Every Breath
by Nicholas Sparks
From Goodreads:
In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals — transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.
Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.
Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties — and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?
My thoughts on this book:
I just finished Every Breath this morning and it turned out to be pretty good. Once I got about half way through I was leary with the direction the book was taking, but by the end it came together nicely.
Hope is in a relationship that she isn’t exactly content with. Her boyfriend Josh doesn’t seem to be committing and after six years she wonders what their future holds. Her dad has been diagnosed with a debilitating health condition and she doesn’t know how much time they have left together. She plans a visit to their family cottage on Sunset Beach because her family has decided to sell it and she needs to help prepare. During that week, Hope meets Tru who is on a temporary visit from Africa to meet his father for the first time. Tru’s hope is to learn more about his mother while he’s there. When Tru and Hope meet, they have a genuine interest in each other. It’s love at first sight and they can’t stop thinking about one another.
“Through the window, he was able to see into the kitchen as Hope emerged from around the corner, a towel draped over her shoulder, and pulled two cups from the cabinet. She interested him. That she was beautiful there was no doubt, but it wasn’t simply that. There was a an air of vulnerability and loneliness behind her smile, as if she was wrestling with something troubling. Maybe even a few somethings.”
As their time comes to a close, their family circumstances get in the way and they have to make a difficult decision regarding their future together. Will they follow their hearts?
Nicholas Sparks writes beautiful romances. I’ve been reading his books for as long as I can remember and I’m used to his writing. With that said, the romance in this book felt like insta-love and went way to quick for me. The two meet–they are totally physically attracted to one another–then they are in love in just a matter of a few days. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t think two people can have a quick connection like Tru and Hope did, it’s just that for me it felt rushed and I wanted more development to their relationship. Another issue I had was that even with the strong connection they feel for each other, they go separate ways and live separate lives, and decades later they still feel the same. It’s like this huge piece of their time apart never happened even with zero communication in between. I get that we make decisions in life and we have to take the road that follows, but feeling as strong as these two did and knowing the options that Hope had in her current relstionship, their decisions just didn’t feel right to me. I wanted them to stay together and it just wasn’t going to happen, but regardless I found it to be a good story. These are just my personal opinions on the story itself based on the characters’ backgrounds and choices.
I still enjoyed the book! I loved that even though it’s a work of fiction, parts of it were true. I even had a few tears as they read through some of the letters from Kindred Spirit: a mailbox in North Carolina that really exists. The writing is beautiful and detailed. The characters had depth with their own histories. It just really felt good to get back into a Spark’s novel.
3.5-4****
Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:
- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 16, 2018)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1538728524
- ISBN-13: 978-1538728529
Yeah, I hear your niggles on the insta-love thing. I always think that it’s more insta-lust. The love just takes time. Great review!
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Exactly! Their relationship barely began and it just went way too fast. Thanks so much! ❤
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I am NOT a Nicolas Sparks fan…. Hate me if you must. Lol!! I’m glad you enjoyed this one!! They’re a little too sappy lovey frou frou for me! 😘😘
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I hear you! This one had insta-love, which I hate, but it was still a good story. 😁❤
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Well, I’ll leave it for my sister to read. She LOVES these books!.. I’m sure she’ll tell me all about it. 😂😂
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😂 Well, I’d be interested to hear what she thinks too! ❤
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Lovely review! I haven’t read a Nicholas Sparks in a while, but this looks like a good one!💕
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I love his earlier books. This one was pretty good, but not a fave. ❤ Thanks!
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I had to avoid spoilers, but I’m so glad you enjoyed that book, Mischenko ❤
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Thanks, Noriko! I think you’ll have similar feelings about the book. I did still enjoy it. 🧡😉
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Lovely review, favorite M! ♥️ I haven’t read one of his in a while, but I was inspired to buy this one. Super excited about the factual parts. My mom has already read my copy and loved it, so I’m happy to hear it worked for you too. Xoxo
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I hope you love it, Jenn! I had issues with it, but overall it was a good story. Just wasn’t a fave. I seem to love his earlier books the best. ❤ I’m so glad your mom loved it though! Thanks, Jenn!
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Aww. It does still sound quite sweet, despite then shortcomings.
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It was pretty good, Nina. I think I’m just being a little picky here lately. I don’t do well with insta-love at all. 💜
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That’s fine. Insta-love is hit and miss for me. The author is going to have to work real hard to convince me. If done right I can believe it but many times it doesn’t come across believable enough.
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Nice review Jenn. I have also read all of Nicholas Sparks’ books and enjoy them. He does not usually do instalove, so that would be a niggle for me as well. Glad it still comes across as a good read though.
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Thanks, Carla! Exactly, I was surprised. Usually his relationships take some time, but this one just went way to quick. It was still good though. Hope you love it. 💜
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After reading your review I’ll have to read this one. I always like ‘ Love at first sight’ stories even if I have to deal with the ending I don’t like. Lol. Like the movie with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. I wanted them to stay together in the end.
I enjoy Nicholas Sparks so I will definitely give it a try. Great review!
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I think you’ll be fine with this one then. I do love that movie, but the relationship doesn’t move as fast as this one does! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. ❤ Thanks!
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I’ve been wondering how this one was… thanks for the review!
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Hope you love it! Thank you. ❤
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I very much enjoy His books! ❤️
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Me too! Thanks 💚❤💚
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