"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am acommon man with common thoughts and I've led a common life ... but I've lovedanother with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always beenenough."

Have you ever dreamed of true love? Well, here's your chanceto read about it. The Notebook is about a first love that lasts a lifetime.

Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson meet one summer and fall in love. Noah hasjust graduated from high school, while Allie is a junior. They face manydifferences, but the one that has the greatest effect is her parents'disapproval. At the end of the summer she leaves town with her parents, and Noahfeels his heart will break in two. Despite efforts to keep in touch, his lettersgo unread.

He spends the next 15 years living with the "ghost"of Allie. Then, out of the blue, on a cold autumn day, Allie returns, only totell Noah she is engaged. Her engagement, however, doesn't stop them from fallingin love again. They spend the next few days together, exploring the wildernessand, eventually, their hearts. Everything is perfect until Allie's fiance showsup. For the second time, Allie leaves Noah without making anypromises.

Nicholas Sparks makes you fall in love with the characters andthe love they share. You feel as though you are the one falling in love andexperiencing all the hardships. I'm not going to lie, this book did make me crythe first time I read it, but it is such a compelling story I had to read it overand over again.

If you enjoy a good love story with a happy ending, thisbook is perfect for you. All of Nicholas Sparks' books are great; they're onelove story after another. I will warn you, however, not all of them end happily.Nicholas Sparks shows such passion in his characters that you think they arereal. After reading The Notebook, you may have a new favorite author.