The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Basic plot 

Ronnie (short for Veronica), a typical 17 year old teenager from New York has to spend the entire summer with her estranged father and 10 year old brother Jonah. She's mortified! What can the sleepy Wrightsville Beach North Carolina offer her? Almost immediately, she falls in with the wrong crowd and yet a chance encounter with Will, a beach volleyball playing "pretty" boy, sparks an unexpected summer romance. But things are not all as they seem, when the heartbreaking truth changes not only the summer but the rest of her life.

What I liked about this book

Like all of Nicholas Sparks' books, it was a pleasant and easy read. I finished it in around four hours (not continuously but half an hour here, fifteen minutes there etc). The characters were likable, the romance was sweet and the "big secret" was sad (although somewhat predictable). All in all a good recipe for a relaxing book.

What I disliked about this book

To be honest, the book was probably too young for me (gosh, I'm old). I understand why the movie adaptation stars Miley Cyrus, because the storyline is perfect for teenagers. It didn't have the same depth as some of his other books and the "love story" wasn't an epic one. 

A quote I liked from this book

"Mom says it's because she has PMS" - Jonah 10 yrs old

"Do you even know what that means?" -Steve (his dad)

"I'm not a little kid anymore. It means pissed-at-men syndrome."

Rating: 3.5/5 (A relaxing, sweet romantic book)