Robin’s Rave Reviews – 2022

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks gets a strong 4 1/2 stars!

Readers enjoy guessing how two storylines in a novel will cross. Not so easy with this one! Sparks doesn’t reveal it until a long way into the book. I kept guessing, and the anticipation kept me reading. I figured it out, but later than I’d like to admit. ; )

Beverly’s story:  She is on the run with her young son. I wanted her to successfully get away from an abusive husband and father, but to make the situation harder, he works for Homeland Security. That means he has access to many tools to try to locate them. I got involved in her story, but I was annoyed that some of the details in Beverly’s story felt like clips from Safe Haven. (That’s the only reason I didn’t give the book a full five stars.)

Colby’s story: Colby gave up his dream of writing music and singing when the aunt who raised him needed his help to save the family farm. After a few years of getting the farm running smoothly, it was time for Colby to take a break. He takes a working vacation as a musician when he lands a short-term gig in Florida. He meets Morgan who is vacationing with friends before her big move to Nashville. She is about to chase her dream of a music career. Colby and Morgan fall in love as they bond over writing songs, but Nashville calls to Morgan while Colby has obligations back at the farm. Is it possible to continue a summer romance as a long-distance relationship?

Readers will be doubting that these two very different stories could possibly match up, but they will. It’s worth the wait.  That’s the best part of the book. It’s what makes it stand out.

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks comes out Sept. 20, 2022, but you can pre-order a copy today!  If Dreamland sounds like a book you’d like, check out my past reviews on these Nicholas Sparks novels:  The Wish, Every Breath (and a feature on the Kindred Spirits mailbox), and Two By Two.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this novel. The opinions are my honest thoughts.

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