Nicholas Spark’s new suspenseful-romance film, Safe Haven, came out in theaters this Valentine’s Day, February 14. The film is based on Spark’s New York Times bestselling book, Safe Haven. The movie stars Hollywood’s newest actress Julianne Hough and actor Josh Duhamel.

In the film, the heroine of the novel runs away from her marriage in Boston to a small town in Southport, North Carolina. Katie (played by Julianne Hough) brings questions into the new town about her past. She’s excluded from the world while she avoids personal ties at all costs.
Katie soon meets her only friend, her neighbor Jo, and begins a relationship with the local widow and store owner with two kids, Alex (played by Josh Duhamel). He helps her face her past as she begins to fall in love and attached to his family, something she swore she wouldn’t do.
But as soon as she starts to fall in love, she realizes the events of her past still haunt her. Katie tries to keep him at arm’s length, but realizes how hard it ends up being.

Katie realizes, through the help of Alex, that her “safe” comes from the love she discovers and is able to move past the stress her troubled past as put on her.

In the latest Nicholas Spark’s adaption, Oscar-nominated director, Lasse Hallstrom, directed. The filmmaker was previously the director of Spark’s Dear John.

The film was made with a close resemblance of the novel and was up to viewers expectations. It’s possible to not have read the book yet still understand the storyline of the movie. And the movie has the same emotional effect as that of the book.

Unfortunately, the secrets of her past aren’t revealed until the very end. But fortunately, throughout watching the movie it doesn’t leave the viewer bored; the mystery and drama included in the relationships keeps eyes on the screen at all times.

Most will say if you’ve read the beforehand, then the movie should be avoided. Although, I tend to not like going to the movie after reading the book, Safe Haven exceeded my expectations.

Safe Haven isn’t a typical love story that Nicholas Spark’s usually writes—it has an element of mystery and a little of danger. Safe Haven wasn’t like any other Spark’s adaption (Dear John, the Notebook, the Lucky One), but fans of Spark’s work can identify the movie to be one of his novels (because of his tendency to have the story based in North Carolina, his hometown).
The book was harder to get into, as the story took awhile to unfold, but with the scenery, the movie was quick to understand. The movie allows you to understand the storyline without reading the book.
Nicholas Spark has done it again; he’s made another adaption of his new novel that has blown away the nation.