Not my favorite Nicholas Sparks book
587076
I have read every book that Nicholas Sparks has written and have enjoyed most of them, but this was not my favorite.  To begin with, I had a hard time liking the main character, Ronnie.  She seemed two-dimensional to me, a somewhat stereotypical teen-aged brat who was upset by her parents' divorce.  I also did not relate to Ronnie's teenaged romance, and prefer the more mature romances in some of Sparks' other books.

The plot concerns two children who are reluctantly spending the summer with their father after not being with him for 3 years, following their parents' divorce.  The father is a musician who has taught his daughter Ronnie to play the piano but in rebellion she has turned away from her music.  Ronnie has some bad experiences as she tries to make new friends, but the way things turn out is quite predictible.
3547968
Tate Collins comes to live with her brother Corbin, as she finishes her educational requirements for an advanced nursing degree.  She meets Miles Archer, her brother's friend, coworker, and neighbor, feeling an instant attraction for the man.  Deciding to have a casual relationship as Miles has relationship baggage, will the two rules of never asking about the past and not expecting a future prove to be too much for Tate and Miles?

Ugly Love was my least favorite of author Colleen Hoover's thus far, as the character development was not quite complete.  Nothing in the story really stood out, making this book just a generic type of romance for me.  Colleen Hoover usually has a real strength as an author of being able to portray realistic characters with deep connections that can be clearly felt, but I feel that she missed the mark with this one.  Slammed, Hopeless, and Confess are just a few of her books that I would recommend before Ugly Love.
266244
I really wish Amazon would do the half star thing because although I didn't hate this book, I also didn't love it. So this is more like a 2.5 (okay) star read. The premise of the story was interesting. To be honest, I'm more a romance reader, but I love reading stories about relationships/families so thought I would give this a try.

The story centres around Nick who is married to Marcy. He decides to coach their young son's baseball team and meets, Tess, one of the mothers of the boys he coaches. There is instant attraction/infatuation that Nick struggles with and he finds himself at a crossroads of sorts. Told completely from Nick's POV, this is his story about his life and an inside look to the ups and downs of their marriage/family. I really enjoyed the way this was written. The story flowed well and was intriguing enough to keep my interest throughout the whole book. But there were some things that I'd struggled with, and mainly, that was to do with Nick.

I didn't like how he never told Marcy the whole truth of everything that happened and everything he'd been thinking/dreaming about. There were things that happened that he would tell half-truths to (or just not admit to at all), which made it really hard for me to be sympathetic towards him or to fully like him. It goes as far as him comparing to two women and finding Marcy lacking. And because of this, I feel that Marcy's decision in the end would have been different had she known the full story. It didn't help that Nick **************SPOILER***************had betrayed her while they were engaged*******************END SPOILER*****************and then to do this? She forgave him back then, and she forgave him again with Tess (multiple times with Tess, really). Makes me think that she will forgive him when he gets tempted (and follows through) again, which is kind of sad.

Despite all that, the story is good. Had it been a romance, this would have been an utter fail, but it's not, so normal romance rules don't apply here :) Because of that, I can appreciate the story for what it is, but I just wish that Marcy had known everything and that there had been more repercussions (or at least ones that Marcy didn't have to pay for!) and seen him really try to come back from that. Maybe if I felt Nick really wanted Marcy for more than just the familiar comfort she gave and was to him, I would have enjoyed it more.
2878008
I had a hard time getting into this book. The main characters, Gideon and Louisa experience love at first sight. Basically, he needs to marry for money, and while she has it, they don't want it to be the reason for their marriage. This is a simplification of the plot, of course, but it really is the only real barrier for them, and I thought it made for a dull read. Dull enough that about halfway through, I just had to put the book down.

While their attraction to each other is clear from the beginning, I didn't actually care for Louisa all that much. I was perturbed early on that she's supposed to be the season's beauty and have this wonderful personality, but she tries to manipulate a man who wants to propose to her into proposing to a domineering friend instead. It's not that she sees them as a love match. Rather she sees him as dull and therefore, he should be easily managed by her pushy friend. Maybe we were supposed to see this as her being intelligent or recognizing other people's needs. Instead, I just felt like she was judgmental. As she didn't care about whether others found love, I found it difficult to care if she did either.

This book may have gotten better by the end, but frankly, I wasn't willing to invest the time to find out.
3948169
The majority of of this book is what I'd call an average Sparks book: Boy meets Girl, minor conflict, they become friends then more than friends, etc. I didn't find it to be a particularly touching romance, but I'll admit I am much more skeptical of romances now then I was in the days when I was a Sparks fan.
However, the ending and the lead up to it was infuriating. I can't say why with out spoiling it, though doing so may save you a few hours of life. In fact even expanding on this idea may spoil the ending, however, I feel I must justify my distaste. The ending killed all of the romance in the novel by revealing that the relationship was not respectful, nor was it without selfish motivation. What's disappointing is that the ending is decidedly happy (no surprise there) and the relationship troubles are ignored as if they were non-existent.
1080002
I didn't care for this one as much as the authors other novels. I didn't care for the politics. On the other hand, the plot was fast and I wanted to find out what happened to the main characters son. Definitely some complex relationships. Overall I probably won't read it again. If you're new to Lindemuth, maybe read one of his other books first.
3999949
I love Nicholas Sparks and truly enjoy reading his novels, and that is what makes this movie go south for me. Don't get me wrong it was a great movie but if youve read the book you become very critical. Most Nicholas Sparks movies are well done and stick more to the book than this. I do not like when back stories that make the character who they are and names of characters are changed. It really looses the book. Her past is different and it really takes away from who she is. I reccomend NOT reading the book before the movie or you will ruin it for yourself.
4522982
I have not found a Nicholas Sparks book that I did not enjoy and which I would not recommend to anyone who has read even one of his books.
726778
Until I Love Again is just OK.  Although this was the second book in a series, you can read it alone.  I found the story unrealistic at times, and a bit rough around the edges.  It is lacking the fun, softness, and polish of many of the other Amish fiction authors.

The story of Susanna is somewhat typical with one foot in the English world, and one in the Amish.  However, it was a bit unrealistic (and creepy) that an old widower Ernest may push his way to becoming Susanna's husband.  The ending was ok, but again, there are better choices out there.  I have read several of Jerry Eicher's books, and he is not one my favorite Amish fiction writers.  This book was no exception.  It was hard to get through.

I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.  My opinions are my own.
1531807
I didn't like this book as well as I have liked and enjoyed some of Mr Sparks other books.  Too long.
3431529
I love the other books Im the Contours of the Heart series so I couldn't wait for this one to come out.  This one for me had a little more of a different vibe that the others.  Not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I just felt like the falling in love was a little less explored in favor of tough issues like bigotry and nepotism.  Once again, it wasn't a bad book and it totally kept my interest but I just didn't feel the spark between Erin and Issac like I hoped it would.
923682
Like the rest of the more recent Nicholas Sparks movies, it's a little disappointing if you read the book.  Still not a bad movie but the book is so much better and there are little but important details that were changed for the movie.
743653
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would; it jumped around a bit at the end. I didn't like Penny all that much because of the way she treated her family -- even though she knows she has a medical condition that affects the females in her family, she's reckless and ONLY considers that the attention she receives from her family as pity. The romantic interaction that occurs between Penny and Marcus popped up out of nowhere and then felt rather forced.
When the book concludes, it's rather weird because everything wraps up rather oddly. The antagonist is conquered because he becomes brain dead. Nic's pent up frustration is written off as a "time heals all wounds" type of situation. Penny is in love and wants to be with Marcus. The little orphaned girl is going to live on a military base until her family can be located.

I'd be willing to read a different book by the author; just not re-read this one.
2956590
I thought from the beginning that the ending would not be a surprise.
I love Nicolas Sparks' writing style; I just didn't very comfortable
with the book. I loved the ghostly ending, but not that it was a happy one.
Too many bends in the road for that this time. And not all love stories
have to have a happy ever after ending.
396411
I am a true Nicholas Sparks fan but this is definitely not my favorite series. I guess I didn't take a liking to his lead female character the most which kind of ruins the whole storyline.
3598271
All in all the book was okay. It was a pretty quick and easy read. I adore Nicholas Sparks, however I feel like with this book, he may have run out of ideas. I won't spoil it, but lets just say that pieces of the plot sound a lot like other Sparks books I've read, as well as movies I've seen (not necessarily Nicholas Sparks movies). It will still tug at your heart strigs, however mine have definitely been tugged harder by his previous books.
3167341
I don't know.  It was alright.  Just didn't seem as good as the other Nicholas Sparks stories I've read.  It almost seemed like someone else was doing the writing:(