Rated PG
Veronica Miller hates her dad. He left her, her younger brother and her mother and loped off to North Carolina, leaving them in New York. She hasn't spoken to him in 3 years and as far as she's concerned, that trend can continue indefinitely. When her mother drops her and her brother off in North Carolina to spend the summer with their father, 17-year-old Veronica cannot imagine a worse way to spend a summer and listening to her dad playing the piano makes it worse. Before he left, music was their bond, resulting in a 14-year-old Veronica performing in Carnegie Hall. Now it just feels like pressure she doesn't want.
It doesn't take long, though, before her dad's loving, nonjudgmental acceptance starts to win her over and when they join together to save an endangered sea turtle nest, they start to rebuild their broken relationship.
This is the first Nicholas Sparks book that I have read and I found it to be very moving and genuine. It was a beautiful book of softening hearts, building relationships, growing up, and learning about love. Yes, it made me cry but it was also heart-warming with a hopeful ending. I highly recommend it. There are some descriptions of teenage rebellion and occasional bad language.
