Rating: 
Summary: Eh, just so-so
Review: I almost gave this two stars, but I felt generous. :)It's too cheesy. I mean, the dog acts like a human around his owner, Julie? Come on. And he saves her at the end?!?! Give me a break. I didn't realize how slow the novel was until I read the other opinions posted here. It really is pretty slow for the first half. The only reason I could give three stars is because it did leave me feeling creepy at times. It's just so dark for Nicholas Sparks, although it was nice to see him do something a little bit different. Maybe he wasn't really trying for anything profound.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book was great, i couldn't put it down. It was very different than some of the previous book's but the added suspense made it that much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Very surprised
Review: I have read all of Nicholas' Sparks books and have enjoyed them, but I was very surprised..and annoyed as I kept on reading The Guardian. It reads like a cheap romance novel, very different from his earlier book. The Guardian is filled with common dialogues and there is not one single " beautifullly written" paragraph in this book. Too bad. I hope Mr. Sparks reads these reviews and starts to write seriously again.
Rating:
Summary: Nicholas Sparks Writes His Best One Yet!
Review: This novel was very unique in that it combined romance, abuse, and mystery all into one story. Sparks did a great job with his writing and it is a very worthwhile book to read. Julie Berenson is a young widow at 25 years of age, and her husband left her with two unexpected gifts. He left her with a puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years later, twenty-nine-year-old Julie is far too young to never have love again. She may be ready to risk caring for someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the sophisticated, handsome engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth really loving guy who was her husband's best friend? Choosing one of them should bring Julie happiness. But instead,
Julie is fighting for her life because of a jealous nature which ignites a murderous desire.
Rating: 
Summary: Go back to your usual style, Nicholas!
Review: This is more like reading a Jayne Anne Krentz novel, not a Sparks novel. Not that that's bad, I like Krentz for witty novels that are fun but not too dark. One doesn't expect that here however, especially after reading Sparks previous novels, all captivating and with so much substance. The prologue catches your interest, but after the story starts it just barely plugs along at a very slow pace. The bantering dialogue between the characters sounds again like Krentz's style, an attempt at humor and wittiness. The characters are likeable enough, especially the dog, Singer, but something seems to be missing. It doesn't really get going until the 12th chapter, where we start getting a feel for the bad guy, what made him what he is. We don't learn a lot however, we need to exert patience through the light-hearted bantering and dialogue between the characters to find out more about the bad guy and what he is up to. Makes it hard to keep that suspenseful impression in mind. An example of the silliness is the following paragraph on page 213, when the main character, Julie, is supposed to be angry and scared about being stalked by a dangerous man: This is her thought process as she plans what to do: 'More than anything, she wanted to give Richard (the stalker/bad guy) a verbal lashing in public, the kind of high volume tirade that included pointed fingers being poked into his chest. "Just who do you think you are?" she imagined herself screaming at him. "Do you honestly think I'm going to put up with this crap for another minute?" (Poke) "Do you think I'm some patsy," (poke) "some wimpy little thing who's gonna sit on the couch and tremble (poke, poke). The best man won. Sorry pal, but you weren't him, you'll never be him." (Poke, poke, poke, followed by cheering as dozens of women spontaneously jumped up applauding.)' That's right from the book - now does this sound like a scared, angered victim of a dangerous stalker? Or even like a serious suspense novel? If that is what you are looking for, look elsewhere. It is not a bad book but it is not up to Spark standards, I am sorry to say, as I love his work. This is one you could get by with a library issue or wait for the paperback to come out. Hope the next one is more like his usual wonderful style. It is still hard to believe this author is a man, not a woman.
Rating:
Summary: Read "Bend in the Road" instead!
Review: Nicholas Sparks's previous novel, "Bend in the Road" was far more suspenseful and emotional. It was also shorter. My problem with Nicholas Sparks writing is that the characters are so dull. The writing is good in the "Guardian" but it felt very repetitive. His writing at times seems interchangeable with Danielle Steel's. And, yet Nicholas Sparks does not provide the glamour or sophistocation of typical Danielle Steel characters. In his effort to be universal, Nicholas Sparks's characters suffer from a lack of flamboyance, eccentricity, or anything that makes them unique. Even the villian, a stalker, in the "Guardian" comes off as comical. Um, and that's not good, I would say..... when, I, the reader am finding the suspenseful parts far more humorous than scary. The "Guardian" falls off as a romance since it is so dull and generic. And, it fails as a thriller, mainly because all the suspense is left for the end of the novel. All right, yes, there is a payoff, for sticking with the "Guardian" till the end. I should hope so, after all the mindless drivel and filler that Sparks takes up excess pages with. Thing is, Dean Koontz and Stephen King, at least, throw in red herrings all throughout their thrillers. Not so with Sparks's "The Guardian". Here, you have to wait till the cliched end to get the payoff. I was surprised I even made it till the end since the middle part was so dull. With Sparks's previous thriller, "Bend in the Road" you simply cannot put that one down as you don't know what to expect or who even, (Bend in the Road) the culprit is. As opposed to the "Guardian" where Sparks reveals the culprit and you are then waiting till the end to see this Villian get caught. Still, if you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, you might want to stick it out till the end. Someone who has never read Sparks, I could see liking this. Those of us who have read and loved both Sparks's "Bend in the Road", and "Walk to Remember" know better.
Rating:
Summary: Sparks is at it again!
Review: Nicholas Sparks is, by far, my favorite writer. Granted his books can be predictable, and most of his work is very similar...but that's what keeps me coming back! With this book, Sparks threw in the element of suspense, and that made such a difference. I loved this book, and would reccommend it to anyone looking for an easy read that pulls at your heart-strings! For me, the part of the dog took a sideline to the romantic part...but that's just me being a romantic at heart! Great Book! Go Read it!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is the first Nicholas Sparks book that I have read and now I'm hooked! This book will keep you up at night because you want to know what happens next, but not to worrry, you'll finish it in a couple of days. Sparks weaves all the emotions that we feel--love, grief, fear, anger and relief--into this story that leaves you thinking about the people you encounter. This is a must read book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book To Read
Review: I read this book, got teary eyed a couple of times. I liked it alot. But then again, I like every book I read by Sparks. It's a book you can read in a day or two, and I like that in a book.
Rating:
Summary: The Guardian - Predictable and Disappointing
Review: I am an avid Nicholas Sparks reader, so I was overjoyed when his latest book the Guardian was released. I ordered it through Amazon and could hardly wait for it to arrive. Then I read the book. Normally I am unable to put one of his books down, but this one was easy to part with. The story was predictable, the end was disappointing and the characters were very simple. While I enjoyed the love story element between the main characters, and I LOVED the dog, it was really difficult to get into overall. It was okay, but it didn't meet my expectations for a Sparks novel. It seemed more like a script for a movie then anything else. I am looking forwad to his next book, hopefully he'll shy away from the thriller elements and stick to what he does best.
| 
