What do you do when you're on a long bus ride and a friend give you a book? You read it. I finished this in 2 days, 24 hours of driving... I counted so this may as well be my own version of the longest ride. I've read one other Nicholas Sparks before and enjoyed his writing. This one is no exception. I love the characters, especially Ira and Ruth. I love reading their love story as well as the parallel story of Luke and Sophia. Ira and Ruth really tug at your heart, the struggle they went through as their love blossom and the love they had for each other was sweet and and made you laugh. The two stories converge near the end of the book for a HEA. This also made me teared up a few times or two. Great read.