99 problems, and a book ain't one

Ok this might sound odd, but it wasn't really the romance that made me like this book. It was the characters. It was so easy for me to relate to the plight of a single mother struggling to get by.

Denise's story, at least in part was one that I could sympathize with. While my child never had any of learning disabilities that Kyle did, I still struggled with being a single mother of a young child trying to juggle being a mom and support our family on my own. It was one of the hardest and also most fulfilling times in my life. Denise's journey through raising her son and then starting to date as well was something that was so familiar to me that I couldn't help but be invested in her story. I loved her, and Kyle. I mean seriously, Kyle was adorable. Judy, Mitch and Melissa were also equally as loveable. I loved the way that Mitch and Melissa interacted with each other, it was so similar to how my guy and I are, lots of joking and lightheartedness.

Taylor was a little bit different for me. I loved how he was with Kyle, and initially how he was with Denise. And while I understand that he was struggling with his demons and all that, the more he started pulling away from Denise and her son, and the more I noticed how he really kept everyone at arms length, the more I in turn pulled away from him. And while the end was heartwarming and I was happy, I still couldn't look at him the same. Maybe that's because you really didn't get to see the real Taylor until all was lost at the end.

Oh and that ending was something. Again, it wasn't the romantic ending that tugged at my heart strings, it was the happening between Kyle and Denise, that did me in. I read through that part with tears in my eyes, it was beautiful and perfect. So while I found the romance to just be pretty much alright, I loved the family dynamic going on here. It was a sweet read and I will definitely be checking out more of Nicholas Sparks books in the future.