Review: Dear John

Book: Dear John
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Pages: 335
Published: December 1st, 2009

"Dear John", the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.
When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined.

General Overview: Saddest. Book. Ever. I wanted so badly to cry at the end, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I have a feeling that this review is going to have a lot of capitalized sentences and many, many exclamation points and question marks.

Characters: I'm used to reading books from a girl's point of view, so it was very refreshing to see things from the point of view of a guy, for once. I think John is more observant than many other guys, and I very much enjoyed reading from his perspective. I liked Savannah at first, but in the last few chapters, I really started to hate her. I know the things that happened weren't her fault -- okay, maybe they were kinda her fault -- but I hated her anyway for what she did to John! What did he do to deserve that?????? I ASK YOU, WOMAN!!!!

Plot: The plot was fairly fast-moving, and although I thought that John and Savannah's relationship moved very quickly (which is acknowledged in the book) I thought that it was somewhat realistic, although of course it had many elements that for sure made it believably fictional. I loved reading about their dates, and how the met, and I loved the parts with John's dad! I felt so horrible for his dad, though. John never really appreciated him until too late, though I do think that John regretted pulling away from his father; he just didn't know how to apologize and make things better. So, having said that, I do have one more comment to make...I HATED THE ENDING!!!! OH MY GOD WHY DID IT HAVE TO END THAT WAY???? I WANTED TO CRY!!! I DIDN'T, BUT MY POINT STILL STANDS!!!

Writing: Okay, so I don't think Nicholas Sparks is a spectacular writer, but he definitely knows how to tell a story in such a way that you become totally absorbed in it, and he is an expert at creating characters that you can completely identify and connect with in such a way that you feel as if you know the character. His writing style is clear and concise, and although it may not be as flowery or poetic as some other authors' writing, his books are beautifully written.

Cover: So, this cover is actually the movie poster. All I have to say is: Channing Tatum.
Yeah.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars