Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

For this marking period's independent reading project, I am reading "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. I finished reading it a while ago, and I really found the story touching, especially in its final moments. I thought it was very well written, but revolved around the same principles as Nicholas Sparks' other books. Love, romance, heartbreak, death, and terminal illnesses were all key concepts in this novel, just like in the other novels I have read by him. Also, just like for all of his other books, I cried at the end because I could just feel the main character's heartbreak. However, I did enjoy reading it, because Nicholas Sparks just brings you not the story in such a way that you can't help bout get attached to the characters. I also felt that each character had a really believable, intricate, and real background that anyone can relate to. The part I think I related with pretty well was when John and Savannah are separated by a whole ocean, and miss each other like crazy. I feel this, but in a different way; my extended family, like my grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., all live across the Atlantic Ocean, in Switzerland. I miss them, but not in the same way John misses Savannah. And, just like John did with his army life and home life, sometimes I feel torn between my native world, Switzerland, with the comfort of my family, or the world I have learned to know over the past few years, also known as the USA. I sometimes wonder where I truly belong, just like John did. I really felt connected to the way John felt, but other times, he was quite narrow-minded, which kind of didn't seem to fit his character too well. I would recommend this book to mostly girls, but since it is based on a male character's point of view, I think some guys may be able to relate to it and enjoy it more than other Nicholas Sparks books. I hope you read this book, and that you enjoy it as much as I did.