SAFE HAVEN by NICHOLAS SPARKS

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again. 

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.


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Jelai's Review:

If you would like to give this book a try, PLEASE DO NOT and I mean, DON'T you ever try to peek at the last pages. That is if you don't want to ruin the element of surprise.

We all know who Nicholas Sparks is. He has proven himself a lot of times on how good he is-- No, he's a in fact a LEGENDARY STORYTELLER. Safe Haven is just one of those.

It was actually the teaser of the novel that compelled me to read it. 

Reading Safe Haven you just don't know what to expect, like most of his novels. I like novels that give me something to dig and ponder while reading, make me think what's going to happen next, connecting some dots, tying some loose ends. Safe Haven will make you curious and entice you to cheat at the last page and yet will hold you in bondage to patiently wait, let the story run until you reach the ending. It actually gave me some good goosebumps.

It's a very compelling story. Taught me things about life. About giving second chances not just to those people around you, but also for yourself. That there is no such thing as "too late" as long as you are breathing the next day and the days after that, as long as you see the sun still rising, as long as you keep on trying.

In this novel you'll see how Katie struggled to run from her past. Kept a wide distance so it won't haunt her. I felt her fright when she was so scared to start a new life. But then she found a kind of love that made her hope she deserves a sweet taste of a new beginning

The big question is, was Katie able to grasp it? Well, pals, read it so you will know. Haha!

I'm giving this novel a five golden stars. And another five golds for Nicholas Sparks.


Favorite lines:

"Because in the end, no matter how hard it is, acceptance helps people move on with the rest of their lives." -Jo

"Everyone has a past, but that just it-- it's in the past. You can learn from it, but you can't change it. Besides, I never knew that person. The person I've come to know is the one I want to get to know even better." -Josh

"But I trully believe that while love can hurt, love can also heal."- Carly

"I've come to believe that in everyone's life, there's one undeniable moment of change, a set of circumstances that suddenly alters everything." - Carly.

Love can sometimes achieve the impossible.