Spark's Safe Haven (book review)

       If I am being perfectly honest with all of you, I only read the book in preparation for the movie. The trailer, which featured Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders, intrigued me, so much so, that I was interested in learning more of the story. I wanted to know what was Julianne Hough running away from in the trailer? Was it because she did something bad or something else entirely? and how big of an influence would Cobie Smulders' character have in the whole movie that she'd really have to be featured in the trailer? All these questions made me want to learn more and more about the story. It was only a few days ago that I decided to read the book.

           A traditional Nicholas Sparks book would always include these elements: love, loss, a bit of heartache and hope. It was those elements that make Nicholas Sparks such a phenomenon as a writer because he was able to relate his stories to us in a realistic point-of-view. The book - Safe Haven - was no different from all the Nicholas Sparks book as it had all these elements, thereby, making it a good book to read. For those of you, who haven't read the book, here's a brief background on it (don't worry I won't give too much of it away, in case you intend on reading it yourself or watch the movie in the near future): Kate finds herself living in a small, remote town called Southport. The reason why she ended up there is because of her troubling past. It is in Southport that she meets her new neighbor, Jo, and the owner of a local store, Alex. She falls for Alex but it is not soon enough till her troubling past catches up to her. Now, she must face her hectic past in order to move forward to the future with Alex.

        I know a lot of you are probably saying, the story is used up, but that's the thing with Spark's novels, he always finds a way to surprise you. Now, I am not going to say what happens but just to let you know, it gets kind of shocking towards the end. Also, the questions I had (the ones I based on the trailer) were fully answered in the book. The reason why Kate (which would be played in the movie by Julianne Hough) ran was much darker than I would've expected and Jo (which would be played by Cobie Smulders) was a much important character than what I intended her to be. All these twists in the plot kept me from putting down the book at night and sleeping. Moreover, its the simplicity in his (Sparks) writing that really makes this novel both beautiful and realistic. Lastly, who would not dream of meeting a guy like Alex, a soft-hearted gentleman, who is selfless and ultimately willing to give his life away for his children. It's doesn't hurt that they got the dashing and very handsome Josh Duhamel to play his character.

      Over-all, it was truly a good read and I really urge you all to get a copy of it. I just hope, however, that the movie can live up to the standards of the book, in the same way.