Dreamland is told as two separate stories alternating throughout which come together at the end. Colby is a farmer who accepts a week long job playing music at a bar in Florida. All he does is work the farm so his family urged him to take this week deserved break. During this trip he meets and falls in love with Morgan who is a TikTok star filming dance videos with her friends while on vacation. While that sounds incredibly cheesy, and it is, I still enjoyed watching their relationship! And plus, I love Nicholas Sparks so this was an easy choice.

Beverly is a mother on the run with her 6 year old son. They have fled an abusive household and Beverly will do anything not to be caught by her homeland security husband. Being a mother to a young boy, this story line wrecked me. The things she went without for her son was something I think every mother would do, but can't imagine doing.

Throughout the book both storylines are being told every few chapters or so, which always left one story on a cliff hanger to get back into the other one. I enjoyed that though because I couldn't decide which storyline I wanted to read more.

Admittedly, I did figure out the twist about half way through but Nicolas Sparks has such a way with his storytelling that it still felt like the air was sucked out of me when everything was revealed.

Ending was pretty abrupt, especially after all of the build up, but all in all this was such a fast paced read that kept me wanting more. I kept putting of real life errands to read this!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC.

I always eagerly anticipate a new book by Nicholas Sparks and this one is no exception. This book definitely pulls on the heart strings in more ways than one. It highlights some very important themes, humanizing people that struggle in ways that we might not always understand. This was a page turner for me. Two stories colliding as one!

4.5 stars

I read this book in less than 12 hours. It was just so good that I didn't want to put it down.

There were two different storylines. First, you have Colby, who is on work/vacation and meets someone. This was such a cute and fun romance, and I loved every minute of Colby's story. The second story was a little bit darker and heavier. This was Beverly's story who was on the run with her 6-year-old, trying to get away from her abusive husband.

The entire book, I was questioning how these two stories would come together. I just didn't understand how they could intertwine with each other. I was buddy reading this with @whatsalexreading and it was so fun to talk about our different theories together. This honestly made the entire book so much more enjoyable for me.

If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, then this book will not disappoint you! It was the perfect combination of a light and easy read with a more heavier read. While I did enjoy Colby's parts more then Beverly's parts, I still loved the story overall.

I've always loved and appreciated Nicholas spark's styles of writing, this book is no exception. Filled with music, tension, passion and a decent pacing, this story was expertly weaved and presented. I enjoyed reading this and did not find any parts of his story to be unbelievable or out of place.

Sparks really writes the most incredible stories. This takes you back and forth between two very unconnected stories that come together in the end in the most UNEXPECTED way. I LOVED IT. I will forever remember this back and forth and then how it all so creatively came together. This book was magic!

This was a waste of time. Two stories alternate only coming together near the end, neither of which was very believable.
Story one: Family farm now run by elderly aunt, nephew and sometimes his sister. Nephew really wants to be a singer/songwriter, but how can he desert his aunt? He can't so he sacrifices his career and works the farm until the women on the farm make him take a 'vacation' consisting of playing his guitar at a Florida club for 3 weeks. Of course he meets a woman who is out of his league and they fall in love despite their futures having nothing in common.
Story two: Woman escapes from a bad marriage with her son, needing to stay totally off grid due to her hubby's job for Homeland Security. Her stress level seemed extreme, but then not having been in her situation, I went along with the idea until it became more than over the top and just skimmed the book during her story. It wasn't so much a story as it was a listing of everything in the house, in the cabinets, etc and was a waste of time to read, not to mention annoying.
The two stories merge and we are taught about issues that could make people act as they do.
Spoiler alert: I found the ending to be ridiculous. Farmer writes a song that rich girlfriend makes into a massive hit with no credit to him for writing it, yet saying she loves him? Seriously? Then she returns to him and all is well?
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Dreamland is classic Nicholas Sparks. Readers are treated to romance, some intrigue, and a happy ending.

Nicholas Sparks has been a household name in my family for as long as I can remember! I was elated to find myself approved for this book. He has a great way of pulling at your heartstrings, with this book being no exception!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

A bit of a mixed bag.

Oh, how I wanted to love this, and yet, Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks didn't quite work for me.

Believe it or not, Dreamland is the first book by Nicholas Sparks that I've ever read. I've seen all of his movies but had never read one of his books till now. I decided to read this one, simply because they've stopped making his books into movies.

This novel has two POVs/timelines. The first is Colby, the second is Beverly.

Colby is a farmer who used to be a musician when he was young. When he gets the chance to take a little time off, he heads to the Florida coast and plays a few gigs at a local bar. There, he meets Morgan, who is visiting from out of town for a week. The two instantly fall in love. I wish I could say that I bought into their romance, but I didn’t, nor did I care for either character.

Beverly’s story on the other hand, I found to be gripping, and very realistic. Beverly is an abused wife and mother. After getting up the courage, she escapes with her six-year-old son. Every moment of every day, Beverly is scared for her life and that of her son, and yet she works to try and build a life and move on. Unfortunately, she is always looking around every corner, deathly afraid. If the book had been all about Beverly, I would have loved every minute of it.

Throughout most of the novel, we have no idea how the characters of Colby and Beverly are connected, and then boom! Worlds collide. While I didn't love this novel, I enjoyed the writing and plan to read other Nicholas Sparks novels in the future.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of Dreamland!

I have been reading Nicholas Sparks' books since middle school, and this book is exactly what I have come to expect from the author. Small town, North Carolina, East Coast romance with some mystery and plot twists along the way. I enjoyed the dual POVs and how the author brought them together in the end. It got a bit repetitive for me, and I do wish Colby had a bit more confidence throughout, but overall a satisfying love story and a great read for fans of Nicholas Sparks.

Who doesn’t love a good Nicolas sparks book? This one was definitely like what we have come to know and love from him as an author. I absolutely fell in love with the characters from early on and couldn’t wait to see where they took me on their journey. You don’t want to miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book is split into two entirely different stories. One is from the perspective of Beverly - a woman on the run. This part of the book is a thriller and it had me in a chokehold the entire time.

The second perspective is Colby. A man on vacation who meets a pretty, intelligent, talented, kind, flawless girl who he naturally falls in love with and who surprisingly falls in love with him. This section is actually harder to swallow. It was so disjointed from the other perspective that it felt like whiplash reading it. Colby’s storyline just also felt less compelling.

The end was twisty and full of heart, but you needed to be more convinced by Colby’s storyline for it to ultimately work.

Dreamland is a lovely story told from two completely different storylines that eventually come together for an intriguing ending. This is a beautiful, heartfelt story that evokes emotions whether they be joy, sadness, love, sympathy or distress.

WOW. ‘Dreamland’ by Nicholas Sparks is a totally unique and captivating novel. I didn’t anticipate the “twist” until I was three quarters through the novel. Thank you again Mr. Sparks for yet again another “Must Read” novel.

That was a strange romance. I was particularly invested in Beverly's story. The couple's story was not all that interesting to me. I almost quit reading the book several times but persisted to the end. I think I am glad I did. I did like how the romance eventually reached a conclusion to my liking. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I was provided a free advance copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Told in alternating storylines we meet three distinct characters. Colby and Morgan are both on vacation in Florida. Colby is working as a musician at a bar for a short stint away from his farm, and Morgan is celebrating college graduation with some friends before moving to Nashville to try to make it in the music industry! While they meet and are getting to know each other we are also introduced to Beverly, who has run away from her abusive husband with her son. As Colby and Morgan fall more in love, Beverly's situation gets more desperate. When these two narratives collide, all must decide what dreams are worth holding on to, and what dreams do we give up on or change for the ones we love.
I enjoyed reading this story. In true Sparks fashion this one dealt with some heavy topics in the midst of a romance. I struggled a bit with trying to connect the two stories and guessing how they would come together. Know that they do come together, but it's pretty late in the story, so just enjoy the ride.
I had some suspicions about their connection, but did not figure it out completely.
This book is set to be published 20 Sep, so put it on your TBR if you are a Sparks fan, like romance stories with some more depth/hard topics, or just like a good story!
#NetGalley #Dreamland

When you sit down with a Nicholas Sparks book you know you're settling in with an easy plot-driven read with a sense of romance and maybe heartbreak. Dreamland has all those elements as it tells the story of Colby and Beverly. I found myself enjoying the romantic story of Colby (and Morgan) while the story of Beverly felt like it belonged in a different book and I was distracted by wondering just where this was going. Of course in the final third Sparks brings all the pieces together in a way that makes sense but the AH HA wasn't worth it for me. So a mixed review for this one, I enjoyed Colby and his storyline. 3.5 for me rounding up to a 4. If you like Sparks you'll like this one well enough. If you don't currently read Sparks then I'd start with another title.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Dreamland! I read Nicholas Sparks all through high school and this was a lovely book to get back into his writing. I really enjoyed the dual storylines that came together in the end. I enjoyed reading both Beverly and Colby’s story. Nicholas is always a top tier author in evoking emotions throughout his books. It was really fun and nostalgic for me to revisit his work with his newest book, Dreamland. Thank you again to NetGalley for this ARC of Dreamland!!

Colby is on vacation in St. Pete Beach, Florida from his family farm in North Carolina. He has given up on his musical dreams but is playing a gig in a beach bar, while getting a rare break from farming. When he meets Morgan, sparks fly, and their world is now each other.

Meanwhile, Beverly is fleeing with her son from an abusive husband. She is trying to start a new life with hardly any money and danger lurking around the corner.

When Colby gets an emergency call about his Aunt, he rushes back to North Carolina. Will his and Morgan's love be able to survive a long distance relationship?

This is a great story along with great characters. I really enjoyed it, especially having visited St. Pete Beach!

I've been a diehard Nicholas Sparks fan since the day I stumbled upon The Notebook many many years ago. I have read every word of every single book he has written since. I loved Dreamland! It felt a bit different than his past books and not at all in a bad way. There's a bit of mystery, and some suspense that'll keep you hooked until the very end. An easy 5 stars for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.