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Nicholas Sparks books in order

Nicholas Sparks is an American novelist and screenwriter, and is one of the most celebrated and accomplished storytellers in the world.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Sparks wrote his first novel, The Passing, while studying at the University of Notre Dame in 1985.

Every single one of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with some of the most notable ones being, The Notebook, Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember.

His books have been published in more than 50 languages, selling over 105 million copies across the globe.

More about Nicholas Sparks

Genres: Non-fiction, Roman

Born: 1965

Website: https://nicholassparks.com/

Non Series

  • Message in a Bottle (1998)
  • A Walk to Remember (1999)
  • The Rescue (2000)
  • A Bend in the Road (2001)
  • Nights in Rodanthe (2002)
  • The Guardian (2003)
  • Three Weeks With My Brother (2004)
  • Dear John (2006)
  • The Choice (2007)
  • The Lucky One (2008)
  • The Last Song (2009)
  • Safe Haven (2010)
  • The Best of Me (2011)
  • The Longest Ride (2013)
  • See Me (2015)
  • Two By Two (2016)
  • Every Breath (2018)
  • The Return (2020)
  • The Wish (2021)
  • Dreamland (2022)

The Notebook Series

  1. The Notebook (1996)
  2. The Wedding (2003)

Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell Series

  1. True Believer (2005)
  2. At First Sight (2005)
The Notebook Series
Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell Series

Detailed book overview

Non Series

Message in a Bottle

Theresa Osborne, a divorced mother of a twelve-year-old boy, works as a columnist for a Boston newspaper. While on vacation at a seaside, she comes across a bottle with a letter inside.

The message read, “My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together…”

The message, which was Garrett’s way of expressing his infinite love to the woman he lost, fascinates Theresa who has been cautious of love ever since her husband’s betrayal.

Triggered, she begins a search that somehow brings her together with Garrett in a powerful tale of looking for everlasting love.

Message in a Bottle
Director: Luis Mandoki
Cast: Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn, John Savage, Illeana Douglas, Robbie Coltrane, Paul Newman
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 1998
ISBN: 978-1455569076
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
A Walk to Remember

Every April, Landon Carter can’t help but reminisce about his final year at Beaufort High.

The year was 1958. The last person Landon Carter ever thought he would fall in love with was Jamie Sullivan.

As the daughter of the town’s Baptist minister, Jamie was a reserved figure who always carried a Bible along with her schoolbooks.

Apart from taking care of her widowed father, she rescued hurt animals, and volunteered at the local orphanage.

She never seemed bothered by living differently from the other teens, and no boy had ever asked her out.

An act of destiny however sees Jamie become Landon Carter’s partner for the homecoming dance in a move that will change their lives forever.

A Walk to Remember
Director: Adam Shankman
Cast: Shane West, Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote, Daryl Hannah
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 1999
ISBN: 978-0446693806
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Rescue

Volunteer fireman Taylor McAden has always put his life on the line, in order to save others, whenever faced with raging fires and terrible accidents.

The one thing he however can’t make himself do is to fall in love. Taylor has dreaded intimacy for years, seeing as he has always opted to leave as soon as the women in crisis are rescued.

When a terrible storm hits his small Southern town, Denise Holton’s car is swept off the road. Denise is a young single mother to a four-year-old boy named Kyle, who has severe learning disabilities.

Taylor is able to rescue an unconscious Denise, but Kyle isn’t at the scene.

The search for Kyle will bring the two people together, and open the doors of love that were previously shut due to heartache.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2000
ISBN: 978-0446696128
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
A Bend in the Road

Miles Ryan’s life has never been the same again since the death of his wife in a hit-and-run accident two years ago.

Being the deputy in New Bern, North Carolina, Miles is not only broken over the loss but also yearns for justice to Missy’s killer.

Sarah Andrews is a second grade teacher who recently moved to New Bern to start a new chapter after a nasty divorce. She also happens to be the teacher of Jonah—Miles Ryan’s son.

When the two cross paths, love takes over.

What they however don’t know is that the two are closely linked a shocking secret; a secret that could lead to a heart-rending decision.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2001
ISBN: 978-1455571635
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Nights in Rodanthe

“A heartwarming reminder that love can come at any age, any time, and often when least expected.”

Forty-five year old Adrienne Willis has to think long and hard about her entire life after her husband ditches her for a younger woman.

Overwhelmed by the heartache and in desperate need of a breather, she moves to Rodanthe, a small coastal town in North Carolina, to tend to a friend’s inn.

Her perfect weekend getaway seems ruined when a major storm approaches the area, until a guy named Paul Flanner arrives.

Fifty-four year-old Paul, who has just sold his medical practice, has come to the area to escape from his own broken past.

Caught up in the midst of a storm, the two shattered people will turn to each other for comfort; setting off emotions that will forever change the rest of their lives.

Nights in Rodanthe
Director: George C. Wolfe
Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Scott Glenn, Christopher Meloni, Viola Davis
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2002
ISBN: 978-1455571741
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Guardian

Before Julie Barenson’s husband died, he gave her two unexpected gifts. The first was a puppy named Singer, and the other was the promise that he will always watch over her.

Four years later, Julie—now twenty-nine years-old—is ready to love again. She is however undecided on who to go for.

Should it be Richard Franklin, the fine, cultured engineer who makes her feel like a queen, or Mike Harris; the pleasant, pragmatic guy who was her husband’s best friend?

Instead of finding happiness, the kind of bliss she hasn’t enjoyed since the death of her husband, Julie ends up fighting for her own life as a result of choosing one of them.

The Guardian is a spine tingling story of deceit and jealousy so great that it gives rise to a murderous thirst.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2003
ISBN: 978-0446696111
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Three Weeks With My Brother

In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks along with his brother, Micah, began their three-week trip around the globe. Thirty-seven and thirty-eight years old respectively, the two only surviving members of their family voyaged from the lost city of Machu Picchu to the mysterious Easter Island, from the Ayers Rock in Australia to the expansive Indian subcontinent.

Against the backdrop of some of the most amazing wonders of the world, this book is a humorous and honest narration of how the introverted Nicholas and his daredevil brother recollected memories of their childhood adventures and tragedies that tested them to the very limit.

The book is an evocative reminder of how we should all learn to embrace life with all its unpredictability, and to cherish the blissful times—however big or small.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2004
ISBN: 978-0446694858
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Dear John

Always the incensed and rebellious kind, John drops out of school and enlisted in the Army, unsure of what else to do with his life. But that was before he met Savannah, the girl of his dreams.

Their strong connection rapidly escalates into an unshakable love; one that makes Savannah patiently wait for John to finish his tour of duty, while John on the other can’t wait to settle down with the woman who stole his heart.

The terrible event of 9/11 however changes everything.

John feels driven to re-enlist as a way of serving his county, but Savannah ends up giving her heart to someone else as a result of their prolonged separation.

Returning back home having served his country, John must come to terms with the fact that his true love is now married.

Even so, the hardest possible decision of his life is yet to come.

Dear John
Director: Lasse Hallström
Cast: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Richard Jenkins
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-1478948346
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Choice

“How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?”

A well paying job, amazing friends, and a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina: Travis Parker is living every man’s dream. If he isn’t boating or swimming, then he is probably entertaining his well-natured buddies to some good old barbecues.

Travis holds the obscure conviction that a serious relationship with a woman will only cripple his lifestyle, up until Gabby Holland moves next door. His attempts to express friendly neighborly gestures however fail terribly, as the stunning redhead seems readily provoked by him. Things aren’t also made any easier by the presence of her longtime boyfriend.

Travis's unrelenting effort however leads the two on an unprecedented journey of love.

The Choice
Director: Ross Katz
Cast: Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer, Maggie Grace, Alexandra Daddario, Tom Welling, Tom Wilkinson
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2007
ISBN: 978-0446698337
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Lucky One

While on his third tour of duty in Iraq, U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a young woman buried in the dirt. When no one claims to be the owner of the photo, Logan finds himself carrying it everywhere he goes; a move that he notices brings him good fortune.

From winning poker games to surviving a terrible attack that kills two of his closest buddies, the picture seems to be his lucky charm.

Upon return to his Colorado home, Logan can’t stop thinking about the photo. Convinced that she holds the key to his destiny, he embarks on a journey to look for the woman in the photo.

When he meets Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son in Hampton, North Carolina, he feels an unexpected attraction towards her.

As their passionate love affair grows ever so intense, Thibault’s secret regarding the photo will threaten to not only ruin their love, but also their lives.

The Lucky One
Director: Scott Hicks
Cast: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Jay R. Ferguson, Blythe Danner
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2008
ISBN: 978-0446698344
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Last Song

Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life came crumbling down after her parents divorced when she was seventeen years-old. She still feels alienated and heavy hearted three years later, especially to her father who moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina, after the divorce.

Her father, a former concert pianist and teacher, has been leading a muted life; absorbed in creating a masterpiece that will become the centerpiece of a local church.

When Ronnie’s mother suggests she spends the summer with her father at the beach town, an indelible tale of love will be rewritten; showcasing the different ways in which deeply felt relationships can break our hearts, as well as heal them.

The Last Song
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
Cast: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Bobby Coleman, Kelly Preston, Greg Kinnear
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-0446570978
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Safe Haven

When the reserved Katie suddenly appears in the small town of Southport, North Carolina, many questions about her past are raised due to the unexpected arrival. Young, beautiful and withdrawn, she looks resolved not to establish any personal relationships—until a sequence of events enables her to meet Alex and Jo.

Alex is a tender-hearted widower who works at his store to raise his two young children, while Jo is an outspoken singleton neighbor.

Katie slowly warms to Alex and his family, even to the point of giving love a chance, but terrible secrets from her past still haunt her every move.

Through it all however, Katie will come to learn that love is the only assured safe haven!

Safe Haven
Director: Lasse Hallström
Cast: Julianne Hough, Irene Ziegler, Jon Kohler, David Lyons, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, Noah Lomax
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2010
Ebook: B01FKT9G78
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Best of Me

 “Everyone wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She’d believed in it once, too, back when she was eighteen.”

Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell spellbindingly in love while in high school during the spring of 1984. Although from completely different backgrounds, their young love looks to have defied the odds of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina.

That same love is however shredded apart during the summer of their senior year, sending the two into completely different paths.

Twenty-five years later, the two find themselves back in Oriental for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler; a man who not only mentored but also encouraged their high school romance.

Forced to come face-to-face with painful memories while carrying out instructions left behind by Tuck, Amanda and Dawson will uncover irrefutable truths about their choices.

Can love be able to rewrite the past?

The Best of Me
Director: Michael Hoffman
Cast: James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-1455556557
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Longest Ride

Ninety-one year old Ira Levinson finds himself fighting for his life after a car crash on an isolated embankment leaves him with multiple injuries. While struggling to retain consciousness, Ira sees a blurry image of his lovely wife Ruth, who encourages him to hold on and remain alert by narrating stories of their life together. Ruth has however been dead for the last nine years.

Elsewhere, college senior Sophia Danko crosses paths with a young cowboy named Luke. The two fall in love, and Sophia even starts picturing a future together; a future that can only be possible if Luke’s secret doesn’t destroy it.

Ira and Ruth, and Sophia and Luke are two different couples separated by generations, yet their worlds will collide with astonishing poignancy.

The Longest Ride
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Cast: Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Jack Huston, Oona Chaplin, Alan Alda
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-1455520640
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
See Me

Given his history of violence and reckless decisions, not to mention the ever present threat of ending up in prison, Colin Hancock is willing to go the extra mile with his second chance.

Determined to play by the book, he channels all his energy towards his teaching degree whilst avoiding negative elements that haunted his earlier life. Having learnt his lessons the hard way, the last thing Colin needs is a serious relationship.

From a daughter of Mexican immigrants to a Duke Law School graduate working at a reputable firm in Wilmington, Maria Sanchez epitomizes the kind of success attained through hard work. Yet behind all the success lies a harrowing past; one that prompts her to return back to her home town.

But when Maria crosses paths with Colin, love unpredictably takes over, until strange reminders from her past threatens their future together.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-1455520626
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Two By Two

A beautiful wife, an adorable six year-old daughter, a stunning home in Charlotte and a high flying career as an advertising executive: 32 year-old Russell Green seems to be living every man’s dream, with his marriage to the enchanting Vivian being the nucleus of it all.

What however looks like the perfect life soon turns sour when Russ looses everything he initially took for granted in his life.

Without a job or a wife, he struggles to make ends meet in a bid to take care of his young daughter.

Now a single parent, Russ begins a new chapter that will be as terrifying as it is gratifying; testing his emotions and abilities well beyond his wildest imaginations.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-1455520688
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Every Breath

36-year old Hope Anderson is frustrated by the fact that her orthopedic surgeon boyfriend of six years has shown no signs of ever marrying her. With her father also recently diagnosed with ALS, Hope decides to spend a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina; preparing it for sale whilst also using the time to ponder over her future.

At the same time, Tru Walls makes his way to Sunset Beach after receiving a letter from a man who claims to be his father. He hopes that the trip to North Carolina will provide answers to longstanding questions surrounding his mother's early life, and restore some memories lost as a result of her death.

An incomprehensible electric connection will be sparked when the two cross paths, but strong feelings are often accompanied with choices that may have heartbreaking effects.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1538728543
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Return

Trevor Benson never had any plans of returning to New Bern, North Carolina, until an injury forced the orthopedic surgeon to leave Afghanistan. At home, he takes over a ramshackle cabin his grandfather left him.

When he crosses paths with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson, the two share an intense chemistry. Natalie however seems to be hiding something.

When Trevor meets a teenage girl named Callie, who knew his grandfather, he hopes that she will help him uncover the suspicious death of his grandfather.

Although Callie initially doesn’t offer much help, a chain of events leads to shocking discoveries.

This is a moving tale about the power of love and forgiveness.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-0751567809
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Wish

When Maggie Dawes was sixteen, she was sent to Ocracoke, North Carolina to live with an aunt that she knew nothing about.

Although she missed her friends and loved ones, everything changed when she encountered the gorgeous and sincere Bryce Trickett.

Recently admitted to West Point, Bryce introduced Maggie to photography.

Decades later, having become a celebrated travel photographer, Maggie manages a thriving New York gallery and takes pictures of distant locations.

Unable to travel during the festive season due to a recent medical diagnosis, she draws closer to her young assistant.

And as the days go by, Maggie will open up about another unforgettable festive season, decades earlier.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2021
Ebook: B08RYQDKP2
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Dreamland

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.

While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.

In the course of a single unforgettable week, two young people will navigate the exhilarating heights and heartbreak of first love. Hundreds of miles away, Beverly will put her love for her young son to the test. And fate will draw all three people together in a web of life-altering connections...forcing each to wonder whether the dream of a better life can ever survive the weight of the past.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2022
ISBN: 978-0593677933
Publisher: Random House Large Print

The Notebook Series

The Notebook

Set in 1946 in the breathtaking coast of North Carolina, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a thirty-one year old rural Southerner has just returned home from World War II.

While refurbishing a plantation home, Noah is distracted by thoughts of the beautiful girl he met and fell in love with fourteen years ago.

Although he is not able to find her, he is fulfilled to live by the beautiful memories of the summer they spent together.

The woman in question is twenty-nine year old Allie Nelson who is now engaged to another man—yet she hasn’t gotten over Noah.

With the forces that ended their initial relationship still as strong as ever, and the marriage only a matter of weeks away, Allie’s next move will forever shape her future; making it better or worse.

The Notebook
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Sam Shepard, Joan Allen
Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 1996
ISBN: 978-0446676090
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The Wedding

Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun (of The Notebook), candidly admits that the romantic spark has dimmed from their marriage after spending thirty years together.

Determined not to let their love go down the drain, Wilson must find a way of making Jane fall in love with him all over again.

Being an accomplished estate attorney, he has managed to fend for his family, although his biggest problem remains his inability to freely express his emotions.

As his daughter’s wedding approaches, he can’t help but wonder if his wife even loves him anymore.

The memories of Allie and Noah Calhoun’s beautiful fifty-year old love affair however encourages him as he struggles to once again win over Jane’s heart.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2003
ISBN: 978-1538745328
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell Series

True Believer

 “A story that will make you believe in the miracle of love.”

Good-looking, always clad in black and part of the media elite, Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker. Adept at the supernatural, he has a regular column in “Scientific American" and even lands his first appearance on national TV.

A letter about ghost-like lights in a legend-shrouded cemetery makes Jeremy drive to Boone Creek, North Carolina, to conduct investigations.

There he meets Lexie Darnell; a beautiful woman runs the town’s library—just like her mother did before her untimely death that left Lexie an orphan.

What Jeremy conceived would have been a quick week in the small town soon turns into something more, as he falls in love with Lexie who equally develops strong feelings for him.

But to be together, Jeremy must make a difficult choice: one that entails doing something that he has never done before.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2005
ISBN: 978-1455571666
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
At First Sight

 “Some endings bring new beginnings while some tragedies can give rise to unexpected joy”

Jeremy Marsh was certain that he would never leave New York City, never fall in love again after having one failed marriage, and never become a parent. But that was before he met Lexie Darnell.

Currently living in the small town of Boone Creek in North Carolina, Jeremy is engaged to his beloved Lexie, and is even on the verge of starting a family.

Just when things seem to be finally falling into place, a strange and unsettling email triggers the beginning of a series of events that will dramatically alter the love life of the young couple.

Author: Nicholas Sparks
First Release: 2005
ISBN: 978-1455571642
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing