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.

Remain was such an unexpected, captivating collaboration! Sparks’ signature emotional depth blends seamlessly with Shyamalan’s eerie, suspenseful edge, creating a story that’s both heart-wrenching and unsettling in the best way. I loved how the characters were deeply human while the plot kept me questioning reality with each twist. It’s a unique mix of romance, loss, and psychological mystery that had me hooked until the very end. Definitely one of the most memorable reads I’ve picked up this year! Knocked if a half a star because I had the end figured out from the very beginning.

I had the immense honor in pre-reading, Nicholas Sparks and M Night Shyamalan’s upcoming book Remain. I was blown away! The book had all of the insight and thought that Nicholas Sparks puts into his books and intertwined was the supernatural touch of M Ning Shyalam. I will not say anything to give away the premise of the book, but I will say that you must get this book and read it and when the movie comes out which they’re also making, you must go see the movie. they collaborated at the same time to make sure the book in the movie would as closely mirror each other as possible. Amazing eead! I’m just sorry that I’m done with the book. It produced all the feels that a Nicholas Sparks book brings in a whole new way.!

•••ARC REVIEW•••
Rating: ⭐️💫
Do I recommend: No thank you please
***Out October 14***

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Let the record reflect that I have read literally every novel this man has written and generally think they are fine?? I was intrigued by this duo and had very high hopes and I am sorry to report I was let down (1.5 stars).

This book had real tell-not-show vibes and I felt like it was written by a robot (but not by AI - this makes sense in my head I swear). I felt that our leads lacked chemistry and the plot was just lacking.

Obviously we have all read the Wikipedia of The Sixth Sense (everyone shares my method for consuming scary movies, yes?) and therefore know someone has to be d*ad, right?? I went in with that assumption so sry if that’s a ~spoilie~ but I kept waiting for some other twist and it simply never came. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT’S IT!!

Also I really just need to get the following thoughts off my chest:
- How do two grown adults spend THIRTY minutes playing two truths and a lie
- Are we supposed to be titillated by Wren’s possible “French kiss” with Susan because grow up
- Why is our female lead dressed for going out in “faded jeans, a sleeveless, v-necked green top, and glittery sandals” in the year of our lord 2023
- What are glittery sandals even
- Reeeeeally hope the movie is better
- You’re telling me it took TWO men to come up with this story??

I think you can skip this one. Love you bye.

While this book contains a love story, it doesn’t follow the typical Nicholas Sparks formula. The pacing is slow at the beginning and tends to lag in the middle, and it’s fairly easy to distinguish which sections were written by each author. However, if you enjoy supernatural elements and appreciate a twist ending, you may find this novel worth reading.

Growing up Nicholas Sparks was my favorite romance author and M Night Shymalan was a favorite suspense screenwriter so getting this ARC was a dream come true!

Now, have I been disappointed by these two writers before? Yes!
Did I still get sucked into this story and how it was written? Yes!

Everything about this book was interesting. The spooky mystery part and the love that could be aspect hit all the marks but in the end, it sadly did not stick the landing for me.

Curious if the movie will lean away from the book at all?

This may be a good one for romance fans, but there wasn't much to it besides that for me. I was expecting more thrills and spooks with Shyamalan coauthoring.

The twists and turns were good but there was something lacking in between. It was good in a way that I wanted to find out what happened but slow in a way that it’s not like wow that was fantastic. I enjoyed the love story of a typical Sparks book mixed with the paranormal twists of a Shyamalan story.

Wow wow wow I had no clue what to expect with this writing duo but my goodness this book was excellent!! It is the perfect book for the spooky fall vibes with a love story throughout. I binged this in 48 hours and have zero regrets. Absolutely couldn’t put it down!

If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks and you can handle horror, you’ll like this one. I’ve read a lot of Nicholas Sparks and I love horror, so this was a fun read for me. I don’t think it was the most original story line of all time, so I’m glad there was a little bit of mystery/whodunnit in there to shake it up. The “nighttime Wren” scenes were great and really made the whole story. Oscar was a great character and I really loved any scene he was in. I didn’t expect the “twist” ending and wish motive was explored a little more beyond what we were given. Overall, I knew what I was getting into with this one and if you go in with the appropriate expectation, you’ll probably enjoy it.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I had a hard time considering this book anything other than, "basic."

Basic story and writing. Fell flat for me.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story with a mix of small town Massachusetts life and paranormal activity in an old house. An architect is hired to come up with plans for his best friend's house and stays in a rental house where he meets the ghost of Wren. She is a beautiful woman, but elusive, and at first he doesn't realize she is a ghost. As Wren's story unfolds, the tension in the story rises and brings the reader to an exciting ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was intrigued by the thought of Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan working together. I have to say it is a good partnership. I enjoyed the normal/paranormal world they created in Remain.
I obtained this books through Net Galley and have left an honest review.

I haven't read Nicholas Sparks since high school, which is also when I enjoyed M. Night Shyamalan's films. This was really fun, a collaboration I never saw coming but it read quick and kept me engaged. It also gave me a great sense of nostalgia.

The premise was good but this was the first Nicholas Sparks book that I didn’t finish in one sitting. This took a while to get through and I almost dnf. I think he should stick to his regular genre.

Remain has some classic elements and tropes you would expect from Nicholas Sparks: a cozy town, likable and realistic characters, heartfelt relationships, and romance.
And then it enters M. Night Shyamalan that brings some mystery and a touch of suspense to it.
Saying much about this book can be spoilery, so I'd recommend going into this book knowing very little.
If you're looking for a read with some romance, drama, mystery, characters questioning God and the Afterlife all set in a beautiful and cozy coast city, this book is for you. Regardless if you have read Nicholas Sparks before or not. And if you know M. Night Shyamalan's works, be aware: this is not a horror story with weird plot twists. Remain reads much more like a Nicholas Sparks classic novel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

**Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC**

I flew through this book. It was so hard to put down. Seeing the interesting author duo, I was so curious where the storyline would go.

Overall, a super easy read that had me questioning where it was going all throughout. I do enjoy the full circle moment that Tate has at the end of the book and liked that he seems to have found the closure he needs to move on with his life.

One criticism - I did expect an M Night Shyamalan style twist at the end; unfortunately I was able to guess the suspects in this early on :-(