Nicholas Sparks, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, who penned the popular novels A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, wrote a follow-up to The Notebook entitled The Wedding in 2003.

Like my work ethic and angular chin, this story was passed down to me from my mother. After recommending that I read The Notebook, she then supplied me with The Wedding. I consider myself a realistic romantic, not a hopeless romantic, so the whirlwind love affair in The Notebook did not particularly appeal to me. However, in The Wedding I discovered a refreshing, real life love story that was anything but cliché.

The Wedding picks up where The Notebook left off.

Noah, the main character of the first novel is still in the nursing home where he lived with his wife Allie, until she passed away.

The Wedding focuses on the relationship between Noah's daughter Jane and her husband, Wilson. After 30 years of marriage, Jane and Wilson seem to have lost the spark in their relationship.

To make matters worse, Wilson forgets their anniversary and begins to worry that Jane might leave him. Wilson, who saw the special bond between Noah and Allie, goes to his father-in-law for advice to save his marriage. Wilson finds the perfect opportunity to make everything up to his wife when their daughter suddenly announces that she is getting married.

As the family rushes around making arrangements for the special day, Wilson begins to romance Jane all over again and in the end he surprises her with the one thing she has always dreamed of.

This novel seems to cater to women, but I think it is interesting that it is told from the perspective of a man and focuses on the relationship between Noah and Wilson. I think that it is inspiring that such a powerful love story is written by a male and told through the eyes of a male. This fact makes the book just a little more intriguing to all the ladies out there who constantly wonder what is going on inside guys' brains.

I liked the down-to-earth tone of the book and the fact that, unlike so many other love stories, it dealt with the sacrifice and strains that long term relationships face.

It confronts the challenges of sustaining passion in a relationship, before offering hope that love can be renewed and re-awakened. The novel even reveals truths about the relationship between Noah and Allie that were not discussed in The Notebook. Even this seemingly perfect couple had their fair share of rough times, but stayed devoted to each other through every negative experience.

The Wedding admits that love is not always a bed of roses, but the challenges a couple faces together make their relationship stronger.