A huge thank you to NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy! 🥰

Let me tell you - when I saw that Nicholas Sparks and M. Knight collaborated on a supernatural romance book - I was so excited!

This story did NOT disappoint. The amount of detail, emotion and unexpected mystery in the lives of Tate and Wren was addicting. I was so sad when this book ended because I loved the two characters so much. My only complaint was that I figured out the mystery early on, however, I’m not sure if that was the intention of the story or not.

I hope both Sparks and Shyamalan write another book together. 🥹

Loved this book! Once I started, I did not want to put it down. Our main character has lost his big sister and requires a hospital stay to learn how to navigate life without her. He gives up his corporate architecture firm to work solo and his first project is a summer home for his best friend. Starting with just a plot of land, he starts designing their dream home while staying in a B&B nearby. There he meets a ghost who doesn’t know she has died but likes spending time with him. They play games, have long conversations, cook together, and basically fall in love. When the sun goes down she disappears and a different version of her appears upstairs in the bathroom where she died. This version doesn’t communicate in the same way, but he observes what’s happening and finds that her death was not an accident. He and his friend begin to investigate and uncover the truth.

First, thank you to Nicholas Sparks, M. Night Shyamalan, Random House, and NetGalley for the advance copy of Remain. There aren’t words to express how excited I was to read this book. Did you see the authors?! Did you see who wrote this book?! I got to read it early.

It was such a privilege to look through a window into Tate and Wren’s time together. I devoured this book. Absolutely devoured it—the marriage of romance and spooky was beautifully crafted. My heart raced at times and it broke in others. I found myself hoping for an impractical solution to Tate’s problem. A take away I had was that human connection is the salve to grief and loving someone is a gift we give to ourselves, even when it’s complicated and implausible. Sometimes, letting go of all the boundaries can be freeing. When this is inevitably made into a movie it will be a masterpiece. I cannot wait.

After experiencing a devastating loss of his sister, Tate, a successful architect, finds himself in Heatherington designing a summer home for his long time friend. Tate is renting a bed and breakfast—not a room—a whole bed and breakfast. Imagine his surprise when he walks into the parlor and finds a woman, Wren, doing yoga. Over the course of days, he comes to realize that Wren is not alive. Wren is seemingly unaware that she has died and Tate wants nothing more than to help her, but in order to help Wren, he has to help himself and stay alive in the process.

Trigger Warnings: unwanted unaliving, chronic illness, death due to illness, ghosts, brief topics of stalking and domestic violence, physical violence, depression, mental health.

ARC 📖 Review: Remain by Nicholas Sparks with M. Night Shyamalan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)
Pub Date: October 14, 2025.

When I saw these two were collaborating on a book, I kept my eyes peeled for the chance to read it ASAP! Let me start off by saying yes, I LOVED this romance book, but it had so many other elements that kept me hooked. The mystery and paranormal aspects were chef’s kiss, and I felt like I was watching a movie while reading this one. Highly recommend checking it out!!

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

👻🐱🏡

When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start. Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain.

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I don't think I have ever read a Nicholas Sparks book (but definitely watched all of the movies); however, I love M. Night Shyamalan's films and the idea of these two teaming up to write this book was very intriguing and knew I had to read it! Well, I must say, it was just okay. I expected more of the thriller aspect from M. Night Shyamalan, but it was predictable and I figured out the twist pretty early on. It did have those spooky vibes, but I wanted more out of it. It was definitely unique though, which I appreciated. It was more creepy than anything though. There were certainly themes of love, loss, and healing sprinkled in with some romance and some emotional elements. The pacing was a bit off and was slow and dragged in some places, but the story was still enjoyable. I think this will do well as a film, like on Netflix or Amazon Prime and I feel like that might translate better, as I didn't necessarily like it as a book, if that makes sense? While I had hopes for this collaboration, I am not sure it entirely worked, but I do feel like some people will really love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicholas Sparks, M. Night Shyamalan, and Random House for the eARC of this book.

I am a super fan of Nicholas Sparks! This book was definitely unlike his other books in the creepy sense. It gave great chill factors! I really liked it a lot even though I predicted most of it. I expected there to be some crazy twist because of M. Night but it stayed pretty calm! I highly enjoyed this book though! Thank you for sharing your amazing talents with us all!
Ps. Whatever happened to the locket?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had high expectations for this one. I mean, The Notebook is iconic, and teaming up with M. Night Shyamalan? That had all the makings of a mind-blowing genre mash-up.

Instead… it fizzled.

This was basically a Nicholas Sparks romance where—surprise—one person’s dead. That’s it. I clocked the twist 20 pages in, and from there, it just limped along. No emotional gut-punch. No wild Shyamalan magic. Just a predictable, flat storyline trying to be something new but playing it painfully safe.

It wasn’t bad… but it sure as hell wasn’t good. Three stars for the idea, not the execution.

Thank you NetGallery for this Arc. These two authors coming together to write a book had me beyond excited!! I enjoyed the book definitely fun to figure out how the plot was going to cone together at the end

As a lifelong Nicholas Sparks reader, I immediately jumped at this book when I saw that it was a collaboration with M Night Shyamalan who's directed some of my favorite thrillers of all time. It had all of the classic Sparks’ romance elements with an added layer of supernatural suspense and horror. I was unsure how these two would collaborate with such different genres, but this story completely exceeded my expectations. I was crying from the heartfelt and emotion subject of loss in one chapter, then genuinely scared during the next chapter. If you’re a fan of romance and thrillers, then this will be the perfect book for you!

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was pleasantly suprised by this! I can see it not working for some, but I really liked the story, the supernatural romance/suspense and the twists-even though I did find some of it predictable. A casual romance reader may not be into this creepy, supernatural story, but that is what made me really enjoy it. I went into this knowing or suspecting that it would be turned into a movie, so I read it with that idea in mind; it'll be a great movie, I can totally see it translating well into film. For me, I do not typically read or like romance novels, so this worked well to give me some romance but to focus mainly on the suspence/mystery/spooky/ghosty/thriller.

I was very excited to read something written by Nicholas Sparks with M. Night. I had high hopes for this and it lived up to what I was expecting.

I was so excited about this book, and could not wait to read it. This was just a mediocre re-telling of The Sixth Sense, and predictable. About 24% into it, I was bored. 50% into it I was uninterested but wanted to see how bad the ending was. 75% into in I was over it. I skimmed the rest and found the killers boring... Just because Sparks got divorced does not mean that he needs to have a midlife crisis, and start writing new stuff like this...If he goes back to romance, I'll read it. This type, I'll pass and save my time and money. I'm not going to rehash the synopsis because everyone else has. If you want a lackluster book, then read this.

Thank you for my ADR, I'm glad I didn't buy this one myself..

Nicholas sparks is an auto buy author but this was not for me ! I was so excited for this collab, but I couldn’t get into it at all. Didn’t care about the characters enough.
Was tough to get through
Thank you for the ARC 🖤

I had high expectations going into this book & was slightly disappointed. Parts of this book became boring & repetitive, & I was left with a lot of unanswered questions when I finished it. I did enjoy the romance but honestly, I expected more from this collab.

This book was enjoyable- the characters were interesting (enough) and the plot was original(ish).

I found it to be very predictable for many reasons- and unfortunately the second half dragged a bit becsuse it was very obvious at that point what was going on and who was responsible.

The writing flows and it is not a terribly long read- this is worth reading- but don't expect anything life changing.

Nicholas Sparks used to be the author that I bought every book he put out, no matter the price. But, then he got divorced, and I felt like he lost his mojo. He was trying his hand at different genres and none of them felt right to me. This book is the first, in a long time, that I have enjoyed. It was a surprise to see his collaboration with M. Night Shymalan but that's what made it interesting. Part love story, part thriller. I thought it was a little predictable but I still enjoyed the journey of reading until the end. 3.5 stars for this one!

Romance meets the paranormal in this book. The collaboration of writers on this book intrigued me from the get-go, and I can see both of their styles in this book. There is that sense of mystery, but the romance with a little heartbreak in it as well.

After the death of his sister, Tate heads to Cape Cod to help friends build their dream home. While there, he begins to uncover messages his sister left behind.His sister had certain believes about their family, she wanted Tate to embrace.

During his stay, he meets Wren, who becomes a source of comfort and healing—but she has secrets of her own.

This story has all the hallmarks of a classic Nicholas Sparks-style romance: love, loss, and emotional depth. While the mystery and supernatural elements didn’t quite live up to their potential, the heart of the story remains a beautiful love story. Cape Cod makes an ideal backdrop—both haunting and serene, ethereal and dark.

At times the pacing lags, but the characters are so well drawn that you can’t help but root for them and fall in love with their journey. As a thriller, I’d give it around 2.75 to 3 stars. But as a romance? A solid 4 stars.

This supernatural love story is both haunting and tender. Set against a moody Cape Cod backdrop, Remain blends Sparks’ signature emotional depth with Shyamalan’s eerie suspense. Tate and Wren’s connection is fragile yet consuming—love battling against forces neither fully understands. The spiritual elements add a chilling layer, but at its heart, this is a story about grief, healing, and holding on to someone even when the world says you shouldn’t.

Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan is a fascinating collaboration that blends heartfelt emotion with eerie, slow-burning suspense. On the surface, it feels like classic Sparks—love, loss, and longing wrapped in lyrical prose. But underneath, Shyamalan’s signature tension and mystery twist the narrative into something far more layered and unsettling.

The story centers on a woman grappling with the sudden death of her husband, who begins receiving cryptic messages that suggest he may still be with her—in ways she can’t quite explain. As she searches for answers, she’s drawn into a web of memory, grief, and possibly the supernatural. Is she losing her mind, or uncovering a deeper truth that defies explanation?

What works beautifully here is the balance between romance and psychological suspense. Sparks brings the emotional weight—his characters ache with realness and vulnerability—while Shyamalan injects an eerie, creeping doubt that keeps readers off balance. The setting, often quiet and intimate, feels increasingly claustrophobic as the story progresses. It’s the kind of book that makes you question what’s real, what’s imagined.

Fans of both authors will find something to love. The romance doesn’t overpower the mystery, and the mystery never derails the emotional core. It’s a careful dance, and remarkably, it works. The ending—without giving anything away—is equal parts shocking and tender, and it lingers long after you’ve finished.

Remain is a unique, genre-blending novel that asks how far we’ll go to hold on to the ones we love—and what truths we’re willing to face when they reach back. Poignant, spooky, and entirely absorbing. Worth picking up if you like your love stories with a twist of the unknown.

I'm truly at a loss of words.  This book is incredible. I would never have imagined how this book would be by these two amazing people.  It's story is one that won't be forgotten.  Not entirely romance yet also not entirely paranormal. It's a wonderful peice of literary genius.
Tate heads to the Cape to help build his friends summer dream home after his sister passed away.  With his sister leaving messages for him after her passing, he's forced to look at things in her way.  Hopefully for the best for him. Or so his sister thinks.
While staying in  a rental, he meets Wren. One of the most interesting and beautiful woman he's ever been privileged to meet. She changed everything. Only for him to realize she's not able to the woman he needs. 
This story has everything a reader could want and then some. Romance, heartache, intense drama, paranormal mischief, and some not so nice situations.  It has truly been a favorite read. 5 stars. I really hope another book by these two is in the works. Absolutely a top 5 of the year.