The Choice

“How far should a person go in the name of love?”

I've always enjoyed reading Nicholas Sparks' books because of the wonderful, sappy love stories he writes, not to mention his superb ability to make me cry like a baby. A lot of his stories follow similar plots with differences in characters and circumstances, of course, but nevertheless, he always crafts beautiful, heartwarming stories that keep me interested. Most of his books I've loved, others not quite as much. I enjoyed The Choice even though it wasn't one of my favorites and it was a fairly quick read for me. The story is told in two different times, in 1996 and 2007, with enough descriptions to help readers fill the gap and understand all that happened in between those years.

Gabby Holland is a physician assistant, intelligent, and new to Beaufort, North Carolina. She takes a job at the local pediatrician's office to be closer to her boyfriend who, ironically, never seems to have time for her and is always golfing. Gabby makes friends with her neighbor, Travis Parker, after she indignantly accuses his dog of impregnating her beloved Molly. Travis is the town veterinarian, alongside his father, and also enjoys nearly every outdoor activity. He has traveled the world and enjoys spending his weekends out on the boat with his close friends and their families. The first time he meets Gabby, he is enchanted with her and the two start spending a lot of time together. In the second part of the story, we are fast-forwarded to 2007 where Travis must make one of the most difficult decisions of his life, a choice that no person should have to make.

The Choice is an emotional tale of love, romance and the choices that we sometimes have to make, no matter how hard they may be. Even though this wasn't one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks books, I still enjoyed it and think it is worth reading. I am someone who prefers to read the book before I see the movie and I am definitely interested in the movie as well because I've enjoyed seeing how the books are adapted into films. If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, go ahead and read The Choice because it's a beautiful, emotional story about true love!