Remain: A Supernatural Love Story

Remain: A Supernatural Love Story arrives as a curious hybrid: one part Nicholas Sparks romance, one part M. Night Shyamalan‑tinged ghost story. The novel centers on Tate Donovan, an architect recovering from depression and mourning his sister, who arrives in Cape Cod only to encounter Wren, a mysterious woman who may not belong entirely to the world of the living. As their bond deepens, so too do the paranormal forces tugging at their relationship. The novel’s greatest asset is its tonal ambition. Sparks’ gift for emotional longing and interpersonal tension meshes with Shyamalan’s inclination toward spectral mystery. The Cape Cod setting is rendered with atmospheric care — lonely sidings, sea‑salt air, creaking floors — all the trappings of a haunted locale. The romance tugs, the supernatural unnerves. Yet the book is uneven. The opening act lags under expository pressure: characters explain rather than inhabit their backstories, and dialogue sometimes lapses into cliché. The romance leans too quickly into instant attraction, sidelining the slow burn many readers expect from Sparks. On the supernatural front, while small touches of unease land, the major twists are often anticipated and deliver more emotional resonance than shock. Still, there is real pathos in Tate’s grief, his faltering belief, and the sense that love may transcend mortality. The novel handles mental health and loss with sincerity, avoiding mawkishness in many of its more delicate scenes. In that sense, Remain is not all about twists — it’s about characters reaching for one another across divides. For fans of Sparks willing to step over into supernatural territory, or Shyamalan devotees open to romance, Remain offers a haunting, bittersweet reading experience. In the end, Remain doesn’t always land as sharply as it attempts. The balance between its two authors’ sensibilities is imperfect. But in its ambition and emotional core, it stakes a bold claim: that even beyond what we know, love might cling to what we yearn for. Readers willing to give the hybrid a chance will find moments that linger — and a story that, for all its flaws, reflects an audacious hope.