Book #25 - The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

This is the second Sparks appearance on the blog, and I have to be honest - I had no desire to read this book. Due to my obsession with celebrity gossip, I remembered all of the hullabaloo when Nicholas Sparks said he was writing a novel with Miley Cyrus in mind for the female lead, and The Last Song was it. But, my mom happened to read it and said it was really good, so on our recent trip to northern Virginia, I hijacked her Kindle and devoured it in less than two days.

The Last Song follows Ronnie, a 17-year-old girl, and the summer she begrudgingly spends with her father in North Carolina. She hasn't spoken to him in three years and does not want to go, but is forced by her mother. Ronnie is also a piano prodigy, who was taught by her former Julliard professor father, Steve, and has refused to play since he and her mother divorced.

Ronnie goes into the summer with a bad attitude and many preconceived notions about why her father left her family. She ultimately falls in with the wrong crowd, and due to some previous indiscretions back home, lands in big trouble with the law. Between being furious with her dad and her teenage rebellion, she manages to meet Will, a handsome volleyball player from the town's richest family. They fall for each other and he helps her to realize that she needs to cut her father a little slack, especially when they receive the crushing news that Steve is terminally ill.

Ultimately, Ronnie re-establishes a relationship with her father and experiences her first love with Will. This book is another lesson in that it's never too late to make amends. It makes you think about any grudges you're holding, and how you'd feel if something happened to that person and all you've been doing is wasting precious time. Even though I wanted to boycott reading The Last Song, I'm glad I didn't. It helped to remind me how powerful young love can be and that you need to live each day as if it could be your (or someone you love's) last.