The characters are very likeable and you find yourself investing in what you hope their future will be, from very early on. In the same breath, everyone has second chances in life even when you think there is no hope love can happen to you twice. The moral of the story here is to never let another being decide your fate for you, no matter how much you love them as even love itself can have a dark side. The importance of love, trust, courage and self-worth resonate throughout the story and we see how so quickly these things can be abused and how without even realising it we can become so accepting and deluded. I would hope that I would have as much courage as Katie does, but I also hope I never have to find that out. The story is very touching and sadly very real, one of those ones that makes you think what you would do… and how you would react if in a similar situation. I wasn’t looking for an epic novel but more one that would require minimal thinking on my part and one that would supply a host of warm fuzzy feelings. It is a lovely story and beautifully written but I must admit I found it very slow at times however it served its’ purpose as I wanted to escape the world for a while and feel safe while doing so. Unfortunately with ‘The Notebook’ in the back of my mind I didn’t really give ‘Safe Haven’ a chance, which I must admit was a little unfair of me. In fact it will remain indefinitely in my top ten love stories of all time and so I thought I would give another of Sparks’ novels a try. Being the true romantic I am ‘The Notebook’ has always been a real hit with me.

Safe haven book nicholas sparks