The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks

I read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks last year and am excited to finally be posting a review of the stunningly breath-taking seventeenth novel of Nicholas Sparks. Despite the fact I mention Nicholas Sparks all of the time on my blog and write other posts about his works, this is actually my first conventional review of a Nicholas Sparks novel and I'm typing fangirlily (most definitely should be an adverb) at the thought of it.

Ira and Ruth were in love for many years; Sophia and Luke are becoming more and more a part of each other's lives after meeting unexpectedly one night. Narratively speaking, months after this night, Ira is in danger and being comforted by the ghost of his beloved wife.

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks (just in case you hadn't caught his name throughout this post!) is the most charming gem.

Synonymous with Nicholas Sparks novels are wonderfully constructed characters. Sophia is strong, smart and endearing; Luke is considerate and hard-working (and handsome!); Ira is romantic, thoughtful and completely unaware of his impact on other people's lives; Ruth (despite her presence not technically being there, I understood her character and saw her all the same) is passionate and although she's not as good with words as Ira clearly is, her love is still felt.

This novel is very country-orientated and I absolutely loved that about The Longest Ride. With every novel of his I learn something about a trade or interest I'd never thought too deeply about and in this novel, I learnt about looking after a ranch, bull riding and collecting art. The Longest Ride is so much more than an endearing love story; it's a battle with every aspect of life and the idea of morals and integrity too.

I fell in love with the relationships in the novel easily. One that particularly captured my heart was the relationship between Luke and his mother, Linda. You know when you meet someone and their parent and you can easily see something they have in common? With Luke and his mother, their hard-working attitude as well as their love of working hard because their ranch is important to them made them so similar. In turn, the way Luke protects her and the way Linda worries for him made their mother-son relationship lovely.

The Longest Ride is two love stories in one. With charm, sweetness and laughter, it is Nicholas Sparks, as usual, writing his at his best. As always in a Nicholas Sparks novel, there is a twist; something that makes you wonder how the novel is going to end.

So, as always, Nicholas Sparks left me feeling emotionally drained and happy as I cried. Have you read any Nicholas Sparks novel before?

Cowboy Hats & Country Music,

The Girl in the Moonlight.