Book Buzz: Remain By Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan

Newport Beach Resident and Author, Jill Gunderson

Happy October, Neighbors!

Bring on the spooky season, and all things cozy because this month, I couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to a novel that will leave you not only wanting more, but one that may make you want to read all over again! (Yes, you read that right!)

You know and love Nicholas Sparks for his atmospheric settings, swoon-worthy characters and high-stakes romances. Well, this is an author collab you didn’t know you needed in your life because he teamed up with the infamous American filmmaker who is known for his supernatural stories and twisty endings, M. Night Shyamalan. Yes, friends, "Remain" is a supernatural love story written by two incredibly brilliant minds and I could not get enough of it!

Let’s get into it! Meet Tate Donovan, an architect who moves to Cape Cod to design his best friend’s house. He jumped at the chance, needing something to do after being recently discharged from a facility that helped treat his acute depression. Tate was close to his sister, and after she passed away, he was left spiraling not only from her loss, but from the revelation of what she confessed to him on her deathbed—she can see spirits (who are tethered to this world for a variety of reasons), and it runs in their family. Yikes.

Tate packs up and moves, living alone in this big old house. So you can imagine his surprise when he meets Wren, who apparently, is his housemate. She’s sometimes there, sometimes not, and through many situations that leave him confused and fascinated all at once, Tate realizes that Wren is not of this world. (His sister was right; the family gene runs deep!)

Tate’s nerves get the better of him when, after a night of hearing howling and seeing Wren in a state of distress, he confronts her about it, but she has no recollection of what happened. Wren is not the same person in the day as she is at night and after too many terrifying nights, Tate sees that she’s holding on to fear, hatred, resentment and jealousy. After some digging, he knows that if she’s not freed from what she’s holding on to, she will meet an inevitable and desperate fate that is unfathomable to him. Tate and Wren’s connection is so strong that now, he makes it his mission to figure out what happened to her in her past and resolve her unfinished business before it’s too late.

You guys, this book had me up until all hours of the night because I have read many a love story and this was completely unlike anything I have read before. I devoured this story and was deeply invested in Tate and Wren! If you are not yet ready to leave your prolonged summer reading of love stories, then this is a perfect way to dip your toes into the waters of the spooky season. So, grab a blanket and get cozy because you won’t want to move after picking up this book!

Happy reading, Neighbors!
Jill Gunderson

@ThatShelfLove