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The Lucky One

by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 98,436 ratings · 7,063 reviews

In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.

After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden streak of luck -- winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat....more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 28th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing (first published September 30th 2008)

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Aug 14, 2011 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, 2009, love-stories

Damn, I really can't understand why I even started reading Sparks in the first place. This book was so full of stereotypes, it was awful. I mean, the guy was, of course, handsome, attractive, great with kids, a good craftsman, and surprise - surprise, he even could play the piano! The woman was beautiful, sensitive, a great mum, a talented cook, bla bla bla... And Sparks doesn't even make the effort to change the setting. Not once! It's always near or in Wilmington, North Carolina. *yawn*
It had...more

71 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2011 Buggy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp-rom, shelf-10, rom-susp, tortured-hero, gone-to-the-dogs, men-in-uniform-af-spc-op

~ROMANTIC, SUSPENSEFUL AND ULTIMATELY HARD TO PUT DOWN~

Opening Line:"Deputy Keith Clayton hadn't heard them approach, and up close, he didn't like the looks of them any more then he had the first time he'd seen them."

THE LUCKY ONE is another great read from Nicholas Sparks. Here we are given a story with a slightly darker edge and far more suspense then his usual soppy romance. Dog lovers and fans of The Guardian in particular will appreciate this engaging romantic suspense.

One of the great (or...more ~ROMANTIC, SUSPENSEFUL AND ULTIMATELY HARD TO PUT DOWN~

Opening Line:"Deputy Keith Clayton hadn't heard them approach, and up close, he didn't like the looks of them any more then he had the first time he'd seen them."

THE LUCKY ONE is another great read from Nicholas Sparks. Here we are given a story with a slightly darker edge and far more suspense then his usual soppy romance. Dog lovers and fans of The Guardian in particular will appreciate this engaging romantic suspense.

One of the great (or not so great) things about Nicholas Sparks is that he doesn’t always give you a happy ending and it was with this in mind that about half way through -just as the flood waters started to rise, secrets began boiling to the surface and I was completely invested in the characters and their budding love story, I began to get nervous for the ending. I mean you just knew something bad was going to happen, the clues were all there but the real question that kept me turning pages at a frantic pace was… to who?

Each chapter here has been written from a different characters POV incorporating Elizabeth; a divorced mother with a young son who along with her no-nonsense Nana run a dog kennel in their small North Carolina town, Clayton her ex-husband and the town sheriff (bully) comes from a influential family yet harbours some nasty little secrets and Thibault as our hero. An Iraq war veteran, Logan Thibault alongside his dog Zeus has walked (yes walked) from Colorado in an obsessive search for the unknown woman in a photograph he found during his three harrowing tours of duty in Iraq. He believes the picture to be his good luck charm and directly responsible for keeping him alive. In the end all the characters merge for a predictable yet ultimately nail-biting ending.

The last chapter is very, very sneaky with Sparks keeping you on pins for pages before finally giving up the ending of which I had no clue. I fell in love with all of these well fleshed out characters, each coming with rich personalities and history including several flashbacks. The love story is well done and as I said before not too soppy. Thibault is a quiet, tortured hero and just so damn lovely with Beth perfect as his caring yet tough partner. The antagonist is creepy and also well written yet because of who he is you can’t really wish him dead. Sheesh, I even fell for the boy and the dog. So yeah, I highly recommend another Nicholas Sparks novel.(less)

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Nov 23, 2008 Barb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Barb by: Megan Anderson

A typical NS book, which seems like a gender-reversal of "Message in a Bottle". It was an easy escape read, and the characters are all well developed. I actually hated reading the chapters on Clayton! What a creep! I love Zeus, who had a great handle on character reading!

Almost feel that NS is becoming a bit Danielle Steeleish in his writing...formula, token sex, surprise of who died/lived.

All in all...not a bad book for a cold weekend!

33 likes · like · see review

Oct 01, 2009 Ivy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who needs to kill some time on a flight.

This wasn't one of my absolute favorites--just okay. I have read several Nicholas Sparks novels and I put this one in the category of "True Believer" and its sequel, "At First Sight".

By now the author pretty much has a formula which he follows in most of his books: always set it his home state of North Carolina, there is always a storm where the plot twists and/or reaches its climax, someone usually dies, and the couples always fall in love and end up in bed--usually, boring, uninteresting sex e...more This wasn't one of my absolute favorites--just okay. I have read several Nicholas Sparks novels and I put this one in the category of "True Believer" and its sequel, "At First Sight".

By now the author pretty much has a formula which he follows in most of his books: always set it his home state of North Carolina, there is always a storm where the plot twists and/or reaches its climax, someone usually dies, and the couples always fall in love and end up in bed--usually, boring, uninteresting sex ensues. This 14th novel is no different.

Logan Thibault is an ex-marine in search of a woman whose photo he's been carrying for the past five years. He found it in the sand in Iraq and ever since he has carried it, he has felt lucky. It has helped him win big at poker games, and kept him alive in situations that, by all accounts, should have ended his life. His friend, Victor tells him he has a debt to pay to the woman in the photo as it has proved to be a lucky charm. When tragedy strikes, Logan follows his friend's advice and sets out on foot, with his dog, Zeus, from Colorado to North Carolina, stopping along the way to seek information about E.--the only letter of the woman's name found on the back of the photo.

Upon entering Hampton County, Logan has a run in with the local sherrif who doesn't like the looks of him or of his German shepard. This sherrif later on becomes a big player in this story as he interferes in Thibault's life and plans.

Here is where the action begins. Of course, Thibault finds the woman in the photograph and what usually happens in Sparks novels happens, but the story lacked the passion found in "The Notebook" and "Nights in Rodanthe". I don't feel like Sparks ever really peels back enough of the layers that make up these characters. I never get to know them as well as I should. A lot of his stories are just on the surface--and once in a while he ends up with a winner like the two previously mentioned books. For the most part though, his books are airport novels--an appropriate read to pass the time but it doesn't stay with you. I have found that to be the biggest disappointment with most of his books. NONE of them are keepers. Here is another one for the donation pile.

(less)

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Jun 02, 2012 Katerina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-and-own, romance-perfect-ΗΟΤ-guy

αγαπω τον σπαρκς!!!!
πραγματικα μακαρι να υπηρχαν οι αντρες που περιγραφει στα βιβλια του
θα μου πεις αν υπαρχουν εσενα θ περιμενουν δεν θαναι πιασμενοι!!!χχαχαχα
μαρεσε τοσο το τρεηλερ που ειπα πρωτα θα το δαβασω κ μετα θ δω τη ταινια
στην αρχη πιστεψα θα ζοριστς λογω οτι ηταν στα αγγλικα μιας κ στην Ελλαδα δεν εχει μεταφραστει ακομα
αλλα δεν μπορουσα να το αφησω!!!
ενα βιβλιο γεματα συναισθηματα απιστευτη διαλογοι ατακες φλερτ μεταξυ των ηρωων
ωραιο χιουμορ
αγαπας του χαραχτηρες κ ταυτιζεσαι
η γιαγια...more
αγαπω τον σπαρκς!!!!
πραγματικα μακαρι να υπηρχαν οι αντρες που περιγραφει στα βιβλια του
θα μου πεις αν υπαρχουν εσενα θ περιμενουν δεν θαναι πιασμενοι!!!χχαχαχα
μαρεσε τοσο το τρεηλερ που ειπα πρωτα θα το δαβασω κ μετα θ δω τη ταινια
στην αρχη πιστεψα θα ζοριστς λογω οτι ηταν στα αγγλικα μιας κ στην Ελλαδα δεν εχει μεταφραστει ακομα
αλλα δεν μπορουσα να το αφησω!!!
ενα βιβλιο γεματα συναισθηματα απιστευτη διαλογοι ατακες φλερτ μεταξυ των ηρωων
ωραιο χιουμορ
αγαπας του χαραχτηρες κ ταυτιζεσαι
η γιαγια ειναι ολα τα λευτα
ο μπομπιρας αξιολατρευτος
ο κιθ για πολλα χατουκια σε κανει σε καθε σκηνη που του αναλογει να θες να τον δειρεις
η μπεθ κ ο λογκαν 2 ανθρωποι που απο την πλευρα τους εχουν περασει πολλα κ ειναι ωραιο το συναισθημα που ερχεται τοσο απλα κ αβιαστα οτι ποτε δεν ειναι αργα για να εισαι ευτυχισμενος
αγαπω σπαρκς τωρα που πηρα μπρος με ταγγλικα βιβλια καιρος να διαβασς κ ολα ταλλα που εχω αγορασει κ ακομα δεν εχω διαβασει

επειδη δεν εχει μεταφραστει
αν τα αγγλικα σας ειναι καλα
δεν ειναι δυσκολο ειναι πιο ευκολο αποσο νομιζετε
κ μετα απο λιγο γινεται ακομα πιο ευκολο!!! αξιζει να το διαβασετε!!(less)

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Oct 16, 2008 Kelly Moran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-reviews

I found The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks, captivating. Nicholas Sparks is a #1 New York Times best-selling author with over fifty million copies of his books in print worldwide and translated into over forty languages. Other titles include: The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, The Guardian, The Wedding, True Believer, At First Sight, Dear John, The Choice, and Three Weeks With My Brother. Nicholas Sparks has also had four of his novels adapted into major motion pictures including: Message in a Bottl...more I found The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks, captivating. Nicholas Sparks is a #1 New York Times best-selling author with over fifty million copies of his books in print worldwide and translated into over forty languages. Other titles include: The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, The Guardian, The Wedding, True Believer, At First Sight, Dear John, The Choice, and Three Weeks With My Brother. Nicholas Sparks has also had four of his novels adapted into major motion pictures including: Message in a Bottle, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Nights in Rodanthe. Nicholas Sparks resides in North Carolina with his wife and family.
While in his third tour of duty in Iraq, U.S. Marine Logan Thibault happens upon a half-buried photograph of a beautiful young woman, simply known as E. After no one has claimed it, Logan finds himself drawn to it and carrying it in his pocket wherever he goes. More importantly, he discovers it brings him luck. His friend, Victor, seems to think it was his fate to find it and calls it his lucky charm. Once he is back home in Colorado, Logan can’t seem to get the woman out of his mind. Understanding just how crazy it was, he sets forth on foot from Colorado to North Carolina in search of what very well may be his destiny. He didn’t have any illusions of what might await him, but he sure wasn’t expecting the instant attraction to Elizabeth, the sincere fondness for her Nana, the friction with her ex, Clayton, or to fall immediately in love with her ten-year-old son, Ben. Pursuing the path he chose and attraction for Beth, they ignite a passionate affair of the heart, never knowing that the secret of how he came about the photo could destroy everything he had waited his entire life to find.
True to form, and with a power-house ending, it’s no secret why Nicholas Sparks has captivated readers worldwide for some time now. How rare it is to find a man who can craft a story in this genre with so much insight in the human condition, affairs of the heart, the importance of family- and to do it in a manner that always seems new and unique. I find that to be the best part of this author, that when he has you crying, laughing, or ready to spit nails, he has the power to make you believe that anything is possible- that fate and destiny are not myths, after all. (Insert sigh here), Another great read from a true gem in this genre.
The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks, is an engaging, charming, and witty tale, determined to restore your faith in happily ever after again.

Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer
(less)

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Jun 01, 2012 Christy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: overdrive-audio, audio-listened

Nicholas Sparks is not a good writer.

His dialogue is completely flat, and it doesn't help when he throws in comments such as "he liked her wit" when nothing at all witty had been said. I can only imagine he is working toward a certain word count when he describes every step of making tacos and homemade ice cream. I've heard that he disdains the label of romance author for himself, but most romance authors I read can write circles around him.

17 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Jason Lilly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I should have known what I was getting myself into.

Okay... Let me begin with some positives so I can avoid being hunted down and beaten by the army of Nicholas Sparks fans.

Sparks is an excellent storyteller and a master of the romantic motif. He is good at taking a timeless story element and putting a new spin on it. He is also good with pacing, using smooth and lyrical words during romantic moments and quick and terse words in the more suspenseful moments.

However...

There are few things more irr...more I should have known what I was getting myself into.

Okay... Let me begin with some positives so I can avoid being hunted down and beaten by the army of Nicholas Sparks fans.

Sparks is an excellent storyteller and a master of the romantic motif. He is good at taking a timeless story element and putting a new spin on it. He is also good with pacing, using smooth and lyrical words during romantic moments and quick and terse words in the more suspenseful moments.

However...

There are few things more irritating than a writer who feels the need to explain everything to his reader. Sparks does this often, in all of his books. It is as if Sparks caters to a demographic of readers who do not want to think and just want to enjoy a book. I get that, but there are also those (a lot) of us out there who don't enjoy a book if it doesn't make us think. I know what an IED is. And if I didn't know, I would find out. In one scene, a group of college kids make a joke about crabs. I chuckled, until I read the next line in which Sparks explains the joke! This, in my opinion, is inexcusable.

In addition to that, I have a serious problem with some character point-of-view issues in this book. Sparks names each chapter after the character whose third-person point of view he follows in that chapter. This is an admirable and challenging method. But he breaks it several times throughout the book in order to (once again) explain something that the character may not know.

Oh, and there should be a law that romance writers are no longer allowed to say that a character "completes" another character. Overdone, overused, and it lacks originality.

There also were very few surprises in this book. I won't say too much, because some readers may be surprised by some things. But I was not.

The book gets three stars, however, because I did enjoy the story. Also, Logan Thibault was a likeable character, not too romantic-lead cliche, and had some depth. Nana was funny, lovable, and provided some solid heart for all of the characters. The rest of the characters, however, seemed straight out of the book of character cliches (strong, determined female lead, controlling ex-husband, conflicted child divorce victim).

It may be a while before I read another Nicholas Sparks book. Maybe one day when I just want to read a good story with predictable characters, no surprises, and that makes me say, "Gee, that was nice" but probably won't stick with me long after I've finished it.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Apr 13, 2012 Tiffeny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book because I'd seen the movie preview and thought that I should really read it before watching it. Problem is, I have a real love/hate relationship with Nicholas Sparks. I'm a happy ending kind of a girl. I read books to escape the sadness, drama and sometimes craziness of life. I swear, every other time I read a Sparks book I swear I'll never read another. I don't like it when people find true love and then one of them dies or does something stupid so they're ripped apart for...more

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Feb 12, 2013 CatherineMorland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, non-christian-fiction

I enjoyed it and thought it was a cute, fluffy read. Like most of the Nicholas Sparks books, some parts are cheesy and unrealistic, but I think that's the reason people enjoy reading them... they're just sweet, happy ever after romances. The main characters Logan and Beth had a great chemistry together, I thought. Beth was kinda annoying at times, but overall, I liked her, and Logan had many good character qualities.

I loved the characters of Nana (the grandmother) and Ben (Beth's 10-year-old son...more I enjoyed it and thought it was a cute, fluffy read. Like most of the Nicholas Sparks books, some parts are cheesy and unrealistic, but I think that's the reason people enjoy reading them... they're just sweet, happy ever after romances. The main characters Logan and Beth had a great chemistry together, I thought. Beth was kinda annoying at times, but overall, I liked her, and Logan had many good character qualities.

I loved the characters of Nana (the grandmother) and Ben (Beth's 10-year-old son)! They added a lot of humor to the story. I thought the scenes that go into the past when Logan was in the Marines and with his friend, Victor were interesting. Although the transitions were choppy at times, it explained several things about Logan's personality and his true motivation for finding Beth. The setting of Hampton, North Carolina was charming, although there were the times I thought the author used too much description, especially when talking about the weather. I also loved that Logan has a German Shepherd, which is my favorite dog breed ;)

There were some things I didn't like. The main plot of Logan trying to find Beth based on a photo is a little stalker-ish, in my opinion. I would be kinda freaked out if I was Beth.

They claim to "love" each other after a very short time, which is a pet peeve of mine, since I don't think they've spent enough time together to be truly in love. But this is Nicholas Sparks we're talking about, so I didn't let it bug me too much.

He head hops a lot. At the beginning of each chapter, he puts in bold letters what viewpoint we're supposed to be reading (Clayton, for example), but then a few paragraphs down, we're reading Beth's thoughts. Kinda surprises me to find mistakes in a book like this, considering how popular Nicholas Sparks is. It's not like this is self-published.

I'm rating it 4 stars which means I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it very much and thought it was fairly well-written (though I will admit I don't consider Nicholas Sparks to be a wonderful writer. I read his books when I feel like reading something sappy, because they're feel-good type of stories. As a writer, he's often predictable and uses the same sorts of story lines and characters repeatedly).

For more conservative or Christian readers who might want to know about possible objectionable content, there is some mild language sprinkled throughout, some sexual comments, and the main characters have sex several times (although the author never goes into much detail. Basically, he just writes, "They had sex," and the scene ends). So overall, not for really young readers (but why would they be interested in a book like this anyway), but clean.(less)

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Oct 30, 2012 Noelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yes Elizabeth, I am reading this one...... for Zack Effron's buns in the movie alone LOL

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Jan 05, 2013 Anna Marie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read it because I can't watch a movie without reading the book, first. What I want to know is, HOW this man got so popular? He can't write for crap. Utterly unbelievable. First of all, we have Elizabeth, who is a single mom who is a teacher (think lesson plans, grading papers, gone all day, etc) who takes her son to chess/baseball/violin, who also cares for her grandmother (who had a stroke), AND co-runs a kennel/obedience school out of her home AND is carting her son back and fort to visitati...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Whenever I go to read a Nicholas Sparks book my first (and usually only) question to anyone who has read it is "Am I going to cry?" I ask this because in many of Spark's novels the main character dies in the end often in a tragic way. Since, I now want fun books with happy endings, it breaks my heart when this happens.

However, Sparks has such a rich and inviting writing style that even with these reoccurring tragic endings, I can't help but fall in love with any and all of his books. The charac...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Karen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: advisory-2008-2009

The famous Nicholas Sparks creates yet another amazing tale of lovers.
Driven by luck and determination, Logan Thibult is in a search for a woman in a photograph that he found serving war in iraq. The photograph saved his life numerous times and with little persuasion by his friend Victor, he set on a journey to find the woman and repay the debt he felt he owed.
Elizabeth, a woman who spent the rest of her life after highschool struggling through life as a single mother, is overwhelmed with her li...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Sam5 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012, into-movies

Nicholas Sparks nos sumerge en las vidas de Logan, Beth y Clayton, y como estas están vinculadas por medio (del destino) de la fotografía de una Beth sonriente que Logan encontró mientras cumplía su servicio en Irak.

Después de que Logan hallara la fotografía, la suerte le sonrió, ya sea ganando juegos de póker o saliendo con vida de la zona de guerra. Sin embargo cuando volvió, en lugar de felicidad y paz lo que gobernó a Thibault fue una sensación de que no encajaba en la sociedad, y a su vez...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Tânia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012, tv-movie

It’s always a pleasure to read one of Nicholas Sparks’s romantic novels. His stories have that attention grabber ability, which is a very difficult thing to do when you’re an author. Okay, maybe not if you’re a good author and know exactly how to reach your readers.

The story was touching, with very likable characters, aside from Mr. Keith Clayton, that made it easy for me to be fully engaged in the story. And I really need to emphasize the special relationship between man and dog that is very w...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Halie Snider rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everyone gets lucky sometimes, some people believe in luck and others don't. U.S. Marine, Logan Thibault found a photograph of a young woman while he was in Iraq. After he found that picture, he was gaining some luck. He survived a deadly comabat and he was winning poker games. His friend, Victor, came to the conclusion that this picture was his "lucky charm". When he got back to Colorado he couldn't get back to his normal life. He decided to go back packing across the country to find the woman...more

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Mar 06, 2010 Stella rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, 2010

This was the second novel I read from Nicholas Sparks, and though after Dear John I concluded his writing was not for me I couldn't resist picking up The Lucky One because of its exciting plot (see above) (as I have already confessed, I'm a huge war-time-romance junkie).

I enjoyed reading The Lucky One, the plot was exactly what the blurb led me to expect, no disappointments there.

The characters were interesting and I loved that Sparks made them complex, he gave them history, memories, background...more This was the second novel I read from Nicholas Sparks, and though after Dear John I concluded his writing was not for me I couldn't resist picking up The Lucky One because of its exciting plot (see above) (as I have already confessed, I'm a huge war-time-romance junkie).

I enjoyed reading The Lucky One, the plot was exactly what the blurb led me to expect, no disappointments there.

The characters were interesting and I loved that Sparks made them complex, he gave them history, memories, backgrounds and thoughts. Ben also became a little 3D kid, so real I could completely picture him in his glasses playing chess seriously. Nana and her sayings sometimes made me wonder, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind her words and when I did, it made me laugh, she definitely is a character!

My only compliant in the character development compartment is Keith Clayton, the ex-husband of Beth and father of Ben. Sparks made him a true villain: a creepy pervert, a bully who's having anger issues and exploits his child. I'm sorry he made him such a one-dimensional bad character, it would have been better for the novel if he had given him a few qualities to accompany all these faults.

I also loved the structure of the novel, that we got to know Logan and the meaning behind some of his actions and decisions chapter by chapter through flashbacks as he remembered his tours in Iraq and his time with his mates and Victor.

I think one of the strongest trait of the novel was Sparks' vivid description of the southern life: I could feel the heat, the humidity and completely picture the setting, the narrative really transported me to the scene of the story.

My second complaint is regarding the ending of the novel. I felt it too forced, it was Sparks' way to tie up all the loose ends by taking Keith out of the picture, but making amends by making him a hero in the end. I didn't like the end.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Ending: 5/10
Writing: 7/10
Cover: 7/10 (this is a recurring error with Nicholas Sparks' books that the cover girl never matches the description of the heroine: in The Lucky One Beth is blonde with blue eyes, and the cover girl is a brunette..)(less)

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Feb 04, 2009 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 20, 2008 AnnaMay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, so this book followed my reading of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. After that great work of literature, anything would pale, probably. Maybe I'm not being fair, but I really just didn't care for Sparks' latest. I've only read a few of his books, but already I'm seeing a pattern and I found myself getting bored and saying, "Awe, come on," throughout. The plot was too predictable, the characters were too generic, and I guess I just wasn't in to the whole storyline. The creepy cop ex-husband di...more

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Nov 26, 2008 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Started off a little slow, maybe because he spent so much time introducing the characters. It just got a little old and before I knew it I was 1/2 way through the book and not much had happened. But good thing you don't read the beginning last.

I did like the story, I'm a sap for romance, I loved the character Logan.

On a side note I couldn't get past some of the writing. For being such a famous author I would think they would use spell check or something before they published it. (Ex. finally was...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Donna L rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh my god. This book is the first Nicholas Sparks novel I've cried over on. The again, I don't reach much of his books so...

The story is truly interesting and I love how Sparks made all those connections pointing back on the picture of Beth, which made the story much more exciting. I like how we got glimpses of Logan's past about his time in the war and his friendship with Victor, because it gave us alot of back story on why he went to find Beth.

I like how Keith was still concerned of Beth and B...more

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Aug 30, 2012 CL rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, favourites, romance, romance-contemporary, film-adaptation, romance-military, romance-small-towns, romance-standalone

I'm not going to lie: I read this book because I wanted to watch the film and I wanted to watch the film because Zac Efron is in it and I wanted to stare at Zac Efron for 90 minutes because I am shallow.

I also wanted to read the book because I'm fascinated by the fact that so many of Nicholas Sparks' novels have been turned into films. Is he really that good or just he have an extraordinary agent?

Well, I enjoyed this book. Between reading the blurb and seeing the trailer for the film, I knew exa...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Blenda is currently reading it · review of another edition

Based on what I have read about The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks. I noticed that Thibault has fallen in love with a girl who is in the picture. But he does not know where she lives.

In Page 89 I find that Thibault is looking for a job. He looks the girld as he knows her,the girld feels uncomfortable because Thibault sees her many times.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 01, 2010 kari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

This is the first Nicholas Sparks book I've read and I'll look for another. This book grabbed me from the first chapter, clearly written and intriguing characters and, even though I had a pretty good idea of where the plot was going and didn't really have any surprises, I still really enjoyed the story and how it was told.
Logan Thiebault is a great character and I really wanted him to find his way and his HEA. Without too much detail, his experiences as a marine and how that affected his life we...more

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May 25, 2012 Taylor Wahl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lucky One was a very touching and has a surprise ending. Although it started slow, it began to pick up and got better as I read. Overall it was a great novel.

1 like · like · see review

May 09, 2012 S.C. Stephens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is just what I was looking for right now--a feel good book with genuine romance and a dash of tension. If I were Beth, I would have completely fallen for Logan too. Great man, great father figure. Great dog!

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Apr 03, 2009 K.D. Oliveros rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-story, trashy

Although this was the novel that brought back my interest on reading novels again, love stories are really not among my preferences. I loved the movie The Notebook and I also read a couple of years back, Spark's Message in a Bottle but this one is not at par with those. It could have been better if the one who got the picture was probably the one who accidentatlly killed the brother in the desert war so the emotional impact during the climax would really be more dramatic. The second half of the...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Savannah added it · review of another edition

I have loved every book I have read by Nicholas Sparks. This book was no different. He always writes about events that could happen to anyone. A lot of the romance novels I have read are full of the usual sappy and corny things you would expect from a novel like this. Those stories never progress, or leave me hanging. I spend the entire time predicting what happens next and end up getting it right every time. Nicholas Sparks can write about all the sappy and romantic things that you would expec...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

True rating 2.5*

While i can't say i disliked this book, it wasn't anything special either......

The storyline was obvious and predictable, and while the characters were plenty likeable they were a little too perfect. Men like Logan only exist in daydreams and Nicholas Sparks books. I mean is there anything this man can't do? does he have ANY bad traits?....even the dog was perfect!
This book is fine for a relaxing holiday read or a wet Sunday afternoon but dont expect too much from it.

1 like · like · see review

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About Nicholas Sparks

As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the N...more As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.(less)

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