I have loved almost every Nicholas Sparks book I've ever read and this book falls somewhere in the liked a lot and nearly loved. I would like to share that there is a heavy emphasis on religion and one characters relationship to bible quotes. This isn't something I've normally expected from a Sparks book so I felt that it may be a good piece of information to know going in. That said, I grew up with religion and understand it's place in many people's life. As an agnostic person, I find it a little distracting to always be pulled into chapter and verse of the bible in much of the book.
The story is centered around three individuals. Tanner, who has been by his grandmother's bedside as she is in the last days of her life. She raised him along with his grandfather after his mother died during childbirth. He has never known his father and she leaves him the name and last known location in a note after she has passed. He goes seeking answers to who he may be.
He crosses paths with Kaitlyn who is the mother of two children; a teenager Casey and a 9 year old son Mitch (I felt like Tanner and Mitch's names should have been swapped as Tanner feels like a young name and Mitch felt like an adult's name... just my own personal preference).
Kaitlyn is a divorced doctor and there is an immediate connection.
She is a doctor who makes house calls and cares for an older gentleman : Jasper that lives near her who has burn scars all over his body and obviously has a story to tell.
All three of these characters weave in and out of the story and we learn a lot about Jasper's time as a child with his pastor father and how he met his wife and how they built a life with their 4 kids. Their story is heartbreaking and it unfolds in a beautiful way. I really liked how all three characters are connected and we don't really discover how until the last few chapters. I would have loved an epilogue to give us a peak at life in the future but I suppose we imagine that it's a HEA.
Setting aside some of the religious aspects, I loved these characters and always love the romantic stories Sparks writes. If I could give it a half star, I'd rate it 3.5 but since I can't, I'll round it up.

You can never go wrong with a Sparks read and this was exactly the one to pull me out of my reading slump.

A multi perspective tale of Kaitlyn, Tanner and Jasper and how their paths cross for the better.

Kaitlyn is a single mom raising two kids as a physician doing the best that she can. Tanner enters the scene on a search for his father following the passing of his grandmother. Jasper’s story follows his interactions with Kaitlyn’s son and his tragic past that led him to his life now.

Tanner and Kaitlyn meet after an incident with Kaitlyn’s daughter, Casey which leads to further interactions between the two.

When a white deer appears in the news, Jasper makes it his personal mission to protect it leading to disastrous consequences bringing Kaitlyn, Tanner and Jasper together in ways they never could have imagined.

I loved the individual parts of each characters story and how they all fell together in the end. An overall great read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

True Nicholas Sparks! My husband and I are both fans and this one did not disappoint! Great characters, warm and inviting storyline. It pulls at the heart strings but then again, all of his works do! Highly recommend!

I have always been a Nicholas Sparks fan since I can remember finding one of his novels in my high school library and instantly became a life long fan. Not only is Nicholas’ novels filled with relatable characters, real life subjects, real problems, they are also filled with characters that show the good in humanity. I have never finished a Nicholas Sparks novel and not had a “feel good” feeling. This novel is a bit different for him as it is more faith based however it does not take precedence over the story in fact it made it felt more authentically southern.

This novel focuses on Tanner Hughes, a former military man, who is in search of his father’s family prior to going back overseas. He has been told by his grandmother prior to her recent death that he needs to find a place to settle down, and to not be so transient as he has never settled and makes work his priority.

Tanner goes to a small North Carolina town in search of family when he meets a young girl in an unexpected way. He meets the girls mother and instantly feels a connection to her. Through small acts and meeting up Tanner begins to see that there is more to life than always being on the go. He learns valuable lessons, and has his eyes opened in a way that is so humble, and revealed slowly over the course of the novel.

The twist in this novel was so good, and was sort of predictable due to me being a hopeless romantic and also being hopeful for Tanner. I found myself cheering for Tanner, and also for the others around him. This novel was so difficult to put down, and I was sad when it was over simply for the fact that I cannot read it again for the first time. This is definitely going to be a book I will recommend for years to come. This novel left me with that “warm hug” feeling. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see what Nicholas Sparks may be working on next!

I was blessed with the opportunity to read an Advance Reader’s Copy of this courtesy of Random House, Netgalley and Nicholas Sparks.

Nicholas Sparks is such a nostalgic author for me, I loved reading his books as a teenager and I really loved this book! It definitely pulled at my heartstrings and made me feel all the feels.

I really enjoyed this book. My only negative feedback is that I felt like the writer was over explaining what USAID is.

I loved Counting Miracles! What a heartwarming and at times, heart-wrenching, tale of lives that eventually intertwine. I enjoyed Tanner's story and his quest to find someone from his past and my heart broke for Jasper's journey and how he was treated. Overall, it was well-written as we expect from Nicholas Sparks. It made me cry and I loved the characters. It was beautiful how the paths of the characters intersected and you'll have to read it to know what I mean. Beautiful story of some incredible people on their own journeys to find what and who they need.

Loved it! I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks and enjoy his books a lot. What strikes me about the stories he creates is the depth and emotion in each. While Counting Miracles has a romantic love story in it, the romance is not the main focus. Faith in God even when you cannot understand the purpose behind trials, finding lost family you never knew you had, learning to grow with and understand your family even when they push you, patience, hope, forgiveness even when it's extremely difficult to forgive, finding joy in the small things, finding yourself- these are all themes in this story. To me, it had everything I want in a book!

I have always been a Nicholas Sparks fan, there has never been a book that he wrote that I didn't absolutely love. This one included! I loved everything about this book, it was so heartfelt and perfect in every way. I adored both the FMC and MMC and could help but to cheer them on. Sparks just keep on proving why he's an auto buy for me. I'd have to say that this book is my second favorite that Sparks has written!

I enjoy Nicholas Sparks books, and this one was no exception. I thought it did drag at times with Jasper's storyline, and Tanner and Kaitlyn needed to get over themselves already.
But...overall, I think this book is worth a read if you like Nicholas Sparks. The ending/epilogue was perfect!

I have read most of the novels Nicholas Sparks has written. Although I did enjoy this one, it fell short for me in the romance category. I was left wishing there was more of a romance story between Katie and Tanner. I did enjoy how he told Jasper’s story of his love for his family. Those feelings really came through in his writing. And add Arlo, a man’s best friend, who makes your heart happy.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this eArc for my review.

I really enjoyed this book for the most part! Tanner is lost and not sure what he wants to do with his life and ends up in Asheville based on some information from his grandmother. Kaitlyn is a single mom and a doctor not expecting to meet a love interest. Jasper though is my favorite along with his dog Arlo. There is romance of course but also some tense moments and heartbreak. I will probably grab myself a copy when it comes out.

This was such a touching book about love and finding your roots. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve always been a Nicholas Sparks fan since A WALK TO REMEMBER so I will always read whatever he puts out. It was hard for me to review this book. I was really looking forward to this. I think if this was marketed as a contemporary fiction I think it will sway my opinion. It just didn’t give the same quintessential Nicholas Sparks romance vibe that I was used to getting. Arlo, the dog was the most stellar character in the book but the rest of the human characters, I didn’t really care for. Thank you to @netgalley giving me a chance to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Groupe-Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review..
I enjoyed this read and was very engaged by the dual-plotlines. I knew they would intersect, but was kept guessing at how that would happen. The plot with Jasper was more interesting to me. I felt like the romance in the other plot feel a bit short compared to other books I've read by Sparks. As a Christian, I enjoyed all the Scripture references in the story and the connection to Job. I did think that the book ended pretty abruptly thiugh and I would've enjoyed more resolution/happily ever after.

I really enjoyed this book. Nicolas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. I really got close to those characters in this book. If you like Nicolas Sparks then you will definitely like his new book.

Nicholas Sparks is the author who got me into reading. I crave his books. He has a way of making characters a part of your world and wrecking you with their life. The romance is always passionate and leaves you begging for more. Unfortunately I just didn't find that in this book. After 2 years of waiting for this release, I felt a little down about the results. I loved the story line, a man chasing after his father, falling for a girl, and then questioning his whole life. I just never got the character building that I'm used to out of Sparks. The romance was nearly as passionate. It just wasn't the typical Sparks quality. This might would have been a 4 or 5 star from any other writer, but I expected so much more from this novel and I honestly was very disappointed.

Thank you netgally for an arc of this novel! Nicholas Sparks has been a favorite writer of mine for awhile and this book was absolutely wonderful. The cast of characters was amazing, right down to Arlo the dog. While I figured out the plot twist soon enough it still was a beautiful read that had me in tears by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a fair review.

How excited was I to receive an advance copy of this book? I have always been a Nicholas Sparks fan. In fact, before I really got into reading, Nicholas Sparks was the only thing on my bookshelves. Counting Miracles was very much his style. It tells the story of Tanner Hughes, former Army Ranger, who discovers his father’s identity and where to find him while comforting his dying grandmother. Tanner travels to Asheboro, North Carolina to search of his dad, but ends up with a wrecked car after a young girl plows into him. After Tanner drives the shaken girl home, he finds he has a connection with her mother, Kaitlyn. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn’s 83 year old neighbor, Jasper, is haunted by his tragic past and desperately searching for a white deer that has been seen in the area. Jasper finds himself working to protect the animal from teens hunting it. In pure Sparks style, the stories come together in the end. Albeit predictable, I flew through this one.

What I loved:
* Arlo the dog and his relationship with Jasper
* The elusive white deer
What I could have done without:
* All of the Bible verses
* The abrupt ending. Had it not been for the epilogue I may have thrown my book across the room

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Big shout out to NetGalley for this ARC!

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents and spent his early years in the military. He goes from adventure to adventure until his grandmother becomes ill and gives him the charge of “find where you belong” along with his father’s name. He decides to follow that “adventure” and as soon as he gets to town he ends up making a connection that’ll last the rest of the book.

I liked how the book kind of had two stories going at once. You knew they’d cross over at some point but you just weren’t sure when.

Publishing date: September 24, 2024

Great read 🌟🌟🌟🌟