Book info

• Title The Guardian
• Author Nicholas Sparks
• Year 2003
• Genres Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Julie Barenson's young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died: a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years have passed. Still living in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, 29-year-old Julie is emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the handsome, sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband's best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she's had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire.

Thoughts

Julie gets over the death of her husband with the dog that he left her. They have a close bond. She falls in love with her husband’s friend but not after incurring the wrath of a psycho stalker man who makes her life a misery. Dog saves all. The End.

Julie’s good, Mike’s too good to be true and Richard’s a regular psycho. They’re good characters but exactly as you would expect them to be, no surprises. It bugs me how simple the writing is. Sparks would rather tell you exactly how Julie is feeling about a situation instead of maybe writing about what is happening and letting you feel what she’s feeling instead.

A good story, the thriller aspect of it sort of creeps up on you when you’re not expecting it, the tension is building up subtly underneath the romance of it all.

Rating: 3 / 5