Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks.

Growing up, I’ve read a ton of Nicholas Sparks books, most notably The Notebook andThe Walk to Remember and I was excited to read his newest deeply loving romance he’s known for. Unfortunately, this book is not one that I enjoyed or one that I finished. Tanner and Kaitlyn’s relationship seems to happen very quickly and out of nowhere unlike Sparks’ usually deep characters and thought out love story and I didn’t care for the old man Jasper’s interactions with Mitch either.

Kaitlyn’s kids, Casey and Mitch, however, were the only characters that really held my interest. I appreciated Tanner’s good natured military boy, protecting women and carrying out a family driven journey, but his relationship with Kaitlyn felt rushed and flat.

What made me decide not to finish’ this book though, was the constantly flow of religious messages. There was no indication in the description of the book that this would be a heavily religious story and had there been, I wouldn’t have chosen it.

Looking to find the father he never knew, Tanner finds himself in a small town in NC finding things he never knew he was looking for. Coming across Kaitlyn is the first connection he makes but it is the man he saves in the end that makes the most difference. This is a story that will tug on your heart and make you hug your loved ones. In true Nicholas Sparks fashion the emotional levels are high and the storyline will make you think.

I wanted to love this book so much! Finding long lost family is so near and dear to my heart, but I struggled with this book. All and all, I’m glad I finished it. There were so parts and I had trouble connecting with Jasper. I couldn’t wait until it switched back to Tanner. All and all, I decent read!

I have been a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks for as long as I can remember. His books (and movies) have almost been a comfort for me. So I was thrilled to get a chance to read his newest book Counting Miracles.

I tend to stay away from military-romance, because I have been in the "military" world my whole life and it is just a little too close to home. But the synopsis for this book drew me in.

I can tell Nicholas Sparks really did his research for this novel, but there were some things that didn't fit with the military world that I know.

Overall, this book was a good read and I know some of my followers will really enjoy it.

Sparks tells a story so well. Coincidences and the messages of enduring love are clear. The main characters are clearly explained and it made the story understood. Hardships can change your life but know that you will need to live through them. Great story! Recommend.

I am not a reader of Nicholas Sparks novels but I did receive an ARC for this title. I am not one for these types of stories. That being said it was well written and a nice book about family.

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents and became an Army Ranger like his grandpa. He has no desire to settle down but when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found.

Tanner's curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He meets a town Dr and they have quite the connection.

Meanwhile, nearby, 83-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers..

Like I said not my type of book but if you like this type of story....I suggest it.

Kaitlyn Cooper is a recently divorced physician, raising her two children, teenager Casey and her younger brother Mitch in Asheboro, NC. Tanner Hughes, raised by his grandparents, and now alone in the world, has been career military.

He recently cared for his grandmother during her last days, and she told Tanner his father's name and that he had lived in Asheboro. At loose ends, Tanner travels to NC from Florida and begins to search for his father. The evening of his first day there, he runs into Casey--literally. Or, rather she runs into him and damages his car in a parking lot. Tanner meets her mother, Kaitlyn and feels an immediate attraction to the entire family. Even ten year old Mitch who spends his Sundays with Jasper, an old man who is terribly scarred but teaching Mitch how to whittle. Kaitlyn is also attracted to Tanner and they spend some time together but after Tanner makes it clear he is just passing through, Kaitlyn breaks it off with him. The family does call Tanner when Jasper disappears though and he helps in the search.

Miracles happen. Not only is Jasper rescued, Tanner solves his family mystery. Nicholas Sparks' fans will love this new entry into his body of work.

Note: I read an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley.

I enjoyed the newest from Sparks! While it wasn't my favorite, I did enjoy following the love story and the characters. Fans of the author will enjoy.

I have loved every single Nicholas Sparks book that I’ve read, so it’s no surprise that I loved this one as well. The characters were all so relatable, and the author is just such a great storyteller. I will be telling all my patrons about this book for sure.

I really liked this story, with skillful writing and well-drawn characters. Set in North Carolina, of course, with Tanner searching for his long-lost father and a new purpose to his life, Kaitlyn adjusting to her divorce and raising two children, and Jasper, coming to terms with the end of his life. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, and Random House for providing an ARC. I highly recommend this excellent novel.

Sparks does it again. A beautiful story about relationships. I was immediately invested in the outcome of this book. I’m in awe of his talent as an author. Loved it!

Nicholas Sparks has delivered another great read. This book has many twists and turns. You will love all the characters. The book takes place in a small town that you will fall in love with.

I’m totally a Nicholas Sparks fan since I was younger so was excited to read this book! While I enjoyed it I don’t think it was his best work. I really liked elements of the story and found the main relationship to have a lot of sweet moments and left me smiling but it also felt pretty slow for me. I struggled through some of Jasper’s storyline and I at times just felt detached in general from the book! It was written beautifully though as Nicholas Sparks does and it would probably appeal to a lot of different readers so still rating it high just maybe wasn’t for me!

Another winner winner chicken dinner with Nicholas Sparks' latest novel "Counting Miracles". Worth the wait for sure.

I’ll start by saying I was over-the-moon excited to read this book. As a loyal Nicholas Sparks fan, I’ve read and loved over 3/4 of his novels. This unfortunately was a very different read that I struggled through.

I had a really hard time connecting with the elderly man, Jasper, as a character. He was a sweet old man who’d been dealt an extremely difficult hand, but his storyline was so slow for most of the book (the exception: a few intense scenes that I won’t spoil) and the flashbacks to his childhood caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting the religious aspect to this book. The multitude of Bible verses were an oddity for a NS book. The Biblical stories really overtook the storyline and put the romance to the back burner. There were no indications prior to reading this book that it would have such a strong Christian tone.

The spark between Kaitlyn and Tanner felt forced and rushed, not the ‘feel it in your soul, tear-jerking’ connection you’ve come to love from NS novels. However, Casey & Mitch (Kaitlyn’s children) were enjoyable to read about, and their personalities jumped off the page.

Desperately, I wanted to DNF at 50% but forced myself to keep going. I’ve never DNF’ed a Nicholas Sparks book before, and it broke my heart to even consider it. 💔 Overall, I’m glad I finished it and while predictable, the second half of the story provided the desired emotional release I expected from the novel. Ultimately, I was still disappointed that the romance aspect was so minor in the overarching storyline.

I do think there’s an audience for this book, but it’s not me. (Female, mid-30’s, never married) it seems more suited for a conservative baby boomer - just being honest.

As an avid reader, I do appreciate the amount of research that went into writing this novel, although that was also a contributing factor to my unfavorable opinions. The amount of military info, jargon, and over detailed descriptions caused to me to want to skim. This felt like a very different book than his typical novels. I wish he’d spent less time researching and being overly descriptive and more time developing Tanner & Kaitlyn and their connection/story.

This is a solid middle-of-the-road fiction novel. Of the Sparks novels I’ve read, it’s no doubt my least favorite, however the second half had some redeeming qualities which add 1/2 ⭐️ to my overall rating. I do feel like going in blind to this book isn’t wise, and the extremely religious aspects should be noted ahead of time as that will turn some off from this book.

3.5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

There are a lot of storylines in this book that I have seen in other books by the author:

1. The white deer (swan)
2. The old man being hurt and stranded (Ida)
3. The old fashioned love story (also Ida)
4. The dog that saves the day (the great dane)
5. The military man (Thibault)
6. The entitled criminal kids (Abee and family)
.7. Divorced mother of two trying to get through to her teenage daughter (Nights in Rodanthe) etc

The book overall was ok; he just seems to redo his plots. Jasper is an old man that lost his entire family to a situation revolving around a fire. Kaitlyn is a single mom of two kids trying to find happiness and get through to her teenage daughter. Tanner is a man just out of the military trying to find out who he is. once his dying grandmother points him in the direction, he heads off to find his biological father. The story is a nice heartwarming story about love and family. I did not enjoy any of the hunting part of the story-just too scary for me and what would happen to the dog. But I understand that is a huge chunk of the book. I did skim a lot of that part. But overall, it wasn't bad. Not near as good as his first books.

This book was not for me for many reasons, but I do think it will be very popular with patrons in my library. Military-based characters written like Tanner and cozy mysteries are popular with many of our patrons.

I didn’t love it, personally, because some of the writing and dialogue felt stiff, inorganic, and too formal. There was a lot of telling, but little showing. Also, I’m military-affiliated and some things about Tanner aren’t real. He wouldn’t live in the barracks his whole 14 year career—that almost never happens. Also, if he was special forces (“Delta” in the book), he wouldn’t tell someone that right from the jump. Maybe that it something he and Kaitlyn should get into later in their relationship, but it definitely wouldn’t be a first conversation topic.

However, I know many patrons that would enjoy this book and I will definitely recommend it to them. Just because it’s not *my* taste doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it! Overall, it’s a 3/5 from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have read all of Nicholas Sparks' books. While this one is a good story, it wasn't his best. Tanner Hughes goes to Asheboro, NC to find his father who he never met. The story goes between Tanner's search and love story and Jasper's story, an elderly man living with pain from his past-physically and mentally. Their stories collide in the forest because of a white deer.

I’m surprised to say this one was actually exposition heavy, overly narrative, and missing Sparks’ style. I can’t help but wonder if he was stretched too thin over the last year with the musical for the Notebook, the movies, and everything else going on. I decided to DNF at 5% in (chapter 3).

In terms of appeal, any Sparks book stands on name alone. But I’d say content-wise, it’s a three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors to read and while this one was not my favorite of his, it still tugged at my heart strings and made me unable to put it down. As is normal, Sparks sends you on an up and down emotional journey making you fall in love with his characters and their stories. Unlike, 'The Wish' where I did not see the ending coming, I figured out pretty early on what the twist was going to be, but knowing it ahead of time did not take away from the emotions felt when it was revealed. Another fantastic book by Nicholas Sparks, sure to be another best seller!