Safe Haven Mass Market Paperback – June 26, 2012

condition good

This was my first Nicholas Sparks novel. I had seen some of the movies based on his books (Dear John and The Vow) so I thought I'd give the written version a try. After all, everyone raved about Nicholas Spark! So I carefully selected Safe Haven because its plot sounded like the most appealing out of the bunch of books he'd already written.Katie is new in the town of Southport, North Carolina. She leads a simple life and prefers to be on her own, not wanting to draw too much attention. However, Alex, a widowed store-owner and father of two children notices her and wants to know more about her. For some reason, Katie lets her defenses down with him. But the truth is that she is keeping a secret, and the reason why she came to Southport in the first place was that she is actually on the run, determined to flee from her past.Well, first and before all: I absolutely loved and enjoyed Safe Haven. It was difficult to get used to the third-person POV at first because I was so used to first-person POV's, but Nicholas Sparks is a real master at doing this, and his writing is absolutely wonderful. What impressed me most were the details that were carefully put into the characters. Since the is a third-person POV, you actually get to see things from various points of view and each character had their own thought process and semantics.The characters are wonderful, and the storyline was full of surprises, full of crazy twists and suspense! This book is like a puzzle, where flashbacks help you piece it together! I couldn't put the book down, because I wanted to know how Alex and Katie's relationship would evolve but also how Katie's past finally comes back to haunt her. Plus there is a major twist in the end of the story which just leaves you in tears.Indeed, this book is more than a love story in a beautiful setting: it is also a very suspenseful thriller <spoiler>and a clear message to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse. Indeed, the reason why Katie is on the run in that she is trying to escape her husband Kevin, an alcoholic and lunatic police officer who kept her hidden and under control in their home. The story of Katie's escape - an escape that she had been plotting for so long - was absolutely breathtaking and so well orchestrated by Sparks, not leaving any detail to chance. And finally, you get to see things from Kevin's POV, which are by far the craziest parts of the book. While he hunts Katie down, you get an insight of how messed up he really is: not seeing right from wrong, overly paranoid and delusional, trying to justify his actions by quoting the bible. The way this was written was absolutely phenomenal!</spoiler>.But Katie and Alex do get their well deserved happy ending and Katie finally finds out that is it fate (or a higher power?) that brought her to Alex and helped her out to live the life she wants and deserves.

3.5 stars. My short, no-spoilers review:I think this is a worthy read and an important novel, but I'm uncomfortable with it being pegged as a romance between two people with "a past." Yes, there's a romance there, but the author covers a very important human rights topic. I do recommend this novel, but if you decide to read it or you watch(ed) the movie, I encourage you to look up more info on the topic (especially if you don't understand what could possibly make me uncomfortable about labeling this simply as a story of romance).****IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE PAST OF THE MAIN CHARACTER, KATIE, MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.****....Again, minor spoilers (no spoilers of the ending):[Trigger warning: domestic violence/intimate partner violence]What this novel really does is present a woman who's escaped her husband, Kevin, who abuses her physically, emotionally, sexually, and economically. Katie moves to a new town and eventually finds romance there, but this isn't the main focus. She's not simply a woman with ~a past~ who falls in love, she is a survivor of intimate partner violence who understandably lives in fear that one day Kevin will find her. Because Kevin narrates part of the novel, we as the audience see he is, in fact, looking for her.Sparks shows that leaving an abusive relationship is a long process and that staying in the relationship can also be an important aspect of keeping yourself safe--this is what I really like about the novel--but I think he took the easy way out with his characterization of Kevin. He's an alcoholic and even seems deranged, but the reality of course is that not all alcoholics abuse their partners, and not all people who abuse their partners are alcoholics. Also, his career/resources make him even more of a threat when he's looking for her (if you've seen the movie trailer or the movie itself, you probably know what I mean), but another reality is that people from all walks of life are capable of being threatening in this sense, especially when GPS technology and social networking make it easy to find one another.Again, I recommend this novel, but I think it deserves more respect than being labeled as a love story only. You can find more info on the Centers for Disease Control website by searching for intimate partner violence. Thanks for reading.

I have seen Safe Haven a few times: it’s one of my favourite rainy day, fireside, easy watching films. As an avid reader, I thought I should really read the book too.I’m glad that I did as - like books usually do - it gave me more of an insight into the characters. There were differences, of course, but the general idea behind the story was the same.I actually think I prefer the film, but I’m glad I read the book. I have never read a Nicholas Sparks novel before, and his style of writing is different to books which I normally read. He actually has a fairly simplistic and straight-forward style. Once I got used to it, it was quite endearing. I will probably end up reading another Sparks at some point, but it’s not top of my reading list.

When a mysterious woman, Katie arrives in the small town of Southport, things change. Not only for her but for the people she connects with. With the last of her money she rents a rundown cottage on the outskirts of town. She wants peace, a place to escape, and for her this seems the perfect spot. Afraid of the past coming for her, she distances herself from everyone around. Too scared to make any attachments, Katie finds a job and knuckles down into life at a slow pace.Life always has a few surprises and Katie is noticed by the owner of a local store and widow, Alex. From his own background he knows life has been hard for her, even though she never says a word. As they draw closer, her past finds them and now not only is her life is in danger, but Alex and his children as well.I have to admit that I picked up this book based on the film adaptation, which I enjoyed. It took me a little while to get use to Nicholas Sparks style of writing. It seemed very simplistic to me but once I got into the story I became lost. The detail at times was a little much, do I really need to know, that she washed her hair, moisturised, put on perfume and pulled out the hair dryer. Just had a shower would have been enough for me.Reading from Kevin’s point of view fascinated me, especially as he began to lose his mind. There was a nice build up to the finish and a great fight between all concerned. I am not sure about the twist, I can’t make my mind up if it is necessary or not, but overall I enjoyed this read. It got me away from my normal genre which was a nice change.

Wow is all I can start to say! I have read a couple of books by Nicholas Sparks before but did not really enjoy them. This book however had me gripped from the beginning. I could not put this book down.The story centres around Katie who has moved to a new town to escape her violent and abusive husband. Katie finds a small place to rent and even gets her self a job as a waitress in a local diner. She does not want to have a relationship or really a friendship with anyone - due to her horrible past. However she meets Alex. Alex is a single father of two children,after losing his wife. Alex has a local grocery store. Katie is scared of what the future holds because of her husband. Katie slowly starts letting her guard down and falling in love with Alex. But what Katie does not know is that her husband has managed to track her down and is watching her and planning on taking her back home with him.You get a look into all of their lives and how they got to where they are now. You even see what Katie went through and how she had to plan her escape. The way the book has been written you can feel the pain and how frightened she was.You have got the romance with this book but also danger thrown in and in works together nicely. Highly recommend this book.

This book really tugged at my heartstrings. It was an emotional fuelled book with so much to think about. Alex and Katie will always have a special place in my heart and Jo has made me believe that angels do exist and guides us to our next chapter in life. I have always loved Nicholas Sparks books and this book, will always be a favourite. It took place in Southport and Long Beach. I have been to these places for summer holidays. Renting a beach house for a week. It was a very good memory, then to read it as part of a Nicholas Sparks book, it was an emotional, full of love book to read. I will read it again and again. Thank you for the best book I have read in a very long time

I absolutely loved Safe Haven, it made me cry in places but surely that's the sign of a good book, yes?This is Katie/Erin`s story. The story of a young woman who is brutally and regularly beaten by her husband who becomes more and more unstable as time goes on. It's the story of how she finally gets free of him and attempts to rebuild her life, of making new friendships and of finding new love. There is a wonderful little twist at the end (which is when I reached for my tissues) and it reaffirms my beliefs in love transcending time and space.If you're already a fan of Nicholas Sparks (and this is the second book in a row that I`ve read and really enjoyed) which it seems I'm rapidly becoming, then I'm pretty sure this will not be a disappointment to you. If you're looking for something new and like (what is basically a "chick flick" in book form) a nice love story with a H.E.A. then I'd happily recommend Safe Haven.Enjoy!