Safe Haven
Realistic Fiction/Romance
Nicholas Sparks
Maddy Byrne
4 out of 5
“Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again.”
Katie, a gorgeous, mysterious woman abruptly moves to small town, Southport, North Carolina. She gets a job as a waitress at a seafood restaurant. Her abrupt arrival to Southport and need for a job conveys a multitude of questions about her dark past. Not only because she shows up without much reason, but because she looks desperate and worried. Needing food, Katie stops at a nearby grocery store in Southport where she meets Alex. Alex is owner of the grocery store. Alex is a young widower with children as well. Katie also meets Jo, her new neighbor who is a grief counselor. They become close friends, talking hours into the night. Jo informs Katie about the fragile nature of Alex’s emotion caused by the tragic untimely death of his wife. But Jo isn’t who she says she is. Katie becomes drawn and close-knit with Alex and his family. She slowly and cautiously lets down her guard. Alex is an ex-member of the CID department in the army, so he knew how to read people, including Katie. He notices that she is worried, about what? Katie has a dark secret haunting her. Her husband, Kevin, is the reason behind her sudden arrival to Southport. She is hiding from him. Kevin was abusive. Kevin is a detective so he possesses the skills to hunt her down. When he finds her he is torn between his twisted feelings of love for Katie and desire for revenge for her leaving him. In anguish he sets fire to Alex’s apartment where alone Katie baby sits Alex’s two children. Alex returns to find his apartment ablaze, not knowing if his girlfriend and children are dead or alive. And, although Kevin set out to gain revenge on Katie, in the end she sealed his fate.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was romantic and I enjoyed the story line. I have loved all the books I have read by Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks tends to write romance novels. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance and some suspense. The book is in the point of view of 3rd person but it also reveals what is going on in Katie’s head. I also liked how in the book it showed a little from the point of view of Kevin. The ending was awesome and a complete surprise. I rated the book four out of five stars instead of five out of five stars because I didn’t enjoy the parts where the author described the abuse.
