Book Review: Two by Two

Two by Two

By: Nicholas Sparks

Published By: Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Page Count: 497

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Kindly Provided by Publisher

Adult - Fiction

Two by Two is the latest Nicholas Sparks novel and I was thrilled to be able to get a chance to review it. It was a great novel about love and trust, and especially about rebuilding those relationships. However, I was disheartened by some of the characters and found the main character difficult to rally behind. 

 Russell and Vivian fell deeply and madly in love, got married, and had a baby girl, whom they named London. Russell worked hard at an advertising firm and Vivian quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom after she gave birth to Vivian. But when Russell could see the writing on the wall that his job was in jeopardy, he quit to start his own company. That's when their marriage started to go down hill. 

Russell is a very nice guy and a great dad. He had great business ideas and I admired his strength, tenacity, and work ethic, but I had difficulty with the way he let Vivian walk all over him. Vivian, on the other hand, is one of those moms who drives me crazy. She was so awful to Russell that I wanted to reach through the book and throat punch her a time or two. Neither of which makes for a good marriage! 

 Marge and her partner, Liz, were two characters that I heartily enjoyed. They had stellar personalities, great advice, and harrowing stories to tell. Their characters were always a treat in the book. 

 The writing in the novel was good, but the story took a long time to get going and it just didn't grab me like some others have. Two by Two was good and if you are a fan of all things by Nicholas Sparks, then I would recommend it.

Summary:

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.