The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

I always enjoy reading Nicholas Spark's books and the way settings of his stories take place on the beach, which is one of my favorite places to spend time.  This book could appeal to adults or young adults, since the leading character is a seventeen year old girl. 

 Ronnie Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her dad returned to his home town of Wilmington, North Carolina.  She has become angry and isolated from her parents and given up on having a future music career.  Three years later, Ronnie's mother decides to send Ronnie and her brother to visit the dad for the summer.  Their father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.  One day Ronnie meets a young man at the beach and discovers her first romantic love.  She will later become aware of a secret he is keeping about her dad.  Ronnie grows and learns fron her experiences of the summer and has to make some important decisions.  She comes to realize the reason her mother sent her to visit her dad and how she has misjudged him.  A lesson to learn from this book would be, if you are going to risk loving someone, know that forgiveness is a part of love because everyone makes mistakes.  

I have watched the movie but thought the book was better.  The characters seem like real people in real life situations.  Though the book is  sad, at the same time it is full of good humor and fun-loving romantic situations.  I'm excited to read the next Nicholas Sparks.