Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Synopsis:
An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.

My Rating: 6/10

My Thoughts:
This is another book that I read a while ago, so my review is going to be a little short. I saw the movie before I read the book, and I hate that, because it always seems like when I do that the things I like best about the movie are never in the book.

I love, love, love the first half of this book. It's the perfect love story and everything is happy and fun to read. Then John decides to re-enlist and everything is depressing after that. Because I'd seen the movie, I knew it was coming, but I think the book is even more depressing.

The book has a different ending, and I actually think I liked the movie ending better. Perhaps this is a bit romantic of me, but I can't help it. I'm a sucker for the romance in books like this. It's why I read them. When I want something thought provoking and unique I look elsewhere.

Overall it was okay. The first half would get a higher rating than the second half, but unless you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks, I would maybe just see the movie.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Synopsis:
Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:
I'll admit it. I was one of those people who saw the trailer for the movie and then jumped in the queue of holds at the library. therefore it took a long time for the book to finally come. But it did. I liked it, with one exception. (And no, the exception was not the fact that I pictured Miley Cyrus as Ronnie the entire time)

I've got nothing against Miley Cyrus, and didn't really mind picturing her as Ronnie. She fit the description and I moved on with my life.

I really liked the first half of the book. Ronnie is your typical angsty teen that you generally find in the beginning of these types of books. She parties, and gets into trouble but she doesn't drink, so you know she is good at heart. (obvs) Despite the angst, Ronnie ended up being a pretty likable character. The romance was good, which was a major reason I liked the first part so much.

My problem with this book was the last third. Stuff happens, characters are sad, and everything got really, really preachy. Personally, this was a big turn off for me, but there are probably plenty of people who don't mind, or actually read the book for that stuff. I just didn't dig it.

Overall, good first part, but the second part got on my nerves. I liked the movie too, they eliminated a lot of the preachy-ness so I was digging it more.

The Man From Saigon by Marti Leimbach

Synopses:
It's 1967 and Susan Gifford is one of the first women correspondents in Saigon, dedicated to her job and passionately in love with an American TV reporter. Son is a Vietnamese photographer anxious to get his work to get his work into the American press. Together they cover every aspect of the war from combat missions to the working of field hospitals. Then one November morning, after narrowly escaping death during an ambush, they find themselves the prisoners of three Vietcong soldiers who have been separated from their unit. Helpless in the hands of the enemy, they face the jungle, living always with the threat of being killed. But Son turns out to have a secret history that one day will separate Susan from her American lover. As they are held under terrifyingly harsh conditions, it becomes clear just how profound their relationship is, and how important it has become to both of them.

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts:
I picked this book up randomly from my library's new books shelves. I'm always looking for books about Asia, and Vietnam specifically, that don't have anything to do with war. And honestly there are very few. For that reason, this book intrigued me. Now, I know that this book IS about the Vietnam war, but because it was from the perspective of a woman and hinted at a love story with a Vietnamese man, I was hooked and picked it up.

This book is told in alternating perspectives between Susan and her boyfriend. I LOVED Susan's sections, and HATED the perspective of her idiot lover. (I kept flipping ahead to see how many more agonizing pages I had left until it switched back to Susan) Honestly, I just wanted to keep reading about Son. He was fascinating, and I fell in love with him way before Susan started having feelings for him.

I was kept guessing the whole time about how this book was going to end. And I feared the worst, (after all it is a war novel) but hoped for the best. The ending surprised me. I think I should have been angry with how it ended, but I'm very strange when it comes to endings, and if an ending can throw me a curve ball, I usually like it. Even if it's not your typical happy ending.

I feel like I'm being kind of cryptic with this review, but I never know how much to say about a book without risking giving something away. So, overall, even though there were sections that I dreaded coming to and hated while reading, I really enjoyed this book. (Though I think I would like any book that gives me a male character to fall in love with) I would recommend it.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Synopsis:
In the summer of 1855, Walt Whitman's controversial Leaves of Grass has just been released, and the notion of making a living as a writer is still a far-off dream for Louisa. She is twenty-two year old, vivacious, and bursting with a desire to be free of her family and societal constraints so she can do what she loves most--write. The Alcott family, destitute as usual, moved to a generous uncle's empty house in Walpole, New Hampshire, for the summer. Here a striking but pensive Louisa meets Joseph Singer. Louisa is initially unimpressed by Joseph's charms. But just as she begins to open her heart, she discovers that Joseph may not be free to give his away. Their new found love carries a steep price, and Louisa fears she may pay with the independence she has fought so hard to protect.

My Rating: 6/10

My Thoughts:
I don't know why I keep reading historical fiction about real people, because I hate knowing how the story ends even before I get started. However, because I'm a sucker for 19th century women writers, I gave in and read this one. However, I probably could have lived without it.

I found Louisa to be very annoying. I think the author was going for feisty in an Elizabeth Bennet kind of way, but ended up being snobbish instead. I also had a problem believing the love story. Louisa spends most of the book either hating Joseph and denying her 'feelings' for him, or mad at him. They only really have a couple instances where the two are actually happy together. When I'm reading a love story, one of my main criteria is reading about them actually being in love.

I've seen a lot of good reviews for this book recently, but it just wasn't doing it for me.