I enjoy this author’s books and this one was no exception.

When Jess meets Sam there is an instant attraction, but Sam has a girlfriend and Jess has no intention of being the other woman. Four weeks later when Sam gets in touch with Jess, he no longer has a girlfriend and the spark between them can now ignite. The story follows Jess and Sam as they try to build a relationship while dealing with his vengeful ex.

A good story with a great cast of characters which was a quick and easy read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e/copy of The Spark by Jules Wake!!!

What happens when you meet the one but he is already in a relationship? What happens if after he breaks up with his girlfriend in order to date you and his ex does not accept the break up?

I really liked this book!! I usually don’t read books like this and I’m glad I gave it a chance. I liked the main character Jess a lot. This book is well written and flows very well with many interesting characters. One thing I wished for was maybe a point of view from the ex girlfriend to make her a bit more of a sympathetic character, but overall I enjoyed this book!

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down until I had finished it and that doesn't happen very often to me. The characters felt very real and you get very involved with them. I loved the way Jess gradually gains an insight into her Mum's relationship through her own problems. A romance you will be rooting for from start to finish.

What happens when you meet your soul mate and you feel that instant spark? This novel sets out to explore how two people meet and feel that connection where they are meant to be, but when life gets in the way, can this spark be enough? The Spark was an easy enough read where I was able to read it within a day. As it is set in England, there are random phrasings that took me a few seconds longer than normal to understand as they aren’t quite the same meanings/uses in the U.S. Two people who are each other’s Lego pieces and just click seamlessly together face many obstacles to be together.

We begin the story where Jess Harper, a woman in her late twenties who works for a women’s refuge, is attending a party at her aunt and uncle’s house. While out in the garden, she meets the only other attendee her age, Sam Weaverham, a man in his late twenties who is a primary school teacher for kids with special needs and a semi-pro cricket player. The two have an instant spark and their conversation flows seamlessly and they feel super comfortable being around each other. The only issue is that Sam is currently in a long-term relationship (four years) with an influencer named Victoria. To remain faithful to his girlfriend, they agree that they have a connection, but Sam and Jess can’t be together, even as friends. Jess is torn by being in contact with Sam as her family has been broken by having another woman involved. Unfortunately, they run into each other, text, and become Facebook friends and Jess can’t help how she’s feeling for Sam. This dynamic conflicted me as on one hand, I can understand how you would want to stay somewhat connected to your soul mate, but on the other, as Jess has been so damaged by her past “other woman” issues, I could not understand why she refused contact with Sam for a clean break before anything could potentially happen. (It wouldn’t be a story though if she followed the latter.)

As Sam was unable to get over the spark he felt with Jess, he ends his relationship with Victoria and pursues Jess after a little over a month after first meeting. The two of them start to date, but are faced with many obstacles caused mainly by the scorned ex, Victoria. On their first date, Vic shows up outside when the new couple is exiting the restaurant and causes a huge scene. Sam comforts Vic and Jess leaves upset. This initial interaction between the three did not sit as well with me because Sam is the issue. By comforting Victoria, he sets up the expectations that it is okay for her to act out and he is in the wrong and therefore has to comfort her. It eliminates the boundaries and to me is actually what sets off Vic’s determination to break up Jess and Sam in order to win him back. If Sam placed the boundary between him and Victoria initially by reminding her that it’s over and showed her more tough love by walking away with Jess, then it would’ve at least illustrated that Jess was the woman in Sam’s life now.

As this scenario did not happen, Victoria remains in Sam’s life although Sam is frustrated by this. Jess keeps having inner turmoil as she feels bad for Vic and claims that Jess is the other woman that broke them apart and Jess needs to treat Vic kindly and accept everything (even the bad) that Vic does. It sort-of makes sense in a way how people outside the couple can initially believe that Jess is the other woman as Sam did leave Vic to be with Jess, but as some time did pass between one relationship ending and the other beginning along with Jess wasn’t involved with Sam before he broke up with Vic, however, I couldn’t fully get behind this idea. Sam’s family is a main culprit of this as they favor Victoria and just consider Jess a phase before Sam will return to Vic. It’s hard to fully tell as not every detail is shown if Sam had conversations about the end of his relationship with his family or not. If he did, then he really needed to reiterate the story that he is not with Vic and has no desire to go back. If he did not, then he needed to communicate more with his family. Either way, I could not understand Sam’s family as they dismissed Jess without giving her a chance because they favored Vic. Although it was realistic, it was extremely hard to relate to as my family would never remain in contact with an ex (no matter how long the relationship) unless we specifically had a conversation okaying it.

Jess and her mother have a strained relationship after Jess’ dad left to be with another woman. The mother experienced a break-down from the break-up and their relationship is strained from the incident. As Jess feels like the other woman in her relationship with Sam, she finds parallels from her own relationship to her parent’s. Throughout the novel, Jess reflects on her past and present as she starts to explore maybe there is more to the story of her parents then initially met the eye. Throughout this journey, as a reader, you do begin to feel some sympathy for Joan, Jess’ mother, but I think she needed either more therapy or outside help to have it continuously affect her over ten years later. I felt for both Joan and Victoria as it’s heart-breaking when the one you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with leaves and finds happiness with someone else. However, although it’s extremely painful, you’d think that either woman would even think for a second of the positive side. It’s better to break things off, then to be with someone who isn’t fully committed and is possibly thinking of someone else.

Overall, this is a story about dealing with the fallout of past relationships and the start of new ones. No love story is perfect and is worth any obstacle if you are meant to be. Jess and Sam were definitely meant to be as they are both similar personalities and dealt with situations in the same way. They both were super nice and gave people the benefit of the doubt, even when others would not. The novel was very realistic and it was nice to read a story, even if I don’t fully agree with the decisions the characters made along the way. It was well-written and flowed nicely between each chapter. I loved how family and friendships were included as they are affected by our romantic choices and the decisions we make in romance can affect those around us. After reading this story, I’m definitely intrigued to read more as I enjoyed this take on a classic romantic story.

This was a very lovely and easy quick read.

The story follows Sam and Jess as they have to overcome problems with ex-girlfriends, friends, family and their jobs. I really enjoyed this book as the relationship was very cute and I loved that both of their jobs really meant something in the world and how they would be helping people.

The only thing I struggled with really was Jess’ Mum and I felt that some of it was predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

Thank you to Netgalley, publishers and the author for allowing me this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A really lovely easy read . Very enjoyable and have ordered her Parkrun book which I hope I will enjoy as much. Loved the characters....the ex made life interesting!! Ideal holiday read.

I absolutely loved this!!

As taboo as the subject of falling in love with someone else while you’re in a long term relationship is - Jules managed to write a heartwarming and loving novel which explores not only true love but also knowing your own worth and doing what you have to to preserve your heart.

Such a lovely story and one I’ll be recommending to a lot of people. Definitely a book for fans of Sophie Kinsella and also for fans of Flat Share and The Switch

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

Although I'm in the UK, the majority of books I read are set in America so when I do read one set in the UK, I find myself not really liking it and finding it hard to get into. That was the case with this book.

Jess is too 'nice' and Sam is a bit wimpy. I laughed when Jess first sees Sam and the description of him as he did not sound attractive at all!

Sam's ex causes a lot of problems for the pair but I just couldn't connect with this book or Jess and Sam. I found myself growing bored and struggling to finish this.

The Spark is your Boy Meets Girl, instant attraction love story. It deals with the start of their relationship and since there's past relationships jeopardised we also have all the drama from that.

A fun, poignant story with plenty mish, love and drama in it.

This was my first book by this author and won't be my last it was a fun and entertaining light hearted read that also covered more serious ssues at the same time and explored the way that relationships and love can be complicated but these complications can be overcome and true love can be found. A fab romcom read the perfect pick me up in the current times.

I wish that some of the story was told from a different point of view. Sam, for example, came off as weak and fickle at times, and I don’t believe that was the author’s intention. And Victoria, the villain, could have been a more sympathetic character had we been given an insight into her thoughts, not just quickly told about her history second hand.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Spark for me was just an okay read. I didn't feel the type of connection with the characters as I had hoped. The book is full of drama and some romance. The story at one point may have you feeling sad for Sam's ex who plays the victim. Your thoughts on her will soon be swayed as she delves her claws into the character's lives. I would recommend The Spark if you want to read a quick drama romance.

I finished this adorable romance in a single day, it was exactly the perfect light read romance.

Jess and Sam meet at a garden party and have an instant "spark" . Things flow between them as if they have known one another for years and that instant connection is noticed by both. However, Sam has a long term girlfriend (something he is upfront about) and Jess has a family broken by "the other woman". They part as friends but can't stop bumping into each other and each time the spark is ignited again. Sam leaves his relationship, and waits as long as he can before going after Jess. From here things heat up, drama ensues, families are tangled, and you read with baited breath wondering if it is all going to work out.

The first chapter grabs you there is no waiting for the plot to thicken. Jules Wake captured the chemistry between these two destined characters right off the hop and it only got better from there. You can feel their connection and it builds effortlessly.

One thing I didn't love was the ex girlfriend and the whole pitting women against women, however, she was the main antagonist of this book and in this case I see why it had to be this way, and they needed to draw the parallels of Sam's ex with Jess' mom.

The family characters and dynamics were well done, although at times I did want to shake Sam and have him stick up for his girl.

Overall this is a great escapist read that has lots of chemistry and a strong, independent, female lead.

This book drew me in from the very first page and I couldn't put it down.

I loved the depiction of the initial attraction - the spark - and then how that transcended the physical connection between these two characters and became love. This is a deep dive into the complexities of all relationships, not just romantic, and I loved how well the author explored family dynamics and friendship as much as the romance.

At the core is Jess' journey and this was so well written. I loved how she discovered her inner strength and how to 'wield it' with compassion, and how she remained true to herself and her values, yet let herself be vulnerable.

Thoughtful, truthful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. A must read.

This is an easy and nice read for a lazy Sunday afternoon or on holiday. Sam and Jess meet, fall in love at first sight but Sam has a steady girlfriend, Victoria. Then Sam breaks up with Victoria and tells Jess he liked her, a lot. And Jess like him too.This could be the ending of the story but it isn’t, it’s just the beginning. Because Victoria is determined to make their life a hell.

The writing is good and very English. Words like bloody, blimey and darn are flying around. I like English romcoms and I’ve read a lot of them. Sam and Jess are likable and have passion for their work (Sam is a primary school teacher dedicated to special needs and Jess works for a woman’s refuge). It’s refreshing to read a romcom about two people that are so socially engaged. All the ingredients were there to love this story but somehow I didn’t connect fully to Sam and Jess. Maybe it’s because of the book I read before this one that was so incredible that it still haunts my mind or maybe the story was a bit too predictable for me. Either way if you like a nice romcom, don’t mind a little predictability and are up for an easy and nice story then you should read this one.

This is a story about what happens when you meet your person ... and they’re dating someone else. They break up with that person, wait a month, ask you out, and things are perfect. Except for the ex-girlfriend, all their friends, their parents, their hobby, your mom, your job, your dad issues...

I really liked this book a lot. It hinges on you believing that Jess and Sam are a great match, and it worked for me. Jess is a lovely character, working through her own issues but sure of herself at the same time. Sam isn’t as well known, but he doesn’t have to be, and the details given convince you that he’s worth it.

My biggest issue with the book is its abrupt ending. I get that the point is that it’s going to be a HEA, but I wanted to see more of how that HEA works.

If you’re a fan of Mhairi McFarlane, you’ll enjoy this.

I so throughly enjoyed ‘The Spark’! Jess and Sam’s chemistry was top tier! I got teary eyed when Victoria almost completely messed with Jess’s job because of how deeply Jess loved and helped those women seeking protection. Jess’s relationship with her mom and her estranged dad was so well done, I loved that it almost mirrored her situation with Sam but on the opposite end. Lego Sam and Jess, Lego.

Thank you for the advanced copy of the book.
This is my first book by this author. I was gripped by the book and spent a few hours reading it. Well written, I did struggle with a few of the characters but found the main characters interesting and seemed to come out of the book at me. Emotive in parts.
I enjoyed spending a couple of hours lost in the book especially given the current climate.

I expected The Spark to be a quick, easy rom-com, but it was so much more than that! I love the complex, real relationship shop between Jess & Sam. The characters are well developed (my favorite being the aunt), and I was left wanting more of them! I’ll be recommending this book to everyone!