Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Reading Level: Adult Contemporary
# of Pages: 335 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: December 1st 2009 by Grand Central Publishing (first published October 30th 2006)

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

This book is yet another great one from Sparks. His books are easy reads for me, so I love picking them up and being able to finish them within a day! John and Savannah have a summer romance that we all have either experienced, dreamed about, or some may even still dream about it! Dealing with a dad whom he thinks is absent by choice and a life in which he has never felt a true sense of belonging has cause John to become hardened on the outside... or so it seems. Savannah changes all of that and shows him what true love his and what sacrifice is all about. John is not used to having people around who care about him in outward ways, so when Savannah comes along and literally shakes him to the core, he has to look deep inside to see who he really is and what he wants out of life. I loved the dynamics between these characters because they are such opposites and yet they are completely entwined with each other in a matter of weeks. Great, easy read that leaves you feeling a multitude of emotions but satisfied none the less.

I wanted to read the book before I went to see the movie because that is just how I am. The movie was good... as a movie. There were some major differences that, to me, should not have been tampered with. I love the actors and they did an amazing job with the movie and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing it again! Here is the trailer for Dear John: