I was excited to read Remain authored by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. The collaboration between two seemingly very different creators intrigued me.

First up, romance novels aren’t a genre that I normally read. That said, I read my first Nicholas Sparks book last year, Counting Miracles, and absolutely loved it.

Remain centres on Tate, a New York architect who is taking up his first work project having been in a psychiatric facility following the death of his beloved sister Sylvia. Tate relocates to Cape Cod for this project and stays in a Bed & Breakfast where he crosses paths and falls in love with a local woman called Wren.

I absolutely loved the supernatural romance thriller that is Remain and I fell in love with Tate! The romance between Tate and Wren is beautiful. I don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to ruin the enjoyment the book will bring to readers.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Little Brown Book Group, for the e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

38 year old Tate just arrived in Cape Cod to start working his architectural planning magic on his best friend Oscar's family summer house.

Tate just got out of a mental hospital where he checked himself into after his beloved sister died. Because she left him not only very sad and depressed, but she also left him with...things. Not real thing things, more like not see-able or rather not-understandable things. Hence the psych clinic.

Tate is staying in an old mansion in town for the summer.
Also staying in the big former B & B is Wren. Kind of. Or not. Tate is not really sure at first.
But of course we kind of are - due to Nicholas Sparks' co-author.

Now Tate has to find out what's what and how and why and what and how and huh?

════════

I was really scared to start this book. Nicholas Sparks never scared me - he just made me ugly cry every time I opened one of his books. But M. Night Shalamalallalla (no offense - I love you, but I can't for the life of me spell your name!) being involved scared me - a lot. [David Rose voice!]
But I read the book anyway.
And it was the typical Nicholas Sparks small town cutesy love story adorableness. But it was also so much ... weirder. Supernatural. I constantly imagined Fox Mulder's poster on my wall - I don't, by the way. Believe. No aliens here, but I also don't believe in anything supernatural or higher power or whatever.
But I still liked reading this book. I wanted to see how things would end. If there could be a somewhat happy end for some people.
It was sweet and sad and heartbreaking and mysterious and suspensy and exciting and funny and maybe a tiny little bit too foreseeable - but pfft - still an interesting story. I just would've wanted a bit more. More pages, more of so many things. More of the town, of Oscar and especially the kids, more with the brother-in-law, more epilogue, more of all the things. It felt a bit like someone was telling a friend the story of a book he once read. A bit too short and not enough of all the good stuff. But I liked reading it. And I will definitely watch the movie next year!

Remain is a supernatural romantic thriller about Tate Donovan, a New York architect recovering from acute depression who moves to Cape Cod to start over. Tate has never completely bought into Sylvia's claims of an innate ability in the family to see spirits, and yet, meeting the enigmatic Wren makes him question everything and instigate an intense connection with her. As darker forces like jealousy and greed surface, Tate navigates hidden truths that question the limits of love and life itself.

Thus, he underwent a changed journey, from his previous conditions of emotional detachment and disbelief to accepting more supernatural elements with greater emotional truths. He is also relatable because of his mental health and loss issues. Wren is the inciting force in that pushes Tate into rethinking love, faith, and even existence with respect to the change she brings to him. The supporting cast takes out the general theme of trust and betrayal, which creates unnecessary tension beneath the tranquil town's surface.

The novel deals with loss, mental illness, the paranormal, love without body, and the contemporary awareness of mind over body, and post-loss meaning reconstruction. It also deals with envy and greed, which are standard reflections of the societal problem concerning trust and ethics.

The writing combines Sparks' emotional, character-driven style with the suspense and twisty storytelling of Shyamalan. The net result is familiarity, warmth, and mystery in tone that will intrigue while developing characters. The narrative balances internal conflict against external threat to buffet the psychological side of the supernatural study.

Such collaborations carry messages on the lasting elements of love as well as the examinations of truth, hope, suspense, and reflection. The Cape Cod mood setting adds to the subtle haunting atmosphere, not to forget its match with the themes within the story. Some readers might find the blend of supernatural and romance-thriller elements uneven at times, which could impact immersion for those who prefer one genre over the other.

Remain is a supernatural romance-thriller but stands apart because of the unique partnership of Sparks and Shyamalan in combining emotional depth, suspense, and, above all, unexpected twists. The novel combines all this into a form that tests how love shapes our perception of what is real by mixing heartfelt emotion with darker tones from all previous pieces.

On a larger note, Remain is not only about mental health and grief but also incorporates supernatural mystery and romance. The readers are asked to consider love's battle with loss and the limits of existence within a quiet, intense story of solace and horror.


3.5/5

What a fantastic read. I read this book in two sittings it couldn't put it down a supernatural novel that will keep you gripped from the very first page. When architect Tate goes to Cape cod to design his friends summer house he stays in an historic bed and breakfast where he encounters a beautiful young woman called Wren who he immediately connects with but as he is still vulnerable after losing his sister Sylvia who revealed to him that she could see spirits and also being treated for depression he finds himself trying to find out the truth about her past that could eventually free her from her desperate fate. A real masterpiece of story telling that you would expect from this author and when he co writes with a director of thrilling films it takes writing to another level. Highly recommend 5 🌟read.