A romance movie on Netflix called “Purple Hearts” has made its way to the number one spot on Netflix’s “Top 10” most watched list over the summer. Warning: this review does contain spoilers.

The movie stars Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine. The captivating plot begins when an aspiring singer named Cassie who is dealing with diabetes meets a patriotic Marine named Luke at the local bar Cassie works at. The two start off despising each other after their first interaction. Let’s just say it was definitely not “love at first sight”.

Cassie, who is struggling financially to pay for her insulin, finds her light when she sings at work. Luke is a tall, handsome Marine who has some hardships of his own. His past drug addiction leaves him owing his dealer fifteen thousand dollars which he has to return before going back to war. Cassie and Luke have opposing political views and are both very different from each other.

Soon enough, Luke is sent to war in Iraq where he unfortunately gains an injury. This scene was one that sparked lots of intensity, it was a terrifying moment for Cassie. After some thought, Cassie decides that she needs to be in contact with Luke’s family to tell them what’s going on, but she mistakenly comes in contact with Luke’s father instead of his brother. In this interaction, she tells Luke’s father about her and Luke’s marriage. I feel like Luke and Cassie should have informed Luke’s family about the marriage before the accident. This is because they wouldn’t have had to handle the shock of Luke being married and getting injured all at once.

In the hospital, Cassie and Luke’s family are gathered around Luke. Fortunately, Luke is okay, but Cassie’s best friend was not so lucky and passed away. This scene was truly so devastating. Carson’s acting really gave me the chills as her character finds out about the loss of Frankie. Later on, she attends his funeral, seeing her best friend for the last time.

After some time, the couple moves in together while Luke undergoes his recovery. He trains with his father who received a Purple Heart medal for the fact that he was injured in service, thus the title of the movie. With all of this going on and Luke trying to recover, his past drug dealer, Johnno, has not given up on getting his money. Johnno attempts to rob Cassie’s mother’s home, sparking major fear in Cassie and her mother. After Luke explains to Cassie who invaded her mother’s home, Cassie feels a loss of trust in Luke and leaves, hoping for a divorce. I believe that Luke should’ve put more thought into his actions because he put Cassie’s mother in danger.

Later, Luke gets charged for his wrongdoing of marrying for benefits, and he defends Cassie and denies her knowing the marriage was a fraud. Unfortunately, Luke still must serve a six-month sentence.

Even though Luke has to serve time, he still receives a Purple Heart award before going to jail. Meanwhile, Cassie is performing in Los Angeles living her dream of being an artist, but she is still tied down to Luke and realizes she has feelings for him. Because of this, Cassie rushes out of the stadium after her performance with a need to find Luke before he leaves for jail. Just before Luke was going to serve his sentence, Cassie appears, and they express their love for each other with a final kiss goodbye. After six months goes by, the two continue to live their destined love story.

Overall, I truly loved this movie. I think the plot was truly so captivating, it made you want to keep watching. Something that I find interesting is how these two characters are opposites, but end up falling in love. I really like how they start off having different views, and in the end, are head over heels in love. I would rate this movie a 10/10, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good and dramatic love story. Ultimately, these two characters never expected to experience this long-lasting love for each other. A little bit of love can go a long way, sharing one moment, one spark can make one fall in love.