Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

Review of Nicholas Sparks’s “Safe Haven”

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Kelsey Damassa Student Contributor, Boston College
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BC chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

 

Over winter break, I decided it was time to take a break from piles of academic textbooks and pages of scholarly articles.  The obvious solution was to turn to the romantic and indulgent novels of Mr. Nicholas Sparks.  You know – the guy who wrote The Notebook, The Last Song, The Lucky One, Dear John, and all those other tear-inducing stories.  His most recent novel, Safe Haven, was the obvious choice as it is of course being released as a movie in less than a week. 

Hitting theaters on Valentine’s Day, the film features Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough, as two singles recovering from difficult pasts.  Duhamel plays Alex Wheatley, a thirty-something widower with two kids, who lost his wife to illness.  Hough plays Katie Feldman, a young and innocent girl running from a traumatic past.  If you’ve seen the trailer, then you are most likely dying to know what Katie is running from.  And if you haven’t seen the trailer yet, you HAVE to check it out here.  Curiosity is what drove me to read the book because honestly, I couldn’t wait until Valentine’s Day to find out how the story unfolds.

The verdict?   If you are a bookworm, like me, and want an easy, engaging, and fun read, then Safe Haven is the perfect choice.  The characters are human and relatable, the plot keeps you guessing at every turn, and each chapter leaves you eager for more.  I picked the book up on a Wednesday and was completely finished two days later.  Part of the story takes place in Boston, and there is even a brief mention of BC!  And what’s more motivation for reading than the fact that the story will come to life on the big screen in just a week? 

I guarantee that girls (regardless of whether or not they read the book) will be racing to theaters to see Josh Duhamel’s perfectly sculpted abs, dragging their not-too-happy boyfriends along.  But don’t worry guys; there is something in it for you, too!  You can spend the two hours obsessing over Julianne Hough’s expertly toned, dancer body and maybe even pick up some ideas on how to treat your girlfriend right.  

 

Sources:
http://www.nicholassparks.com/books/safe-haven
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/safe-haven-trailer-julianne-hough-382305

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Kelsey Damassa

BC

Kelsey Damassa is in her senior year at Boston College, majoring in Communications and English. She is a native of Connecticut and frequents New York City like it is her job. On campus, she is the Campus Correspondent for the Boston College branch of Her Campus. She also teaches group fitness classes at the campus gym (both Spinning and Pump It Up!) and is an avid runner. She has run five half-marathons as well as the Boston Marathon. In her free time, Kelsey loves to bake (cupcakes anyone?), watch Disney movies, exercise, read any kind of novel with a Starbucks latte in hand, and watch endless episodes of "Friends" or "30 Rock."