Until last week, I had never read any Nicholas Sparks books, or even seen any of the movies based on the books. When I saw that Safe Haven was the book club selection for December, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. BUT I have heard so many people talk about how wonderful his books are, and I'm less anti-romance than I used to be, so I decided to give it a try. I read it over Thanksgiving weekend and while I didn't love it - I did like it more than I thought I would. My thoughts below (spoilers in white font, if you want to read them).
My preconceived notions about Sparks led me to believe that a man and a woman would fall in love, and then something terrible would happen, most likely one of them dying. I was only sort of right.
I was skeptical when I started the book, and had to roll my eyes many many times as I read. Just the way he describes things is so cheesy at times. I did get interested in what was going to happen, and especially worried about the children. I did not know that he does surprise twists at the end, so that kind of threw me.
My biggest complaints:
- The evil husband was a little bit much. Maybe I'm naive, but I find it hard to believe that someone as completely insane as him (and a total alcoholic) could hold down a job. (or that he wouldn't have crashed his car in his epic intoxication at the end of the book)
- The surprise ending - I'm sorry, WHAT? That came out of nowhere! If you think your boyfriend's dead wife lives in the house next to you, it might be wise to seek some kind of professional help.
Have you read Safe Haven, or anything else by Sparks? What did you think?
I've read one Nicholas Sparks book, The Wedding, because the aunt of my bf at the time insisted I read it and I felt obligated. I felt the same way, it was alright and I liked it more than I thought I would, but it wasn't great or special. It had a surprise twist ending that I was expecting either.
ReplyDeleteYayyy now we can finally talk about it. When I watched the movie, my husband knew all along about the neighbor. I was shocked. I should have known, knowing Sparks' style. I was less impressed with this one than other story lines. I still maintain that you should read The Last Song. Then again, I love a good (cheesy) love story. Maybe that's what was missing from Safe Haven.
ReplyDelete