Nicholas Sparks

Two by Two

Two by Two A

Camilla Marie Riksheim

I love it. It's a wonderful Father-Daughter "love story". It's not like they (father and daughter) fell in love or anything, they grew to love each other even more then before. 

Russ is a hard working father, while Vivian is a stay at home mom. Vivian didn't want to be one of those parents that had a kid, and just ditched her at home with a babysitter as soon as she was born. In first five years of London's life, London knew Vivian a lot better then Russ. But once Russ quit his job due to wanting to start his own business, Vivian started working again and Russ had to take care of their daughter. Each day they grew closer and closer.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with an emotionally powerful story of unconditional love, its challenges, its risks and most of all, its rewards. At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear...and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding-one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

Lacy W

All aboard the disappointment express! Because I was pretty disappointed with this book. And if I'm being honest, I wasn't really sure what I was expecting. Nicholas Sparks, like Danielle Steel, is one of those authors whose books I will read regardless of what they are about. I'm thinking it might be time to be more selective with Sparks. 

The entire book is a first person narrative about Russ Green. He has a daughter named London and a wife named Vivian. The story starts with Russ all grown up. He regales us with tales about his youth or about how he does nothing but try and please his ice queen wife, Vivian. That was literally the entire book, not to mention he talked about every single thing he did and the thoughts behind those actions. 

Russ is a people pleaser with a heart of gold. He is incredibly loyal to his family and only wants to make people happy. Don't get me wrong, I think that is awesome. I am the same way. But even I know when it's time to let go. Russ was basically abused, verbally and emotionally, by Vivian and yet he would do nothing but attempt to get her back. 

I know that with abuse victims, that will happen. I get that.BUt the way Sparks handled it, it was too much. We were literally privy to  every single thought Russ had. I mean every single one. He was also very detailed in super mundane actions like feeding his daughter. It just got super old after a while. 

In conclusion before I start to really go on, this wasn't the greatest book. It could have easily been condensed down a couple hundred pages. It was over 400 pages and the plot (if there was one) didn't happen until about 200 pages in. I will probably continue to read Nicholas Sparks but I think I will be more selective from now on.

Tracie McMurray

I'm normally a Nicholas Sparks fan. A little romance, a little duel perspective, a protagonist I care about, etc. So it pains me to report- this one was a struggle. 

Do yourself a favor and skip to page 221. Start on the sentence near the end of chapter 13 that reads, "Thirteen days passed before I learned the truth." That was where the story stopped being a monotonous (but bitter) monolog of a protagonist who can't see that his horrible wife doesn't love him. It was PAINFUL. The proving of the point, I'm a helpless romantic man who was blindsided, was just hard to read. If I didn't have an actual inability to not finish a book, I would have dropped it after nothing happened in the first 100 pages. But, by the end I was crying my eyes out. 

Okay, so if you want a break from reality, this is not the book for you. It is depressingly like real marriages that fall apart.

Shirley Jones 

Two by two was such a beautifully written love story that I absolutely enjoyed reading, it was a long book but the more I read the more I fell in love with the characters, apart from Vivien!

Candyce Kirk

I didn't know until near the end if it would be 5 star read for me, but Nicholas Sparks did it again!

Michelle Boyea

Such an inspiring, albeit sad book. As always, Nicholas Sparks draws you into his books with so many emotions.

Tiffany Engler

I'm not gonna lie, I got this book because of the cover. It's just too cute to pass up on.

Like most of Nicholas Sparks' books, Two by Two has a slow start. At the beginning, I can tell I was really going to like Russell. He has high hopes and dreams. The sad thing about him is that he lets his wife walk all over him. Even knowing their financial situations, she still does whatever she wants and gets kind of pissy when she has to get a job to help out.

I'm going to go on a little rant of why I don't like Vivian right now. She's bossy. She gets bitchy when things don't go her way. She makes her daughter do things she doesn't want to do. She's just an all around bitch and I'm not too sure what in the world Russ saw in her when they were dating. She's not supportive of Russ or his dreams.

Anyway, Russ quits his so far successful job to branch out and start his own business. It doesn't start out so well which causes Vivian to get a job to help bring some money in the house. Things start to go downhill from there. Vivian is gone a lot, leaving Russ to watch London all day. Meaning, he hardly has time to actually work because she won't find a good daycare to put London in!

This is the typical family. Everything about this book screams reality. This book is so realistic, it hurts. I hurt for Russ and London for what they go through.

The beginning of the book had me smiling. Happy for Russ and Vivian. As the book went on, I got angry. When it ended, I was in tears. 

This book is moving, inspirational. Sparks hit a home run with this one.

Becca Futrell

originally i was gonna give this a one star, because i’m gonna be honest, it just wasn’t that great. there were tons of things that annoyed me & i’m honestly surprised i stuck with it. but! i gave it an extra star, because 3/4s of the way through, emotions snuck up & slapped me in the damn face. i even almost cried.

Courtney Patterson

While it seems this is either a love it or hate it book I'm in the middle. It was a good easy read but kinda the same as every other Nicholas Sparks book. Boy reminisces about past with girl. Boy goes through a troubling a time, Boy reconnects with girl and all is going well. Biggest shock of all somebody dies as they usually do in a Nicholas Sparks book. Then boy recovers from the death. The end.

'When it comes to tales about love, Nicholas Sparks is one of the undisputed kings' Heat Sometimes the end is just the beginning . . . Russell Green has it all: a loving family, a successful career and a beautiful house. But underneath his seemingly perfect world, cracks are beginning to appear . . . and no one is more surprised than Russ when the life he took for granted is turned upside down. Finding himself single-handedly caring for his young daughter, while trying to launch his own business, the only thing Russ knows is that he must shelter his little girl from the consequences of these changes. As Russ embarks on this daunting and unexpected new chapter of his life, a chance encounter will challenge him to find a happiness beyond anything he could ever have imagined. From the author of The Notebook and See Me comes a beautiful story of heartbreak, strength and unconditional love that will capture your heart. _____________________________ Praise for Nicholas Sparks: 'Pulls at the heartstrings' Sunday Times 'When it comes to tales about love, Nicholas Sparks is one of the undisputed kings' Heat 'An absorbing page-turner' Daily Mail 'A fiercely romantic and touching tale' Heat on The Longest Ride 'An A-grade romantic read' OK! on Safe Haven 'This one won't leave a dry eye' Daily Mirror on The Lucky One

A beautiful story that will capture your heart

Krystal Campbell 

I felt this book in my core! 100% relatable

Joleen

It's been awhile since I have read one of Nicholas Sparks novels. I failed to find interest in his last one. So when I heard this was coming out, I knew I would get it. Father and Daughter books just get me so emotional. I gave it a 4 based on the ending. I wanted more details and I wanted less rushing. I even wanted a different outcome for certain characters. I understand why the character did what they needed to do, but I didn't want that. Of course, I found myself crying last night, but I do recommend this for people who enjoy his books.

Two by Two

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