See Me by Nicholas Sparks

So this book has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while. Last October when it was published, I purchased the audiobook of it and then never listened to it. My thought process was that I would buy a book that was kind of long and then listen to it while I worked out; that didn't happen, and the book went unread/un-listened to. So this last weekend, I was sitting around reading different things, and I saw it sitting in my Audible account and decided I would buy the actual book and maybe I would actually read it. And that is exactly what happened. I started listening to it at work yesterday and when I got home, I picked up the book and kept reading until the very last page. I don't know why I waited so long to read it because yesterday, I could not put it down, and I am still reeling with excitement on how wonderful the book is.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Five Sentence Summary

Colin has a troubled past; he likes to fight, he is quick to anger, and he's been in trouble with the law more times than he can count. Maria is the total opposite; she is a new lawyer who spends her free time with her family and taking pictures and isn't exactly looking for her soul mate at the moment, but it wouldn't hurt. When Maria first meets Colin on a dark, rainy night on a road in the middle of nowhere while her car has a flat and he is fresh from an MMA fight, she is frightened of him; but with the help of her sister Serena, Maria and Colin become the most perfect couple. But as Maria learns more about Colin's questionable past and anger, she begins to falter in her feelings, until Maria's past comes back to haunt her. Everything comes to the ultimate climax when Maria's sisters life is on the line and Colin has to save her, which might just cause him his life.

(Source: Giphy)

Likes and Dislikes

• Colin is amazing. He has the bad boy exterior while being a sweet, loving guy. Where is this man in real life? I'd really like to know where Nicholas Sparks finds his inspiration for his characters so I can go find him. Although, I would get tired of his standard response of "okay."

(Source: Giphy)

• I had no clue where the story was going, and I loved it! There were a couple things that were predictable, but every avid reader knows that happens, but for most of this book, I spent every chapter wondering what was going to happen next. I love when I find books that continue to find new ways to surprise me.
• The characters all felt real, tangible. I could clearly picture them, their mannerisms, their facial expressions. Sparks is a brilliant author, and this is one of the reasons why. 

Wrap Up

This is only my second Nicholas Sparks novel, my first being The Notebook which I read after I saw the movie. I have seen multiple movies based off of his books, and for me, Nicholas Sparks is synonyms with tear jerker, bawling my eyes out for days on end, my heart being ripped out and shred into three million pieces. So needless to say, that's what I was expecting with See Me. I did not shed a single tear with this book, but not because I'm heartless, but because this book is suspenseful; it's like a mystery and a romance and so many things. There are so many layers to this novel, it's just brilliant! I really loved that it wasn't pure romance because I thought that's what I wanted, but it really wasn't. I wanted this. 

The other part that I loved about this book was Maria's family. In so many ways, they reminded me of my family. My family is all about spending time together. Do we own a restaurant and have brunch every Sunday? No. But we spend insane amounts of time together, we know everyone's everything, and I know that if anything that happened to Maria was happening to me, my family would rally just as her family did.

This book held so many surprises and was so wonderfully written. I feel so lucky that I have read so many brilliant books lately. My LOVE shelf is quickly filling up with more and more books!

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Rating: 10/10
Pages: 486 (hardback)
Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Mystery