With several New York Times bestsellers under his belt and hit movies based on his books, it’s hard to imagine a Nicholas Sparks novel that wouldn’t strike a chord with millions of readers. Disaster averted. Sparks’ newest release The Lucky One is another solid delivery that his fans have come to expect.
Sparks’ main characters, Thibault and Beth, are very well developed, completely believable, and slightly flawed in such a way that they will resonate with the reader and leave a lasting impression. The fact that their story is so unique causes The Lucky One tough to put down until the last page is read.
Logan Thibault is a real “man’s man.” While on his third tour of duty in Iraq, he finds a photograph in the dirt of a woman. Through a series of events, other soldiers come to believe that it has become Thibault’s good luck charm. After he returns home and experiences a tragedy, he decides to try and find the woman in the photograph. He feels that he owes her something and it is his destiny to find her, even though he has no plan what he’ll do if he ever does find her. This sets him off on a journey walking from Colorado to North Carolina, with his trusty German shepherd, Zeus, by his side the entire walk.
Thibault eventually finds the woman in the picture, Beth, and begins to become a part of her life, but keeps the photo and his noble motive a secret. However, finding Beth brings some additional relationships he did not expect. Beth is a single mother and her young son, Ben, plays an important role in Thibault and Beth’s relationship progression. Beth also lives with her grandma, Nana, who is a hoot. Her colorful personality adds a lot of sparkle to Thibault and Beth’s relationship as well. But not all people in Beth’s life have a positive affect on Thibault. Beth’s ex-husband is a real piece of work and has some pretty dark motives to keep things the way he wants.
As Thibault and Beth grow closer, several things threaten to destroy not only their relationship, but their lives. Mainly Beth’s ex, Thibault’s lack of an end game plan, and the secret he keeps from her become huge roadblocks to their happiness.
The Lucky One has everything in it; a great romance, a closer look at the effects of war, a couple of plot twists, a tender mother-son relationship, a good dose of suspense, a loyal friendship, and an entertaining grandmother who of course is wiser than anyone else in the book. I could completely see this book made into another movie, and even had no trouble picturing the actors for the roles. I’m not really going out on a dangerous limb here when I say I know that Sparks’ has another solid hit out on the shelves. That’s pretty much a given just by having his name on the front cover. But my main point is I would recommend this book to anyone since I enjoyed every page and Sparks’ does not disappoint in his story-telling abilities and relatable characters.
Reviewed by Melissa Paulson
