I could not wait to read the collaboration between these two authors, and I begged to read this book, so I have a lot to say about it. Overall, I have to say I found it a disappointment. The storyline was great, but I’ve come to expect a certain amount of psychological tautness from M Night Shyamalan, and this book didn’t really have that. There were some scary scenes in the bathroom that brought you up to the edge of fright, but then it would stop and the scene become not frightening at all. The bathroom scenes were too short and didn’t build to a frightening level of suspense.
If you’re going to set the book on Cape Cod and you’re referencing towns that are real, such as Chatham and Provincetown, why do you need to invent a totally new town with a very un Cape name? Also, there would never be a car dealership in Ptown. I get that you are pulling several towns together to create a new fictional place but if you’re going to use some real names, use all real names, like Truro or even Falmouth. The overall pace of the book is way too slow and it seems like it’s repeating the same scenes over and over. The book picked up the last third as we were getting closer to the end and that was satisfying, , but I could have read the beginning then jumped to the last quarter and skipped the middle.

Remain✨

I was SO excited to get approved for this one — I’ve been reading Nicholas Sparks since I was in middle school 📖 + I love M. Night Shyamalan movies!!! 🍿🎥


This was described as a “one of a kind novel that grapples with the supernatural mysteries of life, death, and human connection” and it was just that. This was the most perfect blend of Sparks + Shyamalan’s talents that we know and love: thriller, mystery, emotional, suspenseful. Super engaging and I couldn’t put it down!
This really put me in mind of Safe Haven also by Sparks and Layla by Colleen Hoover. Tate’s struggles throughout the book were so bittersweet and emotional. You will definitely want to read this!


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


This releases October 7, 2025 ✏️ 🗓️


Thank you @netgalley @randomhouse for the chance to read and review this ahead of time!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this book!

I'm going to keep this simple... paranormal mystery plus romance all set in a small town where you either love or hate the people. This is a must read.

The Review: 3 1/2 ⭐️s rounded up for goodreads

Thanks to Random house and NetGalley for a copy of this arc!

So I’m not sure what exactly i was expecting with these two heavy hitters teaming up on a novel/movie combo but it wasn’t this.

Sparks and Shyamalan temper the bigest criticisms that both contributors get flack from. This is certainly sad, a hallmark of Sparks and yet it does not feel part melodramatic to me. We done rely on a twist for Shyamalan, nor is the ending a let down.

The highlights of this were night time wren who’s vivid description of being trapped in the worst moment of her life is an unexpected bite for the novel and a welcome one at that.

Tate is a fine protagonist. But i didn’t find my self rooting for him. At one point he learns how to do laundry and that was greatly off putting to me. So much so that the romance though there on the page didn’t work for me. Wren was slightly more interesting and if we had gotten more playing with the time frames I think i would have like this a little more.

Im looking forward to to the movie to see how it translates.

Id recommend this for fans pf either contributor but also fans of Simone st. James

Dealing with the death of his sister and his mental health issues, Tate Donovan takes on a project for his best friend. He moves into a rental that has not been rented out for some time. He soon encounters the supernatural and has unexpected interactions. This book blended romance and the supernatural in a way that was different than expected. I found it a bit slow in places, but over all it was a good read. In order to truly enjoy this, you must embrace the belief in the supernatural world.

Remain blends Nicholas Sparks’ heartfelt storytelling with M. Night Shyamalan’s signature twisty flair in a captivating supernatural love story. The tale follows a couple drawn to a mysterious coastal house, where eerie events and a shadowy past unravel their bond. The writing evokes strong emotions, while the supernatural elements add an unexpected layer of suspense. The cover art beautifully sets the tone, and the digital format makes it easy to dive in via the NetGalley app. Some plot turns feel familiar, but the emotional payoff is worth it. A unique collaboration that fans of romance and thrillers will enjoy. 4/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

I was shocked and intrigued by this color, but it worked so wonderfully. Shyamalan is one of my all time favorite people in the universe, so I was incredibly excited to see his name attached to Sparks, I knew I was in for a treat, and I was not wrong. It was the perfect blend of love story, paranormal. You could definitely feel both of their strengths in this one.
I hope to see more collabs along this line.

This collaboration was unexpected but amazing. I enjoyed the paranormal love story murder mystery. It was a unique book for sure! I definitely recommend it!

The main character and the reader form an emotional bond thanks to the character development, which is in keeping with Sparks' writing approach. The subject is strengthened by the subtle addition of terror, which offers another level of depth. Though distinct from the authors' original styles, they enhance one another in a way that is captivating, ethereally lovely, and guaranteed to keep you reading for at least one more chapter.

I love books with supernatural elements so I'm honestly surprised that I didnt enjoy this one very much. It was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

In order to enjoy this, you have to be able to allow yourself to believe in the supernatural, possibility of afterlife or at least ponder what happens to us when we die.

Reeling from the death of his sister, a recent stay at a psychiatric hospital and how to get his life back on track Tate finds himself in a small town where his friend Oscar is building a summer home. A small town holds big secrets though. A series of video messages from Tate's late sister Sylvia that she wanted him to watch after she passed lead to him wondering if he is having another mental break of if he is really seeing the things he thinks he is. He befriends a ghost of the woman who used to live in the historic home he is staying in while working on Oscar's home. What starts as simple conversations with Wren begin to develop into something more and Tate finds himself more and more drawn to her and wanting to have as many encounters with her as possible. The more time they spend together the more he wants to help find out what happened to her and if her death was truly an accident. By finding out what happened to Wren can Tate help her move on? Or will she always be trapped in the home going back and forth from the "daytime Wren" that Tate has come to love and the "nighttime Wren" who is tortured and reliving her death every night.

Touching on the bigger meaning of life, the small things we enjoy and how to find out who we are and what our dreams are this book explores friendship, grief, and love. There is an element of the murder mystery that keeps things moving along and I found the pacing to be well done it kept me wanting to pick to the book up. There is a twist at the end (although I had sort of guessed it ahead of time) but it adds for a good surprise element. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read and will be a good "spooky season" read in October.

Remain is a unique and compelling blend of heart and mystery, brought to life through the unexpected yet seamless collaboration between Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. While the story starts off at a slower pace, the emotional depth and intriguing premise gradually build into a gripping page-turner—I found myself fully hooked by the halfway point.

The characters are well-developed and engaging, each carrying their own emotional weight that adds richness to the narrative. Sparks’ signature romantic storytelling shines, while Shyamalan’s touch brings a subtle, eerie undercurrent that adds a whole new dimension to the plot. The supernatural elements were woven in thoughtfully, enhancing rather than overpowering the romance, and creating a story that feels both intimate and otherworldly.

Remain is a beautifully strange, atmospheric read that rewards your patience. If you’re a fan of Sparks’ novels, Shyamalan’s films—or both—you’ll appreciate the emotional resonance and genre-bending twists they bring together in this collaboration.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC!

Very interesting read! If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan then this one is for you. Remain had both of their key elements and intertwined them well. It was a bit of a slow read but it started to pick up in the second

I loved everything about this book! What an odd collaboration between two great storytellers. The mix of romance and the mystery were a good mix. If you do not like books about the paranormal, then I would pass on this one. However if you enjoy Nicholas Soarks books, this book just might be your thing

Thank you to Netgalley and Edelweiss for the ARC!

I should have known this wouldn't be too far up my alley, and as my first Nicholas Sparks book, I was shocked at how robotic the writing felt. The characters felt like loose descriptions of how a person should feel, but none of the heart or quirks of an actual character? It felt like the characters were pre ordained to fall in love, so they did, not because of chemistry, but because of plot necessity. I expected it to be cheesy, but it was just so bland it couldn't even be described as overly sentimental. The paranormal twist was also completely unnecessary and surface level.

I wish that I had connected to any of the characters and any of their motivations, but it got to the point where I actually forgot the main characters name at points.

A haunting story of love, loss, and the supernatural. “Remain” has the perfect blend of emotional pull from Nicholas Sparks storytelling that is matched with the mysterious M.Night Shyamalans imagination. I absolutely love this unlikely pairing of authors and how each was able to interweave signature styles seamlessly. Perfect pacing that matched the vibes of the book and the ending left me unable to turn the pages quick enough. The author pairing alone will get patrons hyped and talking, the writing and plot will keep readers wanting more. I will definitely be purchasing for my library shelves.

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this fantastic book in exchange for my honest review. I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks’ and couldn’t wait to read this latest book. I love the supernatural elements mixed in with his typical writing style. I love that he teamed up with M. Night Shyamalan to master this beautiful story that crosses genres so powerfully. It is a bit of a slow burn at the start, but it quickly catches the reader’s attention! I hope this is turned into a movie! I loved every bit of this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Nicholas Sparks and supernatural elements. Thank you again.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Nicholas Sparks is one of my favourite authors and I have read everything by this man. But this story was iffy.. if you’re into the supernatural than I’d give it a go.. but we already know from the start about wren.. I mean I don’t want to say what she is but anyone who reads it will know right away.. I felt for Tate.. but I just couldn’t finish this one. They both went through something traumatic.. but the supernatural part of this story just wasn’t for me.

This is the collaboration we’ve all needed! I was so thrilled to receive this ARC and couldn’t wait to dive into it.

When Tate arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is determined to make a fresh start. He has just left a psychiatric facility after being treated for depression due to his beloved sister’s passing. When he encounters Wren, the owner of the bed and breakfast he is staying at, his assumptions of the world begin to change!

This was a good mystery and it definitely kept me turning the pages! Don't want to give to much away as you should go into this one blind but definitely worth the read!

Wow. Just wow.
The moment I heard that M. Night Shyamalan, the mastermind behind The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Split, was teaming up with Nicholas Sparks, the king of emotional romance and the author of The Notebook, my jaw hit the floor. Add in Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton’s Daphne, who crushed it in Fair Play), and I was hooked before I even turned a page.

Though Sparks’s stories usually bloom in North Carolina and Shyamalan’s mysteries lurk in the streets of Philadelphia, this time they meet halfway—Cape Cod—with the film’s production set in Rhode Island and a scheduled release in late October 2026.

I anticipated a brilliant fusion of Sparks’s signature tear-jerking love story and Shyamalan’s eerie, paranormal edge—and that’s exactly what this story delivers. Imagine The Notebook meets The Sixth Sense, with a side of Ghost and a sprinkle of The Lake House. The result? A haunting, heartbreakingly beautiful story that explores loss, connection, and the metaphysical in a deeply moving way.

Both authors have danced with ghosts before—Shyamalan stunned us with The Sixth Sense’s iconic twist, and Sparks flirted with the supernatural in Safe Haven. So yes, this is a paranormal romance, but one that doesn’t rely solely on shock value. We’re let in on Wren’s mystery early on—thankfully avoiding a predictable late twist—but the real surprise lies elsewhere, and it’s delivered cleverly enough to keep you guessing (even if your “spidey senses” kick in early like mine did!).

At its heart, the story follows Tate Donovan, a New York architect reeling from the recent death of his sister, Sylvia, and the devastating revelation about her hidden ability to speak with the dead. His grief spirals him into a breakdown and a stint at an upscale psychiatric facility. Afterward, he takes refuge in Cape Cod, redesigning a friend’s summer home and staying at a charming B&B. But he soon discovers he’s not alone—Wren, a mysterious, ethereal woman with secrets of her own, is also “living” there… or is she?

As Tate becomes drawn to Wren, his need to uncover her truth becomes more desperate. Is she who she says she is? Or is she the key to healing his own soul?

This book slowly builds, but once the love story takes off, it soars. The final act—packed with jump scares, ghostly reveals, and bathroom-set horror sequences (classic Shyamalan!)—grabs you by the throat. With SGA magic in full effect, it practically screams cinematic adaptation.

I especially loved Oscar, Tate’s loyal, wisecracking best friend—he’s grounded, hilarious, and deeply supportive. I kept imagining Kal Penn in the role (though Dev Patel or Himesh Patel would also be phenomenal choices).

So, did I love it? Absolutely.
Is it a never-before-seen original concept? No.
But does it beautifully blend familiar elements into a compelling, emotionally rich supernatural romance? Yes.
It warmed my heart, chilled my spine, and had me tearing up and flipping pages late into the night. While it starts slowly and some twists might feel familiar, the execution, atmosphere, and emotional payoff more than make up for it.

I’m giving it a glowing 3.5 stars rounded up to 4—a spooky-sweet supernatural romance that lingers long after the last page.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of this future hit—soon to be one of the most anticipated films of 2026!