Spontaneous imbibition in shale is commonly observed during and after hydraulic fracturing. This mechanism greatly influences hydrocarbon recovery in shale plays, therefore attracting increasing attention from researchers. The number of related publications is increasing. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in shale spontaneous imbibition from three aspects, namely, conventional spontaneous imbibition models, common experimental methods, and key mechanisms that need to be focused on. The major influencing factors on the shale imbibition process are discussed, and promising future works are presented on the basis of the merits and demerits of the recent studies. This study discusses the mechanisms of shale-liquid interaction, the complexity of multiphase flow in shale plays, and highlights the achievements and challenges in shale imbibition research.