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The Best of Me Audiobook
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(3.00) - 31,532 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Everyone wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She'd believed in it once, too, back when she was eighteen.
In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.
Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined—and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew—about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear—was not as it seemed. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?
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"I can't decide how I feel about his books, because they don't usually have happy endings, but they always keep you hoping for the best. This book was full of emotion and had choices that many face in their lives. A very sweet book."
— Miriam (5 out of 5 stars)
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“A charming story…Sparks’ ability to capture the truths of this affair makes the story both heartfelt and heartbreaking. It’s quite possibly his best work in years.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Has all the ingredients that keep [Sparks’] millions of enthusiasts enthralled.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review
Awards
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A #1 USA Today bestseller
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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A Wall Street Journal bestseller
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A Washington Post bestseller
The Best of Me Listener Reviews
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" This book read like a lifetime movie. "
— Linda, 2/15/2014 -
" This is the first Nicholas Sparks book I've read. After about four or five chapters I could tell what was going to happen. I had no desire to finish, so I just skimmed through to the end. My predictions were right. I also thought it was boring and cliche. "
— Rindy, 2/10/2014 -
" i my god! so ironic. you never ecpect the ending, i'm going to stop before give it away. "
— Countrygirl, 2/9/2014 -
" I will always be a Nicholas Sparks fan. He knows how to write a story that draws you in, makes you care about the characters, and leaves you wanting more. "
— Lexi, 1/29/2014 -
" Oh Nicholas, you are such a cliche. How rare it is to be a cliche of oneself. I do have to hand it to him, a novel that takes place in three days and the pace is quite even and fitting. Peculiar characters abound and a forced romance. The clincher was the ending. I'm not sure I felt sorry for anyone at the end, and in romance, isn't that the point? "
— Willa, 1/27/2014 -
" Light enjoyable reading. This would make a good beach book. "
— Terri, 1/27/2014 -
" This was my least favorite book by Nicholas Sparks. Very predictable and not in a good way. "
— Connie, 1/22/2014 -
" Not my favorite Nicholas Sparks story, but it had its moments. "
— Jennifer, 1/20/2014 -
" This book was amazing, I have only read a few other Nicholas Sparks book and this book has rekindled my love for his books. I felt like I was part of the love story while reading this book. I could not put it down. "
— Jessica, 1/15/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book....some surprises, some predictable events, and lots of good reading. "
— Marie, 1/13/2014 -
" As with his other stories, this one, too, brought tears to my eyes. True to his form, another great Nicholas Sparks novel!! A great read. "
— Happygirl, 1/6/2014 -
" A simple romance with a sad ending :( "
— Maria, 1/4/2014 -
" A normal Nicholas Sparks book, but it was good. "
— Kim, 1/1/2014 -
" I can't believe how it ended!!! "
— Kimberly, 11/27/2013 -
" I threw this book across the room when I was done with it. Hated everything about the ending. "
— Terri, 11/26/2013 -
" Pretty good. I enjoyed the story and it kept me engaged enough to read it in a couple of days. A little language, but relatively clean as far as best-sellers go. "
— Latisha, 11/23/2013 -
" Its always a pleasure to read Nicholas Sparks books. Good story "
— Margaret, 11/7/2013 -
" This was the first Nicholas Sparks book I had read, and despite that, it was very predictable. I still enjoyed this book, and will most likely read more of his books in the future. "
— Kathleen, 11/2/2013 -
" I've read all of Nicholas Sparks books. This one was a little slow to start, but I had tears in my eyes at the end. Not one of his best, but still one that has me going over parts of it as I write this review. Has left an impression on me. "
— Lmmuzyka, 8/31/2013 -
" Light read.... But enjoyable. "
— Jen, 4/25/2013 -
" Beautifully written like any other Nicholas Sparks novel, but after reading so many of his works, the plot gets a little predictable "
— Audria, 2/24/2013 -
" Loved the characters, loved the idea. however, the plot for me was basically predictable and the story line could have been a lot more interesting. This whole book just says "rushed to finish" for me. it doesn't appear like Sparks took careful time writing this..... "
— Lauren, 1/8/2013 -
" I love Nicholas Sparks, but this book was painful to get through. Don't waste your time. "
— Debi, 12/1/2012 -
" Gag, predictable cheesy hated it. Read it for book club and gagged all the way through. No More NS for me.....please loonies "
— Pam, 11/17/2012 -
" Spark shone on this one. It is tragic. The ending was expected. But the thing is, it so much beautifully written that it will make you cry. Even after I finished it and closed the book I just can't. stop. crying. "
— Joviemar, 10/23/2012 -
" I am a sucker for romance so this book was no let-down! It was a very good story line in my opinion and I couldn't put it down. It's one of my favorite books now! "
— Candice, 8/20/2012 -
" One of Sparks best novels. Could not put it down till I finished "
— Niza, 8/2/2012 -
" I loved this book because aside from the love story, it was kind of a thriller. If you're not totally into hopeless romance but want to try Nicholas Sparks, I suggest this book. "
— Katie, 3/28/2012 -
" So far, I just finished chapter 2 and I really enjoyed this book. I'm excited to continue reading "The Best of Me". "
— Jessica9-2, 12/27/2011 -
" Couldn't put it down...and totally didn't expect the ending until right before ...can't tell you!<br/> "
— Dara, 11/8/2011 -
" WOW!!!!!!! Just when you think the last book he wrote was the best he beats it again....... "
— Denise, 11/8/2011 -
" Definitely not one of my favorite books by Nicholas Sparks. It was interesting enough to get through but not riveting or even close. "
— Sarah, 11/7/2011 -
" Although somewhat famaliar to some of his other books (and I have read them all) it was still a pretty good read, at least the ending was different. "
— Midge, 11/7/2011 -
" This book was disappointing to me.. just a little too romance novel-esque for my liking. And I saw the ending coming well before it came. I'm generally a fan (and was so before he became huge), but this one just wasn't up to snuff. Oh well :-) <br/> "
— Bednarzterry, 11/6/2011 -
" A delightful happy romance. I predicted the ending:) "
— Sarahb., 11/6/2011 -
" This was an easy and enjoyable read. I loved that this story was about young love in a small town in North Carolina. "
— Colleen, 11/6/2011 -
" Not my favorite by him but still pretty good. "
— Shannon, 11/6/2011 -
" All I can say is that this book took me home in many ways. As with all Sparks books it left me saddened yet fulfilled. "
— Shelly, 11/6/2011 -
" I could not stand how Dawson never got to have anything truly good last in his life. The story was just too sad in my opinion. "
— Michelle, 11/5/2011 -
" The ending seemed predictable, but I enjoyed the story. "
— Lorie, 11/5/2011
About Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks is the author of twenty-five books, all of which have been New York Times bestsellers. His books have been published across more than fifty languages with over 150 million copies sold worldwide, and eleven have been adapted into films. He is also the founder of the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a nonprofit committed to improving cultural and international understanding through global education experiences.
About the Narrators
Hillary Huber, a Los Angeles–based voice talent with hundreds of commercials and promos under her belt, was bitten by the audiobook bug in 2005. She now records books on a regular basis and has been nominated for several Audie Awards and won numerous Earphones Awards.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.