Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan: Book Review

 **ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

A one-of-a-kind novel that grapples with the supernatural mysteries of life, death, and human connection—an unprecedented collaboration between the globally bestselling author of love stories like The Notebook and the renowned writer and director of blockbuster thrillers like The Sixth Sense

When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start. Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence at a historic bed-and-breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Wren who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world.

Tate and Wren find themselves forging an immediate connection, one that neither has ever experienced before. But Tate gradually discovers that below the surface of Wren’s idyllic small-town life, hatred, jealousy, and greed are festering, threatening their fragile relationship just as it begins to blossom. Tate realizes that in order to free Wren from an increasingly desperate fate, he will need to unearth the truth about her past before time runs out . . . a quest that will make him doubt whether we can ever believe the stories we tell about ourselves, and the laws that govern our existence. Love—while transformative—can sometimes be frightening.

A story about the power of transcendent emotion, Remain asks us all: Can love set us free not only from our greatest sorrows, but even from the boundaries of life and death?

The Author

Nicholas Sparks is the author of twenty-five books, including Counting Miracles and Dreamland, all of which have been New York Times bestsellers. His books have been published across more than fifty languages with over 150 million copies sold worldwide, and eleven have been adapted into films. He is also the founder of the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a nonprofit committed to improving cultural and international understanding through global education experiences. He lives in North Carolina.

M. Night Shyamalan is an internationally acclaimed director, screenwriter, and actor who has written and produced films such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Trap. His movies have grossed over $3.3 billion globally, and he’s best known for creating psychological thrillers with supernatural themes. He is the founder of the film and television production company Blinding Edge Pictures. Shyamalan lives in Pennsylvania.

Book Review

Simply put, this book completely took me by surprise, in multiple ways. The first surprise came simply by who wrote it: Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan together? Yeah, that's a collaboration I did not see coming in the slightest. I've enjoyed Sparks' books in the past, but Shyamalan's? Well, his movies usually aren't quite my cup of tea, so I initially just looked past this one. But then, curiosity got the best of me. The story actually sounded interesting, and I thought... why not give it a shot? I fully anticipated that this one might not be up my alley. That was my second surprise- how much I actually really LOVED this one! Yes, it's quite different from my usual reads (I'm a romance reader to the core, give me all the happily ever afters and don't often venture into the supernatural stories), and yet, I couldn't get enough of this one. You definitely get the heartbreaking love stories that Nicholas Sparks is best known for, though I do feel like this one definitely had less romance than I recall from his previous books, though it's admittedly been a while since I've read them... and honestly while again, I'm usually all about the romance, it makes sense for this story to be lighter in that regard. It was there, but didn't seem to be the sole focus, and I really didn't miss it! But it also has that supernatural twist too. I did worry that it would lean a little more into horror/thriller than I prefer, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Yes, there were a few scenes that I could see being frightening if they were on screen or to more sensitive/visual readers, but again, I personally didn't find it at all scary. This was a mash up I didn't see coming... and one that I absolutely adored! 

Again, the romance was lighter than this one, but I would say heat level, it seemed very similar to what I recall from the Sparks' books I've read in the past. There is a moment that I would say is close to fade to black (clothes come off, desire is mentioned in vague terms), but ultimately nothing actually happens beyond kisses. There is also some minor language as well. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4mmGkDW