Surrender to Love …

My wife and I loved the twists and turns in the book. We read it as we drove to New Bern on a visit to North Carolina in February 2025 having traveled all the way from Nairobi, Kenya.

We are fans of Nicholas Sparks and can’t wait for each new release.

In ‘Safe Haven’ what particularly stood out to us was the need we all have to ‘surrender to love’.

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Another heartfelt love story from Nicholas Sparks

Overall, Safe Haven is a very enjoyable novel. It's not just a love story though; it's also about family. Without that component, the story wouldn't have been as nearly as enjoyable. I love Nicholas Sparks' writing. His love stories are more realistic than most—and this is no exception. With Rebecca Rebecca Lowman's beautiful narration, this book is a worthy fluffy read for a rainy afternoon over a cup of coffee.

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Nicholas Sparks did it again!

What did you love best about Safe Haven?

I completely loved the way we can find romance, courage, family trust and new beginnings in this book.

Any additional comments?

It's amazing how we get hooked to the story. We laugh, we cheer... We want a happy ending and it comes, but not exactly the way we're expecting. The story is great from the beginning to the end, but the end definitely comes with a great surprise. I've also watched the movie. The story was adapted and many things changed. It turned out really nice as well. My tip is: read the book and then watch the movie for comparisons. Both versions come differently, but they're both worth of your time.

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another winner

Would you consider the audio edition of Safe Haven to be better than the print version?

Don't get a chance to stop and read print being a working mum, but it was a great listen. The first Nicholas Sparks book I read was the Notebook and i stayed up all night reading, i wanted to stay up all day listening but commitments couldn't.

What did you like best about this story?

I love that mostly sparks makes his male leads such loveable characters, that you would want in your life.

Which character – as performed by Rebecca Lowman – was your favorite?

All she read really well.

Any additional comments?

Nicholas Sparks books are just a nice feel good read thanks.

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Loved book, hated movie!

Watched movie trailer thinking it looked good so decided to read book first. It was lucky I did otherwise I might have missed out on a great book. Movie makers really know how to kill a book. In book, enjoyed the flow and good natured characters apart from the husband of course. What a phsyco kookoo! Loved the unexpected twist at the end. I would have liked to have seen more action from Alex; given his history but oh well. Still good. The movie killed everything about it and turned it into some rushed jumbled mangled mess. I didn’t even like how they changed character names. How pointless. This is definitely one book which has movie potential but sadly flopped. So, recommend book and whatever you do, stay away from movie!

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Conventional, No Spark, and No Julia Roberts

Would you try another book from Nicholas Sparks and/or Rebecca Lowman?

Sparks: never unless I was totally convinced that this book was the exception, not the rule.Lowman: definitely. She reads in a pleasant voice, and she is good with the dialects (as far as my Swedish ear can tell, that is). Not her fault that the book is so bad.

Would you ever listen to anything by Nicholas Sparks again?

See above.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Rebecca Lowman?

No, she was excellent.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Yes, the basic story of trying to get (and stay) away from an abusing husband was indeed thrilling at times.

Any additional comments?

(Well, I guess this is the review part.) It is sad to see how such a promising story is made so totally conventional and boring. The thriller parts are ok, and for natural reasons you really feel for the protagonist, but the author does not create any spark in the "Safe Haven" love story whatsoever. And even more serious, he does not *show* us what everyone is feeling and thinking, only constantly *telling* us. While that works reasonably ok for getting inside the (disturbed) mind of the abusive husband, it makes for a very one-dimensional novel. The name does not help, I see no Sparks here.

The paper thin characters were all so conventional as well, like they were all rounded up from a Lassie movie from the 50s. Granted, the protagonist does a lot of the action stunts herself, but the values leaping off the pages are all about family values, adoring girls and strong men, and it is hard to realise that this is a bestseller from today rather than from another era.The conventionality extended to the plot as well. While we did not know the exact details (would it be Colonel Mustard using the Candlestick in the Library, or...?), the plot was so predicable. **Spoiler warning, pass to next paragraph if you want to be kept in the dark until you figure it out yourself.*** You have to be totally clueless even for the supernatural twist, although it looks as if it is supposed to be a surprise. (Not to mention how totally unnecessary to the story it is.)

The film Sleeping with the Enemy, although being from the early 90s, was so much less conventional, and more thrilling. And it featured Julia Roberts. Not perfect in any way shape or form, you should pick it up any time before enduring this syrup of a tale. Too bad, since the theme is no doubt a very serious one.

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