I’ve been a huge Nicholas Sparks fan for years now and have read everything he’s written so of course I had to read this one too. The Lucky One was a good read, maybe not as good as some of his earlier ones but I still really enjoyed it.
This novel centres mainly on Logan, Elizabeth, and Keith-Elizabeth’s ex-husband; it is told to us from their points of view.
Logan was a soldier who had served in Iraq. While there he finds this photo with a beautiful woman in it and after finding nobody to claim it, he keeps it with him all the time. It ends up becoming his good luck charm. He and his friend Victor believe it’s what brings him through the war alive.
After he leaves the war, he takes his friend Victor’s advice and sets out to search for and find Elizabeth who is the lady in the photo although he doesn’t know this at the time. He has some clues from the picture itself on which direction to head and he sets out to walk hundreds and hundreds of miles to get there with his dog in tow. He doesn’t know what to think. Does he owe this woman something for keeping him alive during the war? The power of a thought and belief can be a lifesaver when trying to survive the daily nightmare of the war. Victor believes that it is Logan and Elizabeth’s destiny to be brought together.
Logan finds Elizabeth. She lives with her Nana and her son Ben. Elizabeth is a teacher but Nana runs a dog kennel/training business and Logan manaages to secure himself a job there. From this point the story takes off and we’re drawn into Logan and Elizabeth’s relationship and its developments, along with a lot more on her not so nice ex, Keith. He is a cop and comes from a very influential family in the area and doesn’t hesitate to use his control over anybody and everybody if it suits his advantage.
I really enjoyed the story although the flashbacks to the war I found boring and I really don’t think they added anything to the story. My favorite character was Elizabeth although I really liked Nana’s spunkiness too. As usual Sparks managed to draw me completely into the characters and the story. I liked that this one had the romantic aspect with a touch of suspense too. It started out slowly for me but when it took off I had a hard time putting it down. I had to know how it was going to end. I think fans of Nicholas Sparks will enjoy this new novel of his and as a true fan, I look forward to whatever he offers up next.
Many thanks to Miriam at Hachette for sending me yet another good book to enjoy!
