Blog Tour: 'The Longest Ride' by Nicholas Sparks

Two couples. Two love stories. One epic tale.
Ninety-one-year-old Ira Levinson is in trouble. Struggling to stay conscious after a car crash, with his mind fading, an image of his adored - and long-dead - wife Ruth appears. Urging him to hang on, she lovingly recounts the joys and sorrows of their life together - how they met, the dark days of WWII and its unrelenting effect on their families.
A few miles away, college student Sophia Danko's life is about to change. Recovering from a break-up, she meets the young, rugged Luke and is thrown into a world far removed from her privileged school life. Sophia sees a new and tantalising future for herself, but Luke is keeping a secret that could destroy it all.
Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples, separated by years and experience, whose lives are about to converge in the most unexpected - and shocking - of ways.
Today I can't even begin to explain how excited I am to be a part of the read-it-before-you-see-it blog tour for Nicholas Sparks' latest release 'The Longest Ride.' I love Nicholas Sparks; he's undoubtedly one of my favourite authors of all time and I don't think I will ever get enough of his romantic love stories. As most of you will know, numerous of his books have been turned into films (such as 'The Notebook' and 'A Walk to Remember') and the screen version of 'The Longest Ride' will hit cinemas soon, starring Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson. However, I personally always prefer to read a book before I see the film, so I definitely wanted to read 'The Longest Ride' before going to see the film version. Thankfully, I got the chance to be part of this blog tour and I couldn't wait to read and review the book!
91-year-old Ira Levinson has crashed his car due to the icy weathher and slippery roads. While he is trying his very best to stay conscious, he is visited by his late wife Ruth, whom he loved with all his heart. She continues to tell him to hold on because it isn't his time to go just yet and together they bring back all the memories of their life together. At the same time, Sophia Danko, an art history student at college, is trying to recover from a broken heart after she discovered her boyfriend cheating on her. However, she now finds herself at the start of a new love story when she meets Luke, a cowboy and bull rider. Sophia feels herself falling for Luke more and more every day, but she doesn't know that Luke is hiding something, something that could change everything within seconds...
No one can write a love story like Nicholas Sparks can, and this book once again proves that. Especially since it includes not just one tale of romance, but two which are also connected to each other. I immediately warmed to the characters and was intrigued by their stories and what would happen to them. Ira's story was on the one hand heart-breaking, but on the other also really gripping and enchanting. The love between Ira and Ruth is the kind of love most people hope to find at one point in their lives and Nicholas Sparks managed to describe this in such a brilliant and captivating way. The fresh and new romance between Luke and Sophia is in contrast to the deep and timeless love between Ira and Ruth, but I enjoyed reading both of them just as much.
Like with every Nicholas Sparks novel, love has its obstacles, and this makes the story realistic. There is also a great twist at the end which made this novel even more wonderful, in my eyes. This author is such a great storyteller, I honestly can't get enough of his books and I already can't wait for the next one. What is there left to say? Nicholas Sparks has once again treated us to a fabulous love story. 'The Longest Ride' is a beautifully written, engaging, wonderful book which revolves around two parallel love stories; a simply stunning read which I can't recommend enough!

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.