Book review - The return

It’s no secret that I have a slight obsession with Nicholas Sparks. The moment he announced his new novel, The Return, I pre-ordered my copy and proceeded to wait by the door for the postman. On a crisp September morning, the book finally made its way into my hands and I immediately made some tea, snuggled up on the couch and started reading.

​Nicholas Sparks’ 22nd book claimed its place into my heart like the 21 that came before it. For that reason, this review might seem a little biased, but I promise this is nothing but my raw and honest opinion. I also want to warn you that in my enthusiasm, I might reveal some minor spoilers, but I’ll try to be as cryptic as possible.

Coming from the writing hands of Nicholas Sparks, I expected a deep love story told in words that flow so well it seems to be written on silk. Once more, he did not disappoint. I’m always amazed at how Nicholas Sparks is still coming up with new love stories; after so many books, you’d think he’d written it all (although, love can be found literally anywhere, right?).  Somehow, he always finds a new perspective, and he still manages to teach valuable lessons about relationships. I love the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket that you get when you dive into one of his books. Perfect for feeling cozy during fall, if you ask me.

This specific story revolves around Trevor, who finds himself back in small town New Bern, North Carolina, to take care of his deceased grandfather’s house. There, he meets Natalie, a woman he almost instantly falls in love with, and Callie, a teenager with a mysterious past. While Trevor tries to piece together what happened to his grandfather and the place Callie had in his life, he also must face his own demons in order to move forward. Under all this is a story about love, friendship, family, and forgiveness. This book definitely has a very pronounced mystery aspect that keeps you reading; I’m usually a pretty chill reader, just going with the story, but I caught myself many times trying to predict the end and making up scenarios in my mind about the possible events that had taken place.

​I want to start by talking about the characters. I absolutely loved the character of Trevor, who’s wit and laid-back attitude reminded me of Travis, from The Choice (read that book review here). He has a sense of humor that adds a touch of comedy to the book, which is lacking from certain books from the same author. The way Trevor is so upfront about his attraction for Natalie is refreshing. I find that in most books from Nicholas Sparks, the love story develops in a very discreet manner, the main characters often being oblivious to it until the last second. That’s nice too, but there’s something enticing about people who are straightforward about their feelings and Trevor definitely was. Natalie, though, not so much. There’s a massive aura of mystery around her, so much so that she sometimes comes across as uninterested or bored. I didn’t start liking Natalie until the very last part of the book, where we finally learn more about her life (and even then…). The same goes for Callie, although the fact that she’s a teenager makes her sullenness more credible. Her character has a very beautiful storyline and you get to see her grow, which is one of the reasons why this book is so good. Natalie, unfortunately, doesn’t really evolve and puts a massive break on the whole story. That being said, and ironically, that break is perhaps necessary to make the story evolve. Furthermore, the book is written entirely from Trevor’s point of view, which adds to the mystery of both women.

​In a lot of his books, Nicholas Sparks includes the intense love story of two older characters, often with flashbacks or people reminiscing on grandparents or parents who passed away. This book is no exception. As the story progresses, you learn about Trevor’s grandparents and the pure love that united them. Those passages always make me smile and, placed next to the often more tumultuous love story that is developing between the main characters, they show a certain continuity; how love can still be there years and years later, as pure and as beautiful as before. The relationship between Trevor’s grandpa and his Rose reminded me of Ira and Ruth in The Longest Ride, by the same author. I think it’s pretty amazing that Nicholas Sparks manages to include two people who are dead and describe their love story in a way that makes them seem almost immortal.

​There’s something very important in this book that I want to highlight: Trevor’s grandfather was an apiarist, which means there’s a lot of talk about bees and honey woven into the story. I don’t know if it was done on purpose considering there’s been a lot of aweness about the importance of bees lately, but I found this little wink to real life genius. There’s a whole scene where Trevor shows Natalie his grandfather’s beehives and shares a lot of facts about bees, which was not only fascinating, but also a great way to educate the population on the work bees do that benefits the human race. I learned a lot from that scene alone.

​The end of the novel consists of a series of major surprises. Up until that point, I felt like the story was going pretty well and I wasn’t expecting any plot twists anymore. I had let my guard down and I was feeling on top of my game.
Man, was I awoken abruptly.
It all starts with the night at the water structure, where Trevor finds a drunken Natalie. Not to get confusing, but I thought the exact opposite of what happened was going to happen. Following that comes my favorite part of the book: Trevor and Natalie’s weekend escapade to investigate Callie’s past. At that point, I felt like I was catapulted into John Green’s Paper Towns, in the scene where Quentin and his friends embark on an epic and ultimate roadtrip to find the vanished girlfriend. Both journeys felt equally as exciting, like the world just opened up and anything at all could happen. 

​The final plot twist is when you learn why Natalie is so guarded. I must admit that at that point, I was a little disappointed and felt like that story had already been told, especially by Nicholas Sparks. However, I quickly switched gear when I saw that, once again, he had found a new perspective to explore. I was extremely relieved to realize that the most obvious path was not the path this story was taking. I think this ultimate plot twist sealed the deal for me, and I was sold. 

​Lastly, I have to say how pleasantly surprised I was at how Callie and Natalie’s paths don’t cross that much. I thought they would end up being related, or that their story would overlap, but they’re actually on two parallel lines and Trevor is almost the sole connection between them. That was very refreshing, since the “it’s all connected” narrative has been widely overused in the past years. 

All in all, I give this book at big 4 stars out of 5, maybe even four and a half. It was smart, thought provoking, engaging, and different. Oh, and I don’t think I even need to comment on the writing; as always, Nicholas Sparks’ words flow like honey and I wouldn’t dare say anything about them.

Grab your copy!

Much love,