At First Sight: A Book Review

Like I mentioned in my True Believer post, I am very lucky that I just happened to choose this book in the correct order, as its characters and story are a continuation from True Believer.  Overall, I found True Believer to be a bit too predictable for me; however, finding out that At First Sight was a sequel of sorts (not a technical sequel but a continuation), I was excited to see what happens to these characters!

Title: At First Sight

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Genre: Romantic Fiction

Sequel to: True Believer

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date: October 18, 2004

Pages: 288

Out in Paperback?: Yes; September 5, 2006

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 4/5

Review:

Goodreads Summary:

There are a few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he’d never do: he’d never leave New York City; never give his heart away after barely surviving one failed marriage; and never become a parent. Now Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, engaged to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the start of their family. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, a mysterious and disturbing e-mail sets off a chain of events that will change the course of this young couple’s relationship. How well do we really know the ones we love? How do we handle the inevitable doubts, fears concerning parenthood, and stumbling blocks that are sometimes placed in our way? Continuing the story of the young couple introduced in Sparks’s bestselling True Believer, this novel captures all the heartbreak, tension, romance and surprises of those who are newly wed. 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

Characters:

Like I previously mentioned, I didn’t care too much for the novel preceding this, so it was difficult to really get into the characters.  However, during this novel I really fell in love with Jeremy and Lexi as a couple!  I loved their interactions and conversations; many were just so cute and sweet!  In particular, I just loved Lexi.  She was always so sweet and kind – a very likable character.  Even Jeremy was likable; at times he was a bit frustrating with his New York attitude, but overall, he was likable and the attitude gave the story some tension.  The small town characters still stayed as fairly minor characters, however, Rachel and Rodney took a more prominent role.  I thought it was interesting to hear more about their story and to see a different storyline within this novel to add to the setting and dynamics of the small town.

Plot:

The plot is definitely what made the novel for me!  I loved the storyline!  Going into the story (if you have read the Goodreads summary or True Believer) you already know the story of Jeremy and Lexi, how they met, how they fell in love, and that they are engaged.  I feel like after this point, Sparks can take the story in so many different directions that the novel seemed very unpredictable to me and interesting.  That being said, I feel like the novel really delivered in this aspect of unpredictability for me.  Throughout the novel, there was tension and suspense and the ending … I don’t even know what to say.  Without spoilers, I will simply say that I very much enjoyed the ending, but not in a typical way.  I enjoyed it and respected it because of how it caught me of guard and how shocked I was by the final chapters!  Plus I absolutely LOVED the epilogue!

Writing Style:

I love Nicholas Sparks and many other novels by him so of course I love his writing style as well!  It is a very realistic and sophisticated writing style that is also very relatable for readers.  I love his description, particularly of the settings in the novel. I feel that it really brings the novel and the story to life to better visualize the story.  His descriptions of characters are also amazing!  It is very easy to see how so many of his novels can easily be made into movies!

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  What are your favorite Nicholas Sparks books?  Although I did really enjoy this one, I think The Notebook, The Wedding, and The Guardian are some of my all-time favorites!

FTC Disclaimer:

All items mentioned were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.