Nicholas Sparks has done it again. Warner Bros. and director Scott Hicks worked together to turn Sparks’s award-winning book, The Lucky One, into a motion picture that was released in theatres on Friday, April 20.

Zac Efron stars as a returning US Marine named Logan. With a dark past of three Iraq tours behind him, he comes home with a guarded and quiet personality. The sound of gunshots on a video game would throw him off. Logan came home with hope to return to his old life but with a goal in mind: to find the girl who saved his life and to thank her. After a series of events that left Logan alive when he should have died along with the rest of his crew he believes that the girl in a picture he found is his guardian angel. The mysterious aura Logan gives off is overshadowed by his companionship with his dog, gentleness with children, and his undying love for Beth, the girl from the picture. It will be hard for any woman to not fall for Logan’s buff stature and light humored wit.

Taylor Schilling plays Beth.She has many obstacles to overcome, including a messy divorce, with custody of her son at stake. While her guard was up towards the beginning, as any recently divorced woman’s would be, she slowly gives into Logan and sparks fly for these two throughout many scenes. I would give her acting five stars and two thumbs ups. She goes from completely resistant to opening her life up to love, to a woman of giggles and anticipation every time she crosses paths with Logan.

A love story wouldn’t be as good without a few twists and some difficulties. Hicks takes audience members from the highest of highs with each character and to the lowest of lows; you can’t help but feel empathy for the characters because of the realism in each hardship.

The natural chemistry between Efron and Schilling makes Logan’s and Beth’s relationship that much more believable. While it may be hard for any Nicholas Sparks based movie to reach the quality and authencity of The Notebook, this movie gives it a run for its money.