Dear John ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary: An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changed everything. John feels he must re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. Dear John, the letter read... and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.

Review: With this book, I'm having trouble finding my words (believe it or not). I didn't think it was great, but I didn't hate it. I'm still not sure what I feel. Don't get me wrong, the book is again beautifully written, and you feel an instant connection with the characters. I thought the beginning of the book was great, but then there's the part that just breaks your heart. Maybe that's it! The book was very realistic and you feel it all the way through. The struggles could be easily your struggles and especially John his pain, could be yours. For me, reading and writing are my escapes from the real world. Not having to think about your pain, worries or anything else that's bothering you. It's great to walk into a world that's not yours and experience the life of another character. Dear John however didn't give me that feeling. Yes, I was in his shoes, but after I finished the book, it took me a couple of hours to reflect on what just happened. You could say that the book was so well written, that you are blown away by the story or that it was just too much. In my case, it was just too much. In the beginning, you had the feeling-good moments, while the middle part was just drama and heartbreak. The end.....even more heartbreak. I felt so depressed after reading it. Yes, in real life things like that would probably happen as life isn't fair, but that's why you have books....so you can escape that reality. One thing is for sure, there is no escaping or feeling good in this book. I enjoyed the interaction between John and his father and in my opinion Sparks could have done way more with that. Although the story itself is beautiful, prepare yourself for heartbreak and hours of feeling down when you decide to read the book.