The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller is not too happy when her mother decides that she and her younger brother, Jonah, will be spending the summer with their father in Wilmington, North Carolina. It has been three years since her parents divorced and Ronnie has never forgiven him for walking out of their lives. She has not talked to him since then and although her mother is forcing her to go (since she is a few months short of turning 18 - and making her own decisions) she is determined to continue ignoring him until he either gets tired and sends her back to New York or leaves her alone long enough to survive the summer.

Ronnie's father, Steve, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of his local church. He is scared but at the same elated that his children will be spending the summer with him... he just has to work on winning his daughter back.

On Ronnie’s first night in town she meets a local girl named Blaze who introduces her to some of her friends, including her boyfriend Marcus. But Ronnie can tell these guys are bad news and when Marcus makes a pass at her she is quickly caught in a rough spot. Luckily for her, she also meets Will Blakely, local heartthrob. Will befriends her and although she puts up quite a fight she knows that Will is the type of guy you want to bring home to papa - the one you also fall head over heels for. As the summer progresses, Ronnie has to face some tough decisions, she has to learn to forgive and forget but, most importantly, to let her guard down and love.

Our story is beautifully told through several different perspectives - Ronnie, Steve, Will and even Marcus. These characters were so well-written and fleshed out, some you liked - some you didn't. They each had their own emotional baggage and it was a treat to see their transformation over this one summer - a boy grows up, a young woman emerges, a love blossoms, and a girl finds her way back.

I will admit that it did take me a couple of chapters to actually get into it, but once Will came into the picture - well, I found it hard not to fall in love with him the story. This is a coming of age story about the love between parents and their children, first love, loss, forgiveness and even... sea turtles. As a Nicholas Sparks fan, I was a bit reluctant to buy this one as I was disappointed with his last book - but he totally made up for it with this one. Oh, and one last bit of advice, keep your tissues on hand - I was sobbing for a good hour towards the end of this novel.