- I’ve read every Nicholas Sparks book and it seemed this one would be a good choice for my first audio book.
- Three Weeks with my Brother by Nicholas Sparks
- Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Summary from GoodReads:
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.
My Review:
There used to be a day I’d greet each new Nicholas Sparks book with excitement and an eager desire to put everything else aside until I’d read the book in its entirety. Then a pattern began to emerge, leading up to my current feelings of quiet acceptance that, yes – the story would be engrossing and yes, I’d cry, but there was no hurry to get through it. This led me to the decision to listen to Safe Haven on audio during a long car trip to and from my folks house for the holiday.
In some ways, I appreciated the book more this way. The story took longer to unfold and I felt less rushed to get to the “crying” parts of the book, but also, it showed some glaringly slow parts. I liked the characters of Alex and Katie, but found their interaction to be a little cliche. There were some pretty tired jokes made and the dialogue wasn’t as witty as I remembered Sparks being.. all in all it felt just a bit transparent, which disappointed me since I loved the relationship in, for example, The Notebook.
Overall, Safe Haven is a worthy addition to Sparks’ list of books, but not one of my favorites. I wouldn’t recommend the audio, even sitting in a car for 12 hours wasn’t enough to keep my interest going at times and I found myself drifting off to sleep, or switching over to listen to music. I think I would have enjoyed the book more had I actually read it.
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