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nationalpike's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The second chance love story of Noah and Allie that inspired the hit movie.
I’m not a huge movie person, but THE NOTEBOOK is one of my favorite movies of all time, and one of fairly few I have intentionally watched without reading the book first. I set out to read the book at LEAST a decade ago, and never got through it. Fast forward to my 2024 goal of finishing all my past DNFs and it was finally time to revisit this one!
This is one of the rare unicorns out there—that is, a situation where the movie is better than the book. Mild spoilers ahead for why!
I felt like the book cut out so much of the early parts of Noah and Allie’s relationship, which is the part of the movie I love the most, and skipped over huge chunks of dialogue (honestly, they don’t talk much), which is what makes the movie what it is. It also felt more focused on cheating…yes, Allie does technically cheat on Lon in the movie too, but *for me* the presentation there made me feel wholly different than it does here. And finally, the ending: the movie ending is gorgeous, and the book just feels…odd, and slightly icky.
CW: Dementia/Alzheimer’s; infidelity; death
The second chance love story of Noah and Allie that inspired the hit movie.
I’m not a huge movie person, but THE NOTEBOOK is one of my favorite movies of all time, and one of fairly few I have intentionally watched without reading the book first. I set out to read the book at LEAST a decade ago, and never got through it. Fast forward to my 2024 goal of finishing all my past DNFs and it was finally time to revisit this one!
This is one of the rare unicorns out there—that is, a situation where the movie is better than the book. Mild spoilers ahead for why!
I felt like the book cut out so much of the early parts of Noah and Allie’s relationship, which is the part of the movie I love the most, and skipped over huge chunks of dialogue (honestly, they don’t talk much), which is what makes the movie what it is. It also felt more focused on cheating…yes, Allie does technically cheat on Lon in the movie too, but *for me* the presentation there made me feel wholly different than it does here. And finally, the ending: the movie ending is gorgeous, and the book just feels…odd, and slightly icky.
CW: Dementia/Alzheimer’s; infidelity; death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Dementia
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Classism
booklover01's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
musicmagician823's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death and Alcohol
jfield351's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
This was a solid good book. I watched the movie first a while ago and it is very different to the book. In the movie Noah was unlikable to me but in the book he is poetic and beautiful. I find it interesting how this book spans a whole lifetime almost and how it dips between both Ally’s and Noah’s thoughts. It was sad, tears were shed, and it was beautifully written. The descriptions were lovely. It wasn’t, to me, ‘the love story to end all love stories’ as described on the cover but it was good. Very short.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Dementia
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
jonsnowsmanbun's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Dementia
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