Julie's Review: The Lucky One

Summary: After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden streak of luck -- winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph -- his lucky charm. Back home in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the woman in the photograph out of his mind and he sets out on a journey across the country to find her. But Thibault is caught off guard by the strong attraction he feels for the woman he encounters in North Carolina - Elizabeth, a divorced mother -- and he keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate love affair, his secret soon threatens to tear them apart -- destroying not only their love, but also their lives. Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, THE LUCKY ONE is an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love. ~amazon.com

Review: I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book before now. My sister is a huge fan, but I've never been inclined. I will say that Mr. Sparks is a gifted story teller, even if I'm way past believing in soul mates and fairy tale romance. The Lucky One is an interesting love story that is told through varying points of view but I always felt like an outsider looking in. Maybe that's good, maybe that's bad; I'm not truly sure.

We are quickly introduced to Keith Clayton and Logan Thibault, just Thibault is what he goes by, and you kind of figure out that this will not be their only encounter, but I didn't see the link until it was almost right up on me. As big of a jerk as Keith is, Logan is the opposite. We know off the bat that he's going to be a good guy, just by his actions and how he handles situations.

Throughout the novel we learn that Thibault isn't really all that complicated. He was inspired to find the girl in the picture by his best friend Victor. What I did like is that Sparks' slowly revealed Thibault's time in Iraq to us either via flashback or what he eventually reveals to Elizabeth.

I liked Elizabeth but I didn't connect with her. She was too perfect. Her only fault was to have gotten married young to a loser, other than that she had no faults. Her son, Ben is a good kid but like most 10 year olds, he has issues that he reveals to Thibault. None of his issues were severe and nothing that he couldn't handle himself.

Of course, as a reader you know the secret of the picture is going to come back to slap Thibault in the face. Once it happened, I was happy it was over and out in the open.

Was it a quick read? Yes. Was is thought provoking? Not really but I did like the parts about his time as a soldier. And how each soldier is affected differently. Will I read another Nicholas Sparks? Perhaps; but I won't be rushing to buy anything that he wrote. His novels are just not my type of novels anymore.

If you are looking for a good fairy-tale then The Lucky One is for you.

Final Take: 3.5/5