Remain

Overall, I found this to be a good book. It was a mix of a ghost story, a mystery, and love story. I wouldn't say the story rocked me, but it was solid and I enjoyed it and it's a super fast read. I can't say I loved the main character. Something about him just sat weird. He seemed like your normal average guy, but he grew up super rich. But really, he felt normal and not looking down on everyone. But then couldn't do laundry or cook. But then all of a sudden whips up a coq au vin with a recipe. That's impressive! lol! I did also find it predictable and figured out the ending early on. Despite it being a little ridiculous, overall, I did enjoy it!

[contains spoilers] It starts with the main character and he was just in a mental show more institution because his sister died and he needed help with the grief. He quit his job and his now going to design his rich friend's house on the water. He ends up staying in a house and there are two caretakers on the property living in the cottage. He wakes up the next day and there's another person in the house. He thought he was the only one renting it because they don't really use it as a bed and breakfast anymore. I knew instantly it was a ghost...maybe because the cover says it's a "supernatural love story" lol. Of course they start to fall in love. And once I found out she died in the bathroom, I was like, oh that girl was murdered. And then they moved on to talk about all these guys in her life that could have motive to kill her. She was in the middle of a divorce, her partner at the store they opened was stealing money, and then there was some guy she had a restraining order on or tried to get one, but unclear if he was stalking her (they both had different stories). And they just laid it out so cleanly with these three guys that I knew it wasn't any of them. I did love the parts of the book with the ghost and their story. And there was the night time ghost he saw in the bathroom. (which I then predicted she was murdered in her bathroom.) And that ghost (same girl) he didn't interact with. And then daytime ghost was the one she hung out with. She taught him to do laundry and made one recipe together which she vanished. Played games that didn't require her to move pieces. The guy and his friend now decide to become detectives and figure out who murdered her. So they go and confront all three guys. Literally a great way to get yourself killed. They got heated in most of them. I was like, good god. Get over yourself. The guy is now attacked in the home, but didn't see his attacker. He goes to some festival to see if the three guys he suspects are there. He finds 2 of them and then leaves to go back to the house. And we find out that it's the caretakers (saw that coming!). And they attack him and then start a fire in the house. But his friend shows up, but he can't get in. The ghost lady starts yelling at the guy to wake up so he gets out of the house. And he does. And then the caretakers hit Oscar with their car. That part, I was like whoa! They both live. The house burns. He goes back to visit the house and does see her again, but knows he won't again since he helped to "solve" her problems. There was a whole part about the guy's sister who died, she had her husband send him videos that she left for him. It was like, you deserve love, basically. Weird. I thought it would be more about her gift of seeing ghosts which she admitted to him on her death bed. But instead it was like you should find love and let me tell you about my love story. Weird.

The more I talk about this book, it really doesn't sound like I liked it! lol - but I did want to figure out what happened. show less

This was some cheesy nonsense, yikes. The movie is already made, and it’s probably going to be just as terrible when it comes out next year. There is no soul in this story. The conversations don’t even attempt to sound like real humans. Was this written for idiots on purpose? The “twist” is so obvious that the moment the three possible suspects were introduced, I was rolling my eyes. I kept reading, hoping it wouldn’t be the pathetic, predictable thing I feared. Reader, it was exactly that. When Tate starts declaring his love, I lost it. Love?? How?? My guy, you talked to her like four times. This isn’t romance; this is a diagnostic criterion. He should never have been discharged from the psych facility, this is the real show more horror. It’s meant to be The Notebook meets The Sixth Sense, but it reads like a parody of both.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for access to this book. show less

Tate Donovan has gone to Cape Cod to design his friend's summer house. Tate has spent some time in a psychiatric hospital for depression resulting from his sisters death. On her deathbed his sister told him that she can see spirits. Tate doesn't know if he believes in all that until he meets Wren.

I was drawn to this book purely because of M Night Shyamalan. I really enjoy his films especially The Sixth Sense, well who doesn't. I have read a book by Nicholas Sparks before but didn't enjoy it enough to read anymore until this one. The book however is all Sparks and Shyamalan has directed the film which is out next year.

I quite enjoyed the book more than what I thought I was going to. The story had my interest and I do enjoy anything that show more has a supernatural theme.

The book is a love story but also a mystery. I think I could have guessed what had happened quite easily but I just wanted to read the book and find out. The plot is nothing new but that didn't matter too much.

This book was such an easy read I was flying through the pages. I may read another book by the author in the future if it has a supernatural theme but I'm not fussed for the romance. I will however look forward to the film. show less

Caught my interest by the unusual author pairing. Plot-driven story of the an architect in recovery that falls for a ghost who appears to only him. He helps her to solve her murder. Held my interest, but felt like I'd heard this story before. No new ground broken.

I was excited when I saw that Nicholas Sparks had a new book coming out, since I’ve been reading his stories for 20+ years and have thoroughly enjoyed most of them. I was definitely intrigued when I saw he was collaborating with M. Night Shyamalan because even though I don’t gravitate towards spooky things normally, I have enjoyed some of his movies in the past. Unfortunately, this story fell very flat for me. I had a very hard time getting into the story and found myself very distracted the whole time, picking up other things instead of continuing to read. I did not care about the characters and did not believe their “love story.” There were a few creepy moments in the book, but overall it just felt like every other murder show more mystery, except that the main character, Tate, finds himself falling in love with the woman whose murder he is trying to solve, Wren. I think a lot of people will like this one, but for someone who has read all his other books through the years, this one doesn’t rank in my top ones of his, but that's okay, I will be patiently waiting for his next release. show less

Tate Donovan, an architect from New York, visits Cape Cod to start plans on building a summer home for his best friend. While there, Tate stays in an old home inhabitated by Wren, the ghost of the woman who used to live there. Tate, having recently lost his sister, is still in grief recovery mode. His sister left him with messages asking him to open his heart to love. Tate is able to see and communicate with Wren, and falls in love with her. He also gets to the bottom of her gruesome death.

I kept waiting for the twist, but sadly, the plot was completely predictable and the characters were boring.