In true Nicholas Sparks style this isn’t just a love story, it isn’t a Romance. This is a true love, life defining, soul searching drama.
A veteran on his own path of rediscovery and recovery is in a small town because of his grandfather. The local cop who is beautiful and full of mystery has her own drama and the pair fall in love, literally. A tale that is heartbreaking, romantic and happy but filled with sorrow. Sparks has written another everlasting memorable tale.
My only issue would be a little slow in pace and not exactly riveting at times but the Characters were so well written you could picture them all and feel exactly what they felt.

I really enjoyed this book although I did feel it was a bit slow to get going. It makes for a lovely summer read! I did find some of it predictable like the his parents having died in a plane crash. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a huge fan of Sparks' previous work, but this did not hit the mark. The Male protagonist was unlikeable, as was one of the females Natalie. He was too full-on, and she was too guarded, and I was seriously frustrated reading their conversations.
The plot around his grandfather and the beehives was much too slow to keep my attention.

Trevor is recovering from injuries he received while serving as a navy doctor in Afghanistan. He hears that his grandfather is seriously ill and immediately goes to visit him. When his grandfather dies Trevor moves into his house to look after the bee hives and decides to repair the cottage.
He befriends Natalie who works for the Sheriffs office and the pair become close.
A wonderful summer read with some lovely characters and I learn a lot about bee keeping.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many of Nicholas Sparks books and enjoyed the film versions, and this one didn't disappoint. Sparks writing style does lend itself to a movie and I can imagine this one following the same route... Very much enjoyed - thank you!

It’s been a while since I read anything by Nicholas Sparks. I have always loved his stories and was pleased when I got a chance to read this book. As with his other stories, there’s a real tragic story to the main characters which makes The Return really likeable. It is well written, events expertly explored to add lots of minute details and as the story progressed, I felt sorry for the journeys the characters took, I’m glad it ended the way it did. Looking forward to it when it’s turned into a movie.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity in return for a review.

I haven't read anything by Nicholas Sparks for a couple of years . I have always enjoyed his books and was glad that I got the chance to read this one. It sometimes takes a while to get into his books and found the book a little slow going to start with. The story is told through the eyes of Trevor, a doctor who has been injured and is at a crossroads in his life. His grandfather recently passed away and he has returned to his house, to sort things out and to take stock.
His path crosses that of Natalie, who works for the Sheriffs office. He fell in love at first sight, but inspite of her seeming reluctant, he continued to pursue her. I found Trevor quite irritating at this pointand would , as a woman, been put off by his behaviour. But I came to appreciate him more as the story progressed and the circumstances of both of them were revealed. This was well written without too much waffle around the story, feelings and events were explored sensitively and as the reader you come to understand the situation . The other story in the book, that of Calley was believable and well told.
Typical for Nicholas Sparks,this book offers great descriptions of nature , towns and of characters the main character comes into contact with. It made me laugh and shed a tear and left me with the feeling that I have just read a great story.
Thank you Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review . I'm glad I perservered with this one

I loved this book. The start and the epilogue running into one was fantastic and the best conclusion for the story.

Trevor’s story was very different - as an injured veteran, the depth and development was not expected at all. I loved finding out about the bees and how they were looked after. The honeys was great at linking the characters together.

His relationship with Natalie was beautiful and inspiring. The end result of her story was certainly not predicted.

I am so grateful I was given the opportunity to read this.

I enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to it made into a movie.
Starting a new life after an accident in the army, made Trevor go back home, to his grandfather home in a small town in North Carolina.
While trying to understand Natalie and falling in love with her, he also finds a teenager that his grandfather took care of. It’s an interesting read about friendship and people who are dealing with more than the eye can see, about loss and grief and hope for a future together.
I personally wasn’t convinced by the love story between Natalie and Trevor but sometimes love finds it’s way in the most unexpected moments and it’s not always something that you can see, it needs to be felt.

This is a book I would read again, which doesn’t happen often. It starts with Trevor Benson, a wounded veteran returning to where he was the happiest, his late grandfathers home. He is trying to cope with the loss and also still suffering from PTSD from his injuries in Afghanistan. Add to that the mystery of why his Grandfather, Carl, died in a hospital miles from home.

The depth of the descriptions is so good, particularly when it’s about his grandfathers love of his bees and the home Trevor found refuge in when his parents died. I found the way the mental health issues were dealt with showed the extent of the research done by the author. Add in to the mix Callie, a young girl who had connections to Carl but who is a mystery on her own, and Natalie, the live interest, then there is enough to keep the story interesting. Although the ending is predictable it was still lovely to read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks very much for the early copy via Netgalley. so excited to see a new title from Nicolas Sparks as a Notebook fan. This was another great read and really enjoyed his your immersed in the story, each high and low and emotion.

What it's about 👇

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he'd inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.

Tending to his grandfather's beloved beehives, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding.

I will preface this review by saying I loved The Notebook and have read and enjoyed many of Sparks other novels but this one just fell a bit flat for me. It has been some time since I’ve read one of his books and I do wonder if because I loved The Notebook so much and yet not this one was because of the passage of time. I read the others in the late 90’s and early 00’s when attitudes to women were different and at the risk of sounding terribly ‘woke’ I felt Trevor was a bit sleazy. I don’t think Spark’s male characters or either sexes characters have moved into the world we now live in and this could be a factor in how well this book does and how well future books do.
It’s not all bad though! The descriptions of the locations are beautiful and I could hear the frogs and cicadas as Trevor sat on his deck at night. The descriptions of his Grandfather and the bee keeping are utterly lovely and though I found the first half of the book a trifle cringy, the second half (once I was used to Trevor and his constant internal monologue of how sexy Natalie is and how he can’t understand why she won’t fall at his feet) was much better. His relationship with Callie was far more natural and relatable and her story was gripping. I was pretty proud of myself for figuring out where his Grandpa was heading within the first few chapters too!
I will continue to read Sparks’ novels in the hopes of another Notebook but this one wasn’t it. Mind you, it will be a great movie especially if it isn’t accompanied with voice over of sexist thoughts from the male lead!

The Return by Nicholas Sparks a four-star you will return too. This was like a story of two parts the first half I nearly didn’t finish multiple times, but the second half was all five-star read. The first half wasn’t a bad story, it was just so descriptive, and repetitive, normally I like a good description, but this just kept going. The thing I did enjoy so much was Carl Haverson a man we didn’t meet physically but a man who left a hole, big and dark and needing to be filled, ideally with the flowers like Roses and bees he loved so dearly. But mostly this is the story of his grandson Trevor Benson a convalescing, disabled veteran physician who has a story to tell and one that you should read, he brings some great characters to life and will show you different sides to people and he gets them to reveal themselves like petals from a flower opening. This does follow the typical Nicholas Sparks line, but if you enjoy his work then you will enjoy this as well.

Nicolas Sparks does it yet again. I just love how you get taken on a journey. You really do feel as though you are there. There are highs and lows and you feel every emotion of all the characters. This isn’t my favourite book of Sparks but still a great read.

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked as an orthopaedic surgeon sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, he comes to regroup in the dilapidated cabin inherited from his grandfather. Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love, yet from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a deep connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson. Though she seems to reciprocate his feelings, Natalie remains frustratingly distant. Further complicating his stay is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie. Claiming to be 17, she works at the local store and keeps to herself. Discovering that she was once befriended by his grandfather, Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues - until a crisis triggers a race that will uncover the true nature of Callie's past.

Oh what a beautiful, sweeping romance this is from Sparks. I love starting one of his books knowing I am going to fall in love, have my heart broken and hopefully mended during the course of his incredible books. 'The Return' might just be my favourite book of Sparks' recent offerings.

We begin with Trevor returning to his grandfather's home following his passing, we learn about Trevor's family and his sad past. We discover New Bern and its residents and then we watch as Trevor falls hopelessly in love with Natalie and have to work out why she keeps him at a distance.

I have to say the plot is pretty obvious and I did work it out but that is fine because it fitted with the rest of the plot beautifully and as with all of Sparks' books this is about falling in love with the characters and following them through the twists and turns of life.

Trevor is a great character to follow, very vulnerable and aware of his flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him and following him as he falls for Natalie. Natalie is a bit harder to warm to but that is the nature of her character and there is a clear reason she is the way she is. As the book progresses and Natalie lets her guard down more and more, I found myself warming to her more and more as well.

Then we have Callie who remains an enigma for the majority of the book but proves to be an essential catalyst. I will not say much as you deserve to discover her as I did but she is another special character, then again I expect nothing less from Sparks.

'The Return' is a stunning, evocative read from Sparks that will have you laughing, crying and falling in love. The read is very special, very beautiful and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.

Parts of this book I really enjoyed but there were parts I didn't. I'm not sure anyone using Trevor's so called chat up lines would actually succeed in real life. I found them rather cringy and his persistence a bit creepy. The storyline itself, on the whole was good and had a nice but predictable ending. I did struggle with understanding some of the descriptions as it seems to be written more for an American readership who probably know what 'the basic Annapolis look' is?? and wouldn't have to Google what top-siders were amongst others. Also the descriptions of some of the routes driven went into too much detail for me listing way too many roads and where to join them/leave them. If you were local to the area then it would be enjoyable to read but not if you don't.

The Return sees Nicholas Sparks crafting an epic sprawling tale of the power of love and forgiveness. It's beautifully written with subtle sub plots, which make the characters even more relatable and engaging.

This was a nice book. I use the word nice deliberately as it wasn’t dreadful but it also wasn’t outstanding. It was a nice, average book.

Our main character Trevor is a good guy, but he’s a little creepy for my liking. Almost obsessive and stalker like in places. Natalie is a bit unlikeable. She could have explained her situation quite easily and spared them both heartache!

I did enjoy the story and, whilst predictable, I’m glad it ended as it did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Oof. This was not for me. The male protagonist was so arrogant, off putting, and borderline sleazy in how he approached getting a date that I was put off. The diary style was stilted and the romance wasn't believable.

The Return is a story of recovery and love. Trevor has returned to his deceased Grandfathers cabin in North Caroline after being severely injured in a mortar attack whilst serving in Afghanistan.
He meets Deputy Sheriff Natalie Masterton to whom He is immediately attracted to, her not so much. The mysterious death of Trevors Grandfather brings them and a sullen teenage girl together.
A story which is emotional with good characters and depth, moving and entertaining at the same time with Trevor desperate to find peace and live a normal life again.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly