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The Last Song

by Nicholas Sparks

4.11 · rating details · 56,907 ratings · 5,972 reviews

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him....more

Hardcover, 390 pages

Published September 8th 2009 by Grand Central Publishing

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Community Reviews

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May 28, 2011

Lady Vale rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: best-150-books, cont-romance

OMG!!! Seriously, this book was amazing. I never thought I would love it the way I did, I mean, I knew I would like it, but not that I would be this crazy about it.

My problem with other Sparks novels:
His beginnings are always very slow , so until now I never gave more than a 4 stars to his books. But that was not the case at all with this one.I loved every page of this book. I never got bored at all, actually I couldn't stop thinking about it, and after the first half of the b...moreOMG!!! Seriously, this book was amazing. I never thought I would love it the way I did, I mean, I knew I would like it, but not that I would be this crazy about it.

My problem with other Sparks novels:
His beginnings are always very slow , so until now I never gave more than a 4 stars to his books. But that was not the case at all with this one.I loved every page of this book. I never got bored at all, actually I couldn't stop thinking about it, and after the first half of the book it just wasn't possible for me to put it down.If you liked a walk to remember and the notebook, you will love this one because it's of the same style. Sparks' other books are of a different sort.

The characters:
Were should I start? Ronnie was a great character.To watch her grow and mature through the book was great, I loved to see how she went from a confused and rebel teenager to a very mature young woman satisfied with her life and proud for what she accomplished at the end.
Jonah was the sweetest kid ever, I found myself dying for him just to say something. Every time he said 'awesooome' I just wanted to hug him forever,LOL.
And Will... well, he is the boy you would love to take home and introduce to your parents, the kind of guy that once you get him you would never wanna set him free. I loved him. Every time he appeared and said something I melted. My heart was his from page one.
And Steve, Oh, Steve. I loved him since page 1. I couldn't have asked for a better father figure for the kids. He was so patient and so what Ronnie needed. I was so happy to see how he was getting to good terms with his children again. But the best thing about this book was the process, to see how both of them started trusting and caring for their father once again.

The book:
I just loved how everything developed. Everything connected just right at the end. And what an ending. I love books with a HEA. Although this book will make you cry like a baby -so be ready-. seriously, I spent the last 100 pages crying and crying. I even had to go to the bathroom to look for some tissues for my nose. This book was so heartbreaking at times that I felt my heart breaking into a million pieces. It touched my heart in ways I never thought a book could. I just loved this book and would strongly recommend it. But if you didn't liked movies like the notebook or a walk to remember, I'm not sure this is your kind of read. It definitely was mine. =)(less)

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Dec 27, 2010

Joyzi rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of NIcholas Sparks

Recommended to Joyzi by: Youtube

Shelves: e-book, fiction, watched-it, books-to-movies, reviewed, 5-stars-or-more, chick-lit, realistic-fiction, author-american, contemporary-fiction, favorites, contemporary-romance

The Last Song. Pictures, Images and Photos

(Is it just me or Milers really look stoned here*kidding*)

Amazing book, it's kind of emotional and depressing in the end but still it has a happy ending. Ronnie was like a character that I can personally relate to and the dialogues are just humorous. It's kinda like predictable but all in all it's really meaningful and highly recommended to all Sparks fans.

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Jul 24, 2010

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it · review of another edition

I'm not really a Nicholas Sparks fan. The Notebook was required reading for one of my english classes in high school, and I thought it was fantastic! For some reason, I just haven't had that much desire to pick any of his other novels. I think that The Last Song would be an excellent book for fans of The Notebook.

I wanted to read The Last Song because I was seeing the movie with my sister and I usually prefer to read the book before I see the movie. Although I hated that they casted ...more

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Feb 17, 2010

Jennie Smith rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone!

I have always enjoyed Sparks’ books but we all know that we can only read his books at certain times (at least for me) because we CRY! I have heard about this one because I don’t live too terribly far from where it is filmed (my great pal Kathryn lives super close!!) and it was taunting me at Target last week. I bought it on Thursday, picked it up on Friday night to start reading it, went to bed reading it, picked it back up on Saturday and finished it!

This is probably my favorite o...more

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Jun 20, 2010

Arlene rated it

Shelves: read-2010, ya-contemporary, books-i-own

I've read a few Sparks books and for the most part, I’ve really enjoyed them from beginning to end. However, The Last Song took me quite a while to get into, and I was very close to throwing in the towel and giving up.

To be honest, I realized I went into reading it with a bad attitude. *is ashamed* I'll explain my resistance... two words... one person... Miley Cyrus. Not a huge fan of hers, so when I started this book, her image and voice resonated in my brain and it matched per...more

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Nov 29, 2009

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner, jens-personal-read

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Veronica "Ronnie" Miller won't be eighteen until the end of the summer, so she has to follow her mom's rules and is off with her younger brother, Jonah, to spend the summer with her dad in a North Carolina beach town. Ronnie hasn't talked to her dad in over three years. He left New York City and their family and moved back to his hometown. Ronnie is rebellious and having been arrested for shoplifting back home, a quiet summer in North ...moreReviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Veronica "Ronnie" Miller won't be eighteen until the end of the summer, so she has to follow her mom's rules and is off with her younger brother, Jonah, to spend the summer with her dad in a North Carolina beach town. Ronnie hasn't talked to her dad in over three years. He left New York City and their family and moved back to his hometown. Ronnie is rebellious and having been arrested for shoplifting back home, a quiet summer in North Carolina might be the best thing for her. At least that's what her mother thinks.

Ronnie arrives with the intention of ignoring her dad. On her first night there she wanders the beach and meets a girl, Blaze, who seems okay. But Blaze is addicted to Marcus, and Marcus is bad news. And Marcus is interested in Ronnie. Ronnie can tell Marcus is trouble and tries to avoid him. But the triangle will ultimately create problems.

On a brighter note, Jonah is totally content in North Carolina and with spending time with his father. He has no desire to return to New York City. Jonah has joined his father in creating a replacement stained glass window for a church that burned in town.

As the summer unfolds, Ronnie falls in love with a local boy, Will. She discovers the wonders of Loggerhead turtles. And she learns to trust her father all over again. As the summer comes to a close, more than one tragedy occurs, and Ronnie must face some hard truths in her life.

I have to admit that it's been a while since I truly loved one of Mr. Sparks' novels. Don't get me wrong, I do adore his work. But it's been ages since I sat down with one of his books and found myself with tears in my eyes. This was one of those rare stories. With about forty pages to go in the novel, I found myself with wet eyes and the sniffles.

THE LAST SONG is already in movie post production starring Miley Cyrus as the rebellious Ronnie. With the main character being a teenager, and with subplots of rebellion and first love, THE LAST SONG is a novel that will appeal to a wide audience: teens and adults alike. With the addition of Miley in the title role when the movie is released, THE LAST SONG will find even wider circulation.

As with all of Mr. Sparks' books, expect tears, joy, love, and ultimately redemption and forgiveness for many of the characters. The wonderful characters in THE LAST SONG will stay with you long after the final page is turned.(less)

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May 24, 2011

Tasos Anastasopoulos rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Tasos by: Ellen Isabella

Shelves: kindle

First of all you should excuse me in advance since this is only the first ever review that I write not only for a book but for well whatever...and well also apart from that it's the first book I've read since at least ten years ago...and that's not all hehe,until now I was used to reading a different style of books...
Having a first view of the book I could tell that probably I don't belong to the "target group" that this novel is more suitable for...the plot and well Nicholas Spa...moreFirst of all you should excuse me in advance since this is only the first ever review that I write not only for a book but for well whatever...and well also apart from that it's the first book I've read since at least ten years ago...and that's not all hehe,until now I was used to reading a different style of books...
Having a first view of the book I could tell that probably I don't belong to the "target group" that this novel is more suitable for...the plot and well Nicholas Sparks previous ones indicated that it's mostly women and especially young ages one that will most likely to be fond of reading it... It looked to have all those things inside that men are making fun of women reading...romance...nice landscaping...a young girl falling in love...and well too many thrilling moments expected that could cause many tears like always (judging by his movies at least...never had the chance to have a book of him in the past)
So starting reading it well it confirmed that his style is most like expected but somehow it was really really interesting...having each chapter based in each character's prespective gave me a total view of how everybody was thinking making it hard to turn off the e-book only when I really had no choice because I should deal with some other things of major importance :)
It surely contains drama,but much more than just that...there is no doubt that he knows how to write...has the ability of describing everything with such a detail that actually transfers you at the scene of the place,he has really nice dialogues authentic ones...it is certain that Sparks in fact studied the characters really well...Jonah,Ronnie,Will,Steve are talking with everyone having his/her own style really based to the age to the livings of every person...very smart lines,specially the ones were the young couple uses to tease each other probably the most amusing ones and perhaps a source of inspiration of every young one wants to flirt with someone in a nice way without provoking at all...just words to cause the other one to smile,not provoking ones...teaching the readers how to approach the person of the opposite sex in a sweet and innocent way :)
On the other hand of course this book has a bit of censorship...no swearing and cursing...by none of the characters though there are also some "bad boys" in the story that it's impossible not to have "non allowed" words in their vocabulary...no alcohol or drug scenes...it's like some american teen series which avoid to show certain things in order not to shock their audience...but ok in a way it's respectful
About the story well it's really nice to promote the idea of real love not only between a guy and a girl but the most fundemental one which is between a parent and a child and vice versa...how this love can grow...what it really means sacrificing things that you like in order to please the one you love... Sparks has the majestic charisma of dealing with things that really bothered each one of us...not knowing how to solve a problem when occuring...calculating any possible consequence of our actions...it's like he knows that every reader had to actually deal with a similar issue earlier in his/her life...
In my opinion the book reaches its peak when finally the turtle "phenomenon" takes place...after that it seems that everything is happening too fast...days pass by one after another...weeks..months...and though it still remains really fascinating to read it creates like a wish that it should more slowly so we should have had the chance to read even more...it ended really quickly so that's the main reason that I put 4 instead of 5 starts...I wanted more...hehe :)
Now I know how the ideal father looks like..the ideal daughter...the ideal brother or sister...boyfriend...girlfriend...friends...perhaps the only type of person that you cannot learn from how to be in this novel is mother...but ok it's mostly cause there aren't involved so much in the story...so in case you belong to any of those types...and I am sure everyone of us has at least a friend or and definitely has as well a girlfriend and a boyfriend...so we can all learn what to do...to picture ourselves being one of Last Song's characters..and hopefully not Marcus...
Hmmm the conclusion of the whole book...I should carry on reading books and I wonder what made me stop...novels like this motivate me for sure to start finding another one as well...and well with a bit of luck to make a better review next time... :p
Last by not least I would like to thank the person who made me deal with books as well and invited me also to join "Goodreads" and opened my eyes in many ways to reconsider things and how life should be...do everything based on your love to others..to your beloved and the winner will be you :)(less)

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Oct 09, 2010

Petra (Safari Poet) added it

At the beginning of the book, I thought I knew the story before I read it and was pleasantly surprised that wasn't entirely the case. You sense right away that there's something vital to the story missing that you only discover later on. I guessed right, but there were so many things going on that I either forgot and/or didn't want to think about it until I was forced to.

My favourite character was Jonah, Ronnie's brother. He's not a main characters, but he's such a cool kid and I love ...more

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Aug 28, 2010

Olivia rated it

Shelves: books-i-own, books-read-in-2010, favorite-books

I bought this book a while ago, but I haven't got a chance to read it until now. I wish I would of read it earlier, cause it was that good. Probably my favorite Nicholas Sparks book. I loved all the characters. I didn't like Marcus' point of view that much, it was creepy. But other than that I loved it a lot. I also really like the movie and thought they did a pretty good job. They did change a few things around but I the movie was great.

The ending is sweet with Ronnie and Will but ...more

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Sep 21, 2011

Yla Delarosa rated it

· review of another edition

Introduction: I decided to take it light for a couple of days because I know I will be busy with work. So I grabbed a book by Nicholas Sparks knowing that its going to be an easy read. I dont mean it any other way simply that Sparks' books had always been easy to follow type - predictable, true... but always heart-warming.

Overview: Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wil...moreIntroduction: I decided to take it light for a couple of days because I know I will be busy with work. So I grabbed a book by Nicholas Sparks knowing that its going to be an easy read. I dont mean it any other way simply that Sparks' books had always been easy to follow type - predictable, true... but always heart-warming.

Overview: Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.
The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels—first love, love between parents and children — that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

My opinion: This book is exactly what I expected. From the first few pages, I already know how this is going to end.I dont actually like Ronnie's character at first (maybe that's because I am a daddy's girl). I hated how she treats her father, although understandably so... that's because she blames him for ruining their family. But as she evolved in the story and get to know her better, I started liking her. And although this book is exactly how I predicted it to be... and I didn't mean it in a bad way... it still filled me with loads of emotions in the end (knowing hoe melodramatic I can be :p). I know this story will be all about finding true love, seeking forgiveness, desire for second chances to make things right... and realization to never give up hope. I read so fast during the first few chapters only to be unable to finish it at once. I had to stop many times towards the end of the novel to wipe my tears. I was touched by this book, not mainly by Ronnie and Will's love story though... but by Ronnie and Steve's story of a great love shared between father and daughter. It left me with a feeling of gratitude to life - for all the things I have, for the things I lost... and for granting me a family others can only wish for.(less)

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May 20, 2010

Jenny rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO KNOWS HOW TO READ!

Shelves: five-star-books

JIMINY CRAP!!!!!!!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO FREAKING GOOD.
And those were understatements. EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO KNOWS HOW TO READ MUST READ THIS!!! Geezz. I cried a lot.
Half way through the book, I decided I would download the osp for the movie. And while reading, I was listening to the song over and over again. It didn't bother me. It actually made me appreciate the book more. A long time a go, after reading The Choice, I swore to myself I will never read a Nicholas Sparks's book again ...more

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Oct 27, 2010

Ellen Isabella rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: owned, 2010, favorites, realistic-fiction

Another remarkable piece by Nicholas Sparks, tells the story of love, in any kind of. The story was beautifully written, heart-wrenching, tear jerker and seriously addictive.

Ronnie, a rebellious girl, got mad at her father because of her parents’ divorce. When she found out that her mom would want her and her brother Jonah to spend the summer holidays with her dad, she had known that it would be the worst summer ever, for she hated her father of what he had done. But as the day pass...moreAnother remarkable piece by Nicholas Sparks, tells the story of love, in any kind of. The story was beautifully written, heart-wrenching, tear jerker and seriously addictive.

Ronnie, a rebellious girl, got mad at her father because of her parents’ divorce. When she found out that her mom would want her and her brother Jonah to spend the summer holidays with her dad, she had known that it would be the worst summer ever, for she hated her father of what he had done. But as the day passed, she figured out many things she never expected to happen to her and to other people surround her. She had love, shared love, received love and those things had changed her perspective and behavior towards everything in life.

Steve, a loving father who cared about his children so deeply, his love was unconditional. No matter what had happened to him, his love never faded. I admire Steve’s character so much, that he had been such a wise man, a great parent, a faithful husband and absolutely a wonderful person.

I had to stop reading this book in some parts, because I started tearing. Though I had known what was going to come, still I couldn’t help my tears from falling. The story about Steve and Ronnie touched me in a way. Steve had been so supportive even in his lowest condition. That was surely the thing that everyone loved about him. He was the person everyone would like to grow to be and to have someone in life like him, would be such a blessing. I love the letters he wrote to Ronnie, they were beautiful.

A part of Steve and Ronnie’s conversation I loved so much, which shows the love that Steve had…

“Do you remember when you were little?” he asked, suddenly serious. “You used to watch me playing the piano for hours. One day, I found you sitting at the keyboard playing a melody you had heard me play. You were only four years old. You always had so much talent.”

“I remember,” she said.

“I want you to know something,” her dad said, gripping her hand with surprising force. “No matter how bright your star became, I never cared about the music half as much as I cared about you as a daughter… I want you to know that.”
(less)

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Feb 06, 2012

Megan rated it

· review of another edition

I hate to admit it, but I think my judgment of The Last Song may have been influenced by Miley Cyrus being cast in the movie. I have also had some disappointment in many of Nicholas Sparks’ novels. They all have the same plot: Two people fall in love, someone dies, and then it ends. Though The Last Song was not my favorite book, it wasn’t my least favorite either.
Ronnie Miller is a very rebellious teenager. When her dad leaves New York, she just lets everything go: her grades, her piano p...more

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Feb 12, 2011

Ruth rated it

Shelves: favorite-books

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There were times when I cried ,laughed ,and just times when I felt happy inside!
I totally recommend this book to anyone who Loves romance and basically life of others!

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Apr 11, 2010

Jazmine rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Nicholas Sparks fans/Love Story fans

Ronnie is forced to spend the summer with her dad who she hasn’t spoken to in three since her parent’s divorce. At first she is furious and doesn’t want to spend any time with her dad or be there really at all. Even though she knows her Dad loves it she tells him she doesn’t even want to look at a piano as she quit playing after the divorce since her Dad was her teacher (and one at Julliard) and though she was great at it to the point that Julliard promised to take her when the time came, she st...moreRonnie is forced to spend the summer with her dad who she hasn’t spoken to in three since her parent’s divorce. At first she is furious and doesn’t want to spend any time with her dad or be there really at all. Even though she knows her Dad loves it she tells him she doesn’t even want to look at a piano as she quit playing after the divorce since her Dad was her teacher (and one at Julliard) and though she was great at it to the point that Julliard promised to take her when the time came, she stopped playing as she associated it with the Dad who abandoned her and her family so she thought. He even builds a wall to cover it for her. When leaving a volleyball game she goes to check out she runs into a guy who gets her soda spilled all over her. Angrily she stomps off to the pier where she runs into a girl who gets her drink spilled all over her again. Her name’s Blaze who has a group of friends whom she doesn’t like or feel safe around especially Marcus who to be frank gives her the creeps as she thinks he’s pretty much crazy. Blaze’s boyfriend Marcus and his friends do a show on the pier that involves fireballs. When conflict stirs between Marcus and his friends and the guy who spilled soda on her’s friend she intervenes and stops it saving a crying kid who she returns to his mother. Marcus’ group and Blaze part and Ronnie follows only to be busted on by an officer who escorts her home by what she assumes is request by her father. Outside their house she finds an endangered turtle’s nest which she sleeps outside to protect and calls the aquarium to come cage, properly protect and such. The next day a person from the aquarium comes, a volunteer actually, who just so happens to turn out to be the guy who spilled soda on her. His name is Will, he promises to get call the aquarium to come by and set up a cage, and takes in interest in Ronnie. At a party Marcus hits on Ronnie and makes it appear as if she did on him making Blaze so jealous that the next day she places merchandise from the music store inside her bag which Ronnie doesn’t realize until the security alarm goes off when she leaves the store after an infuriated Blaze does. Ronnie has a history of shoplifting which she admitted to in court; however, saying that the last time which she got sent to court for was a complete accident. They promised not to leave anything on her record so long as it never happened again, and so this is very much not good and the owner presses charges. Blaze won’t admit to putting the things in Ronnie’s bags either. Over the summer Ronnie and Will spend lots of time together falling in love as they walk the beach, fish, visit one another’s homes though Will’s Mother doesn’t approve of Ronnie, and watch the turtle nest which eventually gets a cage put on after she went and yelled at Will who swore he called them and that they are coming soon. Ronnie also spends time with her Dad as she has forgiven him and loves him very much, and so do he and her lil brother Jonah spending a lot of their time on a stain-glass window her Dad’s making for the church that burned down. The church belongs to a Pastor that’s a good friend of his, his first piano teacher. At Will’s sister’s wedding Marcus appears and when he and Will are fighting unpegs a tent that sends it tumbling down and ice sculptures crashing down getting a couple people injured and all in all ruining her wedding. Ronnie receiving the blame leaves in tears promising never to see Will again.
The character’s relationships are neatly built and the different POVs the story is from throughout helps in development of these strong characters. There’s much suspense and mystery as well added to this romance novel. The various complications and conflict are intertwined well into the plot.
Will’s newlywed sister Megan convinces Ronnie to go the volleyball tournament to cheer her brother on. She assures her she knows all about the trouble Marcus causes and that she doesn’t blame Ronnie and that she didn’t ruin her wedding. Ronnie and Will make up and Ronnie tells Will to play his hardest. They make it to the finals, but then Will rushes out when he sees that Blaze is on fire from getting hit by a fireball during her and Marcus’ group’s show. Will and Ronnie save her as they take her to the hospital. Then the day the turtle’s hatch which is quite beautiful Ronnie’s Dad coughs up blood and they take him to the hospital only to learn that it was due to his stomach cancer which he’s long known he had, it was why he wanted to spend the summer with his children. It doesn’t have a cure and he only has months to live. Will gives Ronnie the IMTF (In my thoughts forever) bracelet him and his sister had each made when their little brother died. Will and Ronnie help Jonah in finishing the stain-glass window for her father. Will tells Ronnie the truth about why Marcus keeps taunting him about a bottle rocket for he had kept his friend’s secret about the fact that his bottle rocket had caused the fire that burned down the church as he felt he owed him for pulling him, his mother, and died from impact little brother from their car when it fell off the bridge and into the river that day so long ago. Ronnie leaves him not wanting to see him again. Blaze and her mother, who had kicked her out making Blaze have to deal with Marcus’ crap as it was her only place to stay though Ronnie offered for her to stay at her house, make-up, and Blaze no longer hangs with that group. She apologizes to Ronnie and tells the judges the truth about her putting CDs in the bag getting the charges dropped for Ronnie. Blaze who likes to be called her real name Galadriel now wasn’t pressed charges against as she gave them information about the arson crime with the church. She told them the truth that Marcus had lit fire to the church. It wasn’t Will’s friend’s bottle rocket after all, Marcus just wanted to make it appear so. Marcus was the real cause to the church being destroyed and Pastor Harris burned, and Marcus had burnt other establishments as well. He is sent to prison. Ronnie leaves Will messages with her apology though he only calls a couple of times. They are still over, he is at college and she still in Wilmington as she had chosen to stay with her father and help him while he was sick. He grows weaker and sicker each day. She reads the letters he had written her over those three years and cares for her father. She finishes the piece on the piano he had tried to compose. She reads his last letter to her. One day he goes to the hospital extremely ill, but she tells him to hold on and prays. She with the help of Galadriel tear down the wall he built to cover the piano. She with the help of the nurse release him from the hospital so that he will pass at home and not there. When home she plays their piece for him which he loves. He dies in his sleep in December and while he did so Ronnie played their piece on the piano for him. At the funeral which nearly no one attends as her father didn’t have many friends and both his parents passed away Will’s parents attend she realizes when leaving and tell her that Will is there. They talk and she apologizes, they make-up, but they part their separate ways. She off to Julliard and him back to the college his mother wanted him to attend. Months of grief she spends practicing on the piano before college starts up for her. Then one day while practicing Will calls and tells her he is in New York then she turns around as he is there right behind her. He tells her that he got transferred to the school he always wanted to go to Columbia in NY. They will be together now, in love and together.

A heart-wrenching story I was totally shocked about her father’s incurable cancer. I balled my eyes out and was saddened by his loss. I was happily surprised though about the charges being dropped and that Marcus was the true cause to the fire and justice was served as he was imprisoned. I was glad Galadriel got herself together, too. I was once more distressed that Will and Ronnie had to go their separate ways, but was totally surprised and overjoyed that he got to transfer to Columbia and they get their happily ever after.

(less)

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Apr 11, 2010

Mijin rated it

· review of another edition

I wasn't really expecting to like this book so much, but I did. It was an easy read and a page turner. It had a good mix of romance, family, self-discovery, suspense, etc. The book was WAY better than the movie. The movie was a complete disappointment. It would've been better without Miley Cyrus as the lead. She cannot act. I thought I would be okay with her acting but it was worse than I thought. What is it with her un-removable shoulder pads? It seemed like her shoulders were always t...more

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Jan 07, 2010

Natalie rated it

Recommends it for: Girls

Recommended to Natalie by: Shelby, Movie Preveiw

Shelves: 2010-books, on-my-shelf

I really liked this book! I just finished it. About the middle of the book something really shocking happens. I would have never guessed it happened. I almost came into tears some parts of the book was so sad. This is totally a girl book! Romance- Not bad romance. Relationship. Once you read the book you get why The Last Song is such a good title! And why it's The Last Song. The reason for why it's called The Last Song is sad. I decided to give this book a try because I saw the preveiw for the m...more

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Sep 29, 2011

3hongt rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *In "The Last Song", Ronnie, who is a rebellious teenager turning in August. On the other hand her brother, Jonah, have a totally opposite personality and attitude. Unlike Ronnie, Jonah is a very sweet - loving young boy and who would obey every orders from their parents. Ronnie live with her mother and her little brother. Her mother name is Kim and her farther name is Steve. Steve is a former concert pianist and a teacher. Her parents was divorced. Also, Will, who is a volleyball ...more *In "The Last Song", Ronnie, who is a rebellious teenager turning in August. On the other hand her brother, Jonah, have a totally opposite personality and attitude. Unlike Ronnie, Jonah is a very sweet - loving young boy and who would obey every orders from their parents. Ronnie live with her mother and her little brother. Her mother name is Kim and her farther name is Steve. Steve is a former concert pianist and a teacher. Her parents was divorced. Also, Will, who is a volleyball player. Will is older than Ronnie by one or two years old of age. They developed a romance relationship between them. However, the main characters in this story would be Ronnie and her father.
*Ronnie life turn up side down when her parents divorced. she stay angry especially toward her father for leaving them. Until one day her mother decided for Ronnie to spent the summer vacation with her farther in Wilmington, North Carolina. However, Ronnie is a city girl from New York, she felt that she don't belong to Carolina and she thought that she never will. She struggles to make friends, and she try to fit in but it didn't come out as well as she expected would be.
*Nicholas Sparks is the author of the book. The author target the audiences in the age of teenager. The reason why the author targeting this group of age because when audiences in this age they started to acknowledge relationship. When they notice it, they would try to treasure it. This is what the story about. The author want to let the audiences experience what Ronnie went through in her life.
*In "The Last Song", the author leave a deep message to the audiences. In the story Ronnie lead her anger toward her dad but then she found out how much her dad love her. However she felt that she don't belong to where her dad live. she keep wanting to go home and not spent the summer vacation with her father. One day her dad was gone beacause of cancer but she at least get to shared feeling with her dad before he was gone forever. In this world there are many people don't treasure where they belong to. Who love and care for them the most, they don't appreciate it. Until one day they notice something or someone went missing and would never return to their life again. It's too late for them to feel regret and guilty. That's why the author left a very meaningful lesson behind. The lesson said that just treasure something when they still with you. Even though is easy if you just say it but hard to do it.(less)

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Jun 18, 2010

MT rated it

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Mari Conrad Reading Period 9 5/4/10
Title:The Last Song
Author:Nicholas Sparks
20 word summary:
Ronnie is forced to visit her dad and learns to love and forgive herself and others too, especially her parents.
Passage
Page:309-310
“It’s going to end, you know,” said a voice behind her.
Absorbed in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard Ashley approach, but she recognized her voice.
“Excuse me?” Warily, she turned to face the blonde.
“I mean, I’m glad ...moreMari Conrad Reading Period 9 5/4/10
Title:The Last Song
Author:Nicholas Sparks
20 word summary:
Ronnie is forced to visit her dad and learns to love and forgive herself and others too, especially her parents.
Passage
Page:309-310
“It’s going to end, you know,” said a voice behind her.
Absorbed in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard Ashley approach, but she recognized her voice.
“Excuse me?” Warily, she turned to face the blonde.
“I mean, I’m glad Will invited you to the wedding. You should have your fun now because it’s not going to last. He leaves in a couple of weeks. Have you thought about that yet?”
Ronnie appraised her. “I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”
“Even if you two make plans to see each other, do you honestly think Will’s mom is ever going to accept you?” Ashley went on. “Megan was engaged twice before this, and her mom ran both of them off. And she’s going to do the same to you whether you like it or not. But even if she doesn’t, you’re leaving and he’s leaving and it’s not going to last.”
Ronnie tensed, hating Ashley for giving voice to her darkest thoughts. Still, she was getting tired of this girl, and she had just about reached her limit.
“Hey, Ashley,” she said, sidling up closer to her, “I’m going to tell you something, okay? And I want you to pay attention, so I’m going to be perfectly clear.” She took another step forward, until their faces were almost touching. “I’m getting sick and tired of listening to your crap, so if you ever try to talk to me again, I’m going to punch those bleached teeth right out of your mouth. Got it?”
Something in her face must have convinced Ashley that Ronnie was serious, because she turned quickly without another word and retreated to the safety of the tent.

I picked this passage:
I picked this passage because I thought it was hilarious and I wish I had that kind of courage to say those kind of things of course if I were in Ronnie's shoes I would probably say something very similar!!! But I honestly wished they had put this in the movie because I would have laughed out loud and probably anyone who was sitting next to me but still I still wish they had put that in the movie it would have made the movie a lot better!!!!

(less)

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May 02, 2011

Samantha Hayward rated it

The Last Song, written by Nicholas Sparks is a magnificent novel on finding your true self. Seventeen year old Veronica or what she liked to be called, "Ronnie" life was turned upside-down when her parents got divorced and her father moved from New York City to North Carolina. Three years after the divorce, her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in North Carolina with him. Ronnie still despises her dad for leaving her and her mom and br...more

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May 13, 2010

Aileen rated it

I will admit that had this book not had my least favorite subject in the world (aside from pre-calc/math in general) I may have liked it more. Probably not though. This book was a typical love story, though it threw in other parts like family drama, friendship drama, getting arrested drama, etc. I won't say this book was bad, per say, but it was not great. It was good though, and I'm sure that other Nicholas Sparks books are great, I just haven't read them. One of the main problems I seem to hea...moreI will admit that had this book not had my least favorite subject in the world (aside from pre-calc/math in general) I may have liked it more. Probably not though. This book was a typical love story, though it threw in other parts like family drama, friendship drama, getting arrested drama, etc. I won't say this book was bad, per say, but it was not great. It was good though, and I'm sure that other Nicholas Sparks books are great, I just haven't read them. One of the main problems I seem to hear about is that most Nicholas Sparks books have a very slow beginning, good middle, then great ending. Well, The Last Song definitely had a slow beginning, I had to reread it three times to get through the first couple chapters. I was very tempted to give this book two stars, but didn't since even though I saw what was coming when it came to Ronnie's dad, I was still moved, partially because of what it was, and partially because it moved me. The other thing that made me REALLY want to give this book two stars was that I kept picturing Miley Cyrus and then stopping and remaking a *cough* BETTER *cough* character in my head. Greg Kinear, cool, fine, Miley Cyrus, not so much. I make my own characters who can just seem so much better then what movie stars they end up picking most of the time. The thing is, this book was utterly, and completely predictable. I HATE when that happens. In the first fifty pages you already know she's going to end up with Will. Actually, if you read the description you know she's going to end up with Will, so I'm not spoiling anything for anyone. While I admire him trying to appeal to the younger crowd, I am IN the younger crowd and I did not find this book at all realistic. It felt almost as if he was trying to hard in parts, and in others like he was just setting things up for later in the book, especially when he wrote from Marcus's perspective. This book was alright but I probably won't recommend it and I wouldn't have read it at all had it not been recommended to me. So, if you want read it, but there are so many other things you can do with your time...like laundry. Or cleaning the bathroom. Both about as enjoyable as certain parts of this book.(less)

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Mar 18, 2010

Kristin rated it

Shelves: romance, reviewed, read-in-2009

First I thought Sparks was losing his touch, then I thought he was getting it back after his last novel, but now I think he's losing it again. His books have always been a bit overly sentimental, but at least the connections between characters made sense before. In this novel, a girl "falls in love" with a boy who she barely knows, and I never understood what brought them together.

I think the biggest problem is that this relationship wasn't the main focus of the story. It w...more

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May 05, 2010

Reese rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance, books-to-movies, tear-jerker

OMG! I loved this book! Nicholas Sparks' books normally start a little slow for me but with "The Last Song", this book definintely held my interest from the very first chapter.

It's about Ronnie who's forced to stay with her dad for the summer, along with her little brother. She's a bit of a rebel (on the outside). Her parents divorced when she was younger and held that grudge over a period of time and developed this hard-core-f-the-world kind of attitue. The author reve...more

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Jan 06, 2011

Hope rated it

If I could I would've given it a four and a half. I loved it, but there were a few downsides. I'll get those out of the way.

1. There would be a couple of pages where there was absolutely NO talking, which is fine, but I didn't need to know every detail of every person in the story. Especially Marcus, I didn't care about him.

2. The movie was almost cleaner than the book, it should be the other way around. Well, I don't mean it should be, but that's the way it usually goes...more

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Mar 04, 2010

Claire rated it

NICOLAS SPARKS WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?! You write these gut-wrenching sad novels that are so addicting that I can't put them down and you rip my heart out with your plots!

My sister gave this book to me and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I cried like a little baby at the end, but I seem to do they with all of his books. As I was reading this though, I wanted to give my parents a hug and tell them how much I appreciate them even though our relationships may not have been ideal. You...more

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Aug 10, 2011

Bmw2jkc2cwc added it · review of another edition

I am still sniffling from crying during this amazing novel. This is one of my favorite novels of all time. I loved it. I know you will too. It is heart-wrenching and a tear-jerker. You better have some tissue. Sparks' is an extraordinary author. This novel has many stages: stages of true love, stages of unconditional love of parents, stages of friendship...etc. It moves through the stages. By the time you are finished with the novel, you will feel like you were there and feel as if you have lear...more

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Jan 30, 2012

Lia Guerrero rated it

In the book The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, Veronica Millers, also known as Ronnie, went through a lot in her life. When she was younger she was amazing at the piano. Her father was her inspiration. Her parents got divorced and Ronnie was finding herself in a lot of trouble lately. Ronnie’s mother thought it would be a good idea to send Ronnie and her little brother, Jonah, to their dad’s house for the summer. It was time they did some catching up, and Ronnie needed some time away. Ronnie hate...moreIn the book The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, Veronica Millers, also known as Ronnie, went through a lot in her life. When she was younger she was amazing at the piano. Her father was her inspiration. Her parents got divorced and Ronnie was finding herself in a lot of trouble lately. Ronnie’s mother thought it would be a good idea to send Ronnie and her little brother, Jonah, to their dad’s house for the summer. It was time they did some catching up, and Ronnie needed some time away. Ronnie hated the idea and was against going because she resented her father for leaving the family.
Nicholas Sparks portrayed Ronnie as a reserved yet rebellious person. It was who she was, she did not like to get close to anyone or trust anyone; she felt like if she got close to anyone they would just leave. A great amount of her anger was due to her parents divorce and her father moving away. When her father left, she stopped playing the piano because it was her way of disconnecting herself with her father because they both shared the interest in music. Her father tried his best to mend their relationship; he just wanted to be close with her like they used to be. Ronnie never expected to meet anyone while away at her fathers house, but she met a boy named Will and they fell in love.
Will made Ronnie happy. She was in a better mood now that they were together, and her relationship with her father was also getting better. Ronnie and Will spend a magical summer together but nothing can be perfect forever. There are things that Ronnie finds out about Will that does not make her happy, and if you read the story you will find out how their relationship turns out. Little did Ronnie know, her father has been ill with cancer. He was sick for a while, but he never told Ronnie or Jonah. He gets worse as the summer is coming to an end, but instead of going home with her mother and Jonah Ronnie stays with her father.
Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors because he writes about situations in life that could be realistic and several readers are able to relate. My favorite aspect of the book was Ronnie’s transition from being rebellious to caring and sensitive. In the beginning she was hostile towards her father, and you would think she changes because she finds out about his illness, but it is actually because she understands now. She finally understands why things are the way they are and she is at peace with her father. I would recommend this book because maybe you can relate in some way. My father is not sick but it makes me think about the things I have that others might not. I do not know what I would do if one of my parents was diagnosed with cancer, but I think Ronnie handles herself well and is strong. (less)

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Jan 24, 2012

Megan rated it

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The Last Song was an awesome great suspensefull romantic cute novel.I liked the book because even though it has a sad tragic ending it was also a happy ending and another thing that the author Nicholas Sparks does is he foreshadows and uses great descriptive words and i really love the romance between the two sort of main charactors.Another reason i loved this book is because they helped save some loggerhead seas turtles which is always good to save wildlife. This Book is about a girl named Ver...moreThe Last Song was an awesome great suspensefull romantic cute novel.I liked the book because even though it has a sad tragic ending it was also a happy ending and another thing that the author Nicholas Sparks does is he foreshadows and uses great descriptive words and i really love the romance between the two sort of main charactors.Another reason i loved this book is because they helped save some loggerhead seas turtles which is always good to save wildlife. This Book is about a girl named Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s and her life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved to Wrightsville, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains distant from her parents, particularly her father, until her mother decides it would be everyone’s best interest if she and her brother spent the summer with him. Resentful and rebellious, Ronnie rejects her father’s attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer’s end. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the last person she thought she’d ever be attracted to, and finds herself falling for him, opening herself up to the greatest happiness – and pain – that she has ever known. Ronnie finds out that her father has stomach cancer. She and her brother, Jonah, finish the window that they started with their father for the church. Her brother, Jonah, goes back to New York with their mother, but Ronnie stays back with her father until his death. She completes the song on the piano that he began to write and plays it for her audition at Juilliard. She and Will part after the funeral and she believes that they will never meet properly again, she thought it was over, but after Christmas, he transfers and goes to college in New York so he can spend more time with Ronnie.The Last Song was Written By Nicholas Sparks.A famous quote from Nicholas Sparks is "Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more.”Also I think i would name my review title romantic side of books(less)

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Jan 23, 2012

Jordan Willner rated it

The reason I decided to read this book was because I watched the movie and loved it. Also, my friend was talking to me telling me how she was reading it and started crying, she told me I had to read it! The book is about a girl named Veronica, but known as Ronnie who is almost 17 years old. She has to go to her dads house on the beach with her brother, Jonah, for the whole summer even though she hates her dad because of her families divorce and how he left her. She meets a boy named Will and fal...more

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Jan 09, 2012

Peony Minassian rated it

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks is about a girl named Ronnie thats quite different from others and sometimes very reasonable. When her mom decides to send her to see her father over the summer, she gets furious and hates every second she is with her dad. As she starts to completely hate her life, she falls in love with a guy that completely changes her whole perspective about everything. When I first read this story, I didn't quite like it because it seemed to go by slowly, but afte...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Ronnie	3	6	11 hours, 59 min ago
Will Ronnie stay with Will? Are they good together?	6	24	Feb 07, 2012 02:53am
What was your favorite part in this?	8	28	Feb 07, 2012 02:49am
quotes.	4	57	Jan 30, 2012 01:03pm
The last song as a book and as a movie	94	229	Jan 20, 2012 01:35pm
CrAzEd: The Last Song	6	12	Jan 13, 2012 11:00pm
Miley vs. Ronnie	31	126	Dec 24, 2011 07:44pm

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About Nicholas Sparks

As a child, he 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 No...moreAs a child, he 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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Quotes from The Last Song

“Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more.” — 4,774 people liked it

“Mom says it's because she has PMS.
Do you even know what that means?
"I'm not a little kid anymore. It means pissed-at- men syndrome” — 2,161 people liked it

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