The Stuff Of Success: Book Review and Giveaway - Sand Dollar by Sebastian Cole

Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love is an epic, heart-wrenching love story about the one who got away. It is best described as a romantic fantasy, kind of like The Notebook with a Sixth Sense twist. Similar to a Nicholas Sparks novel, but uniquely different, Sand Dollar is a thought-provoking, emotional read with real life situations that might even have you yelling at the main characters at times. And not only is it filled with plenty of twists and turns that make it hard to put the book down, but the ending will knock your socks off!

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

GenreFICTION / Romance / Fantasy

Publication DateMay 1, 2012

CompanySebastian Cole LLC

Length223 Pages

Paperback ISBN978-0-9851156-0-9

eBook ISBN978-0-9851156-1-6

Sebastian Cole's debut novel, Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love, reflects over forty years of personal life experiences. Born and raised in New England, he joined his family’s business after graduating from Brown University in the 80s. An avid boater, he loves the ocean and all things aesthetically beautiful in nature. A true romantic, his life is defined by following his heart and pursuing his dreams, which is why he has become a novelist. He writes from the heart, believing in true love, love at first sight, and finding the one person in life you’re meant to be with.

Sand Dollar was a finalist in the ForeWord Firsts debut literary competition for first-time authors. The book has been getting rave reviews, many of which compare Sebastian Cole to his favorite author, Nicholas Sparks. Touching the lives of others through his writing has been the single most gratifying thing he's ever done in his life.

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“It’s a sand dollar. I’m sure you’ve seen one, probably even held one in your hand, huh, Josh?”

Noah kicked his fins and dove down about ten feet, picking up the sand dollar and resurfacing to get air through his snorkel. From beneath the water’s surface, he proudly displayed his newfound prize to Robin.

“No two are exactly the same. Its simplistic design and imperfect form may appear somewhat… well, ordinary. Most people probably wouldn’t think twice about it. So why should this seemingly insignificant object capture so much of my attention?”

BOOM ! The precious sand dollar in Noah’s hand exploded. In what seemed like slow motion, the sand dollar disintegrated through his fingers into a thousand tiny grains of sand that evanesced into obscurity.

“Because for me, the sand dollar represents life, and how fragile life really is. What was once so very precious to me, suddenly and without warning, disintegrated and vanished before my eyes. Just like the sand dollar, life holds no promises. Seemingly solid and secure in our grasp, the blessings we have in our lives today are easily shattered tomorrow. The lesson learned: never take your loved ones for granted. And if you’re ever lucky enough to find that one person in life who makes you love more than any other person could possibly make you love, you treat every day together as if it were your last. You cherish every moment.”

“However, for me, this lesson came too late, for she was already gone, seemingly lost forever. And there was nothing I could do to put the pieces back together. I would spend my life wishing I could somehow travel back, back in time, to the day I first laid eyes on that precious beauty.”

The precious beauty of Robin’s young face was shadowed by sadness as she nervously searched Noah’s worried eyes for reassurance.

Many reviewers have compared Sand Dollar by Sebastian Cole to Nicholas Sparks. To be fair I want you to know that I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book nor have a seen a related movie. I don't ordinarily read books that are classified as romance but I was interested in Sand Dollar due to its fantasy romance genre. For the first half of the book it seemed more like a lost love type of story and although that is interesting, I wasn't quite sure what the fantasy aspect was. As I continued to read though, that became increasingly clear. From the beginning it is clear that Noah is a great person with a great desire to love and be loved. I have never been in a position where the person I am destined to be with - my soulmate - is just not someone it is possible to be with. But the premise is quite heartbreaking and I found myself wanting so much more for Noah. Robin is his soulmate. That is clear but for some reason it just never seems to work out. The reason it doesn't work out is eventually made clear and then my heart broke for the two of them and how they had so much stacked against them and their relationship. The fantasy becomes evident towards the end of the book and it was one of those "oh my God that can't possibly be" type of moments. I read most of this book in one day/sitting. That wasn't my intent but once I made it past the first half of the book I really just could not find the perfect time to put it aside for another day. Every chapter's conclusion was not a conclusion at all - it left me hanging for the next and I just couldn't step away. I give this story a five star rating and would definitely read future novels by Sebastian Cole.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.