As part of my Nicholas Sparks rereading month with my friend, Megan, The Moody Mama Reads, I decided to listen to the audiobook of Safe Haven. This is my favorite Nicholas Sparks book and after re-reading A Bend in the Road, I was a little nervous to see if I would still love it as much as I once had.

BLURB:
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.

Thankfully my fears were unfounded and I loved listening to this story. It brought back all of the memories of the first time I read and fell in love with this book. When I first read this book, the subject matter was something I was dealing with in my personal life, which made it intensely relatable. Katie’s struggles were all things I had gone through and in some ways was still going through at the time of reading. Looking back on that time in my life, it’s easy to see why this story hit home. Being able to venture back to those memories was refreshing to see how far I’ve come in life and how much I have grown since then.

It was interesting to read this after watching the movie numerous times over the years. I didn’t expect the movie to follow the book’s plot so closely, but nearly every detail was exactly the same. Even as I listened to the story, I was sometimes picturing how the scenes happened in the film.

Again, I’m glad I haven’t completely outgrown Nicholas Sparks novels. This was just as good as I remembered, with the cozy cottage, and beachy North Carolina setting. I loved how this story mixed plenty of action and suspense, while still boasting the great romance Sparks is known for writing.

While doing this rereading month, I’ve been surprised by the number of people who have never read a Nicholas Sparks novel! If you’re looking for a great one, this would be the one I’d recommend the most. I adore this story!

Rating: 5 stars.

Purchase on Amazon.

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