Cover Image: Dreamland

Dreamland

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Member Reviews

3.5 Stars

This one gave me mixed emotions I enjoyed Beverly’s POV, but would lose interest during Colby’s POV. I would of rather listen to the audio version.

Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I am a big fan of Nicholas Sparks and I enjoyed this novel as well. I found this one to be a bit different from his previous novels because there was a bit of mystery intertwined throughout this novel. The story is told from two differing points of view and I knew they were somehow linked but I just couldn't figure it out. When Sparks revealed the connection, it all fell into place. The only criticism I would give to this book is that the ending seemed a bit rushed but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

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Let me start by saying that I love Nicholas Sparks books. Nicolas Sparks books were some of the first romance
books I started reading in Middle School and I continue to follow all his new releases!

Unfortunately, this book didn't blow me away like some of his other ones. I thought the two different storylines were very slow and it wasn't until the big reveal occurred that it made the storylines worth it. Once I learned the connection between the two stories, I flew through the last few chapters with ease and the book became worthwhile. Nicholas Spark is still one of my favorite romance authors, but this one wasn't entirely for me.

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Another tearjerker book by a great author.

I always enjoy this author's books. This one was great from start to finish,
Great characters, plot and storyline.
It will hold you captive all the way through.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

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It had been years since I had read a Nicholas Sparks book! It was like visiting an old friend! He is such a good storyteller, character developer, and puts you right in the setting. Thank you Netgalley for and advanced copy of this book.

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I was so pleased to be able to read a Nicholas Sparks book for review. I have grown up reading him I feel. I remember reading my first book by Sparks A Walk to Remember. I was only just getting back into reading and I was a very slow reader. I DEVOURED that book in one sitting. I just loved the story of the two main characters Jamie and Landon. I have been a Sparks fan ever since.
In this book we have the story line of Colby, Barbara and Morgan. Usually I am right on board with the main character and along for the ride wherever they want to take me. In this story though I found it hard to connect with Colby and very much enjoyed Barbara's story. That being said, I really enjoyed this book and especially the ending. It was not what I was expecting but it was still very well written and did for me all the things a Nicholas Sparks book usually does. It gave me the feels.

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Thank you Netgalley & publishers for the opportunity to review this book!

Nicholas Sparks does it again! Seriously, you can never go wrong with picking up a Nicholas Sparks book. My mother owns all his books and I will definitely be recommending this one to her as well!

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Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks. Sparks has been one of my favorite authors for several decades. His novels always get me in the feels. This is no exception. The novel is told from two points of view. Colby's story and Beverly's story are told in two different timelines until their stories connect. Themes are love, loss, family, music, and growing up. If you love a surprise ending you will love this book!

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I keep seeing this book everywhere! I liked it. Thank you to the author and publisher for my copy in exchange for a review.

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This was a wonderful book by Nicholas Sparks, not my favorite by his, but I still finished reading it within a couple days.

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I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I can start off by saying I absolutely LOVE Nicholas Sparks so I was thrilled beyond words to receive the approval to read this. He has a writing style that just pulls you in right from page one and holds your attention until the very last word. This book is fantastic and will keep you up way past your bedtime as you will not be able to put it down. Do yourself a big favor and read this ASAP!

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Hmm this one just didn’t hit the mark for me… and I really just didn’t enjoy reading it.
That being said, it was an easy / straightforward read and I enjoyed Colby’s POV/ story but Beverly’s story gave me whiplash and I mostly felt anxious, confused and in general kind of yucky?! It hit too close to home for me based on personal experiences in my life, so perhaps I’m unfairly rating the book, but I just didn’t like it.

Also much of the book I felt like I was going back and forth between the movie Sleeping with the Enemy and a romantic happy summer fling movie.

You might enjoy this if you like trying to puzzle how two wildly different stories fit together and if you like a bit of thriller with a side of romance.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! I appreciated reading the book, and my review was not impacted by receiving an ARC.

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I’ve always been a big Nicholas Sparks fan, so I was very excited to get this ARC. It did not disappoint! It was a lovely story that I couldn’t put down. The dual POVs/timelines were really interesting and kept me intrigued.

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Oh, how I wanted to love this, and yet, Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks didn't quite work for me. Some of his more recent books just haven't quite worked for me...

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

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.

Thank you for the advanced copy to read!

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This was just a big letdown for me. Too many alternating storylines, not enough heart and focus. I usually like Nicholas Sparks books, but this one just didn't have the same effect on me at all.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this read. Maybe next time.

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Over the last few years, I have developed a love/hate relationship with Nicholas Sparks. Unfortunately, this one is going to fall into the latter category for me. Almost everything about this book seemed pointless, especially Colby and Morgan's story. I have never been a fan of insta-love stories, and I sometimes forget that NS uses them often. It's not even that he uses them but the meetings and characters are so flat and one-dimensional that it's hard to understand how they fell so quickly in love. I wish Paige's story would have been fleshed out more and that would have been more of a focus in the story. I don't want to give too much away about the story, but I also hate that Nicholas Sparks seemed to have uses the stereotypical portrayal of bipolar disorder in this book. It doesn't really appear that he did any kind of research about it, but instead just used the dramatic and sensationalized version of it that exists in the movies and TV shows. This feels somewhat harmful because it just feels like its perpetuating a false stereotype rather than educating the reader on BPD. Also, speaking of stereotypes, it seemed Sparks was trying to go for a Bradley Cooper/Lady Gage type love story but he included so many mundane details and their dates were basically set up the same way that so much of it felt repetitive, but this was just not the sweeping and epic love story that I want to read. Another miss for me. 2/5 stars

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This was one of those books where there was a dual plot and one of them held my interest, while the other did not. I will admit that there was a twist that really impressed me, so I am glad that I pushed through. Not a favorite, but still worth the read. ⭐⭐⭐

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This one was a miss for me. I have read all of this author's books and have enjoyed them, but this one just didn't keep me engaged. I can't really say why either because I'm not sure.

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I liked this book - fast moving plot, good characters, and fun to read. The author did a great job with the story, plot, and setting. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

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**Slight spoiler ahead. Proceed with caution!

The two different stories in this novel combine in the end in a way that I did not see coming. This is a sweet love story of Colby and Morgan, two young people from very different worlds that have a love of music and who meet at the beach while on vacation. The other storyline involves Beverly who has run away from her abusive husband with her young son and is trying to start again. Tough choices have to be made by all of these characters and they struggle with what is best for them and what is best for the ones they love.

What worked for me:
- characters (Colby and Morgan) who were so likable and real; also there were some great side characters here
but we don't get a lot from them
- setting - the beach setting and then the farm setting were great
- plot - Colby and Morgan's love story is very sweet and believable. I felt like they were people I could have
known when I was growing up.
- a problem that truly seems to have no perfect solution and it tugged at my heartstrings

What didn't work for me:
- I struggled with Beverly's story line.
- I really hate the "different" name plot point. It makes me feel tricked and I don't think it takes a lot of skill to
use it.

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