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Lieve John
John Tyree weet niet wat hij met zijn leven en zijn toekomst wil en stopt met school om in het leger te gaan. Tijdens een weekendverlof ontmoet hij de idealistische studente Savannah Curtis en verliest hij zijn hart volkomen aan haar. Na verloop van tijd zijn ze zo zeker van hun liefde dat ze willen trouwen zodra Johns diensttijd erop zit.
Maar dan slaat het noodlot toe, voor hen en voor vele Amerikanen: de aanslagen van 11 september zetten ieders leven op zijn kop en John voelt zich verplicht zijn diensttijd te verlengen. Het duurt zo lang voor John terugkeert, dat Savannah verliefd wordt op iemand anders en met hem trouwt. John blijft achter met een gebroken hart en de grootste uitdaging van zijn leven: Savannah is voor hem nog steeds de enige ware en hij zal zijn leven zonder haar weer zin moeten zien te geven.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2006
4892 people are currently reading
243599 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Sparks
426 books239k followersNicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 130 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 92 million copies in the United States alone.
Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel, At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice (2007), The Lucky One (2008), The Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010), The Best of Me (2011), The Longest Ride (2013), See Me (2015), Two by Two (2016), Every Breath (2018), The Return (2020), The Wish (2021), and Dreamland (2022), as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah. His twenty-fourth novel, Counting Miracles, will be published on September 24, 2024.
Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven (on all of which he served as a producer), The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars. The Notebook has also been adapted into a Broadway musical, featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson.
Sparks lives in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. He co-founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4×400 meters, as well as US High School National Records in the 800 Medley and 1600 Medley. Click to watch the Runner’s World video with Nicholas.
The Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was founded in 2011, to provide scholarships and fund educational programs for underprivileged and disadvantaged youth. Between the foundation, and the personal gifts of the Sparks family, more than $15 million dollars have been distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects. Because the Sparks family covers all operational expenses of the foundation, 100% of donations are devoted to programs.
Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel, At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice (2007), The Lucky One (2008), The Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010), The Best of Me (2011), The Longest Ride (2013), See Me (2015), Two by Two (2016), Every Breath (2018), The Return (2020), The Wish (2021), and Dreamland (2022), as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah. His twenty-fourth novel, Counting Miracles, will be published on September 24, 2024.
Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven (on all of which he served as a producer), The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars. The Notebook has also been adapted into a Broadway musical, featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson.
Sparks lives in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. He co-founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4×400 meters, as well as US High School National Records in the 800 Medley and 1600 Medley. Click to watch the Runner’s World video with Nicholas.
The Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was founded in 2011, to provide scholarships and fund educational programs for underprivileged and disadvantaged youth. Between the foundation, and the personal gifts of the Sparks family, more than $15 million dollars have been distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects. Because the Sparks family covers all operational expenses of the foundation, 100% of donations are devoted to programs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 13,697 reviews
December 8, 2009
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks is one of those books I've developed a love/hate relationship with. I love, love, love the first part of the book, and I immediately fell for the main character, John Tyree. But when he gets his Dear John letter, it was all down hill from there, and I have to say I was left in angst. The ending is to some extent depressing, but I do have to give it to Sparks because he paints a realistic picture. However, someone needs to let the man know that he's writing fiction and sometimes, it's okay to have a happily ever after. His readers would surely appreciate it.
About the book… John Tyree's life is spiraling down hill when he decides to join the army. During a leave, he comes home and meets Savannah, and that's when his life takes a turn. They fall in love, and because of her, he learns how to forge a relationship with his father. He returns to his base in Germany with the hopes of coming home to Savannah when his tour is over. Then 9/11 hits, and he makes a choice that will change his life forever.
Great story, with a realistic yet off-of-the-charts sad ending. Let's just say, I'll proceed with caution when choosing another Sparks book in the future.
About the book… John Tyree's life is spiraling down hill when he decides to join the army. During a leave, he comes home and meets Savannah, and that's when his life takes a turn. They fall in love, and because of her, he learns how to forge a relationship with his father. He returns to his base in Germany with the hopes of coming home to Savannah when his tour is over. Then 9/11 hits, and he makes a choice that will change his life forever.
Great story, with a realistic yet off-of-the-charts sad ending. Let's just say, I'll proceed with caution when choosing another Sparks book in the future.
September 26, 2007
Spoiler Alert - Though it started out really well, I hated the ending! In typical Sparks fashion, your not left with a happy ending. Though I have been a fan of his (The Notebook is one of my favorites), I am growing weary of these endings. I just don't like to invest my time and the roller coaster of emotions he sends you through only to be left unsatisfied. (If you've seen the movie Cold Mountain, you may get what I mean. I felt the same way at the end of it, "Hello...I spent 3 hours watching this movie for this!) Anyway, I felt like this could have been a really good book had it ended differently. I mean the poor guy is left with absolutely nothing, while (thanks to him)she goes off into the sunset with another man. Yes, it was a great selfless act that he did, but it doesn't make for a great ending. Did I mention the man was left with nothing! hehe
December 20, 2017
Reread 2017:
"When all is said and done, we do what we do for one another. For friendship. Not for country, not for patriotism, not because we're programmed killing machines, but because of the guy next to you. You fight for your friend, to keep him alive, and he fights for you, and everything about the army is built on this simple premise."
When I first read Dear John- I was an optimistic, romantic teenager. I gave it 3 stars because I wasn't happy with it's ending, I wanted the happily ever after.
Now I'm a more cynical 24 year old, and a lot of the issues and relationship troubles for John and Savannah resonate with me a lot more than they did for my younger, inexperienced self.
I've upped my rating to 4 stars. Though I'm not a fan of the insta-love beginning, their relationship while John goes back into the army and thereafter is much more convincing, and real. At least to me.
So heartbreaking though this story is; I enjoyed it more because it is believable, because things don't always go the way we plan, or even just the way we think. We are all just muddling along in this world, and if we find even a glimpse of the happiness this kind of love brings then we should think ourselves lucky, as it is usually fleeting.
"I also learned that it's possible to go on, no matter how impossible it seems, and that in time, the grief...lessens. It may not ever go away completely, but after a while it's not overwhelming."
******************************************
Original Review below - March 2012
******************************************
I'll be honest I struggled when reading Dear John.
I loved the film, but when I tackled the book I found that I actually preferred the film (I know i'm sorry)
There is little/no hope in this book for the two MCs. Now I like a sad tale as much as any pain loving masochist but this one hurt me greatly, mainly because we all know that is it unnecessary pain that could have been avoided!
Now this is just me, and we all know we can't always get what we want, but I just wanted so much more for Savannah and John's relationship.
It was heartbreaking, but more in the awful way than in a way I could willingly accept.
"When all is said and done, we do what we do for one another. For friendship. Not for country, not for patriotism, not because we're programmed killing machines, but because of the guy next to you. You fight for your friend, to keep him alive, and he fights for you, and everything about the army is built on this simple premise."
When I first read Dear John- I was an optimistic, romantic teenager. I gave it 3 stars because I wasn't happy with it's ending, I wanted the happily ever after.
Now I'm a more cynical 24 year old, and a lot of the issues and relationship troubles for John and Savannah resonate with me a lot more than they did for my younger, inexperienced self.
I've upped my rating to 4 stars. Though I'm not a fan of the insta-love beginning, their relationship while John goes back into the army and thereafter is much more convincing, and real. At least to me.
So heartbreaking though this story is; I enjoyed it more because it is believable, because things don't always go the way we plan, or even just the way we think. We are all just muddling along in this world, and if we find even a glimpse of the happiness this kind of love brings then we should think ourselves lucky, as it is usually fleeting.
"I also learned that it's possible to go on, no matter how impossible it seems, and that in time, the grief...lessens. It may not ever go away completely, but after a while it's not overwhelming."
******************************************
Original Review below - March 2012
******************************************
I'll be honest I struggled when reading Dear John.
I loved the film, but when I tackled the book I found that I actually preferred the film (I know i'm sorry)
There is little/no hope in this book for the two MCs. Now I like a sad tale as much as any pain loving masochist but this one hurt me greatly, mainly because we all know that is it unnecessary pain that could have been avoided!
Now this is just me, and we all know we can't always get what we want, but I just wanted so much more for Savannah and John's relationship.
It was heartbreaking, but more in the awful way than in a way I could willingly accept.
September 17, 2016
If Savannah can wait for 21 years to give her virginity to someone she loves...
Then why can't she wait a little bit longer for John to come back from the army???!!!
She's madly in love with him.
Is that what a nice and a sweet person supposed to do?!
I could handle the slowness and the too-much-narration of this book. but THAT THING, the one that I mentioned above... I couldn't take it. Really. She's just unbelievable. She doesn't even know what she really wants!
Okay, so, this is my second Nicholas Sparks's novel after A Walk to Remember, which I really loved. It tells a story of John Tyree who takes two weeks off from the army. Then he met a sweet girl named Savannah, who by chance did a volunteering in John's neighborhood. As you might already guess, they fall in love for each other. Really deep. They're quite certain they're gonna get married to each other and live happily ever after. Until 9/11 tragedy ruins everything.
I started reading this book 2 months ago but it stopped after I read chapter one. I liked it when John talking about his awkward relationship with his calm/quiet father, but my enthusiasm faded when he talked much about Savannah. It kinda boring to me. Maybe I'm not really into romance. But I don't think it should be that flat, right? What happened to John is love at first sight with a sweet, nice and almost perfect girl with almost no real conflict between them. Even their fight over Savannah's diagnosis of John's father didn't really move me. Tedious as before.
And then that moment came. When John's father got sick. My God, it was so depressing. Really. Even the single explanation of his father's condition broke me into tears. I really wish Sparks would talk more about Asperger syndrome that John's father suffered from rather than his agitating relationship with Savannah. And I think this is the main reason why I gave this book a three stars instead of two. It was all for John and his father relationship. <333
Alright, it's not always agitating when John narrated his relationship with Savannah. It was good near the end, though. The conflict was real. Even though Savannah became more hateful than before (at least to my own opinion), it was nice to finally read something interesting between them. What happened to John and Savannah in the end wasn't something that everyone would call a happily ever after, but it's still acceptable to me. Since, you know, i don't really adore this couple. :p
So that's all my review for this book. I really need to watch the movie again and decide which one is much better. And for you, who decides to read this book, enjoy yourself while reading it and be patient if you hate a slow pace story.
Then why can't she wait a little bit longer for John to come back from the army???!!!
She's madly in love with him.
Is that what a nice and a sweet person supposed to do?!
I could handle the slowness and the too-much-narration of this book. but THAT THING, the one that I mentioned above... I couldn't take it. Really. She's just unbelievable. She doesn't even know what she really wants!
Okay, so, this is my second Nicholas Sparks's novel after A Walk to Remember, which I really loved. It tells a story of John Tyree who takes two weeks off from the army. Then he met a sweet girl named Savannah, who by chance did a volunteering in John's neighborhood. As you might already guess, they fall in love for each other. Really deep. They're quite certain they're gonna get married to each other and live happily ever after. Until 9/11 tragedy ruins everything.
I started reading this book 2 months ago but it stopped after I read chapter one. I liked it when John talking about his awkward relationship with his calm/quiet father, but my enthusiasm faded when he talked much about Savannah. It kinda boring to me. Maybe I'm not really into romance. But I don't think it should be that flat, right? What happened to John is love at first sight with a sweet, nice and almost perfect girl with almost no real conflict between them. Even their fight over Savannah's diagnosis of John's father didn't really move me. Tedious as before.
And then that moment came. When John's father got sick. My God, it was so depressing. Really. Even the single explanation of his father's condition broke me into tears. I really wish Sparks would talk more about Asperger syndrome that John's father suffered from rather than his agitating relationship with Savannah. And I think this is the main reason why I gave this book a three stars instead of two. It was all for John and his father relationship. <333
Alright, it's not always agitating when John narrated his relationship with Savannah. It was good near the end, though. The conflict was real. Even though Savannah became more hateful than before (at least to my own opinion), it was nice to finally read something interesting between them. What happened to John and Savannah in the end wasn't something that everyone would call a happily ever after, but it's still acceptable to me. Since, you know, i don't really adore this couple. :p
So that's all my review for this book. I really need to watch the movie again and decide which one is much better. And for you, who decides to read this book, enjoy yourself while reading it and be patient if you hate a slow pace story.
August 5, 2016
This book needs to have a different title like maybe
The Rehash
or
The Tragic Tragedy
. Seriously how many times do we have to hear about the same scenes?!?!
Ok so I didn't hate it, but really it was a bit of an overload. I had it coming though, I mean what did I expect by picking up a Nicholas Sparks novel? Sparks is a popular author for a reason. His writing draws you in but not forcefully. The words gently tug you along and before you know it you have to finish the book. I will give him props for that because I'm not one of those people who has to see a book to the end, if it's not holding my interest I chuck it.
After I finished reading I literally was exhausted. It's like Sparks was sitting at his computer and thought about all the ways to make it romantically tragic. I can just see him now, "Aha! That will definitely be a tear jerker, I'm a genius!" Way overdone. I cannot say that enough. Don't get me wrong there a scenes where you are like that was good, but he tries to stick in too many. He is a master puppeteer when it comes to pulling your heart strings, basically merciless this guy.
The premise was interesting because I grew up as a military kid and I wanted see the perspective of a soldier without children. John is good in the beginning but then he changes pretty dramatically. In the first half of the book he keeps saying and my love grew stronger at least 4 or 5 times. Really John how much stronger can it get? There was this thing that really bothered me. He kept saying base but in the Army they call it a post, the Air Force calls military installations bases. The terms are of course are interchangeable and people use them both, but for the time John is in the Army he would have known that.
I would have rather read a story focused on John's relationship with his father and have Savannah as a side note. That would have been better. Kind of a let down and don't even feel like watching the movie anymore. Basically I'm saying to pick up something else if you are not into sappy, sad, melodramatic stories.
Ok so I didn't hate it, but really it was a bit of an overload. I had it coming though, I mean what did I expect by picking up a Nicholas Sparks novel? Sparks is a popular author for a reason. His writing draws you in but not forcefully. The words gently tug you along and before you know it you have to finish the book. I will give him props for that because I'm not one of those people who has to see a book to the end, if it's not holding my interest I chuck it.
After I finished reading I literally was exhausted. It's like Sparks was sitting at his computer and thought about all the ways to make it romantically tragic. I can just see him now, "Aha! That will definitely be a tear jerker, I'm a genius!" Way overdone. I cannot say that enough. Don't get me wrong there a scenes where you are like that was good, but he tries to stick in too many. He is a master puppeteer when it comes to pulling your heart strings, basically merciless this guy.
The premise was interesting because I grew up as a military kid and I wanted see the perspective of a soldier without children. John is good in the beginning but then he changes pretty dramatically. In the first half of the book he keeps saying and my love grew stronger at least 4 or 5 times. Really John how much stronger can it get? There was this thing that really bothered me. He kept saying base but in the Army they call it a post, the Air Force calls military installations bases. The terms are of course are interchangeable and people use them both, but for the time John is in the Army he would have known that.
I would have rather read a story focused on John's relationship with his father and have Savannah as a side note. That would have been better. Kind of a let down and don't even feel like watching the movie anymore. Basically I'm saying to pick up something else if you are not into sappy, sad, melodramatic stories.
May 7, 2020
Let me start off by saying that I am not a re-reader. My philosophy is why re-read when you can read something new, right? But when I saw the re-release of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (with Channing Tatum on the cover!!) and the fact that a movie was made based on the novel, I wanted to revisit John and Savannah.
I think it goes without saying that Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. If Sparks writes it, I will read it. His books are on my auto-buy list. It all started with the movie The Notebook. I was completely and utterly captivated with Noah and Allie's story. I wanted more. When I found out the movie was based on a novel, I went to the bookstore and picked it up and read my very first Nicholas Sparks novel. Then I read At First Sight, True Believer, Message in a Bottle....the list goes on and on. I fell in love with his writing style, the characters and with North Carolina (the state itself is a character in its own right in each of his novels). Sparks has a way of getting the reader immersed in his story, longing for more. He has a knack for pulling the reader right into the story.
Dear John is story of love, loss and emotion. It is a story that begs the question 'what if...?'. What if you took a different path in life? Would you still end up at the same destination? What if you made the wrong choice? Would you live to regret it? And what about the tougher questions, like how long would you wait for the one you love? Can love survive the distance?
John is a bit of a rebel but never fell too far off the right path. He was raised by his father, though the two weren't all that close. John had a hard time relating to his father. His father's coin collecting hobby kept them close for a short while. Over time, the two grew further apart. After high school, John realized he wasn't going anywhere in life so he enlisted with the Army for a 4-year tour.
Savannah is a girl who is pure and full of naïve innocence. She's an all-around good girl; you could even call her a goody two-shoes. She lives in a small town and is very close to her parents. She dreams of opening up a horse ranch for autistic kids. It is on a break from school, when she's volunteering for Habit for Humanity, that she meets John and the two fall quickly in love.
Neither John or Savannah were expecting to fall in love but their attraction was inevitable. His two-week furlough is up and he has to return to Germany. Savannah promises to wait for John to finish out his tour. The two continue their relationship through handwritten letters. Savannah writes first.
The two continue their relationship through romantic letters, then the events of 9/11 happen and John re-enlists. The distance and time apart put a toll on their relationship. And the questions of "what if...?" begin.
Dear John is one of my favorite reads by Nicholas Sparks. It is a story you will not soon forget. You will cry. Your heart will ache. You will find yourself asking "what if...?". Dear John is about a love lost but not forgotten. I don't agree with some of the choices made by either John or Savannah but John's selfless act at the end of the story made me proud. Have the tissues ready! If you love a good, seamless love story that pulls on your heart strings, then you need to read Dear John. In fact, you need to read everything by Nicholas Sparks. His stories of timeless, endless love will captivate your heart and stay with you.
A movie has been made based on this novel. To date, there have been 6 book-to-movie adaptions for Sparks' works. I have yet to see Dear John but I will definitely be getting the DVD once it gets released for my collection.
I think it goes without saying that Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. If Sparks writes it, I will read it. His books are on my auto-buy list. It all started with the movie The Notebook. I was completely and utterly captivated with Noah and Allie's story. I wanted more. When I found out the movie was based on a novel, I went to the bookstore and picked it up and read my very first Nicholas Sparks novel. Then I read At First Sight, True Believer, Message in a Bottle....the list goes on and on. I fell in love with his writing style, the characters and with North Carolina (the state itself is a character in its own right in each of his novels). Sparks has a way of getting the reader immersed in his story, longing for more. He has a knack for pulling the reader right into the story.
Dear John is story of love, loss and emotion. It is a story that begs the question 'what if...?'. What if you took a different path in life? Would you still end up at the same destination? What if you made the wrong choice? Would you live to regret it? And what about the tougher questions, like how long would you wait for the one you love? Can love survive the distance?
John is a bit of a rebel but never fell too far off the right path. He was raised by his father, though the two weren't all that close. John had a hard time relating to his father. His father's coin collecting hobby kept them close for a short while. Over time, the two grew further apart. After high school, John realized he wasn't going anywhere in life so he enlisted with the Army for a 4-year tour.
Savannah is a girl who is pure and full of naïve innocence. She's an all-around good girl; you could even call her a goody two-shoes. She lives in a small town and is very close to her parents. She dreams of opening up a horse ranch for autistic kids. It is on a break from school, when she's volunteering for Habit for Humanity, that she meets John and the two fall quickly in love.
Neither John or Savannah were expecting to fall in love but their attraction was inevitable. His two-week furlough is up and he has to return to Germany. Savannah promises to wait for John to finish out his tour. The two continue their relationship through handwritten letters. Savannah writes first.
Dear John,
There's so much I want to say to you, but I'm not sure where I should begin. Should I start by telling you that I love you? Or that the days I've spent with you have been the happiest in my life? Or that in the short time I've known you, I've come to believe that we were meant to be together? I could say all those things and all would be true, but as I reread them, all I can think is that I wish I were with you now, holding your hand and watching your elusive smile.
The two continue their relationship through romantic letters, then the events of 9/11 happen and John re-enlists. The distance and time apart put a toll on their relationship. And the questions of "what if...?" begin.
Dear John is one of my favorite reads by Nicholas Sparks. It is a story you will not soon forget. You will cry. Your heart will ache. You will find yourself asking "what if...?". Dear John is about a love lost but not forgotten. I don't agree with some of the choices made by either John or Savannah but John's selfless act at the end of the story made me proud. Have the tissues ready! If you love a good, seamless love story that pulls on your heart strings, then you need to read Dear John. In fact, you need to read everything by Nicholas Sparks. His stories of timeless, endless love will captivate your heart and stay with you.
A movie has been made based on this novel. To date, there have been 6 book-to-movie adaptions for Sparks' works. I have yet to see Dear John but I will definitely be getting the DVD once it gets released for my collection.
September 2, 2015
OK, so...I finally finished. Like a lot of other people, I read this simply because I saw the preview for the movie and I HAVE to read a book before I see the film adaptation. In this case, I really wish I wasn't so anal retentive.
Anyhoo, the book. Typical Sparks fare - star-crossed lovers, torn apart by fate, life, what have you. I really enjoyed the interaction between John and his father a lot more than I did his relationship with Savannah, maybe because it seemed far more real. I never warmed up to Savannah, even though she was supposed to be the perfect, lovely Southern young lady. And, like SO many other reviews on here, I too thought the ending was horrid. As I was nearing the end of my audiobook, I knew exactly how it would end, but I still had another disc to go. It was seriously painful...I can get behind tragic/unrequited love stories, but this one just seemed so pointless. John literally gives up everything he has in his entire life for someone who treats him badly for 90% of their relationship. I always know what I'm getting myself into with a Sparks book, but in this case I left feeling totally dissatisfied; it's like when you go to a buffet, and you know what you're about to eat is terrible for you, but you binge anyways and have massive regrets immediately afterward. I'll still go see the movie, mostly because my sister-in-law is super excited to see it, but part of me hopes this is one of those instances where Hollywood romanticizes things and changes the ending. This book could really use it.
Anyhoo, the book. Typical Sparks fare - star-crossed lovers, torn apart by fate, life, what have you. I really enjoyed the interaction between John and his father a lot more than I did his relationship with Savannah, maybe because it seemed far more real. I never warmed up to Savannah, even though she was supposed to be the perfect, lovely Southern young lady. And, like SO many other reviews on here, I too thought the ending was horrid. As I was nearing the end of my audiobook, I knew exactly how it would end, but I still had another disc to go. It was seriously painful...I can get behind tragic/unrequited love stories, but this one just seemed so pointless. John literally gives up everything he has in his entire life for someone who treats him badly for 90% of their relationship. I always know what I'm getting myself into with a Sparks book, but in this case I left feeling totally dissatisfied; it's like when you go to a buffet, and you know what you're about to eat is terrible for you, but you binge anyways and have massive regrets immediately afterward. I'll still go see the movie, mostly because my sister-in-law is super excited to see it, but part of me hopes this is one of those instances where Hollywood romanticizes things and changes the ending. This book could really use it.
June 23, 2011
Opening Line: "My name is John Tyree. I was born in 1977, and I grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina..."
You can always tell you're reading a great book when you find yourself skipping ahead into the final chapters to see how things will be resolved, even though you've vowed you wouldn't. Love doesn't always have a happy ending (especially when it comes to a Nicholas Sparks novel) and this is a wonderful, albeit quick tear-jerking romance.
Our hero John grew up with a silent, meticulously organized father that he didn't understand. In his teens he began to rebel, hanging out, playing pool and drinking. This continues for a number of years with John working menial jobs, getting several tattoos and going nowhere fast. Eventually John decides its time to grow up and he joins the army. In fact it's during 2 weeks leave that he first meets Savannah, diving into the ocean to rescue her sinking purse. Savannah is your stereotypical good-girl; raised in a stable family she's kind, pretty and hopes to save the world. It's also love at first sight for our couple despite the warnings from her tattoo phobic college friends. Together the pair plans a future together, counting down the days until John's discharge as Savannah helps him understand his father and he in turn feels contentment for the first time in his life.
On Sept 11 everything changes as John in a moment of patriotic loyalty chooses to re-up in the army, putting a hold on their marriage plans while he enters the war in Iraq. The two try to maintain a long distance relationship but the war changes John and the years apart put a strain on their deep love. When John's father grows ill he returns home but will he be too late to save both his relationship with his father and the love of his life?
I fell in love with John's character and surprisingly his father too. Each is well written and they felt like real people. I also enjoyed reading about John's military career and the reasons that take men into a war. Savannah as the heroine was a little too perfect for me but their heartbreaking love story and the regret that they both share will keep you up into the wee hours, and leave you wondering about John long after you've finished reading its bittersweet ending.
Another great read from Nicholas Sparks that I would definitely recommend. Oh, and John if you're out there, I'm single...
You can always tell you're reading a great book when you find yourself skipping ahead into the final chapters to see how things will be resolved, even though you've vowed you wouldn't. Love doesn't always have a happy ending (especially when it comes to a Nicholas Sparks novel) and this is a wonderful, albeit quick tear-jerking romance.
Our hero John grew up with a silent, meticulously organized father that he didn't understand. In his teens he began to rebel, hanging out, playing pool and drinking. This continues for a number of years with John working menial jobs, getting several tattoos and going nowhere fast. Eventually John decides its time to grow up and he joins the army. In fact it's during 2 weeks leave that he first meets Savannah, diving into the ocean to rescue her sinking purse. Savannah is your stereotypical good-girl; raised in a stable family she's kind, pretty and hopes to save the world. It's also love at first sight for our couple despite the warnings from her tattoo phobic college friends. Together the pair plans a future together, counting down the days until John's discharge as Savannah helps him understand his father and he in turn feels contentment for the first time in his life.
On Sept 11 everything changes as John in a moment of patriotic loyalty chooses to re-up in the army, putting a hold on their marriage plans while he enters the war in Iraq. The two try to maintain a long distance relationship but the war changes John and the years apart put a strain on their deep love. When John's father grows ill he returns home but will he be too late to save both his relationship with his father and the love of his life?
I fell in love with John's character and surprisingly his father too. Each is well written and they felt like real people. I also enjoyed reading about John's military career and the reasons that take men into a war. Savannah as the heroine was a little too perfect for me but their heartbreaking love story and the regret that they both share will keep you up into the wee hours, and leave you wondering about John long after you've finished reading its bittersweet ending.
Another great read from Nicholas Sparks that I would definitely recommend. Oh, and John if you're out there, I'm single...
August 30, 2007
Mom recommended this one- I hate Nick Sparks' writing. It's too simplistic and yet too formal. In my opinion, no one in this day and age is allowed to use "for" when they mean "because." Too plot driven and he spells everything out. I might have loved this in 7th grade...
April 16, 2025
Me resulta imposible darle más estrellas. De verdad.
Yo no soy una experta del género de romance en cualquier ámbito, por lo general suelo evitarlo por entero. Me gusta que el romance se mezcle entre la historia que estoy leyendo pero nunca he disfrutado una historia que sea en base al puro romance, sobre todo cuando se trata de uno tan poco realista como este. Y quizá esto se deba a que nunca he amado a alguien lo suficiente como para justificar un querer tan extremo como el de Savannah y John... pero a ver.
Se conocieron. Al día siguiente salieron. A los tres días ya se dijeron te quiero. A la semana el tipo se fue a cumplir con su servicio de milicia en Alemania. Se enviaban cartas, cartas que yo esperaba leer para comprender las emociones tan profundas que tenían por el otro (solo mostraron como dos, ni al caso.) Cuando el tipo sale dos semanas de vacaciones va a verla y se pelean por cosas tan sencillas que te estresas. Si algo te disgusta ¿por qué lo vas a ocultar hasta el punto de provocar una pelea?
Esta ''relación'' es lo más irreal que he leído en AÑOS. Se vieron por un total de tres semanas y el resto de su relación fue a través de distancia. Pasaron otros años más sin verse y me vas a venir a decir que esa pasión de tres semanas sigue intacta, inamovible, sigue latiendo fervientemente... Hazme el favor. John y Savannah apenas y se conocían. No hablo de conocer sus secretos o situaciones familiares, me refiero a despojarse de las idealizaciones que ambos tienen del otros, ideas que parecían desvanecerse y aclararse en los últimos capítulos pero que se desmoronan en las últimas páginas para que como lector te quedes satisfecho de que el amor lo puede todo y que debes aferrarte a la persona que conociste durante tres semanas con todas tus fuerzas.
Me parece una barbaridad, por no utilizar otra palabra.
Yo no soy una experta del género de romance en cualquier ámbito, por lo general suelo evitarlo por entero. Me gusta que el romance se mezcle entre la historia que estoy leyendo pero nunca he disfrutado una historia que sea en base al puro romance, sobre todo cuando se trata de uno tan poco realista como este. Y quizá esto se deba a que nunca he amado a alguien lo suficiente como para justificar un querer tan extremo como el de Savannah y John... pero a ver.
Se conocieron. Al día siguiente salieron. A los tres días ya se dijeron te quiero. A la semana el tipo se fue a cumplir con su servicio de milicia en Alemania. Se enviaban cartas, cartas que yo esperaba leer para comprender las emociones tan profundas que tenían por el otro (solo mostraron como dos, ni al caso.) Cuando el tipo sale dos semanas de vacaciones va a verla y se pelean por cosas tan sencillas que te estresas. Si algo te disgusta ¿por qué lo vas a ocultar hasta el punto de provocar una pelea?
Esta ''relación'' es lo más irreal que he leído en AÑOS. Se vieron por un total de tres semanas y el resto de su relación fue a través de distancia. Pasaron otros años más sin verse y me vas a venir a decir que esa pasión de tres semanas sigue intacta, inamovible, sigue latiendo fervientemente... Hazme el favor. John y Savannah apenas y se conocían. No hablo de conocer sus secretos o situaciones familiares, me refiero a despojarse de las idealizaciones que ambos tienen del otros, ideas que parecían desvanecerse y aclararse en los últimos capítulos pero que se desmoronan en las últimas páginas para que como lector te quedes satisfecho de que el amor lo puede todo y que debes aferrarte a la persona que conociste durante tres semanas con todas tus fuerzas.
Me parece una barbaridad, por no utilizar otra palabra.
April 26, 2013
I would recommend this read to anyone who wanted something easy to read that would NOT make you think.
Dear John,
Next time fate smiles on you: Finish your time in the Army, let fate take its course with the husband of the woman you love, Marry your soul mate, raise the autistic child of the fore mentioned and now deceased husband of the woman you love, keep your father's coin collection to honor his memory, have two children with your soul mate, and... OK finally sell the coins to pay for your children's education.
Yours truly, sanity
P.S. Have fun howling at the moon every month...you bleeding heart sapp!!!
Dear John,
Next time fate smiles on you: Finish your time in the Army, let fate take its course with the husband of the woman you love, Marry your soul mate, raise the autistic child of the fore mentioned and now deceased husband of the woman you love, keep your father's coin collection to honor his memory, have two children with your soul mate, and... OK finally sell the coins to pay for your children's education.
Yours truly, sanity
P.S. Have fun howling at the moon every month...you bleeding heart sapp!!!
August 8, 2022
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Nicholas Sparks is my “go-to” author, when it comes to romance. Or when it comes to not-happy-ever-after and I want to cry. It’s a gamble when I pick one of his books, never knowing whether the couple will stay together. But one thing always happens – I do cry. Every single time. Dear John was nothing different. A love story between a US Army Soldier who comes home for a break and a girl he meets in his hometown, who’s there for a volunteering project over the summer.
Savannah is so different from the other girls, so caring and so generous in everything she does. And when they meet with John, it is love at first sight. They spend an amazing time together, but then 9/11 happens and John feels the responsibility to re-enlist. And this long separation makes Savannah fall in love with someone else.
Dear John is one of those books that always makes me cry, and always leaves me with a pain in my heart, as if I have suffered all the pain. It is very emotional and real to the core. After I finished it this time around, I just wanted to consume all the pain John felt and lessen his burden. There is something about his character that makes me care so much.
“What does it mean to truly love another?”
Dear John covers a lot of important topics that are still relevant, even today.
For example, how re-enlisting in the army is expected, and is considered a duty, rather than a choice. When it seems like it’s a choice, but if you choose “wrongly” it’s frowned upon – I don’t consider that free will. And from experience, leaving the army is probably the biggest labyrinth of administration ever made.
Another topic that I greatly appreciated in Dear John was the subject of autism. John has a very troublesome relationship with her father due to this, and not knowing of his dad’s situation, he reacts in a certain way. And I love how Savannah is there to support him, and bond with his dad as well. I loved his hobby – coin collecting. As a stamp collector, I know how much joy there is in finding something rare, and finally completing a set. I was very sad about the outcome on this particular topic, but it is what it is.
Savannah – I will never understand why she made the decisions that she did. I know that she made the mistake, and I think every reader knows it. Which is why this book hurts the way it does. It pains me to the core, because I know it is true love, but they are just never meant to be. And that last chapter says everything.
And John. Dear John.
My heart goes to him, for everything he goes through. His pain is too much to handle, and I will always remember him as the sad hero that was never able to be with his true love.
“And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever.”
I want to say that I recommend it to you all, but I know it will make you cry. I’m not recommending this because it will make you sad. I am recommending this for the experience. And for all the never-after loves.
Nicholas Sparks is my “go-to” author, when it comes to romance. Or when it comes to not-happy-ever-after and I want to cry. It’s a gamble when I pick one of his books, never knowing whether the couple will stay together. But one thing always happens – I do cry. Every single time. Dear John was nothing different. A love story between a US Army Soldier who comes home for a break and a girl he meets in his hometown, who’s there for a volunteering project over the summer.
Savannah is so different from the other girls, so caring and so generous in everything she does. And when they meet with John, it is love at first sight. They spend an amazing time together, but then 9/11 happens and John feels the responsibility to re-enlist. And this long separation makes Savannah fall in love with someone else.
Dear John is one of those books that always makes me cry, and always leaves me with a pain in my heart, as if I have suffered all the pain. It is very emotional and real to the core. After I finished it this time around, I just wanted to consume all the pain John felt and lessen his burden. There is something about his character that makes me care so much.
“What does it mean to truly love another?”
Dear John covers a lot of important topics that are still relevant, even today.
For example, how re-enlisting in the army is expected, and is considered a duty, rather than a choice. When it seems like it’s a choice, but if you choose “wrongly” it’s frowned upon – I don’t consider that free will. And from experience, leaving the army is probably the biggest labyrinth of administration ever made.
Another topic that I greatly appreciated in Dear John was the subject of autism. John has a very troublesome relationship with her father due to this, and not knowing of his dad’s situation, he reacts in a certain way. And I love how Savannah is there to support him, and bond with his dad as well. I loved his hobby – coin collecting. As a stamp collector, I know how much joy there is in finding something rare, and finally completing a set. I was very sad about the outcome on this particular topic, but it is what it is.
Savannah – I will never understand why she made the decisions that she did. I know that she made the mistake, and I think every reader knows it. Which is why this book hurts the way it does. It pains me to the core, because I know it is true love, but they are just never meant to be. And that last chapter says everything.
And John. Dear John.
My heart goes to him, for everything he goes through. His pain is too much to handle, and I will always remember him as the sad hero that was never able to be with his true love.
“And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever.”
I want to say that I recommend it to you all, but I know it will make you cry. I’m not recommending this because it will make you sad. I am recommending this for the experience. And for all the never-after loves.
August 2, 2007
This was a great book! I'm a huge Nicolas Sparks fan & have read all of his books now:) This is one of my favorites! Great story, easy to read, & it really sucks you in!
Ok, I loved it!!! When is Nicolas coming out with a new book!?!?!?
Ok, I loved it!!! When is Nicolas coming out with a new book!?!?!?
July 5, 2019
“I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.”
― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John
It was so sad! I loved the sweet story about John and Savannah. I also cried my eyes out. What is it about Sparks that does that? I do not read much romance, not anywhere as near as much as I used to but Sparks is the gold standard of romance novels and I will continue to happily read his work.
Although my favorite of his still remains "The Notebook", this book charmed me and its sweetness just wraps itself around you. Without revealing any spoilers, I'd say if you choose to read this have some kleenex on hand although if you've read Sparks before you likely know this.
A great book..a must read for romance novels fans.
― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John
It was so sad! I loved the sweet story about John and Savannah. I also cried my eyes out. What is it about Sparks that does that? I do not read much romance, not anywhere as near as much as I used to but Sparks is the gold standard of romance novels and I will continue to happily read his work.
Although my favorite of his still remains "The Notebook", this book charmed me and its sweetness just wraps itself around you. Without revealing any spoilers, I'd say if you choose to read this have some kleenex on hand although if you've read Sparks before you likely know this.
A great book..a must read for romance novels fans.
March 24, 2009
DISAPPOINTING!!!!!! This poor guy gives literally everything he has to a woman he loved for a few months when he was a kid and leaves himself with nothing by the age of 30 so she can help her sick husband live? Sorry - not the romantic story I was looking for. Yeah, it's great for little Miss Savanah, but poor John ends up 3o with his whole entire life ahead of him and nothing to show for his past (including the only things his father held dear) or to share with the family we have to hope he eventually has.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2023
”What does it mean to truly love one another?”
It stands to reason that a Nicholas Sparks novel will have this as its opening line. And at first glance you’d assume to apply this to the story of John and Savannah. The two who love quickly and deeply, yet circumstances keep them apart.
Yet having finished this book a few days ago, I now think it involves all kinds of relationships, not just romantic. As this book taps into all kinds of love. Unrequited love, the love of a sibling, love between best friends, familial love. And yes, romantic love. All equally important, and all equally capable of having you soaring the heights or leaving your heart shattered in a million pieces.
As kismet would have it, Cupid’s arrow struck gold the day that John Tyree and Savannah Lee Curtis’ paths crossed one late afternoon. He was on leave from his army base in Germany, she was on leave from college. The two opposites found their differences complemented each other. He being a bit of a bad boy who joined the army as he had nothing better do do, she being keen to earn her education degree to help children with learning difficulties. John was brought up in a single parent family. His father a painfully shy man who found it difficult to communicate with his son, the conversation often running out before it had even started. Savannah grew up in a warm family environment with parents who were still madly in love and happy as clams.
As fate must intervene in a story such as this, despite desperately wanting to be together, John continues to re-enlist for another term with the army. September 11 changed his perspective of the world, and felt it his obligation to do so. Savannah, as is understandable, finds it harder to wait for him, with no end date in sight.
There are beautiful passages of both looking up at the night sky when the Full Moon is shining. Each knowing that the other is also gazing at the same Moon.
”Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle and an end. And although this is the way all stories unfold, I still can’t believe that ours didn’t go on forever.”
Broken up into three parts, the story follows the first meeting of John and Savannah. Part One is the giddy feeling of falling in love. Where anything seems possible. We learn about army life from John’s perspective, his love of surfing when on leave, and his awkward relationship with his father. Savannah’s calm and optimistic (altruistic even) personality shines through, with her spending her summer break helping a charity build a home for those less well off.
Part Two has the relationship somehow surviving the distance, with endless letters going back and forth between John and Savannah. Until September 11. Until John re-enlists again. Until he receives the letter he never wanted to, starting with the words Dear John…
Part Three shows the reality of life. Both having to deal with heartache after the illness and loss of loved ones. The difficulty of trying to cope with such life altering situations. And where people’s true colours are shown. What would you do for a friend you loved, but could no longer be in love with?
The ending! The prologue and epilogue segue into one another, into such a beautifully poignant way. While I had a feeling it would be sad, I was surprised at how much it affected me. And got me to thinking about how many pieces of ourselves we leave with the people we love.
Is it formulaic? Quite possibly. But it didn’t bother me. It had been many many years since I last read a Nicholas Sparks novel, and I have to say that I enjoyed this very much. There’s a comfort level in knowing that you’ll be told a story in a straightforward manner with no bells and whistles, and that the characters are ordinary people with their own struggles. This was just the book I needed, and I’m now tempted to go and dig out my other Nicholas Sparks books and delve between their pages again.
3.5 stars ⭐
It stands to reason that a Nicholas Sparks novel will have this as its opening line. And at first glance you’d assume to apply this to the story of John and Savannah. The two who love quickly and deeply, yet circumstances keep them apart.
Yet having finished this book a few days ago, I now think it involves all kinds of relationships, not just romantic. As this book taps into all kinds of love. Unrequited love, the love of a sibling, love between best friends, familial love. And yes, romantic love. All equally important, and all equally capable of having you soaring the heights or leaving your heart shattered in a million pieces.
As kismet would have it, Cupid’s arrow struck gold the day that John Tyree and Savannah Lee Curtis’ paths crossed one late afternoon. He was on leave from his army base in Germany, she was on leave from college. The two opposites found their differences complemented each other. He being a bit of a bad boy who joined the army as he had nothing better do do, she being keen to earn her education degree to help children with learning difficulties. John was brought up in a single parent family. His father a painfully shy man who found it difficult to communicate with his son, the conversation often running out before it had even started. Savannah grew up in a warm family environment with parents who were still madly in love and happy as clams.
As fate must intervene in a story such as this, despite desperately wanting to be together, John continues to re-enlist for another term with the army. September 11 changed his perspective of the world, and felt it his obligation to do so. Savannah, as is understandable, finds it harder to wait for him, with no end date in sight.
There are beautiful passages of both looking up at the night sky when the Full Moon is shining. Each knowing that the other is also gazing at the same Moon.
”Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle and an end. And although this is the way all stories unfold, I still can’t believe that ours didn’t go on forever.”
Broken up into three parts, the story follows the first meeting of John and Savannah. Part One is the giddy feeling of falling in love. Where anything seems possible. We learn about army life from John’s perspective, his love of surfing when on leave, and his awkward relationship with his father. Savannah’s calm and optimistic (altruistic even) personality shines through, with her spending her summer break helping a charity build a home for those less well off.
Part Two has the relationship somehow surviving the distance, with endless letters going back and forth between John and Savannah. Until September 11. Until John re-enlists again. Until he receives the letter he never wanted to, starting with the words Dear John…
Part Three shows the reality of life. Both having to deal with heartache after the illness and loss of loved ones. The difficulty of trying to cope with such life altering situations. And where people’s true colours are shown. What would you do for a friend you loved, but could no longer be in love with?
The ending! The prologue and epilogue segue into one another, into such a beautifully poignant way. While I had a feeling it would be sad, I was surprised at how much it affected me. And got me to thinking about how many pieces of ourselves we leave with the people we love.
Is it formulaic? Quite possibly. But it didn’t bother me. It had been many many years since I last read a Nicholas Sparks novel, and I have to say that I enjoyed this very much. There’s a comfort level in knowing that you’ll be told a story in a straightforward manner with no bells and whistles, and that the characters are ordinary people with their own struggles. This was just the book I needed, and I’m now tempted to go and dig out my other Nicholas Sparks books and delve between their pages again.
3.5 stars ⭐
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July 31, 2021The glow of silence. John, is a US Soladat stationed in Europe. While on leave at home, he meets and falls in love with Savannah. But his time as a Soladat demands a lot and so they have a long-distance relationship, which unfortunately doesn't last very long. But love never fades. I was a little disappointed with the book. I know the film and was very excited about the book, but the book never grabbed me. I'm not used to that from Nicholas Spark at all. His books usually grab me very quickly and a lot, but this book just didn't do it. There is no climax, it just goes on and on and that disappointed me.
August 12, 2018
I took the recommendation of a female friend whom I respect highly and bought this book, but when I first looked at it, put it aside figuring it was a romance novel that would only appeal to women. How wrong I was.
The "leading man", John Tyree, a US Army sergeant who served in Bosnia and Iraq, was a highly sympathetic character, as was "leading lady" Savannah.
Not only were the characters good, but the plot was also.
The book moved very quickly and I finished it in one sitting, and then had to eat crow to the woman who recommended it to me. I just bought four more Sparks novels from Amazon, the book was that much fun to read, even for this curmudgeonly retired wire service reporter.
The "leading man", John Tyree, a US Army sergeant who served in Bosnia and Iraq, was a highly sympathetic character, as was "leading lady" Savannah.
Not only were the characters good, but the plot was also.
The book moved very quickly and I finished it in one sitting, and then had to eat crow to the woman who recommended it to me. I just bought four more Sparks novels from Amazon, the book was that much fun to read, even for this curmudgeonly retired wire service reporter.
January 17, 2008
I was looking for a book to read for the El trip home but didn't have time to really search. This was in the discard section of the library and I grabbed it thinking that it couldn't be that bad. After all, the Notebook was a good guilty pleasure. Could not have been more wrong. Ugh. I wanted to tear my eyes out and stomp on them after reading this. I felt dirty and compromised as if I had too much to drink one night and woke up next to a naked Mike Huckabee. This book was beyond preachy and condescending. Ooof. I have to finish books when I start them so I read this to the end. And then I threw it across the room. So long rant short, I did not enjoy this book.
September 6, 2013
Here's the last sentences from the epilogue that really made a deep tug at my heartstrings.
"She pauses then and crosses her arms, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one has followed her. Finally, she seems to relax. And then I feel as if I'm witnessing a miracle, as ever so slowly she raises her face toward the moon. I watch her drink in the sight, sensing the flood of memories she's unleashed and wanting nothing more than to let her know I'm here. But instead I stay where I am and stare up at the moon as well. And for the briefest instant, it almost feels like we're together again."
Before coming up with those wonderful words, I would have rated it 3.5 or 4. I am not expecting this to be that good because of the movie that I used to watch first. I really can't help but think of Savannah Lynn Curtis and John Tyree whenever I'm staring at the full moon.
"She pauses then and crosses her arms, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one has followed her. Finally, she seems to relax. And then I feel as if I'm witnessing a miracle, as ever so slowly she raises her face toward the moon. I watch her drink in the sight, sensing the flood of memories she's unleashed and wanting nothing more than to let her know I'm here. But instead I stay where I am and stare up at the moon as well. And for the briefest instant, it almost feels like we're together again."
Before coming up with those wonderful words, I would have rated it 3.5 or 4. I am not expecting this to be that good because of the movie that I used to watch first. I really can't help but think of Savannah Lynn Curtis and John Tyree whenever I'm staring at the full moon.
February 10, 2013
I can read this book a million times and i am sure that i'll cry each time. Why does love has to be so difficult,why does Nicholas Sparks always has to make me cry? Why does he has to write such books which are so amazing and wonderful and frustratingly good?.I mean this is so unfair,everytime i pick Nicholas spark's book I know at the end I am gonna cry and amazingly I am gonna love the book immensely.I cried a little reading The Notebook and A walk to remember which were good but Dear John is just awesome so hope everyone would understand how much I have cried reading it. I really don't have any idea how am i suppose to write a review on a book like this,I don't think i am smart with words,I dunno how I am gonna write all the emotions I have felt while reading it.When I completed this book I felt as if my heart has broken into a million pieces for John. I have loved the character of John sooooooo much. I know to get someone like John you really have to be god's favourite.
The book started with angry rebel John getting tired of his life and joining army,I must say his character was really strong and intense,incomprehensible in the beginning but lovable. He meets a girl named Savannah during his holidays and falls in love with her right away. Savannah changes John's life in the ways one can change a human. But unfortunately John has to leave at the end of his break, their keep correspondence through letters and phone calls but Savannah grows tired of waiting for him and falls in love with someone else,but John loves Savannah from the depth of his soul,he loved her to the limit where a human can love another human. I hate Savannah for being so vain and forgetting him,how could she have forgotten all those days,i seriously can't understand.
The end part was the most difficult for me to read when John visits Savannah after she is married. With each line i felt like crying,by the end i was frustrated and angry at Nicholas Sparks, why did he had to end the book by breaking John's heart.This book is so unfair but then I guess love was never fair to anyone. This book shows the actual meaning of love. This book would be hated by people who think falling in love is being together all the time,going on dates,spending rest of the life happily ever after,even I thought the same before reading this book but I was utterly and shamelessly wrong. Love is not about being together physically,its being together in each other's heart and memories.Love is'nt only about spending rest of the life together it's about spending your life for the person you love,sacrificing everything you have for that one person even if you don't get to be with that person.Love is not only about being in one's heart,it's about being in one's soul,in one's memories like John and Savannah did.That is what Dear John has taught me.This book is a fresh change for me. I just love this book immensely and irrevocably. I am gonna treasure the memory of John in my heart for as long as I shall live.
The book started with angry rebel John getting tired of his life and joining army,I must say his character was really strong and intense,incomprehensible in the beginning but lovable. He meets a girl named Savannah during his holidays and falls in love with her right away. Savannah changes John's life in the ways one can change a human. But unfortunately John has to leave at the end of his break, their keep correspondence through letters and phone calls but Savannah grows tired of waiting for him and falls in love with someone else,but John loves Savannah from the depth of his soul,he loved her to the limit where a human can love another human. I hate Savannah for being so vain and forgetting him,how could she have forgotten all those days,i seriously can't understand.
The end part was the most difficult for me to read when John visits Savannah after she is married. With each line i felt like crying,by the end i was frustrated and angry at Nicholas Sparks, why did he had to end the book by breaking John's heart.This book is so unfair but then I guess love was never fair to anyone. This book shows the actual meaning of love. This book would be hated by people who think falling in love is being together all the time,going on dates,spending rest of the life happily ever after,even I thought the same before reading this book but I was utterly and shamelessly wrong. Love is not about being together physically,its being together in each other's heart and memories.Love is'nt only about spending rest of the life together it's about spending your life for the person you love,sacrificing everything you have for that one person even if you don't get to be with that person.Love is not only about being in one's heart,it's about being in one's soul,in one's memories like John and Savannah did.That is what Dear John has taught me.This book is a fresh change for me. I just love this book immensely and irrevocably. I am gonna treasure the memory of John in my heart for as long as I shall live.
May 18, 2022
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What can I say, I am a Nicholas Sparks devoted fan. “Dear John” was another one of your amazing books.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What can I say, I am a Nicholas Sparks devoted fan. “Dear John” was another one of your amazing books.
November 27, 2009
Dear Nicholas Sparks,
I really do not want to like you. I was all happy living in my somewhat snobby literary world where I turned my nose up at your novels. So many people love you and gush over your books. I would either bite my tongue to prevent myself from voicing my superior opinion because I was trying to be the good non-biased readers' advisory librarian; or if my friends were all gaga I would roll my eyes and talk about what good literature really is.
Yeah, well, then I saw a kick ass preview from a movie that is coming out in February based on one of your books, Dear John. My infatuation with this preview was due to Channing Tatum, which dear God I just cannot help myself - I totally love, and the song Set Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol. It looked like a fabulous heart-wrenching romance - my favorite kind. I couldn't get that preview out of my head and sometimes I would find it online to watch it (yes, I know, so pathetic). Then my coworker said she loved the preview too and decided to read it, and liked it. Despite the fact that I have ssoooo many other things I need to be reading, YA lit mostly, I thought, oh what the hell, why not?
How do you do it? How do you write so simply and honest and yet so incredibly gut and heart wrenching? How is it, that you of all people, write my favorite kind of romance? The not always happy ending, bittersweet - the tragedy of love. The kind where I have one hand holding the book and the other one clutching my heart because you are slowly scraping at it trying to mangle it and in order to keep breathing so I can finish your damn book, I have to try and hold my heart together. You're killing me. What I want to know is, are there men out there really like John Tyree? I know most women wonder if the men in romance novels really exist or want them to exist so badly that they live in a false reality or read them because they are bitter and believe that no man exists like that. But mostly women write romance and they create the men we want. But you are a man. Do you still create men that you think women will want because you know it will sell or is some bit of honesty in the way you portray your men? Am I allowed to hope that honorable men exist and that there is a possibility of finding one?
I've decided to try and keep hope alive and just go with there are very honest honorable men out there who are capable of sensitivity, true love and passion. So now, I'm so very glad and yet so very sorry to report that I am a fan of yours, even if I don't freely admit it. I need to keep some semblance of snobbery intact, at least for show. So thank you, thank you for giving a tragic romantic a good cry on a Friday afternoon and for also giving her hope and helping her to clearly etch out the man she wishes to be with someday.
your new reluctantly adoring fan,
Connie
I really do not want to like you. I was all happy living in my somewhat snobby literary world where I turned my nose up at your novels. So many people love you and gush over your books. I would either bite my tongue to prevent myself from voicing my superior opinion because I was trying to be the good non-biased readers' advisory librarian; or if my friends were all gaga I would roll my eyes and talk about what good literature really is.
Yeah, well, then I saw a kick ass preview from a movie that is coming out in February based on one of your books, Dear John. My infatuation with this preview was due to Channing Tatum, which dear God I just cannot help myself - I totally love, and the song Set Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol. It looked like a fabulous heart-wrenching romance - my favorite kind. I couldn't get that preview out of my head and sometimes I would find it online to watch it (yes, I know, so pathetic). Then my coworker said she loved the preview too and decided to read it, and liked it. Despite the fact that I have ssoooo many other things I need to be reading, YA lit mostly, I thought, oh what the hell, why not?
How do you do it? How do you write so simply and honest and yet so incredibly gut and heart wrenching? How is it, that you of all people, write my favorite kind of romance? The not always happy ending, bittersweet - the tragedy of love. The kind where I have one hand holding the book and the other one clutching my heart because you are slowly scraping at it trying to mangle it and in order to keep breathing so I can finish your damn book, I have to try and hold my heart together. You're killing me. What I want to know is, are there men out there really like John Tyree? I know most women wonder if the men in romance novels really exist or want them to exist so badly that they live in a false reality or read them because they are bitter and believe that no man exists like that. But mostly women write romance and they create the men we want. But you are a man. Do you still create men that you think women will want because you know it will sell or is some bit of honesty in the way you portray your men? Am I allowed to hope that honorable men exist and that there is a possibility of finding one?
I've decided to try and keep hope alive and just go with there are very honest honorable men out there who are capable of sensitivity, true love and passion. So now, I'm so very glad and yet so very sorry to report that I am a fan of yours, even if I don't freely admit it. I need to keep some semblance of snobbery intact, at least for show. So thank you, thank you for giving a tragic romantic a good cry on a Friday afternoon and for also giving her hope and helping her to clearly etch out the man she wishes to be with someday.
your new reluctantly adoring fan,
Connie
March 20, 2018
I had the chance to watched the movie version first and now that I've finally read the book, I must admit that the latter is much better. I felt that Savannah was impatient in the movie version. But in the book, Savannah's reasons and her story was further explained. For me, this is one of those books that tells us that some things are just not meant to be.
September 19, 2017
No es demasiado sensiblera, pero tiene “momentos” que, de vez en cuando, hacen que el corazón reaccione a las palabras. Eso es lo que tiene la escritura de Sparks, que cuando le sale un producto redondo, consigue emocionarte hasta la médula. En esta novela lo que destacaría es la relación del protagonista con su padre, por encima de la que tiene con Savannah. Creo que es la parte que más me ha decantado para ponerle las cuatro estrellas. Realmente conseguida.
Una de las mejores novelas que he leído de este autor. Y la película tampoco estaba mal.
Leído durante el verano de 2015.
Una de las mejores novelas que he leído de este autor. Y la película tampoco estaba mal.
Leído durante el verano de 2015.
March 10, 2021
I like it but towards the end of the book I keep hearing " noooo, DON'T!!" in my head. Hate the ending. Saw the movie afterwards and glad it was different.
April 5, 2024
Nu credeam că această carte mă va unge pe suflet. Nu sunt fana cărților romance, dar simplitatea și totodată profunzimea ăsteia m-au cucerit.
Până unde merge un tânăr îndrăgostit, obligat să aleagă la un moment dat între iubirea vieții sale și privilegiul de a-și servi patria? Ce îi rămâne de făcut atunci când, peste ani, femeia pe care o iubea s-a căsătorit cu altcineva?
Dincolo de dragostea dintre el și ea, vedem o frumoasă, dar tristă legătură între un tată și fiul său. O relație rece, distantă în aparență, dar care ajunge la un alt nivel tocmai atunci când este pe cale să se sfârșească.
Pare prea desprinsă din viață povestea asta. Chiar și în ciuda finalului pe care cu siguranță mulți dintre noi l-am fi scris altfel.
Până unde merge un tânăr îndrăgostit, obligat să aleagă la un moment dat între iubirea vieții sale și privilegiul de a-și servi patria? Ce îi rămâne de făcut atunci când, peste ani, femeia pe care o iubea s-a căsătorit cu altcineva?
Dincolo de dragostea dintre el și ea, vedem o frumoasă, dar tristă legătură între un tată și fiul său. O relație rece, distantă în aparență, dar care ajunge la un alt nivel tocmai atunci când este pe cale să se sfârșească.
Pare prea desprinsă din viață povestea asta. Chiar și în ciuda finalului pe care cu siguranță mulți dintre noi l-am fi scris altfel.
February 24, 2017
Qué llorera, por Dios! Debo confesar que al empezar la novela, no entendía las buenas críticas que había leído acerca del libro. Pero, después de llegar al ecuador de su lectura, ya tenía el corazón en un puño. Realmente es una historia maravillosa!!!
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March 28, 2017
Another great Nicholas Sparks romance novel. I love his work because he makes you laugh, cry, fall in love and always wish for the best in every novel that he writes. This story was a love story that people could relate to. It is a story about true love and is a wonderful read.
March 11, 2013
First of all i have to mention this is the first maybe the last novel which i read from endless number of romances of Sparks. It's more than a romance!
I don't usually surf in the romance section in the bookstore. One day i accidently saw Dear John on the shelf of deserted counter. There were many novels of him including "The Notebook", "A walk to remember", "Message in a bottle" so on..
After reading the question on back of the book i bought it without hesitation. The question was : ".. can they survive the distance?"
This is life story of John Tyree, american special forces soldier and his distance relationship. John was a trouble maker in his youth. After dropped out from his high school John enlisted into army. He had problems with his attitude. In the army John has been changed.
He's a tall, calm, well-built average soldier who has no friends apart from army. He lives on side of the beach with his dad. His dad has some serious mental disorders. One time on the leave John met Savannah.
Two weeks. That's all it took to fall in love with her. After two weeks Savannah had to leave to the college. They made a promise that they will write to each other.
They kept a promise till 9/11. The day shook the world John decided to enlist back to serve his country some more years. Unfortunately Savannah couldn't bear the time&distance again. She fell in love with someone another. Fate brought them together but distance kept them apart.
In the end they couldn't survive the distance. Novel ended up John seeing Savannah from a distance. However the movie ends by their meeting after a long time. I am not sure which one to prefer. But i strongly believe what's meant to be always finds its way.
Sometimes i want John's life. No friends, special duty for his country, a beach house, surfing on the sea all day. So much lonely but real.
This novel made me realize about distance relationships as well was military duty seriously.
I'm going to take motherland's call of duty very soon. To serve my country and be a better person, be a real man.
I don't usually surf in the romance section in the bookstore. One day i accidently saw Dear John on the shelf of deserted counter. There were many novels of him including "The Notebook", "A walk to remember", "Message in a bottle" so on..
After reading the question on back of the book i bought it without hesitation. The question was : ".. can they survive the distance?"
This is life story of John Tyree, american special forces soldier and his distance relationship. John was a trouble maker in his youth. After dropped out from his high school John enlisted into army. He had problems with his attitude. In the army John has been changed.
He's a tall, calm, well-built average soldier who has no friends apart from army. He lives on side of the beach with his dad. His dad has some serious mental disorders. One time on the leave John met Savannah.
Two weeks. That's all it took to fall in love with her. After two weeks Savannah had to leave to the college. They made a promise that they will write to each other.
They kept a promise till 9/11. The day shook the world John decided to enlist back to serve his country some more years. Unfortunately Savannah couldn't bear the time&distance again. She fell in love with someone another. Fate brought them together but distance kept them apart.
In the end they couldn't survive the distance. Novel ended up John seeing Savannah from a distance. However the movie ends by their meeting after a long time. I am not sure which one to prefer. But i strongly believe what's meant to be always finds its way.
Sometimes i want John's life. No friends, special duty for his country, a beach house, surfing on the sea all day. So much lonely but real.
This novel made me realize about distance relationships as well was military duty seriously.
I'm going to take motherland's call of duty very soon. To serve my country and be a better person, be a real man.
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