Customer Reviews

The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love

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If you enjoy a good love story, here's one for you. Actually, this quick-to-read novel contains two love stories.

There is a theme of taking the initiative to step out and ask forgiveness of those you've wronged so that you can move forward with life. Lead with your heart, not your head. This story begins where the The Note leaves off.

Everyone knows that the book is better than the movie, and in this case, that certainly proves true. I enjoyed reading the thoughts of the protagonist, Peyton. Her thoughts need to be "heard." In the movie, the viewer is forced to "read between the lines." In the book, the reader peeks inside her brain to better understand her thought process. Discussions questions are included.

I loved The Note and read it in a weekend and was so looking forward to the second one. However when I started reading the story had changed. Different places , different name and different past for the main character. The story is just not as interesting as the first one, not really worth reading. My advice read The Note and skip this one.

The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love by Angela Hunt is the novelized version of the Hallmark movie. Peyton MacGruder's career as the Heart Healer is taking off at the newspaper, as is her relationship with fellow reporter Kingston Danville. The new bond with the daughter she gave up for adoption 18 years ago is a little shaky, but Peyton is loving every moment of getting to know Christine. After writing a column about the value of choosing caution over passion, she receives a letter from a reader, Eve, who scolds her for being shortsighted and maybe missing out on something wonderful. As the two women get to know each other, they are both forced to confront choices and rethink their lives. Hunt is one of my favorite writers, and while it can be difficult to make novelizations as enthralling as their movie counterparts, she brings each character to life. Being a long time fan of Genie Francis, Hunt perfectly captured the actress' nuances and mannerisms making each scene vivid. The plot, though a bit fluffy, is rendered with care and depth, and the lesson about learning to trust your heart is a good one. It's a perfect, quick beach read for summer.

I guess I was bound to be disappointed, as much as I loved <em>The Note</em>, but I was hoping Angela Hunt could write a sequel that I would love as much as the original. Unfortunately, she did not. She wrote a Hallmark movie--sappy sweet, cast with beautiful people and all tied up with a bow at the end. I can't say much about plot details without them being a spoiler either for this book or for <em>The Note</em>, so I won't say much except that the main character is a newspaper columnist whose column is titled <em>Heart Healer.</em> The story focuses on a statement she made in one column "Passion. It should always be tempered with caution. Especially when it comes to affairs of the heart." and a reader's disagreement with that statement.

At the end of the book there is a note from Hunt, who explains that the setting and a character name have changed from <em>The Note</em>. Actually they were changed when <em>The Note </em>was made into a Hallmark movie. I think a big difference in the books is that while Hallmark took <em>The Note</em> and made it into a movie (which I'll assume had Hallmarks usual sweet style) <em>The Note II</em> was written to be a Hallmark movie, and it shows. This book has a center section with glossy photos of the movie, which stars Genie Francis and Ted McGinley.

While characterized as Christian fiction, I stated that religion played almost no part in <em>The Note</em> and that I thought anyone could enjoy the book, even if not Christian. <em>The Note II</em> is more obviously Christian. We go to church with Peyton and hear part of the sermon. Peyton mentions God in some of her columns. The religious aspects aren't overbearing, but they are there, not really relevant to the story and probably are enough to turn off someone who doesn't want to read about religion in a novel.

If I hadn't read The Note, I might have been happier with The Note II. As it is, I'd characterize it as fair--a quick easy read, another visit with friends from The Note, but nothing exceptional.

Ok please tell me Angela Hunt is writing the real Note II and not just messing with us. I loved the first book and the movies, but on the second book I was reading what I just watched. Maybe e-mails need to be sent.

This book is Angela Hunt's adaptation of the movie screenplay for The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love. I'm not sure where the fault lies for the choppiness in the story--whether it is the screenplay (since I haven't seen the movie yet) or the adaptation. The conversations don't flow very well and the background she gives isn't as thorough as I have found in her other books. I really have enjoyed many of Angela Hunt's books and think she is a very good writer. I would recommend spending the afternoon reading Sweetwater Gap or one of Karen Kingsbury's novels over the Note II.