When I saw Nicholas sparks and M. Night Shyalaman work together in a story, I was intrigued. I am a huge fan of Nico Sparks books and I am a huge fan of the director so I was very excited to dive into this.
That being said, I felt like this fell slightly flat for me. I didn’t read any reviews so I had no idea that this is actually being made into a movie. I really hope the The story comes across more in the movie than it did in the book.
I did like the creepiness of it. I just thought with Nicholas there would’ve been more of a romance to it, but I guess when you’re talking about paranormal it’s really hard to melt the two together. Overall, I really did enjoy it. I think I just had higher hopes for it.

I have read most of Nicholas Sparks’s books, and I was totally awed at the twist in M. Night Shyamalan’s cinematic masterpiece, The Sixth Sense, so I was very excited to read their collaboration, Remain. This is one of those books where I hesitate to give away any plot points, as readers should really experience the story without any prior knowledge. I will say that I thought I anticipated the inevitable twist in the story, but I was wrong — which actually was a good thing. I’m not going to summarize the plot, not only because it’s kind of expected, but, on the other hand, it’s totally mind-blowing. So, readers, if you like mystery, action and a heavy dose of the supernatural (or your drink of choice) be prepared for an exciting ride.

I didn't know what to think about a collab between Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan, and I don't know how to say this other than it's exactly what should be expected. It's a tender love story between a ghost and a former mental inpatient. It's slower than expected, and there was not a lot of action at all until the very end. Having said that, I enjoyed the storytelling and character development. Remain publishes in October and would be a great spooky season read.

Thanks to NetGalley for early access.

Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan are not two names I would typically mention in the same sentence. At least, I wouldn't have before I read Remain. I was curious about the book primarily because I was so surprised at the collaboration. What they have created is wonderful! It is truly a ghost story, and the ghost's story is central. The mystery of who killed Wren is engrossing, with plenty of red herrings. The love story that develops between Wren and Tate is sweet and absolutely in keeping with Sparks's signature impossible love stories. And the telling of the entire story is well-done, with the perfect spooky to creepy to sweet ratio. I hope that Sparks and Shyamalan collaborate again: I couldn't put this one down!

As a reader who enjoys both romance and the supernatural, Remain initially pulled me in with its atmospheric setting and the promise of a unique collaboration between Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. I appreciated the emotional undertones and the moody, cinematic style—especially how the story weaved grief, love, and mystery into a slow-burning plot. That said, I also found myself frustrated at times; the characters felt emotionally distant, almost robotic, and the writing leaned too heavily on telling rather than showing. The romance lacked real chemistry, and while the paranormal twist was intriguing, it didn’t feel fully explored. It straddled genres in a way that made it hard to invest deeply in either the love story or the suspense. In the end, while I admired the ambition behind the novel, the execution didn’t quite meet the potential of such a high-profile pairing.

I might be one of hundreds, maybe thousands of readers who got lucky and managed to get an ARC of their book but 100% no regrets.

Remain is the collab we didn’t know we needed but here I am just loving it!

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s all in the execution, in how the story with familiar themes are presented that made me love this book more that I expected to!

I'm a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. This book kept me hooked with all the twist and turns i wasn't expecting. I wanted to keep reading to see what happens. I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

First, big thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC! I was super excited to read this one...I love Nicholas Sparks books, and I love M.Night movies...so I figured this was going to be spectacular.
But this was so-so for me . Kind of slow, kind of Scooby-Doo mystery at times.
There was suspense and supernatural aspects.
Despite that, the story was good and kept me reading...I do recommend!

#Remain
#NetGalley
#NicholasSparks

I feel like I had read this before. very predictable. I liked that it was a quick, easy read. But its a story thats been told and i expected so much more.

M. Night Shyamalan
Romance meets the supernatural in this haunting new collab. Sparks brings the heart, Shyamalan brings the chills—and together they craft a story about grief, love, and what lingers beyond. Emotional, mysterious, and beautifully eerie. Can’t wait for the movie

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy!

The premise of this story is genuinely intriguing and includes all the right elements for an engaging read. Here’s what I particularly enjoyed:

1. A compelling paranormal theme
2. An element of mystery
3. Themes of grief and healing
4. A strong focus on friendship

However, there were a few aspects that didn’t quite work for me:

1. The love story felt underdeveloped
2. Oscar jumping straight to believing Tate’s sightings of Wren made the plot feel a bit too convenient
3. Some plot points were predictable
4. The ending didn’t quite deliver the impact I was hoping for

That said, this was still a solid 3-star read. I’d recommend it to fans of lighter paranormal mysteries who enjoy emotional undertones.

Drenched in moody vibes and ghostly whispers—Remain by #NicholasSparks x #MNightShyamalan is that perfect storm of grief-tinged romance and otherworldly suspense.
Tate’s Cape Cod retreat becomes a haunting love story with Wren, a mysterious presence who forces him to believe in the impossible. The setting, the secrets, the emotional gravity… I was both heartbroken and spine-tingled.
Not perfect—pacing stumbles and ghost lore gets dense—but that twist? Utterly gut-punching. A must-read if you’re chasing heartbreak, haunted hearts, and that eerie shimmer of hope.
Lovely if you want your romance with a side of spectral mystery

I felt this book had all the elements of a good story including the mystery. There were only 2 thing that took it down some for me. The first is it could be a little slow at times, but the really good scenes made up for that. The second was when the mystery was solved in the end, it was a twist but I found myself actually wishing it had been one of the people that we suspected as I feel there was more of an exciting story with that.

➳ 2 ☆

firstly, i want to thank NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. this book will be out on october 14th, 2025. as always, these are my thoughts, and this will be an honest review.

i want to preface this by saying, i have never read a book by nicholas sparks. m. night shyamalan is a great filmaker, and i am a huge fan of his work. however, i am unsure if his voice mixed well with nicholas'. i honestly did not read any reviews or comments from anyone else before i started this and looking back, and i am not sure if that was a good idea. i didn't find this book super twisty, nor did i feel any emotions with the romantic plot. the only part i was looking forward to is the upcoming movie. it stars both jake gyllenhaal & phoebe dynevor—and i am sat down for this. i just know they will deliver an amazing performance.

firstly, this book was moving very slow for my liking. the story does start off with us getting introduced to our main characters. tate, from new york, is dealing with the aftermath of his sister's death and is trying to manage his life. from here, he ends up working on a summer house for his friend and meets an unexpected woman called, wren. this part of the storytelling happens in the first 25% of the book, and unfortunately, this was the only aspect keeping my attention. from here, we are on this journey with tate to figure out whether wren is living with him—or not—since nobody else has seen this mysterious woman.

i do think my main contention with this novel is how it clearly feels like a movie script. since this book isn't out yet—and i don't want to spoil ANYTHING—i am going to keep this vague. the entire time i was reading this book, i felt bereft. something was clearly missing from the final draft, and i realized that it's because this is being turned into a big picture. there was a lot of grey area in the book and not enough action. this will not be an issue for everyone, but it was a critique i personally had. i do admire the concept, since we don't see lots of romances and supernatural/thrillers in books, but i wasn't a huge fan of the execution. i do have high hopes for the movie, though!

once again, thank you so much for the ARC. i hope everyone enjoys this book. <3

it’s more of a 3.5 rating. i didn’t hate it nor did i absolutely love it.

the end made me feel a little unrested and underwhelmed. i felt like the murderers were a little obvious and the reasoning to be anticlimactic. i was hoping for a more shock worthy reason but it wasn’t necessarily bad. and the romance aspect of it felt sad but not simply because of the obvious being that she’s dead but the fact that Tate had to experience double the grief that way.

but again, i didn’t hate it and i did enjoy it. i think it will be a good screen watch but as a book it didn’t hit the same for me.

thank you NetGalley for the early access!

ANYTHING M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN TOUCHES IS GOLD. This novel was incredible. What a combination of authors, and I definitely didn’t expect to love it as much as I did based on that fact but WOW did they blow my mind. Tate and Wren were such beautifully constructed characters. What a unique premise overall and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ugh, Nicholas Sparks what are you doing?!

I wanted to love this because I will never give up on Nicholas Sparks, and I was also really looking forward to a crazy twist from M. Night. I have read all of Sparks’ books, so I’m not surprised by the insta-love, but this was painful to read with one of the main characters being a ghost. The writing didn’t even seem to flow very well.

I absolutely adored this one. It was different but in a really interesting way. I kept wanting to know what happened next. I did not want to put it down. All of the twists and turns made it a great story. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy to read, and give an honest review.

Remain is unlike anything I’ve read before—equal parts love story and ghost story, tender yet unsettling. Nicholas Sparks brings the emotional weight of grief and romance, while Shyamalan threads in an eerie undercurrent that makes every page feel slightly off-kilter, like you’re waiting for the shadows to move.

The protagonist’s struggle with loss feels raw and grounded, and that emotional honesty is what keeps the supernatural elements from tipping into cliché. Instead, the blend works: the haunting doesn’t just exist to spook, it mirrors the ways love and grief linger long after someone is gone.

I’ll admit, I expected a bigger “twist” given Shyamalan’s name on the cover, but the story’s strength lies more in its atmosphere and its emotional resonance than in shocking reveals. It’s a quieter kind of unsettling—one that stays with you.

If you’ve ever wanted a book that feels like The Notebook wandered into The Sixth Sense, Remain delivers something hauntingly beautiful.

Thank you so much to Nocholas Spark and his publishers for the ARC of Remain.

I have loved and read all of Sparks' novels since I was in high school (now 41). I have also made it to one book signing with a meet and greet, so I am a fan! I was a little skeptical with a book completely out of his norm or writing but of course I will read it, and I am so happy I got a chance to read it before it hits shelves in October! Seriously it's like I won the lottery!

Anyways about the book! It definitely still had a Sparks book love story to it which is good. I caught on pretty quick to what was going on which didn't ruin the story at all. This story kept me interested the entire book and I enjoyed the new adventure with a new writing style with Nicholas Sparks. The ending oh my its great two great things happen and I sure hope he decides to continue and make a book number 2 cause he leaves it open to do just that.

Sorry I don't tend to tell what the book is about plenty of others do that I like to know what someone was thinking and these are my thoughts about the book Remain. Give it a try if you are a Sparks lover you won't be disappointed and if you aren't a Sparks lover give it a try because this is different than his normal writing which I say he did a great job pulling it off with the help of M. Night Shyamalan. I look forward to what is next.