See Me by Nicholas Sparks
Published: October 13th 2015 by Grand Central Publishing
Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance.
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | Waterstones
Goodreads Summary
See me just as I see you . . .

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he’s determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria’s lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria’s past begin to surface.

As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria’s life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they’ve begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

What I love about readers is that every single one of us have different reading preferences. We all have a preferred genre, favourite author and different interpretations on the books we love. I’m not a typical Adult romance reader and that’s why today’s review is brought to you be my wonderful friend and fellow reader, Vinita. 

“Its name is vengeance.”

Whenever a new Nicholas Sparks book comes out a part of me has a fear; what if I don’t like this one, but then I start reading and get hooked, that fear completely disappears. This book is a mix of two previous books of his; The Guardian and Safe Haven. But if I were to choose one it was more similar too it would be The Guardian. This book isn’t a typical romance there is thriller aspects to it mixed with romance.

If you’re a Nicholas Sparks lover and adore him like I do, then this isn’t a book you want to miss out on. This book is quite different than his others especially the male character. Colin is definitely not your typical Nicholas Sparks male character. He has a bad past, he’s not the typical romantic, sweep you off your feet kind of guy. But he isn’t heartless either, he has features that are charming the way he talks about his best friends, and the subtle things he does which make him romantic in his own way.

The beginning does go a little slow especially since the first 200 pages is about Colin and Maria meeting and developing their relationship which at some point I did just want to get to thrill part of the book; but seeing how Colin interacts with Maria and his feelings towards her is important to know why he goes to extents he does later on in the book.

The thriller part starts off slowly just like the beginning of the book which made me enjoy it because you’re working your way slowly rather than it getting thrown in your face like here’s a stalker. It starts off with just one little thing which doesn’t seem like it’s much of anything then as the book goes on, it starts to escalate to bigger things. I would say my favorite part of how Nicholas Sparks wrote this thriller part is that he makes it seems its one character that you meet previously in the book, but then it kind of throws you off for a loop.

When the thriller aspects starts when Maria tells Colin the things that are happening to her he becomes very protective and wants to do anything he can to stop this. Others might have gotten annoyed with Colin but I loved that he was like that. When you first meet Colin he has his normal routine, go to school, work, do a little MMA fighting and hang out with his two best friends, which is his childhood friend Evan and Evan’s fiancé. He doesn’t seem to have many good relationship his family relationship is kind of broken and only has 2 friends, so he’s not very keen on bringing new people into his life. So the fact he’s willing to go over and beyond to protect Maria shows he really loves her and just wants her safe. Even though I would say some of the things he does is a little extreme at times I think it’s his way to show his love for her.

Overall thoughts on the book, it’s definitely an amazing read and when the thriller parts really pick up it’s hard to put down. I loved that the book had romance and thriller to it, and this book also had other relationships not just the typical couple love. There was a friendship love and family love both are very prominent in the book, which I think is important to have. I really enjoyed this book and definitely will re-read in the future.

– Vinita
   Twitter: vjj15