Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

True Believer

by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 39,879 ratings · 1,647 reviews

As a science journalist with a regular column in "Scientific American," Jeremy Marsh specializes in debunking the supernatural--until he falls in love with the granddaughter of the town psychic.

ebook, 0 pages

Published April 1st 2005 by Grand Central Publishing

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 19, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cont-romance

This was my first Sparks' book and I really liked it. I'm so glad I finally read one of his books.

I must admit that the firs half of the book was really slow, I was wondering the whole time why was I reading it. That's the reason why I'm giving just 3 stars, and I almost gave 4, because then things got really good between the two characters and the ending was great.

An important fact is that this book does have a HEA! I must clarify this because Spark is known for his tragic endings, but this is...more

like 14 likes · see review

Dec 24, 2007 Stephanie E rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a great book. I just finished it a couple hours ago and it was so good. I sort of predicted that two of the main characters who started out as complete strangers would end up falling in love. The basic storyline is about a man in his 30's named Jeremy Marsh who goes to Boone Creek, North Carolina to solve a mystery. People have reported seeing strange 'lights' in the town cemetery that have been unexplained. Doris, one of the residents of the town, sends a letter to Jeremy asking h...more This book was a great book. I just finished it a couple hours ago and it was so good. I sort of predicted that two of the main characters who started out as complete strangers would end up falling in love. The basic storyline is about a man in his 30's named Jeremy Marsh who goes to Boone Creek, North Carolina to solve a mystery. People have reported seeing strange 'lights' in the town cemetery that have been unexplained. Doris, one of the residents of the town, sends a letter to Jeremy asking him to come to their town to try and figure out where they were coming from. As an investigative journalist, it was his job to expose frauds, solve mysteries, and write about them afterwards. Having been married and divorced before, Jeremy had no intention of looking for love on his trip from New York to North Carolina. He meets many of the townspeople, mostly people who work at the restaurants, gas stations, and most importantly, the town library. Jeremy spends a lot of time with the librarian, asking her for help and where he might find useful books or diaries that would help him with his research. He and the librarian become friends and begin spending a lot of time together, while jealous Rodney, a police officer, watches with a close eye, curious whenever the two go off somewhere together or show up together at a town event. Although Lexie, the librarian, and Rodney never really had a steady relationship, he asked her several times to go to dinner and things like that and she always said yes. But, ever since Jeremy came into town, he's been taking up most of her time. He learns a lot about her past, her parents, how they died, her grandparents, and a little bit about where she grew up and her childhood. When things started getting too serious for Lexie, who had been hurt more than once by men passing through, she ran away to a cottage she talked to Jeremy about, leaving only a vague note for him to read at the library. Fortunately for him, Jeremy remembered almost everything Lexie had told him, and it didn't take him long to figure out where Lexie had gone to. In the end, they fall in love, but Jeremy still has to go back to New York. With a sad good-bye and little thoughts besides Lexie running through his mind on the way home, Jeremy was only in his apartment for a few days before Lexie's grandmother, Doris, surprised him and showed up at his door. She told him that Lexie had lied about going to marry Rodney so that she wouldn't lie awake at night wondering why Jeremy never came back for her. Jeremy decided that he loved her and that he simply could not imagine a life without her, so he took a plane to North Carolina to be with Lexie. Doris was on the same plane with him and he left the terminal with her, driving Doris home in her car and then borrowing it to search the town for Lexie. After looking everywhere, he realized where she was. Jeremy was right, and he found her at her parents' grave in the Boone Creek Cemetery. Jeremy ended up buying a house there, one that Lexie helped him pick out. The book ends with a little miracle, one in which Jeremy was told and convinced would never happen due to biological reasons. And you'll have to read the book to figure out what happens. =](less)

like 5 likes · see review

Mar 13, 2009 Charly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone

My first exposure to Nicholas Sparks. A very pleasing experience. He kept a gentle mix of mystery, romance, jelousy and intrigue within the context of his story. I found the style to be easy to follow.

like 6 likes · see review

Jan 25, 2008 Alison Millwater rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gave-up-on

I generally like Nicholas Sparks novels. Reading his books are generally pleasing...I don't believe any I've read are masterpieces or anything, but they've all been at least "okay."

This one, however, was a letdown. True Believer has to be his weakest book. It didn't draw me in like his other work. I didn't care much about the characters, and the story, I thought, was quite dull. It's been a while since I read it, so I can't remember specifics, but my general feeling was that it was poorly writte...more

like 14 likes · see review

Aug 23, 2008 Sue rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I do enjoy a good ghost story, and I liked the storyline surrounding Jeremy Marsh trying to debunk the town's belief that there are "real" ghosts in their cemetery. But, I found that the storyline surrounding the impending romance between Jeremy and Lexie extremely annoying. Their conversations consisted mainly of irritating banter which I found difficult to believe. I didn't find either of those characters endearing, at least during those segments of the book. I did finish it - I had to find ou...more

like 6 likes · see review

May 07, 2013 Abbi D rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everyone has to make choices everyday; some just aren’t as big as others. They can be as simple as picking out something to wear, or as large as making an executive decision for the country. Jeremy Marsh from Nicholas Sparks’ True Believer, has to make one he’d never dream he could.
Jeremy grew up and lived the life he’d always wanted to—he became a reporter for one of the biggest science magazines in the nation. Lexie Darnell is a quiet southern girl who had a hard life growing up, and now work...more

like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads

Before last week, I was a 22 year old girl who had never read a Nicholas Sparks novel or, for that matter, seen one of the movie adaptations of his books. I know! People criticized me for it, and I almost felt like my woman card was going to be revoked or something. To remedy the situation, I bought a huge stack of his work last summer (they were cheap garage-sale finds!), and almost a full year later, I actually sat down to read one.

Jeremy Marsh is a science journalist who gets his kicks expos...more Before last week, I was a 22 year old girl who had never read a Nicholas Sparks novel or, for that matter, seen one of the movie adaptations of his books. I know! People criticized me for it, and I almost felt like my woman card was going to be revoked or something. To remedy the situation, I bought a huge stack of his work last summer (they were cheap garage-sale finds!), and almost a full year later, I actually sat down to read one.

Jeremy Marsh is a science journalist who gets his kicks exposing the smoke and mirrors behind supernatural occurrences. Riding high from a recent investigation that has every major television network begging him to join their teams, Jeremy decides to make a quick trip to North Carolina to expose the mysterious ghost lights in Boone Creek’s graveyard. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town with its fair share of eccentrics, Boone Creek doesn’t have much to offer a born and bred New Yorker like Jeremy, but an encounter with a beautiful woman has him thinking all sorts of crazy things.

Lexie Darnell is the town librarian and one of the pillars of Boone Creek society. She’s had her experiences with the outside world and decided to come back home, swearing that she’ll never give up her small-town life again. Lexie and Jeremy become smitten, but with both possessing strong, stubborn personalities, how can they possibly make a relationship work when their hearts lie in two different places?

Romantic in a non-graphic way (no heaving chests or throbbing members or anything like that) with a hint of the supernatural, this book was… an interesting take on chick lit, but decidedly not my thing.

Not to sound sexist, but I wasn’t a big fan of romance from the man’s perspective simply because it made Lexie a little less relatable to me. Sparks switched back and forth from Lexie to Jeremy’s point of view, but overall, Jeremy was the protagonist, and I couldn’t really understand Lexie’s motivations most of the time. Or, well, I should say I understood it, but I didn’t necessarily believe it. The plot was also very predictable, and the ending was more than a little cheesy.

I also wasn’t a big fan of the extra drama Sparks added in. Relationships should be easy! Fun! Laid back! Sparks’ characters make mountains out of molehills, fight about non-issues, lie to avoid talking about their feelings, and run away when things get tough. Life isn’t that hard! I hate being in relationships where people just can’t be honest, I hate hearing from my friends about the drama going on in their love lives, and I hate having to read about it with fictional characters. Big issue? When an ancient curse overpowers your emotions and makes you fight your soul mate to the death to fulfill a blood debt, a la Starcrossed. Little issue? The guy you like lives in a different state.

The premise was interesting, and you can tell Sparks is an old pro when it comes to writing: his book opened beautifully, the back stories of the characters were divulged seamlessly, and the writing was eloquent. When it comes to emotions, though, I think Sparks missed the mark. (less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 27, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, romance

So I can't believe that I am going to admit to this, but about two weeks ago, I went to see Safe Haven. Perhaps my feminine tendencies toward the sappy were taking over, and then next thing I know, I'm sitting in a dark movie theater with a little bag of popcorn and some soda. And I'm watching a Nicholas Sparks movie.

And then I'm driving home and thinking to myself...I actually liked it. Not because it was brilliantly done or destined to win awards. Oh, and then I guess that must have triggered...more So I can't believe that I am going to admit to this, but about two weeks ago, I went to see Safe Haven. Perhaps my feminine tendencies toward the sappy were taking over, and then next thing I know, I'm sitting in a dark movie theater with a little bag of popcorn and some soda. And I'm watching a Nicholas Sparks movie.

And then I'm driving home and thinking to myself...I actually liked it. Not because it was brilliantly done or destined to win awards. Oh, and then I guess that must have triggered more of those sappy female tendencies, and the next thing I know, I'm thinking...I should actually give him another try. I did. I admit it.

And there you have it. I'm reading a Nicholas Sparks novel, and I honestly hardly know how it happened. Except that I'm calling it a phase, and I know it is a phase that I may pass through again. Because deep down in my little girl heart, I am a sucker for romance. In all its forms. And there is no point in denying it.

Now on to the honest evaluation of the story. It was okay and at first, I even liked it a lot. But it fizzled out for me half way to the goal. The chemistry between the two main characters was almost nonexistant. Maybe Sparks needs to read a little Melanie Jacobson (total shout out, HEY!)...but there is a girl who knows how to create some chemistry between her characters...Best kissing scene pretty much ever in Not My Type. (Side note...isn't it sort of ironic that his last name is Sparks, but there isn't a spark of chemistry between his characters?)

And the sad thing, in my opinion, is that the story had some real potential. I know I'm giving it 3 stars, and that is mostly because I liked it enough to finish it, and I did want to see what happened...at least mostly. And I'm feeling generous. And Nicholas Sparks actually seems like a nice guy.

However, should one of these sappy moods strike me any time in the near future, I beg of you to help me find something better. No Shades of Grey, mind you. Just some nice, chaste romance. That is all.

(less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In True Believer, by Nicholas Sparks, Jeremy Marsh wants to prove that there are no such things as miracles, but a small town Southern sweetheart, Lexie Darnell, gives him reason to believe otherwise, so he takes a chance, and lets himself see what miracles the world has to offer. True Believer takes place in the present day, in Boone Creek, North Carolina. Boone Creek is a town as quiet as a whisper, where few exciting things occur. The population of Boone Creek is miniscule, and most of the pe...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2013 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads

Having to evacuate my home because of loss of electricity and heat, due to the Blizzard of 2013, here in the North East, I spent the weekend at my parent's home in a nearby town. There, I was able to finish reading True Believer, by Nicholas Sparks. Although I admit the first few chapters were a bit overly detailed for my recent mood, I truly enjoyed from page 77, Chapter 4, on because that is when the story line began. I felt the beginning of the book had more to do with learning details of the...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Brooklyn added it · review of another edition

I think it happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” This is my absolute favorite quote in this novel and it kind of describes the story pretty well. This love story is about a city man named Jeremy and a small town woman named Lexie who meet because Jeremy is a journalist who is going to Boone Creek to...more I think it happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” This is my absolute favorite quote in this novel and it kind of describes the story pretty well. This love story is about a city man named Jeremy and a small town woman named Lexie who meet because Jeremy is a journalist who is going to Boone Creek to investigate a supernatural story. Nicholas Sparks' True Believer captured my attention with its creativity but its plot line was a little bit strange.
One of the themes in this story was coming of age and growing up. This book shows that a lot of things change when you grow up and more specifically that people change. Sometimes friends grow to have different point of views and realize that they aren't kids anymore so they don't need to continue being friends if they have nothing in common. Maybe Your goals and your old best friends goals were different and it shows that its completely normal to have different dreams. Getting to know different people and ideas are good
I am a very big fan of some of the characters and i enjoy reading about them, such as Jeremy Marsh and Doris but on the other hand some of other characters just frustrate me and i don’t like reading about them at all, such as Rodney Hopper and Tully. These minor characters mostly just bother me because I don’t like their personalities and they come off as rude and Tully just talks way too much. Those few characters made the story a little less enjoyable.
The plot is mainly about a journalist that goes to this small town to check out this supernatural occurrence thats happening in the town cemetery and while he is they he meets this librarian names Lexie that he falls in love with. But they both are from two completely different places and have different views and neither of them wants to leave their home towns. The overall plot is balanced between the mystery of the cemetery, Jeremy and Lexie's relationship, the aspect of living in a small town, and their individual lives.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes love stories. Although I may warn you that there are definitely some better love stories out their that have a better plot line and ones that maybe a little more interesting. (less)

like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Maddy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book I chose for my independent reading book is True Believer By Nicholas Sparks. I can relate this book to The Other Side of Dark by Sara Smith. These two books are both about a mystery. There are a quite a few characters in True Believer. The two main characters are Jeremy Marsh and Lexie.

The conflict with Jeremy and Lexie is, Jeremy is in a Boone Creek writing a paper about the mysterious lights in the graveyard that he relates to Ghostbusters. Jeremy “fantasizing about expensing the lase...more The book I chose for my independent reading book is True Believer By Nicholas Sparks. I can relate this book to The Other Side of Dark by Sara Smith. These two books are both about a mystery. There are a quite a few characters in True Believer. The two main characters are Jeremy Marsh and Lexie.

The conflict with Jeremy and Lexie is, Jeremy is in a Boone Creek writing a paper about the mysterious lights in the graveyard that he relates to Ghostbusters. Jeremy “fantasizing about expensing the laser-beam backpack thing that Bill Murray and Harold Ramis had used in Ghostbusters.” (pg.26). On the other hand Lexie is busy with her books and work and getting ready for her big events that she puts together. Just like Jeremy Lexie has a secret crush on Jeremy that she hides from him. The things I like about Lexie is that she is not afraid to tell someone No. The thing I like about Jeremy is that he is from New York and is not used to a small little town and is somewhat confused about everything there. The things i don’t like about Lexie is that she keeps tricking Jeremy into that she doesn't like him but she actually does. The negative things about Jeremy is he likes to intrude. whenever Lexie is going to lunch he asks if he can come along. I don’t like that because to me it seems rude and I wouldn't like that.

Considering the plot of the book, the actions that lead to the conflict is the Mysterious Ghost cemetery. Jeremy wants to figure out the mystery and he wants to go out on a date with Lexie, but Lexie is too busy to go out with Jeremy. Jeremy is involved with this because he is figuring out what could be triggering the lights at the cemetery to turn green. This helps the reader understand what’s going on because Jeremy and Lexie are figuring out the mystery. The Conflict helps the reader understand the big picture because Lexie and Jeremy work together to figure out the mystery about the ghost. the conflict kept me interested in the plot because in some parts of the book it would be boring and i wanted to quit and get a new book and then I kept reading it and it got better and i didn't want to put it down.

The genre of this book is fiction. I have read lots of fiction books and I will continue reading from this genre. I like that its all make believe and that it could happen in real life but most of the time it doesn't. One thing I don’t like about this genre is that sometimes there are a lot of characters and you lose track on who is who, I think of harry potter right away because I got lost with all the characters just like this book. The author uses characterization throughout the book with Jeremy and Lexie. I can learn that you should not judge a person until you meet them. Just like the town of Boone creek they all judge Jeremy because of his looks and they called him city boy because he dressed in suits and fancy clothing like he was back in his office in New York.

In conclusion this was my first book that I read of Sparks and I thought it was good. I will continue to read Sparks books. I liked the book because it was somewhat a mystery and in some parts of the book it was funny. I gave this book a 3-star review because I liked it but in some parts of the book like the beginning it was boring but in the middle of the book it got better and then end was good.(less)

like · see review

Dec 02, 2012 Robin Auger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my very first Nicholas Sparks book, and I must admit, it left me wanting to read more of his books to see what kind of other stories this man has. Of course, I've seen many movies, but nothing compares to a book :)

This story started off really slow. So slow, I almost gave up reading it and even fell asleep on top of it at one point (though thats most likely because of the sleep-deprivation from work). Other than that, by mid book, the story really started to pick up and you can see the...more

like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Marisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“I think it happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” This is my absolute favorite quote in this novel and it kind of describes the story pretty well. This love story is about a city man named Jeremy and a small town woman named Lexie who meet because Jeremy is a journalist who is going to Boone Creek t...more “I think it happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” This is my absolute favorite quote in this novel and it kind of describes the story pretty well. This love story is about a city man named Jeremy and a small town woman named Lexie who meet because Jeremy is a journalist who is going to Boone Creek to investigate a supernatural story. Nicholas Sparks' True Believer captured my attention with its creativity but its plot line was a little bit strange.
One of the themes in this story was coming of age and growing up. This book shows that a lot of things change when you grow up and more specifically that people change. Sometimes friends grow to have different point of views and realize that they aren't kids anymore so they don't need to continue being friends if they have nothing in common. Maybe Your goals and your old best friends goals were different and it shows that its completely normal to have different dreams. Getting to know different people and ideas are good
I am a very big fan of some of the characters and i enjoy reading about them, such as Jeremy Marsh and Doris but on the other hand some of other characters just frustrate me and i don’t like reading about them at all, such as Rodney Hopper and Tully. These minor characters mostly just bother me because I don’t like their personalities and they come off as rude and Tully just talks way too much. Those few characters made the story a little less enjoyable.
The plot is mainly about a journalist that goes to this small town to check out this supernatural occurrence thats happening in the town cemetery and while he is they he meets this librarian names Lexie that he falls in love with. But they both are from two completely different places and have different views and neither of them wants to leave their home towns. The overall plot is balanced between the mystery of the cemetery, Jeremy and Lexie's relationship, the aspect of living in a small town, and their individual lives.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes love stories. Although I may warn you that there are definitely some better love stories out their that have a better plot line and ones that maybe a little more interesting.
(less)

like · see review

May 23, 2012 Jennifer Traister rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

True Believer by Nicholas Sparks is such a great book. It’s about a guy named Jeremy Marsh who is from New York, who dresses in a professionally black outfit head to toe. Though sometimes he’s stubborn, he has a very sensitive and caring personality. He’s a journalist and he traveled down to Boone Creek, North Carolina. That’s where he met his true love, the prettiest girl ever, Lexie Darnel. Her grandmother is the one who wrote to Jeremy, to have him come down and check out the mysterious, ghos...more True Believer by Nicholas Sparks is such a great book. It’s about a guy named Jeremy Marsh who is from New York, who dresses in a professionally black outfit head to toe. Though sometimes he’s stubborn, he has a very sensitive and caring personality. He’s a journalist and he traveled down to Boone Creek, North Carolina. That’s where he met his true love, the prettiest girl ever, Lexie Darnel. Her grandmother is the one who wrote to Jeremy, to have him come down and check out the mysterious, ghostly lights that always happen in an old cemetery. Lexie works in an old dusty library where Jeremy goes to gather all his information that he could about the town. That’s where their love began. Jeremy was once married before and his wife divorced him because he was unable to have kids, but will the first time he gets with Lexie get her pregnant? While visiting Boone Creek too, the sheriff had it out for Jeremy because the sheriff had a crush on Lexie, and he did not like him around. Will he come between Jeremy and Lexie and ruin their relationship? Will Jeremy ever discover what the ghostly lights are from at the cemetery? You’ll have to read and find out.
I loved this book. At some points I didn’t care for the book, like at the beginning and I couldn’t get into it. However, that’s how most books are, and this one picks up and gets so exciting quick. It shows that it’s okay to take risks and go for what you love, even if it means losing everything that you have. Take the chance and don’t back out because things will work out for you if you want them to.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about any kind of romance, and mysteriousness. It shows how Jeremy and Lexie are into each other ever since they met. Their relationship grows so much stronger from there, after spending lots of time together trying to figure out the ghostly lights. It’s so interesting and such a good read. You won’t be disappointed; Sparks is such a great author.
(less)

like · see review

May 22, 2012 Bre rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I honestly can't give True Believer more than 2 stars because it was just a little...sappy. I really tried to get into it, telling myself stay strong and finish!(I've been horrible about not giving books enough of a chance before.)And while the last pages chapters honestly had me picking up the pace, my face looked like this when I finished: :/ Meh, whatever.
Jeremy and Lexie just didn't hold my interest. I tried hard to like and connect with them, but there wasn't much of a spark in this Spark...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 28, 2012 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker: handsome, almost always dressed in black, and part of the media elite. An expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in "Scientific American," he's just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can't resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the t...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2012 Sydney rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I haven't really read any of Nicholas Sparks' "popular" books except The Last Song. I loved that book and I read The Lucky One and loved that one too. I decided to give Sparks another try at his books because my best friend LOVES almost all the books she has read and since we usually have the same interest, I decided to read this.

ANYWAYS, I didn't enjoy this book at all. I thought it was so boring and dragged on forever. For me, Jeremy wasn't really fully developed. Lexie annoyed me so much. I...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 04, 2011 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. At the beginning of the year, someone I know lent me three Nicholas Sparks books, and even though I typically don't like these overblown romantic-type stories, I read all three of them.

While I can't say that I didn't enjoy the process of reading them or get emotionally involved in the story line, I will objectively say that I don't much appreciate Nicholas Sparks' version of romance. I don't believe that falling in love with someone in the short space of a week is possible or healthy. [I know,...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 03, 2011 Brittany Jedrzejewski rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pure entertainment, minimal effort

Every time Nicolas Sparks has a new book releasing around Christmas time, I always put in on my wish list. It always provides a fun, easy read and The Lucky One is no different. As long as you keep your expectations in check and temporarily overlook the multitude of clichés, gender stereotypes, predictability and overused character traits, this quick page turner is pure entertainment with very minimal effort. As a frame of reference, I’ve read just about every o...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2010 Mitch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ah, Nicholas Sparks sure knows how to cook up a love a story! Although I don't think this is as good as the other Sparks books I read so far (Dear John, A Walk To Remember, and At First Sight), I still think it is pretty decent.

Jeremy Marsh is a big-city sceptic who writes for a scientific magazine, uncovering the truth behind psychics, ghosts, and legends. He is sent from New York City to the isolated small town known as Boone Creek to uncover the mystery of strange ghost lights that appear in...more

like 1 like · see review

May 08, 2009 Andria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jeremy Marsh is a journalist whose specialty is debunking claims of the supernatural. He receives a letter from Doris in Boone Creek, North Carolina, inviting him to look into mysterious lights in the local cemetery, which local lore claims are ghosts. The local mayor hopes that the lights become a tourist attraction and return some vitality to the town. When Jeremy goes to investigate, he meets the local librarian (and Doris's granddaughter) Lexie. He is immediately smitten, but she treats him...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2008 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 19, 2013 Gabbi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

like · see review

May 03, 2012 Flanno rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-and-read

True Believer was different than other novels that Nick Sparks has wrote, in that it had much to do with "supernatural" happenings than usual. Usually Sparks incorporates faith into his novels, but faith in God, not believing in psychics, ghosts, etc. as in this novel. I am not a fan of supernatural literature (or just "witchy" stuff in general) so this book definitely was not my favourite. However, like all Sparks novels, this one was also based around a romance between Big City Jeremy Marsh an...more

like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 وردٌ شاميّ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-shelf

يسعني القول أن الرواية ممتعة ومكتوبة بإتقان وواقعية، وأنها كمثيلاتها من الروايات المترجمة تعطي فكرة مهمة عن المجتمع الذي تدور فيه، وأعني هنا بحثها في العلاقة بين ولايات الشمال والجنوب الأميركي، إضافة إلى التفاصيل الصغيرة والانطباعات التي تزود بها القارئ عن الشخصيات والأماكن وطرق العيش والتعامل وغير ذلك مما يسر المرءَ تلقيه في قالب روائي.
لكن في ما عدا ذلك، ليس في الرواية شيء غير عادي، إنها مجرد رواية رومانسية مكتوبة بجهد، ولا تحمل في طياتها أكثر مما يدور في فلكه هذا النمط، ربما يُحسب لها أنها تطر...more يسعني القول أن الرواية ممتعة ومكتوبة بإتقان وواقعية، وأنها كمثيلاتها من الروايات المترجمة تعطي فكرة مهمة عن المجتمع الذي تدور فيه، وأعني هنا بحثها في العلاقة بين ولايات الشمال والجنوب الأميركي، إضافة إلى التفاصيل الصغيرة والانطباعات التي تزود بها القارئ عن الشخصيات والأماكن وطرق العيش والتعامل وغير ذلك مما يسر المرءَ تلقيه في قالب روائي.
لكن في ما عدا ذلك، ليس في الرواية شيء غير عادي، إنها مجرد رواية رومانسية مكتوبة بجهد، ولا تحمل في طياتها أكثر مما يدور في فلكه هذا النمط، ربما يُحسب لها أنها تطرح جانب التضحية في بناء العلاقات من جانب الرجال، إذ العادة تقضي بأن النساء هن الجانب المضحي عموماً، لكن هذا أقصى ما ترمي إليه، وليس من المفيد أن يتوقع القارئ منها أكثر من ذلك.

فاجأني في الرواية أنه من العادي في بلدات الجنوب أن لا يكمل الشبان تعليمهم في الكليات الجامعية وأن ينصرفوا إلى العمل مباشرة بعد تخرجهم من الثانوية على اعتبار أن هذا أنفع لهم.

وأذكر أيضاً أنني استمتعت بالتفاصيل التي أوردها الكاتب حول محرري ساينتفك أميركان وكتّابها، لا أعلم ما إذا كانت المعلومات مستقاة من الواقع أم لا، ولكنها كانت إطلالة موفقة على إحدى أهم مجلات العلم "العاميّة" في العالم.

نهايةً، ما لم يعجبني في الكتاب هو التناقض الساذج بين بدايته وانتهائه، النقلة بين الشك المطلق، وتقبل الأمور "الخارقة" لم تكن مقنعة.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Sep 03, 2010 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been a fan of Nicholas Sparks books for years. That being said, I had to give this book 3 stars for one reason only. I actually did like the book, I thought it was a great story, it was well-written as always, and it kept me wanting to see what was going to happen next. A little predictable at times, but you have to expect that from a writer whose style you have memorized. He really illustrates the settings, and pulls you into the romance of it all; tears were shed on the pages! However,...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jun 03, 2009 Loryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young Adults, Adults, Guys who don't mind a little romance

Recommended to Loryn by: Katie

Shelves: read-it-and-it-was-okay, chick-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Yet another Nicholas Sparks book to add to my collection-

I found this story line was fairly predictable.

Jeremy, a struggling journalist, finally gets his big break by outing a "psychic" and revealing that he really doesn't have any special abilities. After going on national television to do an interview, a woman named Doris writes him and invites him to her small town to try and figure out what some lights in their cemetery might mean.

Jeremy is a city boy through and through, growing up in New...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Krystal Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

True Believer is a term used to describe a person who still believes in a psychic practicioner or paranormal event after it has already been proven to be false. The fact that I ran across a book by Sparks with that title made me super curious to check it out. Thankfully, I found this book to be a little more fun than your average romance novel. I liked the contrast between the busy New York scenes and the sleepy Southern town of, Boone Creek, North Carolina. For the most part the characters were...more True Believer is a term used to describe a person who still believes in a psychic practicioner or paranormal event after it has already been proven to be false. The fact that I ran across a book by Sparks with that title made me super curious to check it out. Thankfully, I found this book to be a little more fun than your average romance novel. I liked the contrast between the busy New York scenes and the sleepy Southern town of, Boone Creek, North Carolina. For the most part the characters were memorable. I thought it was great how different each individual character was. So frequently when I have read other books with "city" characters and "country" characters they all seem to run together and few stand out. Not the case here, the personalities and quirks add a nice touch of reality.
By far, my absolute favorite element of this novel is that Jeremy Marsh is a debunker. He is a writer for a scientific journal. He also has made a career of exposing psychic hoaxes and finding explanations for suspected hauntings. Jeremy heads down to Boone Creek from New York to investigate mysterious cemetery lights complete with local legends. Boone Creek is a classic old Southern town where everyone knows everyone and their business.
In Boone Creek, Lexie is the local librarian and has quite the collection of books with historical value that she allows Jeremy access to for his research into town lore. A shakey romance between the two follows. Both have experienced failed relationships and seemed to have given up on finding love of any value. Lexie's hypocrictical argueing annoyed me though. I understand that she was afraid of repeating her past mistakes , but instead of just saying that, she judges Jeremy in a harsh manner. Not to mention lying to him by omission and outright.
Despite that though Lexie is still a decent character. People sometimes lash out in one way or another when they are hurting or fearful of being hurt. So while she sometimes annoyed me she also comes across as a genuine person. Life and love aren't easy you have to work at them . So when I read a novel where everything is perfection I don't have much interest because I don't believe it.
The writing is smooth, the story unfolds with patience and good timing. For all purposes the novel at its heart is a simple one, but Sparks has a way of storytelling that sprinkles a bit of magic on the pages.
I will be reading At First Sight the sequel to True Believer for sure. I definately want to check back in on all the folks in Boone Creek again.(less)

like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Mario rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, literature, romance

I'm tempted to rate this lower, but it's not really a bad book. I just don't like any of the parts of the book.

(view spoiler)...more I'm tempted to rate this lower, but it's not really a bad book. I just don't like any of the parts of the book.

(view spoiler)[
The main plot (excepting the romance) is about lights in a cemetery that some claim to be ghosts, and the main character travels to debunk the claim. So far so good, except he solves the mystery about half way through the book. He doesn't actually explain the solution until a little later, so the reader is left in the dark, but the suddenness and banality in which the mystery is dropped at that point made the second half of the book feel rather pointless.

The romance itself is befuddling. The main character is repeatedly described as charming, which is a good thing as charming qualities are not at all evident from the way the character acts. If Sparks weren't so diligent about drilling into the reader's head how charming Jeremy was, I would have described him as smarmy, pushy, and arrogant, so I'm glad I wasn't forced to figure it out for myself.

The woman is similarly unlikable, but she's surprisingly consistent. Her main attribute seems to be pedantry, which isn't a quality I would use for a romantic lead, but to each his own. Right from the beginning, it's established that if you don't ask her for something in exactly the right way with exactly the right words, she won't answer the question. For example, she knows the solution to the mystery right from the beginning, but keeps it to herself, apparently because Jeremy never asks the right questions. Conversations with her feel like interactive fiction games from the '80s:

"Open box"
"The box is locked"
"Use key"
"What do you want to use the key on?"

and so forth. Very annoying, and definitely not something I would consider attractive. It would be like dating an especially poorly programmed robot.

I also didn't like how the author used the perspective of every single character at one point or another. I was just unnecessary. An author should be able to show what someone is thinking without physically climbing inside their head so that they can tell the reader personally. I think it's a rare book that requires more than one perspective, but that might just be me.

The ending was cheap. It probably goes against the genre, but it would have been a far stronger book if the insoluble problems keeping the main characters apart actually kept them apart in the end. They have lives that they like, along with numerous friends and family, in completely different parts of the country. Neither one was willing to lose what they had, but, wait, one did. Nevermind. Realistically, the fact that Jeremy gave up so much while Lexie gave up nothing (even though she had a lot less to sacrifice) would feature very prominently in their arguments and eventual split a few months (or divorce a few years) down the road, so it was probably wise that Sparks ended the book where he did.
(hide spoiler)]

I wouldn't just not recommend this book, I would actively attempt to dissuade anyone from reading it. But it's not a bad book, really.(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
2013 Nicholas Spa...: * Discussion - True Believer	2	7	Sep 04, 2012 10:22pm

combine
Other Editions (55)

More editions...

Genres

Romance

577 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

158 users

Contemporary

61 users

Adult

53 users

Adult Fiction

33 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

31 users

Love

27 users

Mystery

22 users

Drama

17 users

Novels

15 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

A Perfect Day
by Richard Paul Evans
Safe Harbour
by Danielle Steel
Sam's Letters to Jennifer
by James Patterson
What Matters Most
by Luanne Rice
6 Rainier Drive
by Debbie Macomber

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)

More about Nicholas Sparks...

Books by Nicholas Sparks

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About True Believer

2 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from True Believer

“When people cared about each other, they always found a way to make it work.” — 611 people liked it

“Women want the fairytale. Not all women, of course, but most women grow up dreaming about the kind of man who would risk everything for them, even knowing they might get hurt.” — 469 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: True Believer
avg rating	preview: True Believer Goodreads rating: 3.78 (39879 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9951143-true-believer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1292700741l/9951143.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9951143-true-believer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]True Believer by Nicholas Sparks[/url]

True Believer

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website