Nicholas Sparks Books in Order (The Notebook, The Choice, Jeremy Marsh)
All of Nicholas Sparks’ Books in Order!
Who is Nicholas Sparks?
Born on December 31, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, Nicholas Sparks is an American romance novelist, screenwriter, and producer. He began writing at his mother’s suggestion and has now published has published more than twenty books, all of which have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 115 million copies sold worldwide in more than 50 languages.
Eleven of his novels have been adapted to film, including The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, Dear John, and The Last Song.
Nicholas Sparks is also a philanthropist, contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and launched in 2011 The Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a nonprofit committed to improving cultural and international understanding through global education experiences for students of all ages.
If you like Nicholas Sparks, you may also want to see our Jodi Picoult reading order or our guide to John Green’s books.
How to read Nicholas Sparks’ Books in Order?
The Notebook Series in Order (aka The Calhoun Family Saga)
The Notebook (1996) – At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle.
The Wedding (2003) – After thirty years, Wilson Lewis is forced to face a painful truth: the romance has gone out of his marriage. His wife, Jane, has fallen out of love with him, and it is entirely his fault. He has spent too little time at home and too much at the office. Now his daughter is about to marry, and his wife is thinking about leaving him. With the memories of his in-laws, Noah and Allie Calhoun ‘s inspiring life together as his guide, he vows to find a way to make his wife fall in love with him…all over again.
Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell Series
True Believer – When Jeremy receives a letter from Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights appearing in a cemetery, he can’t resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town’s library. From the moment Jeremy sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outsider, finds herself thinking of him more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy must do something he’s never done before-take a giant leap of faith.
At First Sight – Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, married to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the birth of their daughter. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, an unsettling and mysterious message re-opens old wounds and sets off a chain of events that will forever change the course of this young couple’s marriage.
The Stand-alone novels by Nicholas Sparks
- 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)
- 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 (2014)
- Two by Two (2016)
- Every Breath (2018)
- The Return (2020)
- The Wish (2021)
- Dreamland (2022)
For more information about the standalone books written by Nicholas Sparks, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
Message in a Bottle – Divorced and disillusioned about relationships, Theresa Osborne is jogging when she finds a bottle on the beach. Inside is a letter of love and longing to “Catherine,” signed simply “Garrett.” Challenged by the mystery and pulled by emotions she doesn’t fully understand, Theresa begins a search for this man that will change her life.
A Walk to Remember – Every April, when the wind smells of both the sea and lilacs, Landon Carter remembers 1958, his last year at Beaufort High. Landon had dated a girl or two, and even once sworn that he’d been in love. Certainly the last person he thought he’d fall for was Jamie, the shy, almost ethereal daughter of the town’s Baptist minister….Jamie, who was destined to show him the depths of the human heart-and the joy and pain of living.
The Rescue – When a raging storm hits his small Southern town, single mother Denise Holton’s car skids off the road. The young mom is with her four-year-old son Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities. Volunteer fireman Taylor McAden finds her unconscious and bleeding, but does not find Kyle. When Denise wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them. Kyle is gone. During the search for Kyle, a connection between Taylor and Denise takes root. But Taylor doesn’t know that this rescue will be different from all the others.
A Bend in the Road – Miles Ryan’s life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. As deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, he not only grieves for her and worries about their young son Jonah but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews, Jonah’s second-grade teacher. Tentatively, Miles and Sarah reach out to each other…soon they are falling in love. But what neither realizes is that they are also bound together by a shocking secret, one that will force them to reexamine everything they believe in-including their love.
Nights in Rodanthe – Adrienne Willis is 45 and has been divorced for three years, abandoned by her husband for a younger woman. At the request of a friend, she’s gone to the coastal village of Rodanthe in North Carolina to tend the local inn for the weekend. With a major storm brewing, the time away doesn’t look promising…until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. Adrienne and Paul come together as the storm brews over Rodanthe, but what begins between them over the weekend will resonate throughout the rest of their lives, intertwining past and future, love and loss.
The Guardian – Four years have passed since the death of her husband. Still living in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, twenty-nine-year-old Julie is emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the handsome, sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband’s best friend? But soon, Julie is fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire…
Dear John – When John meets Savannah, he realizes he is ready to make some changes. Always the angry rebel at school, he has enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life. Now he’s ready to turn over a new leaf for the woman who has captured his heart. What neither realizes is that the events of 9/11 will change everything. John is prompted to re-enlist and fulfill what he feels is his duty to his country. But the lovers are young and their separation is long. Can they survive the distance?
The Choice – Travis Parker has it all: a good job, loyal friends, and his dream home in North Carolina. The last thing he’s looking for is a serious relationship. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite Travis’s attempts to be friendly, the alluring redhead simply will not warm to him. But Travis feels compelled to get closer to her, leading them both down a road where they will face tough decisions, shocking revelations, and devastating consequences.
The Lucky One – While in Iraq, U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photo, half-buried in the dirt, of a woman. He carries it in his pocket, and from then on his luck begins to change. Back home, Logan is haunted by thoughts of war. Over time, he becomes convinced that the woman in the photo holds the key to his destiny. So he finds the vulnerable and loving Beth and a passionate romance begins. But Logan battles with the one secret he has kept from Beth: how he found her in the first place. And it is a secret that could utterly destroy everything they love.
The Last Song – Seventeen-year-old Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.
Safe Haven – When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards.
The Best of Me – They were teenage sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks – with a passion that would change their lives for ever. But life would force them apart. Years later, the lines they had drawn between past and present are about to slip . . . Called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter when they needed it most, they are faced with each other once again, and forced to confront the paths they chose. Can true love ever rewrite the past?
The Longest Ride – Ninety-one-year-old Ira Levinson is in trouble. Struggling to stay conscious after a car crash, an image of his adored – and long-dead – wife Ruth appears. A few miles away, college student Sophia Danko’s life is about to change. Recovering from a break-up, she meets the young, rugged Luke and is thrown into a world far removed from her privileged school life. Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples, separated by years and experience, whose lives are about to converge in the most unexpected – and shocking – of ways.
See Me – At twenty-eight, Colin Hancock is focused on getting his teaching degree and avoiding all the places and people that proved so destructive in his past. But when he crosses paths with Maria Sanchez one rainswept night, his carefully structured life is turned upside down. Before the couple has a chance to envision a life together, menacing reminders from events in Maria’s past start to surface. And as the threat of violence begins to shadow her every step, she and Colin will be pushed to breaking point.
Two by Two – Russell Green has it all: a loving family, a successful career, and a beautiful house. But underneath his seemingly perfect world, cracks are beginning to appear . . . and no one is more surprised than Russ when the life he took for granted is turned upside down. As Russ embarks on this daunting and unexpected new chapter of his life, a chance encounter will challenge him to find happiness beyond anything he could ever have imagined.
Every Breath – Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. After six years with her boyfriend, she is no longer sure what she wants, and when her father becomes ill she heads to her family’s cottage at Sunset Beach in North Carolina to make some difficult decisions. Tru Walls has been summoned across an ocean from where he was born and raised in Zimbabwe by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. When these two strangers’ paths cross, their chance encounter sets in motion a heart-breaking story – one that will transcend decades, continents and the workings of fate.
The Return – Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, he comes to regroup in the dilapidated cabin inherited from his grandfather. Soon, Trevor feels a deep connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson. Though she seems to reciprocate his feelings, Natalie remains frustratingly distant. Further complicating his stay is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie. Discovering that she was once befriended by his grandfather, Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather’s death, but she offers few clues – until a crisis triggers a race that will uncover the true nature of Callie’s past.
The Wish – 1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she met Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island. Handsome, genuine, and newly admitted to West Point, Bryce showed her how much there was to love about the wind-swept beach town-and introduced her to photography, a passion that would define the rest of her life.
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 to 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.
Non-fiction Books written by Nicholas Sparks
Lessons of a Lakota – written with Billy Mills. In this Native American allegory, a young Lakota boy named David is despondent over the death of his sister and fears that he will never know happiness again. His father gives him a gift, a scroll with seven pictures, which properly understood, holds the keys to self-understanding…
Three Weeks with My Brother – Written with Micah Sparks. In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother, Micah, set off on a three-week trip around the globe. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at thirty-seven and thirty-eight respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world and often overtaken by their feelings, daredevil Micah and the more serious, introspective Nicholas recalled their rambunctious childhood adventures and the tragedies that tested their faith.
What should you read if you like Nicholas Sparks’ novels?
If you like reading Nicholas Sparks’ stories, you may be interested in John Green, Delia Owens…
