Book & Movie Review: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Title: A Walk to Remember
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Sphere
Year of Release: 1999
ISBN: 9780751540482
Source: Borrowed
Number of Pages: 170 (this edition)

Summary:
Landon Carter would never have dreamed of asking Jamie Sullivan out, but a twist of fate throws them together. In the months that follow, Landon breaks down Jamie's natural reserve and begins to get to know her- and to fall in love. But then he discovers that Jamie has a reason for not letting people close - a secret that will break his heart. 

Book Review:
This is the first book I have read by Nicholas Sparks, though I have had plenty of opportunities to read his works. I just never really felt the compulsion to read one of his books. When I found out about this book however, I knew I had to read it, and it was fantastic. What I liked most was that despite the intenseness of the topic, it was still a short, casual read, perfect to spend a weekend with. The book was told from the main character's perspective after everything has happened, and he is looking back, which I really liked. Though there are many love stories similar to this one, there was an originality and a freshness to this story which I found really captivating and I found that I was drawn to this book. Even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it and I just wanted to pick it up again and read some more. 
It's also got some fantastic characters and the character of Jamie is amazing- though she's fictional, you can really learn a lot from her and the example she sets in this book just by the ways she lives her life and the way in which she carries herself. 
The only thing I can really criticise this book on is the writing style. I sort of felt like the author was trying too hard with all the 'anyways' and 'if you know what I means' in almost every sentence. I think that when writing a story in this way- looking back, retelling what has already happened- you need to have a real flow and you shouldn't need to implement so many of those words/phrases to pull the story in the right direction. It should already be there. 
That being said, I would still really recommend this book if you're a romance fan and looking for something short and light to occupy your time with, but that also contains this passionate profoundness. Sparks brings his own sense of uniqueness to this classic story with his quirky, brilliant writing ability and talent to express what he wants to through words.
A truly moving story that will have you reaching for the chocolate and the tissues in the same moment. A real tear-jerker. 
Rating:
4/5

Movie Review:
I saw the movie of this before I read the book, before I even knew there was a book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are quite a few noticeable differences between the book and the movie, but I think that it worked in the film's favour and made it all the more enjoyable. It did the book justice, even with the changes, and I think that the characters were portrayed perfectly- better, even. 
The characters were more developed and realistic in the film and though the key points in the storyline were followed, there were still quite a few things that were left out that I would have liked to have seen in the film, but the things added were so much better. I think this is the only time where I can positively say that I like both the book and movie adaptions equally. I usually lean toward the books when it comes to these.
Overall, this is a great story- movie and book- and I would really, really, really recommend looking into them.

Links:
A Walk to Remember IMDb Movie Page
A Walk to Remember Goodreads Book Page
Nicholas Spark's Official Website