The longest ride by Nicholas Sparks - Book Review

On April 10th, 1940, Ira Levinson meets Ruth, and they fall in love. Upon his return, they are married and start a life together, filling their house with paintings they both love.

Now, at ninety-one years old, in poor health, alone and stranded after his car crashed, Ira relieves his memories of a life with Ruth, who died eight years ago. A few miles away at a local rodeo, Luke Collins, a young cowboy meets college senior Sophia Danko, and the two of them rescue Ira and fall in love in the process.

Their lives will converge proving that sometimes it’s the hardest decisions that make the most sense.

Sparks is no stranger to doomed love stories, and with at least thirteen romances under his belt, his style is just as poignant, and as heartfelt as when he first started, even if his books are known to be tear jerks, constantly throwing a wrench in the traditional HEA we all love and crave.

In this story, Sparks attempts something different, by introducing two couples with different experiences, and from a different time, he draws parallels between the two, highlighting themes of loss, betrayal, hardship, and family in the same effortless manner that he has with all his stories.

Sophie, like any college senior, has her sights set on a high stakes internship in the art world of New York. She is young, ambitious, and it’s easy to see ourselves in her shoes.

Luke, on the other hand, is slightly more difficult due to the nature of what he does, but in his struggle to keep the ranch in the family, putting his own life on the line simply because he feels no other choice, we see a glimpse of a boy willing to do anything for the people he loves.