The Last Song- Megan Reid

Nicholas Sparks
Realistic Fiction
463 pages
10 billion out of 10- Oh yea it was that good!
Period 4

Before the summer, Ronnie had a purple streak in her hair, she shoplifted, she would stay out past her curfew partying at clubs in NY, she would argue with her Mom, and though she wouldn’t drink or do the drugs, Ronnie certainly was a rebellious girl. Ronnie hadn’t talked to her Dad since he left after the divorce 3 years ago. She was going to be 18 over the summer and she didn’t have any future planed. Playing the piano was certainly not in her future, even though she belonged at Julliard, no doubt about it. Ronnie’s mother decided to send her and her brother Jonah to their Dad’s for the summer, and although Ronnie’s mood had only made the situation seem worse than it was, the summer eventually changed her. I have to wonder what would Ronnie would be like if she had never gone to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina for the summer.

Well, she wouldn’t be a nice sister, and a nest of loggerheads wouldn’t have lived to see the ocean. She wouldn’t know the truth about her parent’s relationship, why they divorced and why her Dad moved away. Marcus wouldn’t be in jail, and Blaze might not be alive. She wouldn’t be in love with Will Blakelee, she wouldn’t have met Will’s sister Megan, and she wouldn’t have loved or even talked her father. The summer was an experience of love, realization, pain, faith and forgiveness. Will, Steve, and even young Jonah were a bit affected by the changes during the summer. Ronnie’s true love experience and her change of heart made for the perfect summer. This summer was Steve’s last chance with the kids to show them his love, a love that was greater than his love for life. Ronnie would have never guessed that one summer could change her life so drastically.

The Last Song is a perfect title for an incredible book. In all honesty, this is the best book that I have ever read. I would recommend this book for absolutely any person, any age (above 13 that is). I believe that male or female, young or old, this book can satisfy you somehow. Maybe not in as many ways as it did for me, but there is no denying how much it has to offer. Love is the theme throughout the whole book, and who doesn’t love a good book about love? This is definitely not one of those cheesy and ridiculous love series (*cough cough* like Twilight). The romance between Will and Ronnie is so genuine and it is NOT overly dramatized. In a feature video about the movie with Nicholas Sparks, he talks about his themes of love, faith, forgiveness, and family. These are all themes that I picked up on, and these are all themes that I feel strongly about in my own life. You can see the themes through the events in the book and through the characters. Tragedy, truth, personality and music are other ideas that branch off of the main themes of the book. The fact that all of these ideas and themes flow so well together just shows you how amazing Nicholas Sparks is as a writer and as a person who cares about these things. If you don’t believe me, check out his other brilliant works like A Walk to Remember and The Notebook.

Ronnie couldn’t be any more like myself. We know regret and heartbreak. She was lied to and she had to accept when she was wrong. She had to forgive, which I probably do too willingly lately. Will is the kind of guy that I would fall in love with, and I would want to spend the rest of my life with him. Jonah is almost like my brother Tyler, and Steve is like my dad in comparison of their faith. Ronnie has better control and understanding when it comes to her brother. I love the beach (my favorite place to be), I love animals, and I can be impatient much like Ronnie. To add another similarity, I know the feeling of not belonging. The truth and realness behind Ronnie and Will’s relationship is what touches me the most. You can see how perfect they are for each other and that is what I want in my life. The special people and the special moments are cherished throughout the book, and it reminds me to cherish the things in my own life. The simplicity of the book is relaxing and it makes the book enjoyable to read. Yet, the complexity of Ronnie’s life and what she is learning is so thrilling and captivating. You will not want to put the book down!