A Bend in the Road By: Nicholas Sparks

Miles Ryan's life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. His high school sweetheart, Missy had been his first love, and Miles truly believes she will be his last. The sheriff of the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles Ryan not only grieves for Missy, but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice as well.


Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews. The second grade teacher of his only child Jonah, Sarah had left Baltimore after a difficult divorce to start over in the gentler surroundings of New Bern. Perhaps it is her own emotional wounds that makes her sensitive to the hurt she first sees in Jonah's eyes, and then his father's. Tentatively, Sarah and Miles reach out to each other. Soon, they are both laughing again for the first time in years -- and falling in love.

Neither will be able to guess how linked they are by a tie to the past that will force them to question everything they ever believed in -- a truth that can keep them apart forever.


A Bend in the Road is an exceptional book. With vibrant characters and a strong plot, this book exemplifies the life of a man struggling to get over the death of his wife. Miles Ryan, the main character is the main police officer in the town and everybody knows him. His character is more of the “gentile giant” type of person. His son Jonah is the friendly boy that everybody knows and loves to be around. The characters are somewhat based off of Nicholas Sparks’ family life which makes this a tremendously emotional story.


This book has unbelievable themes including love, life, death and family. Miles and Jonah are a small family in a small town. Their love for one another is unexplainable and forever lasting. Though the death of Jonah’s mother and Miles’ wife influences them both physically and emotionally, they stick together and stay strong. When Jonah’s new teacher Sarah tells Miles that Jonah is behind in school work, they work together to form a schedule that will work for them both to tutor him. Miles and Sarah develop a “friendship” that shapes their future relationship together. The themes in this book all tie together to form a heart wrenching story that you will never forget.

I do recommend this book to women of ages because any woman would LOVE this book. I haven’t read such a fantastic book in a long time. I believe that you should pick up this book and read it as soon as you can because it inspired me and possibly can inspire you too.

Look Again By: Lisa Scottoline

When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a "Have You Seen This Child?" flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops'the child in the photo is identical to her adopted son, Will. Her every instinct tells her to deny the similarity between the boys, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But shers"s a journalist and wonrs"t be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she canrs"t shake the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? She investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her own life'and that of the son she loves. Lisa Scottoline breaks new ground in Look Again, a thriller thatrs"s both heart-stopping and heart-breaking, and sure to have new fans and book clubs buzzing.


This book was non-stop action and entirely entertaining at all times. Lisa Scottoline really brings emotion to the tables and grabs your heart. As a reader I felt her pain, her love and the worries that she went through. The characters in this book were very thoughtfully made. They all have their own personalities. I like that the book not only talks about the search to see if Will is Timothy but also how it touches on Ellen’s job and love life. This book is the whole package… mystery, romance and life.



Ellen is tremendously brilliant and that helps her and the awareness of her surroundings. She is constantly moving (seems like all moms are) and she always digs deeper than she should when taking into consideration facts and dilemmas. Ellen strives hard to do her best as a single mother and has a fascinating interest in her job. She loves Will more than anything and through this whole book, you can see their relationship as it continually blooms into a beautiful disaster.


Lisa Scottoline is an amazing author! She wrote this book that turned out to be FANTASTIC and she should be proud of what she has done and created. This book is without a doubt one of the best books that I have ever read. It kept me entertained through the slower parts just by adding clues that make you guess what is going to happen next. This book is a page turner and I highly recommend it to women interested in novels that can be mysterious with romance.

Willow By: Julia Hoban

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

I personally like this book because it has many interesting twists and turns. At first it was pretty boring but I got into it abruptly. The book is pretty intense and has very descriptive and "real" characters. Willow is the main character (the girl who cuts herself) and she is always very depressed and in her own world. I believe that Willow is based off of what could be real teenagers in the world. Some are depressed and some cut. Willow doesn't have a outgoing and friendly personality and doesn't interact with people to well.


This book is at times heartbreaking because you feel for Willow, but at the same time it is sickening because the author goes into so much detail about Willow cutting herself. Which brings me to the detail. Willow is an extremely detailed book. The detail brings you into what is happenening and you can picture the entire book. You can feel the emotion and cuts. You can see the tears falling from the families eyes and the pain that they are all going through while trying to reach out to each other but afraid to hurt one and other.


I enjoyed reading this book and I definitely recommend this to young girl readers. In order to read this book you need to be prepared because the description is very nauseating and the whole plot is breathtaking. This book is unquestionably worth reading!