My favorite Nicholas Sparks book is absolutely “A Walk to Remember“. What a book that is! It’s so moving and touching that it makes grown men cry (literally) and is a GREAT choice for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, “The Choice” doesn’t quite live up to that standard.In Sparks’ defense, I also enjoyed “The Notebook” so I know he can write. He seems to have developed a formula and perhaps the more I read of him, the less I like. I certainly thought “The Guardian” was pretty awful and perhaps I should’ve stopped there.

But I gave him one more shot. “The Choice” is a nice, bland romance. A new woman moves into a neighborhood where Travis is enjoying his eligible bachelorhood. Gabby has a boyfriend; Travis pursues anyway. Sparks fly, one thing leads to another, yadda yadda yadda…

The actual “choice” referred to in the title ends up being a bit of a surprise, but it’s almost too little, too late. By the time Sparks gets to that, I was already detached from the story.

I’d stick to Sparks’ earlier novels and skip these most recent, unless you’re in a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” mood, in which case “The Choice” may be just what the doctor ordered.