Jess deserved better.

Sam needs to grow a spine.

If love at first sight is real I'm a freaking leprechaun.

It didn't piss me off that Sam broke things off with Victoria to be with Jess. What pissed me off was that he did it because he (supposedly) loved Jess at first sight and then proceeded to allow his ex to terrorise her. I get that he wanted a clean break and hoped that Victoria would be a reasonable person about it all, but that clearly didn't happen.

Victoria's constant manipulation of Sam's friends and family, as well as his future in the sport he loved, should have been enough for Sam to flip, but he never did. Sam acted like some kind of martyr throughout the whole book instead of owning up to his decision and making a stand, Jess had to do it for him, constantly.

Jess was very understanding, patient and considerate when it came to Victoria but I'm super glad she stood up for herself whenever things escalated and oh did they ever! She got her car tires slashed, was followed and had her job put in jeopardy, was bullied and shamed and Jess still kept her composure and acted classy asf! Her past was also the most interesting part of the book, imo. Watching her realise things might have not been as they had seemed when it came to her parents' separation and how she never had a relationship with her father due to it, was emotional.

This is a generous 2.5starts. I don't think Sam deserved Jess.

While initially intrigued by the premise of this book, I did not mesh with the writing style therefore I was unable to finish this book.

Just want completely enamoured by the writing style unfortunately, and felt like there wasn’t much of a plot.

The Spark by Jules Wake

Jess and Sam meet at a garden Party and click immediately. It’s like they have known each other forever.

A fun entertaining read from the first chapter your in ! A good dynamic of characters make for a very good read and a very strong independent female lead character even if her love interest sometimes need to have a bit of gumption.

This is a partial review on the percentage I read. I DNF’d at 14%.

The blurb on this is highly misleading. I didn’t get romcom vibes at all and Sam’s supposed ex isn’t an ex. Instead we are witnessing two people fall for each other knowing someone is likely to get hurt. Not for me!

The writing style is also quite awful. Every sentence is long winded and in the small part I read it was so repetitive. I honestly didn’t care about the colour of Sam’s body hair.

No spark for me!

This book was just sadly not for me! I was hoping for something different but it turned out to be something I was not expecting, which is okay and I'm sure someone else would love it!

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I really liked Jess and Sam. I wanted to like this book but I honestly couldn’t stand this. I don’t like women pitted against women. I only made it to 37% and the entire plot line between Jess and Sam and is about his ex who is set to ruin everything. There is enough misogyny in the world without adding more. The writing is great and the characters interesting. At every turn, Victoria, Sam’s ex is being the villain. I wouldn’t consider someone like Sam or Jess because I wouldn’t trust them and I don’t think they can trust each other. Good writing. I would maybe test another book by this author if I knew the woman vs woman element was not part of the story.

Spark, cute title, cute cover. Wasn’t for me. Maybe just the point in time that I was reading it, I had trouble connecting with the characters. I’m not a fan of the instalove trope, but that’s just me. I’m sure other readers will enjoy it.

I thought this book was very well written, and I thought the story was unique. I did think it was a bit too insta love, but the way Sam had a girlfriend when they met made it a better story.

I loved both Jess and Sam. The way their relationship progressed was done nicely. I thought the whole aspect of Victoria brought so much more to the story than just being a cutesy romance. It was very realistic the ways she would try to sabotage Sam and Jess' relationship. I admired Sam with the way he handled the whole situation.

If you are looking for a romance, with a lot of drama, look no further. I found the story both character and plot driven which is always a plus for me. I'm excited to read more by this author.

This was a fun romcom, I especially enjoyed the way that it realistically showed how love is a complicated road.

This was a really fun and entertaining read with such lovely characters woven throughout. You will smile and laugh continuously from start to finish, so thats a winner in my eyes.

Tried reading this one and it just was not meant for me. This does not mean that it is not a good book, I just was not in the right place to be reading it and have decided to not try picking it up anytime in the near future.

DNF for me sadly. I really struggled to connect with the characters and be interested in the story but gave up after a few attempts.

Amazingly I recognised every element of this book from the first meeting to a happy marriage with sparks all around.
Love at first sight exists!

I'd like to thank the publisher via NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book, it was a quick light-hearted read. The characters of Sam and Jess were lovable. Victoria was not. She was a horrible person right from the get-go, just awful and nasty. The story of Jess and Sam was what kept me reading.

This book explores the concept of love at first sight and navigating through the feelings of being with the wrong person to be with the right one for you.

This is an easy, lighthearted read which I definitely enjoyed. The writing style was easy to follow which made it one of those books you could just devour in one sitting without having to think too much. The characters of Jess and Sam are extremely real and Jess' character development to me was amazing. I felt as though I knew her personally and felt such a connection towards her.

Yes, it was slightly predictable in places but I think all romances are to some extent. This is a perfect book for fans of contemporary romance and I cannot wait to see what Jules Wake comes out with in the future as I for one will definitely be giving it a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and HaperCollins UK for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

I have tried reading it twice by now, but unfortunately I couldn’t last over that I just couldn’t connect with the heroine. It was a bit too much for me unfortunately.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

The Spark has romance, family drama, hot loving & emotion by the bucketload! This story plucked at every single heartstring.

Jules Wake has captured the intensity of true love & complicated family dynamics. The Spark had me laughing, crying & cheering for Jess and Sam. A wonderful read that fully deserves 5⭐️

Wanted to like this book, but just felt it was going nowhere really... I often wondered if the story shouldn't have been more Shelley's than Jess's, so much there was focus on Shelley and everything she is and does. It was a nice story, but it felt very humdrum and the pace was so slow... Might be perfect for a beach read when you're just whiling away the time but it didn't really strike me as that remarkable

When Sam and Jess meet, they both feel a spark. But Sam is already with someone else, someone who has been with for 4 years. Is insta love worth the follow through?

Another long overdue book and I'm pleased I finally got through this one. I remember starting it awhile ago and then shelving it again as I wasn't comfortable with the storyline. I often find the insta love storyline quite unbelievable but in this case, I think it was followed through quite well, with the relationship progressing solidly between the two characters, from just an instant attraction. I did feel sorry for Jess quite often and it was emotionally challenging to read at times, as she was such a nice girl. I enjoyed the author's writing style and would definitely read more by her.