Book Review: Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

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, discovers it 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 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. Challenged by the mystery, and driven 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 either by chance or something more powerful, Theresa and Garrett's lives come together in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, 

Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is an achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most.

Published:    1st April 1998
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
Goodreads :  Click here
Series:  N/A
Source:  Bought
Review:   10 out of 10

Out of all of the books written by Nicholas Sparks, this one has a very special place in my heart.  This is the story that introduced me initially to the wonderfulness that is Nicholas Sparks.  I have to admit that it was not the book that brought me in, it was the movie that I watched first (absolutely love Kevin Costner lol!).  I fell in love with the story and when I realised that it was a book, I had to read that story and the rest, as they say, is history.

What I loved about this story...
What can I say, I absolutely love the way that Nicholas Sparks packs his story full of emotion, right from the beginning.  There are two characters to follow in this story.  The first being Theresa who at the beginning of the story we see that she is living with her son, having split up from her husband.  Her son is going to spend time with his father, which leaves Theresa spending some 'me time' at the beach staying with good friend.  This is when she discovers the message in a bottle, which to me seems to appear at the moment she needs it the most.  The second character is, of course, Garrett.  When we first see him in the story, he is suffering great pain from the loss of his wife and struggling  to cope.  I loved the character progressions of Theresa and Garrett.

What I was not fond of in this story...
Absolutely nothing! 

Movie  -v-  Book....
As mentioned above, this is the first book/movie I read/watched by Nicholas Sparks so they will both mean a lot to me.  With this story, I would have to say that I enjoy both the book and the movie equally (which is really rare for me to say about movie -v- book situations).  Between the book and the movie, there are subtle differences in the story which, for me, gives each an 'edge' which makes it slightly different from the other...