Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, a story of two lovers, trying to overcome life so they can be together at last.

At the beginning, we were introduced to the main characters John, and then we were introduced to the other less-main character Savannah (strangely, the book revolves around her). Let’s start off by saying that the characters were a huge disappointment, I couldn’t connect to them nor was I a fan of John and Savannah’s relationship. Everything about them seemed...bland. Except, I absolutely adored John’s dad.

Sparks went on and told us how much of a troubled kid John was, but that’s the thing it’s just telling. The author here failed miserably because he did not follow the rule of creative writing that says: show never tell, every detail in this story was told never shown. For instance, the author kept stating the Savannah was beautiful. Damnit Sparks! Everyone is beautiful! I need you to show me why she’s so special that you went ahead and wrote a book about her! This book seemed to tell the story of two, regular people who are trying to make their long-distance relationship work out, then Savannah just decided to betray John because she’s so spoiled and can’t wait for John anymore .

I’m regretting writing this review, honestly.

At the end John turned out to be a much better person than Savannah ever was which, deep down, I always knew. I only truly loved the prologue and epilogue, they were...genuine.

I went on with reading this book for it was a welcome break from all the drama and action in the books I usually read. I tend to embrace Sparks’ books the way they are because I’d want to read something beautiful with peaceful writing.

I’m giving this 2 stars, it was an easy, peaceful read to start off my year. After reading 4 of Sparks’ books I haven’t lost hope in his novels, I’ll always hold his books dear to my heart because...well, he’s Nicholas Sparks.

I thought that this book was good

Dear John, I feel sorry for you, as I think that your "dear father" Nicholas is always searching for the easy way: unhappiness and syrups.

This book was so amzing. I loved the characters. And I love John. I love Savvanah. They're a new favorite couple of mine. AMAZING!
This is my fourth novel read by Nichoals Sparks. And of course it fantastic! So yeah. I have to watch the movie now!(:

Let me start off by saying that I am not a re-reader. My philosophy is why re-read when you can read something new, right? But when I saw the re-release of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (with Channing Tatum on the cover!!) and the fact that a movie was made based on the novel, I wanted to revisit John and Savannah.

I think it goes without saying that Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. If Sparks writes it, I will read it. His books are on my auto-buy list. It all started with the movie The Notebook. I was completely and utterly captivated with Noah and Allie's story. I wanted more. When I found out the movie was based on a novel, I went to the bookstore and picked it up and read my very first Nicholas Sparks novel. Then I read At First Sight, True Believer, Message in a Bottle....the list goes on and on. I fell in love with his writing style, the characters and with North Carolina (the state itself is a character in its own right in each of his novels). Sparks has a way of getting the reader immersed in his story, longing for more. He has a knack for pulling the reader right into the story.

Dear John is story of love, loss and emotion. It is a story that begs the question 'what if...?'. What if you took a different path in life? Would you still end up at the same destination? What if you made the wrong choice? Would you live to regret it? And what about the tougher questions, like how long would you wait for the one you love? Can love survive the distance?

John is a bit of a rebel but never fell too far off the right path. He was raised by his father, though the two weren't all that close. John had a hard time relating to his father. His father's coin collecting hobby kept them close for a short while. Over time, the two grew further apart. After high school, John realized he wasn't going anywhere in life so he enlisted with the Army for a 4-year tour.

Savannah is a girl who is pure and full of naïve innocence. She's an all-around good girl; you could even call her a goody two-shoes. She lives in a small town and is very close to her parents. She dreams of opening up a horse ranch for autistic kids. It is on a break from school, when she's volunteering for Habit for Humanity, that she meets John and the two fall quickly in love.

Neither John or Savannah were expecting to fall in love but their attraction was inevitable. His two-week furlough is up and he has to return to Germany. Savannah promises to wait for John to finish out his tour. The two continue their relationship through handwritten letters. Savannah writes first.

n  Dear John,

There's so much I want to say to you, but I'm not sure where I should begin. Should I start by telling you that I love you? Or that the days I've spent with you have been the happiest in my life? Or that in the short time I've known you, I've come to believe that we were meant to be together? I could say all those things and all would be true, but as I reread them, all I can think is that I wish I were with you now, holding your hand and watching your elusive smile.n

The two continue their relationship through romantic letters, then the events of 9/11 happen and John re-enlists. The distance and time apart put a toll on their relationship. And the questions of "what if...?" begin.

Dear John is one of my favorite reads by Nicholas Sparks. It is a story you will not soon forget. You will cry. Your heart will ache. You will find yourself asking "what if...?". Dear John is about a love lost but not forgotten. I don't agree with some of the choices made by either John or Savannah but John's selfless act at the end of the story made me proud. Have the tissues ready! If you love a good, seamless love story that pulls on your heart strings, then you need to read Dear John. In fact, you need to read everything by Nicholas Sparks. His stories of timeless, endless love will captivate your heart and stay with you.

A movie has been made based on this novel. To date, there have been 6 book-to-movie adaptions for Sparks' works. I have yet to see Dear John but I will definitely be getting the DVD once it gets released for my collection.

Made me sad. I like the ending to the movie better than the book. Wish the ending of the book was more satisfying and happy

Het was een mooi boek met een mooi verhaal en einde, maar toch was het niet helemaal het boek voor mij.
(De titel doet me echt denken aan Dear John (Taylor's Version)).

I'm surprise with how much I liked this book. The plot, the characters and the writting were good and well built, with a bittersweet ending. Perfect book to start reading Nicholas Sparks.

CONSIGLIO DI DICEMBRE
Si lo sono un pò in ritardo..ma meglio tardi che mai ^_^
Grazie Tizi per avermi fatto leggere questo libro, che mi ha completamente rapito e straziato il cuore. L'ho appena finito e non sono lucida..soprattutto non ci vedo perchè sto ancora piangendo. ç_ç Non ci sono parole per descrivere l'amore che si sente, si avete capito bene si sente, fino a far esplodere il proprio cuore leggendo queste pagine. Semplicemente bellissimo.

I took the recommendation of a female friend whom I respect highly and bought this book, but when I first looked at it, put it aside figuring it was a romance novel that would only appeal to women. How wrong I was.

The "leading man", John Tyree, a US Army sergeant who served in Bosnia and Iraq, was a highly sympathetic character, as was "leading lady" Savannah.

Not only were the characters good, but the plot was also.

The book moved very quickly and I finished it in one sitting, and then had to eat crow to the woman who recommended it to me. I just bought four more Sparks novels from Amazon, the book was that much fun to read, even for this curmudgeonly retired wire service reporter.

"La gente más triste que he conocido en mi vida es la que no siente una pasión profunda por algo. La pasión y la satisfacción van cogidas de la mano, y sin ellas, la felicidad sólo es temporal, porque no existe nada que la haga perdurar"

(Me quedo con el final de la película, sin duda ♡)

I literally have a headache from reading this shit. The only salvageable thing from this book is John's relationship with his dad, but even that was written in a dispassionate and disconnected way. It was a dreary task of trying to get through the ruminations of the very average John and his Sankta Savannah. The book honestly read like a diary entry of a jilted teenager who thinks that he is super deep.