From A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, The Last Song, Dear John and The Lucky One, author Nicholas Sparks wrote many of the New York Times best-selling novels of the century. Each of these books have expanded to the big screen, creating some of the most top box office films for the romance genre. On Valentine’s Day,  Safe Haven hit the big screen, and this time, there were no lines at the cinemas on opening night.

As a Nicholas Sparks fanatic, I had romantic expectations for this film, especially after having loved the book. Perhaps expectations are a bad thing, because as soon as the first scene began, my heart was racing with anticipation and fear.

This presence of suspense in the movie did not dissolve. From beginning until the end scene, there were point-of-view shifts between a running wife Julianne Hough, a chasing husband David Lyons, and flashbacks to the horrors of a violent marriage. The overall mood combined with the eerie music had me extremely nervous, hoping for the typical romantic mood to kick in.

In the middle of the movie, that mood was set. Katie (Hough), the main character, had finally escaped her past and began to trust a man again when those expected, juxtaposed words slipped her mouth: “safe haven.” I knew things were going back downhill after the happy, romantic scenes had elongated themselves beyond reality. Her past had come back to haunt her, and this time it harmed the entire happy family she was involved with.

At the end of the movie, it seemed things could not have gotten any worse for Katie or those around her. Once again she lost everything good that happened to her, and traded it for only love with her new family. Their house, materials and her past husband had been removed, and she had to create another new life, but at least in the end she found love (again).

While there was both good and bad in the movie, I feel like there was more bad than good, and was disappointed. As much as I love Nicholas Sparks and director of many of his books on big screen, Lasse Hallsperon, this movie was less of a love story and more suspenseful.

On the bright side, this movie shows the dangers of alcohol on a person’s character, and the horrific truths of an abusive marriage. Not only that, but it shines on the idea of a family unit and how people should work together during hard times. The acting is good quality and it will stir your heart up and make you want to hug your boyfriend or girlfriend.