Book Review: Message in a Bottle

     Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, discovers it during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with, “My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together….” For Garrett, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Challenged by the mystery, and driven to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together either by chance or something more powerful, Theresa and Garrett’s lives come together in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks’s storytelling, here is an achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most.

    Message in a bottle is about the story of two people, Garrett Blake and Theresa Osborne, both recovering from their past relationships, and happened to find each other because of the bottle which contains Garretts letter to his deceased wife, Catherine.
     The story may sound cliche but with Nicholas Sparks' touch, you will surely love this novel. It isn't as superior as Sparks' previous novels but I enjoyed reading it, though there are some boring moments. I love how Sparks established the characters and how each line is carefully chosen. What brought a difference in the story is the unexpected twist at the end of the novel. I don't want to spoil he story so I wont mention what will happen at the end. But if you're a fan of Sparks and have read his works, you'll probably have an idea of what I'm talking about.
     The story tackles the issues most couples are facing these days. It tackles issues on failed relationships and how to cope up. The story tells us that is you really love someone, you must do whatever it takes to be with that someone; no pretensions, no hesitations. Do not force yourself to love someone even if you don't. You should always bear in mind that love is not forced. If you're ready to move on, love one day at a time. It takes time to heal.

Quotes from the book:

"There are lots of men out there - men who could fall in love with you at the drop of a hat."

"I have come to realize that destiny can hurt a person as much as it can bless him."

"Real people had real agendas, real demands, real expectations about how other people should behave."

"If you simply ignored the feeling, you would never know what might happen, and in many ways that was worse that finding out you were wrong in the first place. Because if you were wrong, you could go forward in your life without ever looking back over your shoulder and wondering what might have been."

"Nothing that's worthwhile is ever easy." 

Rating: 4/5