Hi my shells! Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to hang out with me.
I hope you caught my last post on the Kindred Spirit mailbox located in the middle of nowhere on a North Carolina beach. People leave stories from their lives there for others to discover. (If you missed it, I hope you will look back in your email or go to the blog page on robinshelley.com to read it.)
I first became aware of this intriguing mailbox when I read Nicholas Sparks’s newest novel Every Breath, released in October of 2018. Sparks uses this very real mailbox as an important part of his fictional story. With a unique narration, Sparks puts himself into the novel creating a frame story (a story inside a story). The novel begins with Sparks (as the narrator) finding the mailbox 
which contains a large envelope. Inside is a story that piques his interest. As the narrator, Sparks tells us he felt compelled to research the story which takes us back into the 1990’s to meet our characters, Hope and Tru.
Hope Anderson is spending a week at the family beach house before it gets sold, trying to work through some emotional issues in her life. Her long-term relationship isn’t headed any closer to a marriage proposal and her father has been diagnosed with ALS.
Tru Walls, born and raised in Zimbabwe, makes a career out of being a safari guide. When he receives a letter from the father he never knew, he travels to North Carolina to meet him.
Tru and Hope end up in side-by-side beach houses. It doesn’t take long for them to meet and for the “sparks” to fly. The problem is to figure out how to make a relationship work when they live on different continents and both have obligations at home. The fairy tale beach romance gets overshadowed by reality. Hard choices are made putting family ahead of personal happiness. The story jumps to 2014 when they meet again. Is it too late for Hope and Tru to find their personal happiness with each other? I can’t tell you more or it will spoil the book for you! Just read it yourself.
Personally, I would have liked more scenes in Africa and more development of Tru’s relationship with his father. After all, Tru came all the way from Zimbabwe to the United States to meet him. It also bothers me that Hope and Tru fall so deeply in love in a matter of days, but that’s part of the formula. I’m able to set that aside while reading so I can enjoy an otherwise well-written story.
The last Nicholas Sparks book I reviewed, Two By Two, disappointed me because it didn’t fit the brand Sparks has developed. It wasn’t the love story we’ve come to expect from him. However, with Every Breath, Sparks has found his way back to telling a love story like previous ones loved by so many. There will always be people who don’t like the formula he follows. For others, it’s just what they crave. All I can say is it seems to work for him. I TRU-ly enjoyed Every Breath and give it a 4.8 on a 5 star rating. If this is your kind of book, I HOPE you will pick it up and give it a try. Keep on reading!
Yes I agree that this one was a better love story than Two by Two and yes Sparks’ formula is couple falling in love after knowing each other for at least two days. But that never bothered me.
The thing is it was hard for me to like Hope since I felt like she toyed with Tru and then went back to her noncommittal boyfriend. I didn’t think that was fair to Tru.
My favorite will always be Safe Haven. I could read that story over and over and it will still keep me at the edge of my seat!
Thanks for your input!
It doesn’t seem fair to Tru, but it does seem realistic to me. After all, she’s built a relationship with the boyfriend for years and only known Tru a few days. At least when she returns to her boyfriend, it isn’t the end of Hope and Tru’s story. We’ll let those who haven’t read it yet discover the rest on their own.
I agree about Safe Haven. It’s one of my favorites. I loved that he stepped up the level of suspense and action in the plot. I also love Message in a Bottle.