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From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken. Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone . . . happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found. Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. For Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks. Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers. As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.
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I read so many Nicholas Sparks books when I was younger & first starting to get into reading, so I was really excited to have an ARC of this book. I haven’t read a Nicholas Sparks book in yearsssss & I was so ready to read this one, but it just didn’t feel the same as it used to.
This was definitely not what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting a little more romance than there ended up being. The story kind of lost me in the middle & I had a hard time reading it. The long chapters were really hard for me. I felt like some of Jaspers chapters dragged on forever. I liked Kaitlyn & Tanner’s chapters but it felt like it took awhile for things to come together. I think it was around the 60%-65% mark that things started picking up & really getting back on track with the story in the beginning & after that the book was much better. I enjoyed the ending & I’ll admit I did shed a tear during the last chapter, but it was just a long road to get there.
I think this book can be enjoyable for people for sure, but I think I just had an expectation in my head based on a lot of his older books I read & this just didn’t do it for me like I hoped.
Thank you to NetGalley, Nicholas Sparks & Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.