Book Review: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: July 1st 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-61832-8
Pages: 400
Series: None
Source: Bought


Goodreads Synopsis:
When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.
Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.
Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, The Lucky One is Nicholas Sparks at his best—an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love. 


My Review:
This book is about a young Marine who finds a picture of a young lady while in Iraq. He picks up the photo putting it on a bulletin board in hopes that the owner will find it. Days later, it's still there so he takes it, feeling drawn towards it for some reason. This young man, Logan, keeps the photo safe in his pocket and is later told how it is obviously a lucky charm for him because he has been saved many times when other comrades haven't been so lucky. Logan, being single without kids finishes his time and sets off to find this woman in the picture with his trusty companion, Zeus a german shepard. Logan walks half way around the country to find this woman whom he feels he owes something to. And whom Victor, Logan's best friend says it's his destiny to find this woman.
Logan is this strong, caring, mysterious guy who is willing to work for almost nothing, as we see throughout the book. He has been through so much in his short life and has no one to confide in, so of course he is drawn into the family life of Beth, her son Ben and Nana. It's not surprising then when Logan doesn't admit why he's there in the first place, and slowly begins to fall in love. Beth is a perfect match for Logan, I feel. For all she has done to protect her family, Logan is the best thing to come along and make her feel special again. Ben is a great and crucial addition to the story too, but apart from Logan, Zeus has to be my favourite. He is such a loyal dog and is by Logan's side the whole time. All these characters fit right into the setting of a little southern town. And with the narrative being different, switching between Beth, Logan and Clayton, the ex-husband, we are continuously engaged in the story. 
Nicholas Sparks is a unique author. Not in the sense that his stories are unique, (because they are all in the end so similar to the last) but his ability to tell the story is unique and makes us all fall back into reading another one of his stories.
I'll be honest here, the reason I read this book was because of the movie. I hadn't read a Sparks book in quite some time and happened to see a movie (Titanic 3D to be exact) and saw the movie trailer for The Lucky One, and I'm not going to lie, it was kind of this scene here that made me want to get all over him, err, I mean all over the book.

But seriously, the book is so intense and well written that I was glad to read it. If your looking for that romantic love story, with the added suspense (the last chapter and the epilogue will have you racing through the pages!) or just need a great, quick and easy read, try The Lucky One.


(The movie is also really good!)