"The Longest Ride"

I have been on a Nicholas Sparks kick lately, there will be more of his work to come, but today I want to talk about his book "The Longest Ride". This is a really unique book because he takes two separate stories and alternates between the two with each chapter. Actually it's almost like 3 stories, because he switches the point-of-view between the two main characters of one of the stories. They are both incredible stories on their own, and Sparks intertwines them in a beautiful way. The book starts with the story of Ira, an elderly widower who gets in a car crash in the snow and can't get out. As he is stuck in the car he comes in and out of consciousness and dreams about his life with his wife Ruth. It's a very deep romance and covers their entire life together.

The second story is about a young college girl, Sophia, and her budding relationship with a handsome bull-rider named Luke. They meet at a rodeo, where Luke saves Sophia from her drunk ex-boyfriend. They don't seem to have anything in common, but there is an unexplainable spark between them. While Ira and Ruth have a more experienced love, Sophia and Luke's relationship is all about the first stages of love. The initial romance where everything is so new and exciting. The stories are on different spectrums of the love scale, but in the last few chapters they are brought together for an amazing finale. The ending of Ira and Ruth's love story, and the beginning of Luke and Sophia's.

This book has just about everything a hopeless romantic could wish for. A timeless romance that endures through separation, war, loss, infertility, and so much more. Plus the excitement of a young couple discovering each other and falling in love. There is a little bit of sexuality in here, but it is not very descriptive, just a heads up. Other than that I can't think of a reason you shouldn't read this book. It will probably take a few days to a week to get through, and is definitely written for high school age and up. Check it out and let me know what you think!