Thursday, April 28, 2011
Going Home, by Harriet Evans
I must say, I was very, very disappointed in this book. It makes me so sad, because the first book I read from this author, "Hopeless Romantic" was an awesome book! But this book was just 400 pages of getting to the point, and then the point just not really mattering! It was all about this one thing, and then in the end, she decides it's not really a big deal anymore. There's love, lies, betrayal, drama, Brit speak (which some of it was just confusing and hard to understand....), and it is sooo much fluff that the whole center of the book becomes unimportant. It takes to long to get there, then it is gone. The ending is also really predictable and did nothing for me. Overall, this book blew. This post is kind of confusing, but that is how I felt when I read it! There are some other books of her I wanted to read, but I don't know now. This was her debut novel, and maybe that is why "Hopeless Romantic" was so much better, because she had this disaster under her belt. I give this book a D. =-(
Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks
This was your typical Nicholas Spark's book, but with a nice little twist! It was more of a mystery/thriller type story intertwined with the romance of it all. It was actually quite refreshing, although I had some problems with the "bad guy", but more on that later. As with most Sparks's books, it is kind of predictable. Girl moves into town, meets guy. Guy falls for Girl. There are some obstacles. Both overcome those obstacles and BAM happy ending! But since this was a thriller-esque book, it packed a little punch that kept me a little on edge. It was predictable in all the regular ways, but at the same time there was something new, which was very refreshing. After reading five or six of Sparks's books, you get kind of bored, but his books are always ones I grab when I feel like a good love story/cry.
Anyways. The story is set in North Carolina (shock) and centers around Alex, small town store owner, and Katie, a beautiful, yet mysterious stranger who has moved to town, and how they become connected. But Katie has a secret, and it seems throughout the whole story, as her past unfolds, that her secret will catch up to her. Great story line actually. They way Katie's narrative is told is great, because she does not want it to be told, so the reader only gets snippets of the story, only an idea of what has happened to her, until eventually she spills it all out to Jo (her kind of recluse neighbor). Without giving to much away, Katie ran away from her husband (Kevin), changed her hair color and identity and became Katie. She never got divorced, so technically she is still married, so her relationship with Alex becomes tangled, because Alex doesn't know or understand Katie's distance and hesitation as they become closer. As (spoiler alert!) Katie's husband begins to search for her, the thrill of the story kicks in, because he stumbles on to her whereabouts by pure accident, and no one really sees it coming.
But the husband is where I have my issues with this story. Maybe because Sparks has not had to much experience writing thrillers, but this guy was a very weak character. He was very focused on Katie, but in almost a child like way. Like they way he would fixate on things, like the Bible, and what the Bible says a wife should do and how she should be, but it's written in such a way that is very childlike and unbelievable. I think if maybe Sparks had gone more into Kevin's past, before Katie met him, then maybe his upbringing would be more relevant to why he is the way he is. To me it seems as if Kevin has some kind of mental illness, maybe he is bipolar or just plain psycho (spoiler!!) as well as being an alcoholic. I don't know. If we knew more about Kevin, maybe his character would have been more believable and maybe even justified (even though I think he is psycho!).
Overall, this was a breath of fresh air from Nicholas Sparks. I didn't feel weepy or sad at the end of the book, just satisfied and happy. As always the way NC is described makes it sound like a place I would love to vacation at one of these days, because it seems to have everything, but only if I would be able to find a man Sparks's always describes, like Alex or even Noah (The Notebook!). Alas, I think I will have to live vicariously through his words only! But definitely pick this book up, even though its a little bit different then your typical Sparks's book, its always going to be a great, feel good read! I give this book a B+!!!
Anyways. The story is set in North Carolina (shock) and centers around Alex, small town store owner, and Katie, a beautiful, yet mysterious stranger who has moved to town, and how they become connected. But Katie has a secret, and it seems throughout the whole story, as her past unfolds, that her secret will catch up to her. Great story line actually. They way Katie's narrative is told is great, because she does not want it to be told, so the reader only gets snippets of the story, only an idea of what has happened to her, until eventually she spills it all out to Jo (her kind of recluse neighbor). Without giving to much away, Katie ran away from her husband (Kevin), changed her hair color and identity and became Katie. She never got divorced, so technically she is still married, so her relationship with Alex becomes tangled, because Alex doesn't know or understand Katie's distance and hesitation as they become closer. As (spoiler alert!) Katie's husband begins to search for her, the thrill of the story kicks in, because he stumbles on to her whereabouts by pure accident, and no one really sees it coming.
But the husband is where I have my issues with this story. Maybe because Sparks has not had to much experience writing thrillers, but this guy was a very weak character. He was very focused on Katie, but in almost a child like way. Like they way he would fixate on things, like the Bible, and what the Bible says a wife should do and how she should be, but it's written in such a way that is very childlike and unbelievable. I think if maybe Sparks had gone more into Kevin's past, before Katie met him, then maybe his upbringing would be more relevant to why he is the way he is. To me it seems as if Kevin has some kind of mental illness, maybe he is bipolar or just plain psycho (spoiler!!) as well as being an alcoholic. I don't know. If we knew more about Kevin, maybe his character would have been more believable and maybe even justified (even though I think he is psycho!).
Overall, this was a breath of fresh air from Nicholas Sparks. I didn't feel weepy or sad at the end of the book, just satisfied and happy. As always the way NC is described makes it sound like a place I would love to vacation at one of these days, because it seems to have everything, but only if I would be able to find a man Sparks's always describes, like Alex or even Noah (The Notebook!). Alas, I think I will have to live vicariously through his words only! But definitely pick this book up, even though its a little bit different then your typical Sparks's book, its always going to be a great, feel good read! I give this book a B+!!!
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