Wow... what a strange, strange book.
Tate is a wealthy architect who has just come out the other side of a deep depression after the death of his sister. He spent some time in a mental institution, and his friend has decided that the perfect way to support his recovery is by moving him to a small town to design a vacation home. Tate's friend pulls some strings and gets him a solo stay in a BnB where Tate meets a beautiful woman, Wren. Except - bummer - something's wrong with her.

Half love story, half horror thriller. Sparks talks in the afterword about how the first book he ever wrote was a horror book. Sadly his style doesn't lend itself to the genre, and scenes that are supposed to strike dread instead fall flat. I still enjoyed the ending and the mystery, but overall this was a miss.

Nicholas Sparks continues to lead the way on romance but with a twist. This book will keep you guessing until the very end. You will think you have it figured out, and you will be wrong.. Then you will keep hoping the end will be different, but the story ends in a beautiful way.

I was so excited to see that I received a copy of this book from NetGalley! I never guessed we would get a book by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan, but I’m so glad that we did!

Tate is fresh out of the hospital after dealing with his sisters death. His friend Oscar has hired him to build his family’s house. Oscar rents a house for Tate to stay in while he is in town. Tate wakes up one morning to a woman named Wren doing yoga in the parlor. He is pretty confused, knowing the house used to be a bed and breakfast, he was under the impression he was the only person staying there. Later, Tate starts hearing screams in the middle of the night coming from the guest bathroom. His experiences at night keep getting scarier, but almost every morning he finds Wren downstairs.

Tate starts asking questions about the house and the former owner. With the things he’s seeing at night, he believes that Wren was actually murdered and she is not aware that she is dead. So he decides he is going to figure out who murdered her and do his own investigation.

I really enjoyed this book! It had a love story that Sparks is known for, but you could also see where Shyamalan threw in his touches. I hope these guys team up again!

I fully get that this is a ghost story, which is why it’s coming out in October, but it feels like a good beach read to me. It’s just the right level of supernatural, with the slightest dash of gore and the biggest helping of romance, that makes me want to read this with my toes in the sand. Where poorly-written exposition and haphazard world-building don’t matter in the grand treatment of a horror-laced romance from two big names. Maybe it’s the Cape Cod setting that’s influencing me?

I’m excited to see this get the movie treatment and see how it works on the big screen! Maybe the ending will be less predictable when it’s on screen instead of on the page. I just hope it keeps the same discussions of grief and afterlife because the book does those so well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for my honest (and all over the place, oops) review.

I’ve been a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks since I started reading his books in high school. When I saw Remain as an option for an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) on NetGalley, I had to request it. Never did I imagine I’d actually be accepted to receive a copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
🌶️ / 5 spice level

Remain, by Nicholas Sparks with M. Night Shyamalan is a paranormal romance story, but feels like so much more than that brief genre description. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started reading, but I fell in love with the story right away. The book explores the delicate balance between life and death, sharing the strength of love that somehow travels between the two. I love the mystery aspects woven throughout. My heart was racing multiple times while reading, and the spooky vibes got me a few times. I think this will be the perfect book for romance lovers to add to their fall TBR!

Great collaboration!!! A romantic ghost story about the power of love. The restoring power of romantic love. And the unconditional love of family and dear friends. I would love to see more collaborations with these two men. Great job!!

I really enjoyed this supernatural love story. When I saw this book was a collaboration between Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan I was immediately intrigued. I liked that it was not your typical love story with suspense and supernatural themes. I was hoping for a bit more of a plot twist… The ending was not shocking to me but overall I had a great time reading this one.

I really liked the depth and vulnerability of the main characters and I have to say I loved Oscar the most 😂 I think we all need a supportive friend like Oscar in our lives.

I definitely recommend this one for spooky fall vibes 👻 Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Publication Date: Oct. 14, 2025

It was surreal reading a Nicholas Sparks book that involved murder and the supernatural. I truly loved the story of Wren and Tate, both their past and their present. I won’t give any spoilers away, but this story was enjoyable to read and came with a shocking ending.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks! His books always seem to punch me in the gut pretty quickly. However, I know this book was meant to be a little different. I'm not sure I really liked this new element to this book with the incorporated ghost story. I saw the direction this book was going before I made it halfway. Sparks's writing style is always great. The storyline is easy to follow. It was a good read but not his best. To go with this, I enjoyed The Sixth Sense and Signs movies by M. Night Shyamalan. I could see his role in the book. The characters overall were very relatable. Overall, I give a 3/5. It was just too predictable for me.

I already knew when I heard about this pairing that I’d need to bring my suspension of disbelief. And while I loved the premise, for me it went a little too far in that direction. Even without knowing who the authors were, it would be easy to guess—both leave their distinctive fingerprints all over the story. The result, though, felt a bit unoriginal.

Another reviewer summed it up perfectly: if you combined The Notebook, The Sixth Sense, and The Lake House, you’d have this book. And if you’re going to mash up those three, I want to feel fully invested in the characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Everything resolved too easily. Seeing a ghost? Totally normal. Best friend instantly believes you—even though you just had a mental collapse? Also normal. Suddenly going full Sherlock Holmes because you have feelings for a ghost, despite knowing almost nothing about this town except what said ghost told you? Sure, why not.

I wanted to love this. I really did. And even though I’m ranting, I don’t think it’s a bad book. It’s just that for a collaboration between these two storytellers, it felt a little too safe.

Exactly what you’d expect from this collaboration. A beautifully written love story with ghosts. I enjoyed the book, but felt very predictable.
Thank you for the ARC!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one as I didn’t love Sparks last release.

This is a paranormal romance that served as a quick read. A little creepy thanks to M. Night, but still the same Nicholas Sparks that we all know and love.

While I predicted the twist at the end, I still thought it was well thought out and wrapped up the book well.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

So as an already fan of Sparks, this book definitely took me by surprise.

The beginning was a bit tough for me to fully grasp and fall in love with, but I appreciate the Shyamalan twist!

This was the wildest combination for me. I have read almost all of Sparks' books. The way he writes romance so perfectly. Every single one of his book shave made me laugh, smile, and cry in the most wonderful ways. I have fallen in love with how he develops characters and inserts tragedy in every love story. Shyamalan has defied all odds, giving us the most mind blowing, bizarre plot twists you will never see coming. The Village, The Sixth Sense, The Happening, Signs Old, Caddo Lake...some of my favorites. To put these 2 complete opposite but talented humans together in one book was not something I would've ever imagined but this worked in all the best ways. I loved Tate and the way the book ended. At the same time, I almost wonder if we'll get a second book with some of these characters as there seemed to be room to do so. Wren's character was phenomenal and who doesn't love a kitty sidekick? Paulie was adorable. Can these 2 please do a mashup like this again because I'm here for it.

I struggled at first to get into the book, but the more I read I got into the story. A twist of a love story and paranormal edge. Was it my favorite Nicolas Spark book? No, but it was decent!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this fab book!

I wish I could start this book over and read it during the transition from fall to winter when the weather is cool and the seasons are changing- when nights come sooner and I have a candle burning… what a perfect setting that would be for this read!

I really liked this book overall. The characters were amiable and unique, the environment easy to create a mental picture of. Loved feeling all the feels as the story played out- even though I had a feeling as to the “who-done-it.”

My one biggest issue, even as tears are streaming down my face: the epilogue. Was not a fan. What’s with the dates listed at the very end?! I was so confused.

Other than that- lovely!

We will purchase this for the library. Patrons should enjoy it. Personally, I found it a bit dull. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This book was so unique with the author collabs! I enjoy work from both of them and I enjoyed this book

It tackles grief in a great way and it kept me hooked until I finished reading!

Great book, thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

This read is fantastic! I stayed glued to every page. I could not put this down. I love M. Night Shyamalan movies and this collab with Nicholas Sparks was everything I imagined it would be!

I just finished reading my first ghost story romance...is that a thing?

Nicholas Sparks has teamed up with M. Night Shyamalan to bring us "Remain"- a novel about an architect--Tate Donovan-- who has recently left a stay at a psychiatric institution after a depressive episode following the death of his sister, Sylvia. Sylvia revealed to him on her deathbed a special trait she has, one that she has passed on to Tate.

Now out of the hospital, Tate is easing back into his career as an architect by helping his friend Oscar and his wife Lorena design a beautiful summer vacation home in Cape Cod. He stays at a house in a small town, where he meets Wren--a remarkable girl with a troubled past. The two find connection in darker pasts and an ability to divulge their innermost troubles and feelings to each other. It turns out Wren is in need of Tate's help---but can he help her before it's too late?

Nicholas Sparks brings the romance, and M. Night. Shyamalan brings the twists and turns! Together they have written a book that captures the feelings and thoughts you might picture one of these characters to have as if watching one of M. Night's movies. I found myself in awe of the ability to capture these feelings, the suspense, the curiosity, in words. There is also a beauty captured in this book in self-discovery and revived hope for the future, and a solid, unconditional friendship (found family) between Tate and Oscar.

I'd definitely watch the movie, as now I need to see the instrumental accompaniment to this plot! A great story filled with ghosts, plot twists, suspense, mystery, and romance---a first for me!

Overall I'd give this 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 as it's a newer genre for a book for me! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review!

#Remain #NetGalley