However, I DID NOT LOVE IT and that was a little bit of a personal let down for me. Do I think the book was well done? Yeeeeeessss, and no. Here's why:
Sparks tried a literary device this time in his novel which he explains in his author note called self-insertion. This is where Sparks sandwiches the book by adding a written note at the beginning and at the end claiming to know the characters of Tru and Hope, which makes you think that these characters are actually real people - when in fact they are not. So, that's what had me confused first and anyone who knows me well knows that I don't like to be confused and I don't handle confusion well. This set me off from the beginning. The other aspect that I am not sure was well done about the book is that the story simply just ends and without giving any spoilers, I felt like I would have liked a longer ending. Now Sparks also claims in his author's note that the bulk of the story is the middle and that is the story of Tru & Hope that he wanted to tell. But I really think there should have been more because it would have suited my tastes better. And lastly the part that I struggled with, through no one's fault but my own however, is that I didn't realize there was a time jump in the novel until I was half way through. I did not pick up on the 1990 time stamp at the first chapter, so when it jumped to 2014 in Part II, I was displaced. Completely my own fault by not being focused enough when I started the book.
Ultimately, I do think the book was just "too romantic" and predictable for me. I like romance but not too much of the "whirlwind, love at first sight, deeply in love after 24 hours" kind. But I get that Nicholas Sparks is a contemporary romance author and the book is exactly that genre. So that being said, maybe I just like some of his works more than others?
My final verdict is a 3 star rating on Goodreads - I liked it. The book was well done but there are reasons that the book was not quite to my taste.