The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks

    THE LAST SONG by Nicholas Sparks
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  9/8/09
    Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
    Reviewed by:  Jaglvr
    Rating:  5 Stars


    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