Review by crossbelladonna - The Guardian

crossbelladonna 's review for:

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

1.0

dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I wouldn't exactly call it "suspense" per se. In the year this was written, perhaps it would be compelling but I doubt you can find it thrilling in 2025. The MLs are rather drab, Mike is pretty lousy and can't bring himself to make definite decisions however I do like that he holds high regard for Julie and respects her decisions which is honestly the bare minimum. Richard meanwhile—his POVs already sound suspicious from the start so you already get the gist what happens in the long run.

The title doesn't involve the MLs however, it actually refers to the dog, Singer, who by all accounts should've had more meaningful scenes in the story but in the end was only treated as shock value.

It's rack full of cliches, as is expected. My eyes rolled so far back in my head I could see my brain. I'm assuming back then making fun of feminism was treated as a joke but those snide remarks really put me off this one.

Also, cops being useless, big news!

I would have to say there are better books if you need some suspense in your life.

Content Warnings