The Last Song

“A story about family, first loves, second chances and the moments of life that lead you back home.”

I just finished reading The Last Song and I was left with a bittersweet feeling.  I was glad that the Ronnie’s problems were resolved and she learned to open her heart and forgive.  However, I was devastated that the novel was over and there was nothing left to read.  Nicholas Sparks is an exceptional writer that knows how to pull on all of the reader’s emotions and take your average summer romance and turn it into a wonderful, coming of age story.

The Last Song is about a girl, Ronnie Miller, who is forced to spend a summer with her estranged father.  At first, she is reluctant and rebellious.  However, as the story progresses, she learns to forgive her father as the two of them begin to find common ground.  During her stay with her father, Ronnie falls in love with a local boy, Will Blakelee, who burdens a secret that may destroy their relationship.

Throughout the story, Ronnie experiences her first love and heartbreak and finds a new side of her that she never thought existed.  She also rediscovers the love between her and her dad and the one thing they have in common: music.

After watching the movie, I knew that I had to read the book because it was just that amazing.  I was able to relate to all of the problems and emotions that Ronnie experiences.  As a result, by the end of the movie and novel, my eyes were red and puffy.  I was crying buckets!  The tears kept coming and they wouldn’t stop.  The Last Song reminded me of the summer two years ago where I, too, experienced my first love, constant fighting with my father and the loss of the people who meant the world to me.  Watching the movie and reading the novel, I felt like Sparks was retelling my whole summer in the eyes of Ronnie Miller and it just brought back all of those memories.

I have no regrets transitioning from the movie to the novel because it had so much more detail than the movie and it enclosed many other perspectives of that summer that Ronnie had.  The magic of the movie was prolonged and even though my novel was overdue twice, I knew I had to finish the book before letting it go.
 

The Last Song is definitely my favourite story of all time and I would strongly recommend both the movie and novel to anyone.  It is an remarkable story that almost anyone can relate to one way or another.  Sparks’ ability to tell a compelling and poignant story is clearly evident in this novel.  Both the movie and novel taught me to love, have hope and to not take anything for granted.  This story really touched me and will stay with me for the rest of my life.  No amount of words can ever describe how phenomenal this story is.