At First Sight

When writer Jeremy Marsh arrives on assignment in the small North Carolina town of Boone Creek, he never could have imagined that love at first sight would sweep him away from the lights of New York City. Southern gal Lexie is everything he never knew he wanted, but sometimes fast romances leave secrets unsaid. And even the best of loves may not spare you from tragedy.

This is the eleventh novel by superstar novelist Nicholas Sparks, and his pattern is so well established you can check the boxes as you go: boy meets girl, romance blossoms, secrets are revealed, conflict ensues, lessons are learned, healing begin, tragedy rips everything apart, lifelong healing begins. Sparks's stories are so formulaic that it's a shocking twist when one show more of them doesn't follow these beats.

But I think there are two things that make his books work, and explain why he's as successful as he is. First, his books simple. The cast of characters is small and intimate, the writing is not complex, the plotting is straightforward. They're small, quiet, accessible, human stories with no pretensions to Saying Something About the Human Condition. Sparks knows who he is as a writer, and is comfortable enough in his own skin just to be very good at being that.

Second, he's excellent at writing realistic emotion. Romantic dramas easily slide into fantasy in the sense that few can honestly relate to the extremes of exhilaration or despair our hapless protagonists supposedly feel. Sparks's dramas, rather, are grounded in profoundly realistic actions and reactions that readers who've had real relationships will recognize — and for that reason we respond at a gut level to what the characters are feeling. In a market with so many hollow stories trying to pass themselves off as big, small stories with genuine heart are a big deal. show less

I was given this book as a hand-me-down by a coworker, and having heard about this author, I decided to give it a try. This was my first Nicholas Sparks book, so I read with an open mind and none of his other works to compare to this one. I found this story insubstantial and somewhat filler-ish, and wondered if Mr. Sparks always wrote like this.

It is not until I come onto this site and see the reviews here that I realize that this was a continuation of another book. Given the disappointing ending to this book, I have no interest in reading the other one. I was prepared to give up on this author after this book, but after seeing some of the reviews here, I think I will read one of his higher-rated books and give him another chance.

I liked the characters and enjoyed the fact that the book allowed us to follow up on what happened next with these 2 characters from True Believers. While I enjoyed reading the book, I did find that I was frustrated with the fact that it seemed that both Jeremy and Lexie were acting out of character. I also correctly predicted a number of things that happened in the book, even though I think they were supposed to be plot twists.

In the beginning I thought this book had great potential. Jeremy gives up the life he has in New York to live and eventually marry Lexie, a pregnant girl who insists on living in small town NC. He does this without knowing much about her. His friend, Andy, questions his thinking about this move. Lexie was confident, almost bossy, must have her way type of person. Yet by the end you understood her better and could care about her. Story dragged in the middle when Jeremy has trouble with his job as a writer, becomes more questioning about his decision. The ending surprised me but fit into the way it needed to play out. Spoiler: I expected Lexie to leave him, not die.

I have not read a lot of books by Mr. Sparks. Yet, I have probably watched more movies from books. What I was expecting from this book was to really form a close bond with the characters in this book. I mean, other then this, you usually know what to expect from a Mr. Sparks novel...two characters who have turmoil, fall in love, and have a happy ending. Which I did get all of this from this book; however, what I wanted was the connection. It was lukewarm for me. What I mean is that I felt for Jeremy and Lexie and what they were going through but kind of like an outsider looking in. Although, I must say that I was on Jeremy's side the whole time. Except towards the ending, I was ok with Lexie. Speaking of the ending, I was happy with how show more the story ended. In fact, I actually had a bit of a smile on my face. This may not have been one of Mr. Spark's best showing but a nice read still the same. show less

I guess I should have known that there was no way everything was going to work out fine, but the ending really upset me. I almost didn't read the last 10 pages because i was so upset, and I waited a day before writing this review so I could calm down.
This book would have been perfect if it had ended like 20 pages earlier. I know that Nicholas Sparks books are almost always sad, but I almost couldn't handle this one.
At First Sight is a sequel to True Believer, which I have not read. I do not think that this affected my understanding or enjoyment of the book. The plot is briefly described at the beginning and the story lines are completely separate.
Although it was very romantic and well written, it was definitely not one of my favorite show more Sparks books.
I don't think I would recommend this book unless you don't empathize with books very much. I do, and this book put me in a very bad mood for awhile.
In all, I thought it was good, I just didn't like the ending :/ show less

There are several things Jeremy Marsh was absolutely sure that he would never do: he'd never leave New York City; never give his heart away again after barely surviving one failed marriage; and never become a parent. Well, Jeremy is now living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, engaged to the love of his life, Lexie Darnell, and anticipating the start of their family. Jeremy Marsh's life had certainly taken quite an unexpected turn.

However, just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, a mysterious and disturbing email sends him into a tailspin. It also sets into motion a chain of events that will irrevocably change the course of this young couple's relationship. It raises several questions in Jeremy's show more mind: just how well do we really know the ones we love? How do we handle the inevitable doubts and fears concerning impending parenthood, and the various stumbling blocks that are sometimes placed in our way?

Continuing the story of Jeremy Marsh and Lexie Darnell - the young couple introduced in Nicholas Sparks' bestselling True Believer - At First Sight manages to capture all the heartbreak, tension, romance and surprises of couples who are newly married. This is an astonishing tale about the love between a man and a woman and between a parent and a child, At First Sight is about endings that bring new beginnings . . .tragedies that lead to unexpected joy. . . and, most of all, the magic of everlasting love.

This is second book by Nicholas Sparks that I've read, and I haven't actually read True Believer. In my opinion, though, I didn't really need to - this worked very well for me as a standalone story. I really enjoyed this book; granted that the story wasn't necessarily about anything earth-shattering; but it was a poignant and heart-warming story nevertheless. This author certainly knows how to develop an unexpected story; the plot was slightly mysterious and was an engagingly quick read for me. I give At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks an A+! show less