All 20+ Nicholas Sparks Books in Order | Ultimate Guide

Whether you love A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, or any of Sparks’ other movies, you may now be wanting to read his books and are looking for a list of Nicholas Sparks books in order.

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Thanks to his many movie adaptations, Nicholas Sparks is one of the most well-known romantic storytellers in the world.

Before we dive headfirst into the list of Nicholas Sparks books in order, let’s talk a little bit about the movie adaptations to his stories.

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Most Recent Nicholas Sparks Book: Dreamland (September 20, 2022)

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Nicholas Sparks Books on the Big Screen

If there is a clear indicator of Nicholas Sparks’ publishing success, it is the fact that he is one of the authors with the most film adaptations of his novels. When it comes to storytelling, he excels at three things people love in cinema: Stirring up emotions; beautiful and original atmosphere; and crushing spirits as soon as readers or viewers become engaged with the complexity of the characters.

Since his formula was first tested in the 1999 movie Message in a Bottle, Hollywood has been taking his novels into the screen format every year or two. Collectively they have generated more than a billion dollars in profit. Before we start with all the Nicholas Sparks books in order, you’ll find a chart with all of his novels that have been adapted into movies.

Year	Movie	Director	Leading actors	Worldwide gross
1999	Message in a Bottle	Luis Mandoki	Kevin Costner | Robin Wright | Paul Newman	$118,880,016
2002	A Walk to Remember	Adam Shankman	Shane West | Mandy Moore	$47,494,916
2004	The Notebook	Nick Cassavetes	Rachel McAdams | Ryan Gosling	$115,603,229
2008	Nights in Rodanthe	George C. Wolfe	Richard Gere | Diane Lane	$84,375,061
2010	Dear John	Lasse Hallström	Channing Tatum | Amanda Seyfried	$114,977,104
2010	The Last Song	Julie Anne Robinson	Liam Hemsworth | Miley Cyrus	$89,041,656
2012	The Lucky One	Scott Hicks	Zac Efron | Taylor Schilling	$99,357,138
2013	Safe Haven	Lasse Hallström	Julianne Hough | Josh Duhamel	$97,594,140
2014	The Best of Me	Michael Hoffman	James Marsden | Michelle Monaghan	$35,926,213
2015	The Longest Ride	George Tillman Jr.	Scott Eastwood | Britt Robertson | Alan Alda	$62,944,815
2016	The Choice	Ross Katz	Benjamin Walker | Teresa Palmer	$23,420,878

Nicholas Sparks Books in Order

Calhoun Family / Notebook Series

1. The Notebook (1996)
2. The Wedding (2003)

Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell Series

1. True Believer (2003)
2. At First Sight (2004)

Nicholas Sparks Non-Fiction Books in Order

1. Wokini (1990)
2. Three Weeks With My Brother (2004)

Nicholas Sparks Standalone Books in Order

1. Message in a Bottle (1988)
2. A Walk to Remember (1999)
3. The Rescue (2000)
4. A Bend in the Road (2001)
5. Nights in Rodanthe (2002)
6. The Guardian (2003)
7. Dear John (2006)
8. The Choice (2007)
9. The Lucky One (2008)
10. The Last Song (2008)
11. Safe Haven (2010)
12. The Best of Me (2010)
13. The Longest Ride (2012)
14. See Me (2015)
15. Two by Two (2016)
16. Every Breath (2018)
17. The Return (2020)
18. The Wish (2021)
19. Dreamland (2022)

About Nicholas Sparks

American author Nicholas Sparks studied at the University of Notre Dame on a full scholarship, graduating with honors in Corporate Finance. However, Sparks is known worldwide for his novels, framed within romance and drama.

His fiction novels have all been New York Times bestsellers. Collectively, his books have sold more than 105 million copies worldwide in more than 50 languages, including more than 75 million copies in the United States alone. As well, 11 of them have been adapted for the big screen, grossing almost a billion dollars. 

Sparks began writing at a very young age, preparing his first, unpublished, novels in high school and college. After finishing his studies, Sparks worked in real estate and as a pharmaceutical salesman, although he had already published the first novel with some success. His second book was highly acclaimed, achieving the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list and securing a million-dollar advance.

From that point on, Sparks began a fruitful career as a professional writer, achieving numerous bestselling titles, not only in the United States but around the world. In addition, several of his novels have been made into films with great success in recent years.

Summary of Nicholas Sparks Books

Calhoun Family / Notebook Series

1. The Notebook

Noah Calhoun, now thirty-one and living in coastal North Carolina after WWII, is tormented by the memories of the girl he lost more than a decade before. Allie Nelson, a twenty-nine-year-old socialite, is engaged to a wealthy lawyer, but she can’t stop thinking about the boy who stole her heart years ago. Here starts the narrative of a love so strong and lasting that it can transform tragedy into victory.

Subsequently, the drama is a truly emotional depiction of love, intimate moments, and fundamental transformations that touch us all. The Notebook established Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the one feeling that really counts, with a beauty rarely encountered in contemporary fiction.

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2. The Wedding

Wilson Lewis, the son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun, is forced to accept that his marriage has lost its spark after thirty years. So now he must figure out how to make his wife, Jane, fall in love with him…again. Wilson, despite the bright example of Allie and Noah’s marriage, is a guy who struggles to articulate his emotions. 

He has supplied well for his family as a successful estate attorney, but with his daughter’s imminent wedding, he is forced to confront the truth that he and Jane have drifted apart, and he wonders if she still loves him.

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Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell Series

1. True Believer

Jeremy Marsh is the stereotypical New Yorker and an expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in “Scientific American.” But he can’t resist traveling out to Boone Creek, North Carolina, after receiving a letter about mysterious lights occurring in a graveyard. 

Meanwhile, Lexie Darnell manages the municipal library in this close-knit town and Jeremy is captivated by Lexie from the minute he sees her.

And, despite her hesitations about trusting this stranger, Lexie finds herself thinking about him more than she dares to admit. Now, Jeremy must do something he’s never done before: Take a tremendous leap of faith if they are to be together.

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2. At First Sight

Jeremy Marsh was certain of a few things: He’d never leave New York City, he’d never give his heart away after barely surviving one disastrous marriage, and he’d never have children. But now Jeremy is a resident of Boone Creek, North Carolina, where he is engaged to Lexie Darnell, and they are planning a family. 

Then a mysterious and alarming e-mail sets off a series of events that will disrupt the trajectory of this young couple’s relationship just when his life appears to be settling into a pleasant rhythm.

This novel continues the journey of the young couple introduced in Nicholas Sparks’s bestseller True Believer, capturing all the sorrow, tension, romance, and shocks that newlyweds face.

At First Sight is an extraordinary story about the love between a man and a woman, as well as between a father and a child. It’s about ends that lead to new beginnings; tragedies that lead to unexpected delight; and, above all, the enchantment of everlasting love.

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Nicholas Sparks Books in Order: Standalone Novels

1. Message In A Bottle

Theresa Osborne, divorced and disillusioned with relationships, is out running when she comes upon a bottle on the beach. It contains a letter of love and longing to “Catherine” within, signed simply “Garrett.” Following which Theresa embarks on a hunt for this guy who would transform her life, driven by the mystery and feelings she doesn’t completely comprehend.

Message in a Bottle is a suspenseful and emotional thriller that takes readers on a quest for the truth about a man and his memories, as well as the painful fragility and immense strength of love.

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2. A Walk To Remember

Landon Carter remembers his senior year at Beaufort High every April, when the sea breeze mingles with the perfume of lilacs. Landon had previously dated a few girls by 1958. He even claimed to have been in love before. Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town’s Baptist preacher, was the last person he expected to fall for in town. 

Meanwhile, Jamie seemed satisfied to live in a world away from the other teenagers. She was a quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks. She looked after her widowed father, rescued injured animals, and volunteered at a local orphanage.

She had never been asked out before. So, a love blossoming between the pair is something Landon could never have imagined.

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3. The Rescue

Denise Holton’s vehicle goes off the road when a ferocious storm hits her rural Southern town. Kyle, her four-year-old son with significant learning problems, is with the young mother. Taylor McAden, a volunteer firefighter, discovers her unconscious and bleeding, but not Kyle.

When Denise awakens, the horrific reality is revealed to them both when Kyle is not there.

During the search for Kyle, Taylor and Denise form an unexpected bond. Taylor, on the other hand, has no idea that this rescue will be unlike any other.

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4. A Bend in the Road

Miles Ryan’s life seemed to come to an end two years ago when his wife was killed in a hit-and-run tragedy. Missy was Miles’ first love, and he is convinced she will be his last. Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina town of New Bern, not only mourns Missy’s death, but also wishes to bring the unknown motorist to justice. 

Miles then encounters Sarah Andrews. Sarah, Jonah’s second-grade teacher, had left Baltimore after a tumultuous divorce to begin a new life in the softer environs of New Bern. Perhaps it’s her own personal scars that make her sensitive to the pain in Jonah’s and subsequently his father’s eyes.

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5. Nights in Rodanthe

Adrienne Willis, 45, is forced to reconsider her whole life when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. So, she goes to the little seaside town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, to tend to a friend’s inn for the weekend, reeling from heartbreak and in need of a break. However, Adrienne’s wonderful retreat looks to be destroyed as a severe storm approaches — until a visitor called Paul Flanner arrives. 

But similarly, Paul had recently sold his medical business and moved to Rodanthe to escape his own broken past at the age of 54. Now that the storm is approaching, two heartbroken individuals will turn to one other for comfort — and in one weekend, sentiments will be put in motion that will last the rest of their lives.

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6. The Guardian

Before he died, Julie Barenson’s young husband gave her two unexpected gifts: A dog named Singer and the assurance that he would always be looking over her. Now, four years later, Julie is ready to make a commitment to someone again. 

But to who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the refined and dashing engineer who treats her like a princess? Or Mike Harris, her husband’s best friend and a down-to-earth decent guy? 

Choosing one of them should provide her with more joy than she’s had in years. Instead, Julie finds herself in the middle of a nightmare caused by a terrible deception and poisonous jealousy that has turned into a homicidal desire.

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7. Dear John

John, an angry rebel, dropped out of school and enrolled in the Army because he didn’t know what else to do with his life — until he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. Soon Savannah is eagerly awaiting John’s return after his tour of duty, and John is eager to settle down with the lady who has won his heart. 

However, September 11th alters everything, because John believes it is his responsibility to re-enlist. But the distance leads to Savannah falling in love with someone else during their extended absence.

“Dear John,” began the letter… And it was with just two words that a heart was broken and two lives were forever transformed.

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8. The Choice

Travis Parker has it all: A wonderful career, devoted friends, and even a beachfront property in small-town North Carolina. He spends his time sailing, swimming, and having frequent barbecues with his good-natured mates. He also fiercely believes that a committed relationship would only restrict his style.

Until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his best efforts, the attractive redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him, and her long-term boyfriend’s presence doesn’t improve matters.

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9. The Lucky One

U.S. Marine Logan Thibault discovers a photo of a lady half-buried in the soil while serving in Iraq. He keeps it in his pocket, and his luck begins to change after that.

At home, Logan’s thoughts of combat continue to haunt him. He gradually grows to believe that the woman in the photograph holds the key to his fate. 

As a result, he meets Beth, a vulnerable and loving woman, and they begin a passionate relationship. Logan, on the other hand, is struggling with the one secret he has hidden from Beth: How he came to find her in the first place. And it’s a secret that has the potential to destroy everything he cares about.

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10. The Last Song

When her parents split and her father relocated from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina, seventeen-year-old Veronica Miller’s life was torn apart. She is still angry and estranged from her parents, particularly her father, after the breakup. 

Until her mother believes it’s in her best interests to spend the summer with him in Wilmington. 

Veronica’s father is a former concert pianist and instructor. He is also absorbed in producing a work of art that will become the focal point of a small church in the coastal town.

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