Review: Safe Haven

Title: Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Pages: 343
Challenges: Mount TBR, Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge
Rating: 1/5

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.

I have always been a big Nicholas Sparks fan.  There haven't been a  lot of his books that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.  I have read all but five of his books, and would rate them among my favorites.  This past weekend, I finally settled down and decided to read Safe Haven.  Going into the book, I wasn't 100% committed because I don't really enjoy stories about abuse, but my best friend insisted I give it a try.  I read half of the book Friday night, and at that point I seriously considered putting it down and not picking it back up.  But my guilty book conscience won out, and I kept pushing through.  However, by Sunday morning, I was mad at myself, mad at the book, and wanting to through it at the wall upon completion.

What didn't I like about this book?  One, it was an extremely slow  moving plot.  Nothing significant seemed to happen until the last 30 pages and then it felt rushed and unfinished.  Two, I hated the ending.  I'm not going to go into detail because I won't ruin it for those who haven't read it but seriously Mr. Sparks?  And finally, there just wasn't a single character in this book that I enjoyed.  I couldn't connect with anyone and they all seemed artificial and fake to me.

So there you have it.  Definitely not one of Sparks best in my opinion, but it won't keep me from reading him again.  I mean, we all have bad days right?