Book Review: Message In A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

 “Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face - I know it's an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.”

― Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle

The second romantic book by American novelist Nicholas Sparks is titled Message in a Bottle. The novel takes place in Wilmington, North Carolina in the mid-late 1990s and covers the romantic topic of love after loss. This book served as the inspiration for the 1999 movie Message in a Bottle, which Kevin Costner produced and starred in.

Message in a Bottle, a suspenseful and intensely emotional novel, leads readers on a quest to discover the truth about a man and his memories as well as the sad frailty and immeasurable power of love. This heartbreakingly beautiful new Nicholas Sparks book about chance, desire, and the decisions that really count is for fans of The Notebook and readers eager to experience the magic of his writing.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, picks it up during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with:

My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together...

For "Garrett," the man who signs the letter, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Who are Garrett and Catherine? Where is he now? What is his story?

Challenged by the mystery, and pulled to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together by chance-or something more powerful-Theresa and Garrett are people whose lives are about to touch for a purpose, in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding that special someone and everlasting love.

My reaction to the novel...

It suddenly occurred to me to revisit the book after I read it many years ago. I recall how it caused my heart to break and how much it made me cry at the time. The moment I decide to read it again, the same thing occurs. This was the first Nicholas Sparks book I had ever read, I remembered and  I'm happy I gave Nicholas Sparks a shot at one point since he quickly became one of my favorite authors. His books certainly have a way of capturing my heart.

I adore Nicholas Sparks' writing style for his books. He is an expert at evoking feelings in readers, and this one is no different. Knowing him as a novelist, you can tell right away that the reader's experience isn't going to be happy with the outcome because that's how he writes his novels, so we can expect a sad ending. This book encourages you to adopt a new perspective on life and to value your possessions before they are taken from you. You start to value the little things the most. Some of this book can also be described as sad. I was unable to put this book down since the tale had me completely engrossed in its world. I was all too familiar with it and experienced both love and grief. It is executed flawlessly.

Actually, if I want to read anything that will make me cry, I always turn to Nicholas Sparks' works. Every time I read one of his novels, I am aware of what to expect, therefore this one does not surprise me. This book is absolutely intriguing and has just the right combination of passion, wit, drama, and detail. So simple to read, yet so profound. The main distinction is that the characters in the novel were more relatable. They were far more imperfect, but unmistakably real.

After reading this book once again, I still found myself dumbfounded. I still found it impossible to put the book down because I was still so intrigued by what would happen next. Its as if I'm reading the book for the first time. Every time I read a sad book or watch a sad movie, I cry, and I've never been embarrassed about it. But this book really made me cry more than once. If you prefer romances with happy endings, I don't believe this book is for you because of the terribly depressing ending. But you should absolutely give this book a go if you enjoy romances with painful scenes and heartbreaking endings.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

“Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy. Remember that.”

I really believe the adage that what we truly wish requires a great deal of work on our part because we know and feel that the effort is well worth it. Similar to our aspirations, success is first difficult to get, but if you believe it is valuable, you will put up with the difficulties.

“True love is rare, and it's the only thing that gives life real meaning.”

In particular in today's world, this is true. Finding your true love may be challenging, and sometimes we are so oblivious to them that we fail to notice that they are there in front of us since some people believe in fairy tales similar to the ones we enjoy reading for ourselves. True love brings true significance to one's life. Even though it's really difficult to find if you have confidence and believe in it, you will ultimately uncover it, therefore we must constantly keep our eyes and hearts open. 

“If you simply ignored the feeling, you would never know what might happen, and in many ways that was worse than finding out in the first place. Because if you were wrong, you could go forward in your life without ever looking back over your shoulder and wondering what might have been.”

All the what-ifs begin with this. In the beginning, you will suppress your emotions out of fear of what could happen. After some time has passed, you will consider it over once again. You'll consider all the potential outcomes if you had chosen a different course in life. Then, when you are prepared to take responsibility for your actions, you will learn that it has already been stolen from you... that the chance has already passed and you are already late. I experienced it repeatedly, and I'm aware that many other individuals also go through similar situations. But perhaps that is just the way things are, and in order to go on, we must accept it and take something positive from it. Even though it could hurt, going through it will help us get stronger and more prepared for life's next challenge.