Book Review #14: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

Hello Dear Reader!

For this one, I took a break from reading indie books because I’ve been buying them as ebooks. At some point, I staring at screens so much, my eyes were starting to feel strained. Anyway, I found this book by Nicholas Sparks at a bookstore for a heavenly price, and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you, so let’s get on with it! 

Every Breath is a romance novel following the magical miracle story of Tru and Hope. It’s actually a real-life story following a real couple who experienced all of the events written in the book. The names were just changed, and I find that to be so fascinating.

Before I delve into the characters and the story, here is the synopsis (copied from the cover):

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable… but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, EVERY BREATH explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties—while asking the question, How long can a dream survive?

Time for the review!

I absolutely fell in love with the characters of Tru Wall and Hope Anderson. Tru is such a simple man who knows his priorities and looks ahead for the most part while rarely looking back. He enjoys the wilderness of Africa more than its bustling cities, and he’s crazy observant and takes pleasure in experiencing the small differences that are present within every day of his life. He lives his life without much of a rigid plan, and he takes every day as is. Meanwhile, Hope is a trauma nurse who mentally admits that she is the worrier of her family. She’s a bright and beautiful woman who’s as self-conscious as the next woman, which I love. It’s a realistic worry to have. She’s also the opposite of Tru in the way that she practically had her whole life planned out, from how well she’d do in high school to when she’d get married and how many kids she’d have. She’s an extremely hard worker, something she shares with Tru.

Their love story is one of the most wholesome and magical stories I’ve ever read. Every interaction they had together, every thought they had of each other, every glance and description, everything seemed so natural it felt real, and I absolutely adored every minute of it. I was into every one of their conversations, there were times where I actually “awed” in real life, and whenever something devastating was revealed, I felt a part of what they were feeling, too.

There isn’t anything bad or even nitpicky that I can say about the book. I think the pacing was really well done up until the end. Even if it did feel rushed and abrupt at the end, it’s explained in an author’s note how difficult it was to choose which events would make it into the book and why he excluded what he excluded.

So, Every Breath rating:

10/10, would definitely recommend, and I’ll be looking forward to reading another Nicholas Sparks book in the future. I really enjoyed reading this book, and there were so many emotional highs and lows, I’m really surprised I didn’t cry at the end of it. In the end, I was more disappointed in myself rather than disappointed in the book for not being able to make me cry. It’s still a fantastic book despite it not being able to trigger the waterworks. My only warning is that there are a few soft steamy scenes sprinkled in here and there, so if that’s not your cup of tea, just be aware. They’re all maybe a page long, not even, so just skim over it if you do come across them.

That’s all for this book review! I hope you enjoyed reading it and now have the urge to read Every Breath if you haven’t already. It’s one of my favorite reads so far in 2020!

Thanks for reading!