Hmm... I think Nicholas Sparks needs to stick to his trademark: sappy romances with amazingly unreal guys and soppy decelerations of love that make my heart swoon. The Guardian was okay, but it felt too familiar after reading Safe Haven (published AFTER The Guardian). Looks like someone is recycling plot-lines... The book itself started a little slow. There was a lot of internal dialogue for both Julie and Mike, which wasn't always that interesting. Richard, on the other hand, was a much more interesting character, but his internal dialogues were well-spaced out. What really frustrated me was how long it took for Julie to realize she's in love with Mike. Yeah, I get that she's still moving on and blah blah blah, but still. I didn't understand why she was so willing to shake off Richard's odd behavior at first. If that I had been me, I would've gotten out immediately. Once you get to the halfway point, the plot-line picks up. The real action, however, starts in the later chapters. I thought the end itself was abrupt. Not the whole ending, but the last chapter. There wasn't much closure, and I felt like it was needed. Not Nicholas Spark's best, but we all have off days. If I could forgive him for the utter cheesiness that was The Best of Me, I can forgive him for this. Still, not sure about recommending it. If you're a die-hard Sparks fan like moi, go for it! If not, pick up The Last Song or The Notebook if you haven't already. (In which case you probably live under a rock somewhere.)