Let me begin by saying that I was SUPER excited to get approved for this ARC by NetGalley! Nicholas Sparks is a huge part of why I fell in love with reading. While reading this book, my husband tells me that M. Night Shyamalan is a huge director/producer/screenwriter. (I am not a movie buff and had no idea!) the collaboration makes so much sense now.

Now for the review-

Remain is exactly what you’d expect from Nicholas Sparks; it’s emotional, heartfelt, and full of the kind of love and loss that lingers long after the last page. Sparks weaves a story of resilience and second chances, reminding us that even in the face of heartbreak, there’s always something—or someone—worth holding on to.

I especially loved how the writing had me questioning Wren’s character at certain times. That lingering doubt kept me hooked and added so much tension to the story. On top of that, the way Sparks captured the deprivation of physical connection—making you feel it through nothing but words—was beautiful and almost painful in the best way.

That said, I did figure out who the killers were, so the final reveal didn’t pack as much shock as I’d hoped. I also wished there was more finality to the three guys who were the original suspects; their storylines felt a little unfinished.

Overall, though, Remain is touching, romantic, and hopeful—a book that balances love, mystery, and emotional depth in classic Sparks fashion. A solid 4 stars from me.

I received a free copy of, Remain, by Nicholas Spark; M. Night Shyamalan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I had some much hope for this book, but it fell flat. Depressing read, characters I did not care about.

Thanks you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC. Very good! I was definitely riveted throughout each chapter. On the edge, just not so much so I couldn't sleep at night. Lol. You'll love the characters and also want to rip your hair out in frustration! Doesn't that make a good read? I guess so! It definitely had all the mild flavors of creep factor and horror without a permanent mental stain left behind. Also, "touching" (Hahaha - you'll know when you read it) and cozy (if that's possible). I do recommend! Read it this fall. :)

ARC REVIEW

Remain
By Nicholas Sparks with M Night Shyamalan

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 ( 3 out of 5)

Publishing date : 10/14/25


When I first saw this on netgalley I thought...."what a combo!!" 

I won't be giving a summary in an attempt to not spoil it. But before I started reading I assumed it would be something ghost related with romance. And was right 🤣 its giving " Heart Bones" by Colleen Hoover, in a way. 

I will admit, it did keep my attention! I was invested and anxious to see how it ended. But it felt a little predictable. I wasn't wow'd or blown away. But it was an enjoyable story to read. 

Did you know this is going to be a movie? I will definitely watch. As I was reading, I could appreciate that certain aspects will translate to screen better than a book. Can't wait to see it on the screen!

I did enjoy it and think it would be a great addition to your #tbr ☺️


Thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the early read opportunity!!

I am a huge fan of both Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan so when I heard they wrote a book together, I could not wait to read it and Thanks to NetGalley, I didnt have to! This has got to be the most insane and exciting collaboration ever and I'm here for it 🙌 It had it all-mystery, romance, strong Sixth Sense vibes and a little dash of horror! If they dont make this one into a movie, I'm going to be super salty.

Nicholas Sparks book were the center piece of my wedding…to say I’m a fan is an understatement! I loved this book!

Wow… I am blown away by the artistic combination of pining romance and thriller plot lines. This book is a beautiful symphony, showcasing Nicholas Sparks’ dramatic characters and complicated relationships, as well as M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural and horror-like elements. I enjoyed this book immensely, from page 1. It gives The Sixth Sense vibes, so if you enjoyed that story, you will probably find this book to be right up your alley. The romance isn’t quite The Notebook vibe, but the yearning for someone in an impossible situation is trademark Nicholas Sparks.

In this book, Remain, our MCs are Tate and Wren. Tate is an architect who comes to a small town to help his best friend, Oscar, design a new house for his family. He stays in a bed and breakfast where he meets Wren, and they quickly form a special bond over board games and cook Wren’s favorite recipes. Tate receives video messages recorded by his sister, who passed away, urging him to be open minded to realizing he has a gift (like her) of seeing people (no longer in this world) who need his help. He suspects Wren may be one of those people and embarks on finding the truth in her story. Along the way, he finds more than he bargained for… love. When you combine love and the search for truth, you often find… DANGER.

Wren and Tate’s story has no happy ending, but the ending itself was drama-filled and explosive. I will admit, I predicted the ending to a degree, which was a tad disappointing since I expected a wild plot twist ending. With that being said, the actual end of the book felt appropriate for the storyline. It also left me wanting more of the story- which I consider a sign of a good book.

Remain is scheduled to be published on Oct 14th. I also have heard through the grapevine that they have wrapped filming the movie, Remain! Make sure you snag the book and read it before the movie comes out because, as we know… the book is usually better, but in this case… with Shyamalan’s involvement could this be a "movie was as good as the book"?

To say I was excited to receive this ARC would be an understatement! Thank you @netgalley !

I never thought I’d like a supernatural love story, but I did. Remain isn’t a book that I typically gravitate towards, but I saw that Nicholas Sparks had written one with M. Night Shyamalan and I instantly added it to my TBR. At times, it was creepy and had me sitting on the edge of my seat or covering my eyes. Other times, it was everything I’d expect from a romance novel. It was a wild ride and in the end everything was tied together in a nice and neat bow. I didn’t see the ending coming even though all of the clues were there. A great read for spooky season.

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Remain is the first (though I hope not last) collaboration between Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. Tate has just moved into a new home, and he finds Wren. Together they have a connection, but Tate is finding out more about her-the good and the bad.

This book reminded me of one of Shyamalan’s movies. Saying which one would spoil part of the book, so I’ll leave it at that. I wasn’t upset about it. The book is well written and flowed nicely. Combining the novel writing of Sparks and the plot genius of Shyamalan is the best decision I’ve seen in as long as I can remember.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

This was like taking two plots already written and combining them together with no thought or depth of the characters. I couldn’t get into the characters and there was nothing new to the story. I heard it will be a movie so maybe that will be better but this was not it for me.

Remain is a perfect melding of the authors’ genres. It is sweet and heartbreaking while having the signature Shyamalan eeriness. I found myself not really wanting to pick it up and read for the first half of the book. The get-to-know-you phase was a little repetitive and slow. However, the second half is where the story starts to take off, at that point I couldn’t put it down. I was able to guess all of the twists as they came, which was a little disappointing. I like it when a book throws a wrench into my detective work. Overall it was an entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House publishing for the eARC.

Nicholas Sparks typically has a formula for his writing and I hadn’t read any since high school. I was interested in the collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan due to my interest in thrillers and horror. I unfortunately read it at a busy time in my life but I enjoyed when I had time to read. The second half picks up much more than the beginning. I loved Tate’s character development and his devotion to I loved Oscar’s friendship.

Well - this is exactly as advertised, a perfect mix of Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. I absolutely adored the relationship between Tate and Wren. There were a few more scary moments in the book than I expected but at its heart, it's a beautiful love story. They did a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat and Im so excited to see the film version when it is released.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, not at all what I thought going into it! Loved the juxtaposition of the mystery with the un common love story. Characters were likable and you felt invested. Will recommend to my audience.

This was beautifully written. Suspenseful and kept me on my toes. I went into this blind loving both the authors and I’m so happy.
I was absolutely hooked. I cannot wait to see this on screen because I picture every moment while reading it.

A great combination of mystery, suspense, the supernatural, and love.

I was surprised that I saw a lot of bad reviews for this as I feel this was good. Some of the supernatural scenes were so creepy that you could tell which of the authors wrote them. 😂 I feel like I would totally be like him and fall for a supernatural being too.

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.

Overall, I think this will be a popular book especially for a nice fall read as it had the spooky elements.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nicholas Sparks' & M. Night Shyamalan's "Remain" embraces Sparks' signature of incorporating romance with Shyamalan's ability to present the supernatural as a thriller-mystery. In this novel, we are immediately introduced to architect Tate Donovan who travels to Cape Cod to assist his best friend Oscar with designing his summer home after his recent stay in a mental hospital. When Tate arrives, he is still navigating through the grief of losing his sister, Sylvia, but he quickly meets a beautiful local, Wren, during his stay and with her intriguing presence Tate will soon experience some haunting interactions with her that will reveal a disturbing truth that remains in the dark about what exactly happened in Wren's past.

This book gets off to a quick start with the build-up of Tate's character, but it's when Tate meets Wren that the central story line begins to unfold. His newfound acquaintance with her leads him toward an increased fondness for her company, and him longing for something more romantic. Yet, there are particular interactions with Wren which he cannot ignore, and he is forced to question the unsettling reality about her. The complexities that develop will reel the reader in with nervous anticipation in this page turner that leaves one unable to put it down.

It's difficult to fit this book into a specific genre, but I'd best label it a 'supernatural romantic mystery thriller,' if one could even give it that specific of a label. There is a healthy dose of suspenseful hair raising moments to pull in the reader, and additional characters sprinkled throughout that add additional mystery into the mix. The story doesn't have a necessarily surprising plot twist, but it does leave one guessing throughout.

This book offers a good mix of love & mystery between Sparks literary style and Shyamalan's creativity. Although this book's literary style contrasts with Nicholas Sparks' other novels, it will not surprise anyone in regards to Shyamalan's contribution in this book. I typically wouldn't gravitate towards reading a supernatural thriller, if one can call it that, but this dual collaboration is a worthwhile read. I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys their work, or to someone who wants an interesting introduction to them in this "two for one" novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I'm very likely to revisit it again. I give "Remain" 4-stars, and I strongly applaud Sparks & Shyamalan on their unique approach to this novel! Bravo!

Finally, thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

I was excited about this book. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into it. The author combination sounds wonderful in theory, but this one didn’t hit the mark for me. I am not sure how fans of Nicholas Sparks are going to feel about this book. It was not something that I was expecting. I don't know how to explain what I felt about the book. I went in with one thing in mind and left wondering what I just read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, a nd the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was soo good! It is absolutely different from any other Nicholas Sparks book you have read before. I was really worried this book was going to be too "spooky" for me but I ended up loving it and hope he decides to write more like it. It had Colleen Hoover "Layla" vibes if anyone has already read that one. I found myself really cheering for Tate and Wren and the ending had me in tears. I think this is the perfect one day read for a crisp fall day. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially those that are already Nicholas Sparks fans. You absolutely will not be disappointed!

This book was such a nice surprise. I went in blind as a huge Nicholas Sparks fan and knowing nothing about M. Night Shyamalan. I didn't realize this book had a supernatural element until I got to it in the book. I was shocked as a fan that has read all of Sparks books the minute they come out! I wasn't sure what to think at first, but as I kept reading, I was more and more into the story. It ended up being a great read. A supernatural romance that was delightful and interesting. I suggest that everyone picks up this book and keeps an open mind, I wouldn't consider myself a supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy reader at all, but I loved this book, and it pushed me out of my comfort zone a little which was a nice change!