The Wish

The amount of times a teenage Maggie mentions she’s “bigger, especially [her] breast/bust” got creepy.

The religious agenda was turned up to 11. I know Sparks has always had a thread of church or religion in his books in some form or another but this one laid it on thick.

And this quote was outrageous:
He set his menu aside. “I know it’s not my decision or even my business, but I’m glad you decided to put the baby up for adoption and not have an abortion.”
“My parents wouldn’t have let me. I suppose I could have gone to Planned Parenthood or whatever on my own, but the thought never crossed my mind. It’s a Catholic thing.”
“I meant that if you had, you never would have come to Ocracoke and I wouldn’t have had the show more chance to meet you.”

Seriously. Wtf.

This is the fifth Sparks “new release” that I have loathed and I have one more on my shelf. I’m not going to bother with it. The romances I loved when I was younger is an era I can treasure and appreciate. But it isn’t one that needs to perpetuate into whatever the hell his books have become. I skimmed most of this just to get thru it and I hated every word. show less

A coworker got me started reading this author. I guess I've read enough of his books now to "know" there's usually a twist at the end--and I guessed this one's (though I did waver between two different characters as being the twist. I was thrown off a bit by Maggie's mom's statement.).

In one sense, I wish Bryce and Maggie had had a happier ending--though if they had, I doubt Maggie's life would have been what it was at the time of this book.

It was nice to see a character who's an accomplished single woman.

Can books get standing ovations? If so, The Wish definitely deserves one.

This was classic Nicholas Sparks. A book that hits you right in the gut. This book hit me in the feels in multiple spots and had me ugly crying at the end. Yes, you will need a box of kleenex and a bottle of water to rehydrate when you're done reading this one.

I've been a pretty loyal Nicholas Sparks reader, but have been a little underwhelmed by some of his more recent books because they felt fairly formulaic. While this follows a similar arc that we've come to know and love from him (North Carolina shore, young love, flashbacks, difficult circumstances and distance), it felt fresh.

While we're barely in to the second week of January, I know this will be a big show more contender for my favorite book of the year.

Brief Summary:
The book is told in two different times - 1996 and 2019. Maggie is our lead character. In 1996 she is a pregnant 16-year old from Seattle whose parents ship her to Ocracoke, NC to live with her Aunt Linda. An older woman and former nun who she had only met once before. Ocracoke in the off-season is a quiet place with very few people and certainly not many teens Maggie's age. But, enter Bryce. All-around good kid, West Point bound, who agrees to tutor Maggie and weaves himself in seamlessly to Maggie and Linda's life.

In 2019, we find Maggie as a world-renowned travel photographer who has a studio in New York City. She tells us (and one of her employees) about her adventures and the time she spent in North Carolina. show less

Years ago I read notebook and one or two of his other books and then for some reason lost track of his work. Then I saw this title on the best seller lists and couldn’t resist. Somehow I’d combined notebook and bridges of Madison sounty in my mind. I gues that can happen as you get old.
Ocracoke is a place that has always fascinated me. Blackbeard the pirate spent some time there as I recall. The islands of the outer banks have always appealed to me. They used to be a great place for boardsailing - probably still are. And of sourse Kitty Hawk isn’t far away.
The story of Maggie and Bryce is a great love story and the way it is told in pieces makes it more poignant. The end wasn’t surprising. Some of the other twists were easy to show more guess but the story was still heart warming. It seemed particularly appropriate to read it at Christmas time.
I also enjoyed the exploration of photography. Since retiring from my real job - my calling - I have enjoyed developing my skills as a photographer. She talks about phots ultimately being an individual expression of how a photographer experiences the world and I found that well stated. show less

I'm only 3/12 into this audiobook - my impression is - it is a n i c e story. I did listen to The Notebook many years ago, and of course I've seen the movie many times. I remember being disappointed with the book, compared with the movie. I guess I've been a little disappointed with every Nicholas Sparks book since. Insipid is too strong a word, but where is the wow factor? The Notebook movie had it.

(Later) This is a first person narration by Maggie Dawes, visiting her aunt on an island in South Carolina. It's beautifully read by Mela Lee and Will Collyer. I've heard Will Collyer a number of times, a mellow middle America voice; Mela Lee has an unusual voice - it is kinda annoying, but it is young and does suit the story, and she uses show more it superbly.

A touching, tear-jerker story. This is maybe a subgenre of the romance novel that could be called The Tearjerker. I've got no worries shedding a tear through an audiobook - it's usually a sign of a beautiful, well-written story. This is that too, but something about the inevitability of the sadness, the difficult path, the no-solution tragedy. Is this a Nicholas Sparks speciality?

I've read quite a few Nicholas Sparks over the years, but I believe he's written more than 120? novels. I'm sure they are all worth dipping into because he definitely can touch your heart. I've only got one other book of his listed in LibraryThing - See Me - and this was much better than that one...at least.

I won't forget these characters and that is the author's achievement and perhaps I should give this another half star. It's just something about that tearjerker element/manipulation built in to the story ... I hope it isn't just that I'm jaded...

My heart broke alongside the breaking heart of Bryce Trickett and Maggie who fell in love at 16 and 17. They decide that their love will be a beautiful dream - there is no other option. Maggie is brave and wise at 16. He is so good and pure! It's incredibly powerful. I loved the Aunt Linda character too. show less

It has been awhile since I read a book by this author. The writing is always excellent and it was a great story.
The ending and the reveal was classic Nicholas Sparks.
The only downside was the book dragged a little in the middle. But overall an enjoyable book.

When this book arrived in the mail, I wasn't expecting to finish it as quickly as I did. That qualifies this one as a real page-turner. In typical Nicholas Sparks style, he'll wrap you into the plot and make you fall in love with the characters, and then refuse to let go until it's your turn to put the book down and accept its conclusion.

Of course, I knew Nicholas Sparks' other work and I had a general idea of what I was getting into, but all the preparation in the world won't be enough to get you ready for a story like this. His fans will know this better than anybody, and this book is no different. When this work comes out later this month, you'll be in for another fantastic story.

When I first started reading this, I thought it was a show more little bit too easy of a plot device to have the lead character going through her predicament, but very quickly I realized just how important it was to the overall story, as it's something to keep in the back of your head as you make your way through this journey. You'll constantly be reminding yourself of this situation with every happy moment in her life, and it keeps the entire book feeling bittersweet from the first page to the last. I'm only mildly disappointed that I correctly predicted the ending very early in the book, but I acknowledged that it wouldn't have worked as well to tell this story properly any other way. I knew what was coming, and I still wasn't ready for it. That speaks volumes to the power of this storytelling.

Nicholas Sparks fans are in for a real treat with this new book, and I'm very excited for everyone eagerly waiting to experience this wonderful story. You won't be disappointed, but bring some tissues.

Thanks to Nicholas Sparks and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an early review copy of The Wish. This review was entirely honest and unbiased. show less