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

Nicholas Sparks seeks to answer. An artist with words, Sparks knows what to say to make any woman swoon for a fictional man. I have read all of Sparks’s books and have seen all of the movie adaptations; he is the reason my expectations are so high when it comes to love.    

Nicholas Sparks’s book, “The Choice,” follows the love story of Travis Parker and Gabby Holland.

Sparks is known for “The Notebook,” “The Last Song,” “Dear John” and “The Lucky One,” so to think “The Choice” would be anything but extraordinarily beautiful and touching would be a mistake. 

Most of his books end in heartbreak, so going into the movie theater I had everything I could possibly need to get through this movie without completely falling apart. I had Kleenexes galore, popcorn and, for an extra precaution, I wore waterproof mascara and a hat to hide the puffy eyes I would have coming out into broad daylight. 

However, I was pleasantly surprised and left the movie theater feeling hopeful for love. I am obsessed with Nicholas Sparks and the movie adaptation of his book “The Choice.”

Travis Parker is the man each woman dreams about as a little girl and searches for as they get older. 

He does not know how good-looking he is which makes him more attractive and appealing. If you think he is an amazing man because of his looks, then listen to his occupation: a veterinarian. 

Imagine an eye-catching veterinarian being your neighbor and head-over-heels for you. Gabby Holland (who moves in next door to him) has this, but she doesn’t realize how truly lucky she was to have Travis Parker’s attention. Most women would automatically, right? 

In the beginning of the movie, Gabby Holland has a longtime boyfriend, but Travis is persistent. 

Nicholas Sparks writes on his inspiration for “The Choice” and says, “Again, as with all of my novels, one of the questions I must first answer when attempting to conceive of a story is the ‘obstacle’ that keeps the characters apart. The obstacle created the tension and drama inherent in the story; in many ways, it’s the glue that holds the entire story together.” 

In “The Notebook,” Noah’s and Allie’s obstacles were Allie’s impending marriage to Lon and Allie’s parents’ hatred for the love Allie had for Noah. 

With Travis Parker and Gabby Holland in “The Choice,” they have to overcome the serious relationship Gabby has with her longtime boyfriend and Gabby’s car crash.

Again to the pondering question: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? I hope you would go thousands of miles to keep the hope of love alive. In life what else do we have than the hope of finding someone who understands us to spend our lives with. 

It’s a journey to find the one. The person who completes you and who compliments your good qualities while respecting your bad ones. With Travis Parker and Gabby Holland, what could cause them to lose hope is saddening

and unimaginable. 

I cannot fathom the thought of having the love of your life taken away by a coma and having to decide how to move forward.

I’m not going to say anymore because I don’t want to be the person who ruins the entire movie. Those people are the worst. 

But this is a must see film. 

With the creative insight of Nicholas Sparks and a romantic, hopeful storyline in time for Valentine’s Day, this is the perfect movie to watch with your date or with your Galentines.