Nicholas Sparks is a go-to author for me, so when I saw he was releasing Dreamland, I added it to my TBR as fast as I could. After reading the synopsis, I was even more interested, and as soon as I got my hands on a copy of the novel, I dove right in.
I enjoyed the pacing of the book, as well as the description of the characters, setting, and scenery.
I enjoyed Colby and Morgan's journey, but I didn't completely fall in love with them. I was invested in finding out how Colby, Morgan, and Beverly's storylines would eventually intertwine, but I must say that I wasn't completely thrilled with how it did all eventually connect.
Overall, I liked Dreamland, but it doesn't make my list of favorites of Sparks' novels. Still, I look forward to reading whatever comes next from Nicholas Sparks!

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TW/CW: Death; suicide; OD; mental illness; grief; dv

*Complimentary copy for review provided by Penguin Random House Canada. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

Nicholas Sparks' latest work, Dreamland brings us all those things his fans have come to know and love about his work - romance and heartache, sprinkled with some drama and a dash of mystery. I tend to enjoy characters and settings he creates and Dreamland was no exception. It was an enjoyable vacation read even with some of the heavier topics it covered.

Colby Mills, a small town North Carolina boy whose dreams of a music career got derailed when he had to take on running his family's farm, is spending a week in Florida for a short term gig playing at a beach bar. The last thing he expects is the way meeting Morgan Lee ends up spinning his head. And his musical creativity. They might be from two very different worlds but will their magical connection and mutual love of music be enough to bring them truly together. Meanwhile in another part of the country Beverly is on a run with her son, trying to outrun her past and create a safe future for the two of them. One week can change the course of many lives...

This is a great beachside/poolside/vacation read, as well as a story that I think majority of existing Nicholas Sparks fans will love. I really liked how the two stories came together, although I definitely enjoyed Colby and Morgan story-line better. If you're in the mood for some heart strings tugging romance then this is a read for you!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Another fantastic read from Nicholas Sparks who never fails to write heart wrenching and warming content.

I absolutely loved the dual perspective, the two stories were amazingly descriptive and had you wondering how these characters and stories were going to come together. Sparks keeps you guessing right up until the last section that was told in Colby's perspective it was late and I kept on reading because I had to know! I did at one point see the twist but I was unsure how all the things lined up, but when Sparks explains it and everything gets revealed so seamlessly it really worked well for the narrative.

The first perspective is Colby a young farmer that has travelled to Florida for a break on the farm to go back to his first love of being a musician. On the trip he mets Morgan, who he feels a connection to right away. On his vacation the two grow close together, the vacation is nearing an end when tragedy happens at the farm and Colby leaves unexpectedly.

Then we meet Beverly, a young mother fleeing an abusive relationship, starting a while new life with her young son. I felt extremely connected to Beverly as some of her experiences paralleled my own life.

If you are a fan of a love story, finding yourself, family bonds, a dual prespective that is both mysterious and suspenseful then you definitely should pick up Dreamland.

Reading Nicholas Sparks is like slipping into your favourite, most comfortable pair of slippers. You just slide into another world for a few hours and enjoy the journey, which will invariably break your heart at some point before putting put it back together. Dreamland was no exception. I love how the alternating POVs draw you in and keep you invested in both characters' stories, as well as how they ultimately connect. A moving story that is beautifully written ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nicholas Sparks has done it again! This is a beautiful story of romance but what Sparks fans may not expect is the intertwining of two separate stories. As an avid Sparks reader, it three me off, but because he is a master story teller, by the time the story unfolded it all made perfect sense!

You don't want to miss Colby's story in Dreamland - it's a story of a brother's love, of following one's dreams and of never giving up on love.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin RandomHouse Canada for this opportunity and thank you to Nicholas Sparks for sharing your story!

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
Dreamland
By Nicholas Sparks

Finished this read, and what a beautiful little story this one was.
I have said it before, but Nicholas Sparks has a way of pulling on heartstrings and this one was now exception.
I did start to see the ending unfold before it was completely finished. Still a cute and cozy romance that will give you all the feels.

QOTD: Do you play any musical instruments?

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thanks so much to @tandemcollectiveglobal for running this read along! It has hands down been my favourite so far, and I really enjoyed the music connecting to the prompt cards in this one! Such a fun experience.

Also a huge shoutout to @doubledayca @penguinrandomca and @nicholassparks for providing me with a copy of this book for the read along in exchange for my honest opinion.
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When Colby meets Morgan after playing a gig at a bar in Florida, his world is turned upside down. Through music, they get to know each other better. While they are falling in love, Beverly is fleeing an abusive husband with their 6 year old son.
This book told in dual POV grabbed me from the first page, but it dropped me a bit on the first POV change. I really preferred Colby's story to Beverly's, as I found Beverly's POV to be really intense and a bit disorganized, so it was hard for me to really sink my teeth into. I was still very curious to find out how the two seemingly separate stories would merge, and boy was I not disappointed! All of the guesses I made while I was going through the book were wrong. It was a bit repetitive at times, but the characters were all great and very well developed. I haven't read a lot of Sparks, but I flew through this one in one sitting!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I grew up reading Nicholas Sparks but after reading The Wish last year, I totally fell back in love with him and his ability to write such heartbreaking and emotional stories! This made Dreamland one of my most anticipated reads of the year and unfortunately I think I built it up a little too much it and was just expecting a bit more. However, don’t get me wrong, this was still a wonderful tale of love and risk and is definitely worth checking out!

There are two different stories being told simultaneously in this one and I was constantly trying to guess how they could possibly be related then boom, worlds collide and we get a massive plot twist that I surely did not see coming!

I was so excited to see that Austin Nichols was narrating the audio and the One Tree Hill fan in me truly squealed! He did a great job and I really enjoyed how the audio brought these multifaceted characters to life!

Sparks proves that he’s still a beautiful writer who can tell incredibly powerful stories and I look forward to reading many more by him!

I wasn't a fan of Nicholas Sparks' last book so I was a bit sceptical going into this one. However, I really enjoyed it! This story follows two characters with their own POV. I enjoyed both stories, but when I was reading Beverly's POV I couldn't put the book down. I kept trying to connect both characters which made the reading a different experience than his other books. I got attached to both Beverly and her heartbreaking story and I really felt for Colby and his situation. In true Nicholas Sparks fashion, it made me feel all the feels. A solid 4 stars and I really recommend for an engaging and quick read.

Dreamland - Nicholas Sparks
Potential rockstar turned farmer, Colby, is overworked and in dire need a break. He takes advantage of an opportunity and takes a spontaneous trip to Florida to play a gig, remembering his old dreams. His trip takes an interesting turn when he meets Morgan. She's unlike any girl he has met, completely unaware of her power and charm. They don't have much in common, besides their love of music, which is more than enough to bond them together in such a short period of time, making Colby rethink the future he felt obligated to live.
Beverly is on the run. She has taken all the steps to make it hard for her husband to find her and her son. She feels the safest place is a small town, unknown to most outsiders. She has taken all precautions, however can't help second guessing every move, and is in a constant state of fight or flight. When she thinks she's been found, she sees no other way out and takes drastic measures.
Both Beverly and Colby's lives are changing forever, leaving both to wonder if there is something better for them out there, if they'll have the lives they've always dreamed of.
I feel like when you pick up a Nicholas Sparks novel, you know what you're getting yourself into. However, Beverly's story threw me for a bit of a loop and could've been an amazing novel all on its own. I spent the majority of the book wondering how the two stories were connected, and it's nothing something I could've guessed.
As for Colby and Morgan's story, it was almost typical, but I feel like it was just missing something, maybe almost a bit bland in comparison to Beverly. Overall, I loved the book and gave it a well deserved ⭐⭐⭐⭐/4.
Thank you Netgalley for the amazing ARC!

First off I have to say, Nicholas Sparks is one of my favourite authors. He was my first auto buy author & I have read all his books except for Nights in Rodanthe (somehow I missed that one 🤷‍♀️).

Dreamland however, was not my favourite book. Let’s talk about it.

The story has two perspectives. One being Beverly. Beverly is fleeing an abusive relationship with her son Tommie. This storyline gives me Safe Haven vibes (loved that book). They land in a new small town where they know no one & no one knows them. Beverly thinks this is the perfect place, but then it feels too good to be true. With money running low, she needs to make a decision.

The second perspective is Colby. Colby is a small town farmer on a working vacation in Florida. He’s has a love for music & is performing at a local bar in Florida. Once upon a time he was in a band until tragedy struck & now he is the head of a small family farm.
While on vacation, Colby meets Morgan who is smart, beautiful & sophisticated. She is the daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, went to a sophisticated school & after her own vacation in Florida, will be moving to Nashville to launch her own musical career.

Beverly’s storyline is heart pounding & riveting whereas Colby’s & Morgan’s fell flat for me. Colby focuses so much on how beautiful & sophisticated Morgan is that it becomes overdone. You are constantly reminded of this & it makes their relationship not seem authentic.

The ending of the story however was great. The twist was great & I didn’t expect. Overall I gave this book 3.5 stars.

I am a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, so I was so excited to receive an e-ARC of his latest book "Dreamland"! Unfortunately, this latest release fell flat for me. For 85% of the book it was two completely separate storylines - I knew they would come together eventually though (I couldn't IMAGINE how, so that was a happy surprise! One of those "How did I not SEE that?!?"). Also, I don't know why, but I just didn't feel the chemistry between Colby and Morgan. It felt rushed.

Sidenote: Maybe it's because I'm not a big musical person, or tik tok person, but I just can't see a massive crowd coming out to watch a bunch of girls dance and film a tik tok video. Bleh, it made the characters seem so shallow.

If I had only one sentence to review this book with, it would be, "The last 85% really redeemed the book."

My review is 4 stars, I enjoyed the book but I felt certain parts could have a bit more in-depth . The story is told by 2 different points of view which converge about 2/3 of the way into the book . I found the first story line to be quite interesting and more in depth and had me wanting to know what was going to happen and where the writer was taking us. The second story line was a bit more light and I would have liked it to be a bit more in-depth …….when the two stories converged it was not what I had expected which was a good thing for me as a reader. I can see this going to screen and being a success like the authors past screen adaptations.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own .

I would recommend this book to friends and family and my book clubs. I think with the subject matter it could be a great book for discussion

This book had all the things I love about Sparks; interesting characters, a thrilling story, and a heartwarming and breaking romance. However, if I could give any feedback it’s that I think authors need to be very careful about using the word “crazy” in stories that involve mental illness. I think Sparks did a good job overall with writing about bipolar disorder (he included the literal definition which was kind of weird and out of place for the character) but other descriptors of the scenario should be just as careful.

Another good love story from Nicholas Sparks. This book explores themes of love, long-distance relationships, family, and, mental health as Colby tries to figure out who he is, what he wants, and what he is not willing to give up.

Highly recommended for Nicholas Sparks fans and those looking for an easy to read love story.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Doubleday Canada in exchange for my honest review