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I couldn't remember anymore how many times I had cried while reading this book. This is, for me, one of the most beautiful, moving, and heartfelt novels ever written so far.
Just a precaution: from chapter 31 onwards, you should prepare a box of Kleenex for it's clearly inevitable that you will surely cry buckets of tears while reading the succeeding pages. There was one instance when I thought I couldn't continue reading the book anymore because of so much pain and hurt. But, of course, I was still able to finish reading the book up to the very end.
This book is not really much of a love story between a girl and a guy who met each other one time, fell in love, broke up, then met up again and reconciled. For me, this is about the touching love story between a father and his daughter, Steve and his daughter Ronnie.
Ronnie is a rebel here who feels extremely bad about her father's departure 3 years ago. She was made to believe that her father left them for another woman (which is, however, shown in the latter part of the book that this is not really the case) and to tour around as a concert pianist.
One time, Ronnie and her 10 year-old brother Jonah went to visit their father in North Carolina with their mother to spend the entire summer there. But, of course, their mother just dropped them off at their father's house and didn't stay any much longer. She's already gonna get married to another man soon.
Ronnie was very resentful during the first few days she was at her father's house. She didn't like hearing her father playing the piano. And she also didn't like to play the piano anymore. Her father was the one who taught her how to play the piano so it was kinda a big deal for her. She still bears a grudge on him for leaving them behind.
She also met Will on that very afternoon that she arrived in North Carolina and it was kinda a disaster. Will was playing volleyball with his friend Scott against another team when he accidentally bumped into Ronnie who just happened to be a part of the audience. And the bad thing was, Ronnie was holding a cup of soda and the whole thing just spilled on her shirt.
And, of course, that was the start of everything between Ronnie and Will. Well, thanks to some turtles, aquarium, fishing, and long walks on the beach, Will and Ronnie kinda had some romance thing going on for quite a while. But Will was covering up a very big secret that's quite an enormous deal for Ronnie. And in addition to that, after summer, Will's gonna go to college in Vanderbilt while Ronnie's destined to go back to New York. Or so she thought.
I'm not gonna mention anymore about the other things that happened between them. I want you to read the book as it will definitely touch and move your lives.
I was pretty emotional while reading the latter part of the book, the last 150 pages. Maybe because I kinda felt Ronnie and Steve, maybe because it has something to do with my own father as well. But in my case, my father really left me. And I'm not gonna say the reason anymore because, of course, it's pretty private. But, unlike Ronnie, I didn't hold any grudge on my father. I just went on with my life, feeling nothing. I was never a rebel. I have a lived a good and prosperous life (but we're not rich, ok?). I never had to work just to have money while I was growing up. Everything that I needed (and wanted) was only an arm's length away from my reach. So, I kinda realized that there were just so many things to be thankful for. But I admit that life for me wasn't that normal. Maybe I became like "this" because I didn't have any father figure to look up to. When I was in grade school and the parents of the students would be called for meetings of some sort, it was always my aunts who attend those occasions. I also don't have any family picture to show to anyone. Because my family is different, and it will be very difficult for them to understand once I explain to them the ins and outs of my family. I've lived with my aunts for more than 20 years. And in the past 22 years, I could only sum up the times I have seen my father in a matter of months. Not even for one whole year. And on one hand, I haven't also met my real mother, yet. Not once. Not ever. But, again, like I said, it was ok. For me.
But, unlike Ronnie, I also never had the chance to meet any "Will", yet. LOLZ! Well, maybe not now. Think positive! LOLZ!
There's gonna be a movie adaptation of this book, topbilled by, of course, my idol, Miley Cyrus (as Ronnie), her real-life boyfriend Liam Hemsworth (as Will), and Greg Kinnear (as Steve). It's gonna be shown some time next year, around April I think. Trailers and MTV of the movie's theme song "When I look at you" (sung by Miley Cyrus herself) are already posted in YouTube. Will post them here on my site as well next time.
So, there. I swear that you will really love this book. And you will thank me for recommending this to you. And again, just prepare some Kleenex, ok?
Disclaimer: This is not a book review. LOLZ!
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