Nicholas Sparks, as many of you probably already know, is famous for crafting beautiful stories about love, heartbreak and the twists and turns that present themselves along the way. His recipe for a masterpiece goes something like this: boy meets girl, boy and girl face problem, someone usually (but not always) dies, boy and girl live happily ever—granted both characters live to see happily ever after. No matter how cheesy, predictable or sappy the stories become, there is always some truth to be found within the cliché plot. Here are 15 times Nicholas Sparks and his characters looked past the romantic clichés and taught us something powerful about love.

Allie and Noah taught us that the best kind of love makes you feel alive.

And that sometimes love means agreeing to disagree.

And most importantly, that it's something you have to work at.

Ira and Ruth taught us that love means prioritizing the other person's needs before your own.

While Luke and Sophia taught us that sometimes the thing we need is right in front of us.

Katie and Alex taught us that sometimes there's no better place to be than together.

Logan and Beth taught us that love is a choice that we make every day.

And that even the mundane is incredible if you do it with the right person.

Ronnie and Will taught us that everyone messes up.

And that love should be handled with care.

John and Savannah taught us that we should make the most of the time we have together.

And that love means looking past each other's faults.

Jamie and Landon taught us that love should drive you to be better.

And that it's okay to be scared.

Finally, Amanda and Dawson taught us that love means taking risks.