Lust or love? This is the question that Ronnie Miller must ask herself about her summer romance. The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks is filled with relatable conflicts of love and desire. Ronnie’s world is flipped upside down when her mother forces her and her younger brother, Jonah, to spend the summer in the Carolinas with their estranged father.
Ronnie, a misunderstood, rebellious teen avoids her father as best she can. Getting mixed up with the wrong crowd down at the beach, she finds herself in some rather unfortunate situations. Sparks does an incredible job of keeping this novel absolutely impossible to put down.
Playing the piano is something that Ronnie holds very close to her heart. Excelling in the art of music, she has played at Carnegie Hall, and received college scholarships. Thinking back to when her whole family lived together happily; the memory of playing the piano and writing music with her dad makes her cringe nowadays. Considering her found hatred towards her father, Ronnie has thrown away all of her dreams to be a pianist.
Will comes along, and though Ronnie isn’t usually the type of girl he goes for, he finds himself oddly infatuated with her. Noticing him, watching her and always bumping into her, Ronnie begins to connect the dots. Instead of the feeling of desire being mutual, Ronnie seems to be disgusted by the idea, and constantly turns him down.
As secrets begin to spill out along her summer journey’s, Ronnie begins to see her father in a whole new light. Rather than hating him, she starts to feel a sense of regret. None of her previous experiences in the city could have possible prepared her for what was about to happen.
Following Ronnie through her summer journey of love, and self reexaminations is definitely a thrill for any reader. Nicholas Sparks has penned a truly riveting novel. I rate this book four out of five stars. The Last Song is at the very top of my recommendations list.