I loved this book, I have read all Ms. Picoults books and I believe this is her best one yet. This book tackles the always controversial topic of abortion and the way it can change lives and divide families. As in all her books Ms Picoult shows both sides of a difficult subject with grace and heart. Do yourself a favor and read this book, you will not be disappointed.

Jodi Picoult has done it again. She's written a wonderful book about a really tough subject that has been in our headlines for years. Hopefully, instead of negativity and censorship, people will use this book to start conversations and hopefully create understanding.

The characters in this book are people that we can all identify with on some level. They are so well written that the reader feels like they're friends. Wren, 15 years old, goes to the women's health care clinic with her aunt. While she is there, a man with a gun comes in and starts shooting and then holds the rest of the patients and the doctor hostage while he decides what to do next. The next few hours are terrible and Wren shares them with several memorable people - Olive an older lady, a nurse who is pregnant with problems of her own, a woman who has just had an abortion and the doctor who performed the abortion along with an under-cover anti-abortion person who was trying to get inside information on the clinic. All of these people have a story that brought them to this place at this time.

This is a fantastic book and needs to go on everyone's TBR list because I can promise you, it will be a major topic of discussion once it is published.

Thanks to goodreads for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Finished this novel yesterday. My eyes were red rimmed, my emotions were up and down ans my mind was opened. This story while dealing with a polarizing subject makes you think, love and care. @jodipicoult is so talented in that she takes circumstances that pull peoole apart and makes people talk about them. This novel deals with abortion and abortion clinics itself which may also provide other care. Picoult breaks from her traditional style of court room/medical and multiple voices in a linear fashion to bring a story from the voice of a Dr who has a moral compass that is tested daily, a young nurse who has now seen circumstances from both sides" a young woman experiencing first love, a negotiator who has to fight to keep all safe and emotions in check and a shooter who isnt necessarily crazy or a bad person but is looking for someone or something to blame. One of the things i loved best was the different format of the novel. Told first in real time than backward throughout life changing hours.
I am scared to do this book at a full bookclub because of the passion surrounding the issue but cant wait to hear other perspectives. I also loves Picoult's author note and the chatacters she has created. @jodipicoult thank you for voicing things others are scared to broach. Thank you for giving me novels that allow me to escape and think at the same time. Ive read and reread every Picoult book and theyve all stayed with me long after the last page has turned. Spark of light is no exception and in my opinion the authors best.


Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse @jodipicoult @bookexpo @netgalley for the early read. Releases 10/2.

It seems like everyone else really loved this book, and I can see why. The storyline is very well executed and the pacing is on point. This book is hard to put down and even after you finally do, it stays with you in your head.

I was really invested in the characters, as well. Picoult did a great job capturing the nuances of choice and what would lead a woman to an abortion. She did a nice job, too, of portraying the mindset of people on both sides of a complex, emotional debate.

Here’s the thing, though: I’m a liberal. Like a big one. I’m so far left that.... I don’t even know where to go with that, but you get my point. I’m telling you this only so that you see this isn’t bias speaking. I didn’t like how heavy handed Picoult was with the pro-choice rhetoric in this one, not because I, personally don’t agree 100%, but because sometimes the character’s internal dialogue sounded like it was a script of slogans from some sort of campaign poster. It took me out of the moment and didn’t feel authentic.

Still, there were things I capital-L-loved: how the stories all came together in the end, the plot twist, the theme of letting go.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for my arc of this book, given in exchange for an honest review. A more detailed review will be coming to my book blog.

This was another well written, thought provoking read from Jodi Picoult.

She certainly has a way of bringing tough issues to the forefront. I loved the style that it is written in. It is a timeline of events that goes backward.

It is an awesome book and my thanks goes to Netgalley and Ballentine books for this advanced readers copy.

As always, Jodi Picoult knows how to hit you right in all the feels. While she has been on of my favorite authors since my teenage years, I feel each new book she comes out with is even more important. I love that she tackles the difficult topics instead of shying away from the controversial issues that face our world today.

The cover is gorgeous, but the content is beyond amazing. I got a little thrown off by the backwards timeline at first, but in the end I thought it added so much to the story. You meet the people involved, and slowly learn more about how they ended up in the position they are in. Jodi please keep up the amazing work, and continue to write the topics most wont touch!

Finished this book with tears in my eyes and cannot wait for it to come out so I can gift it to my Grandma who is a huge supporter of planned parenthood. Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, and Ballantine Books for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What begins as a normal day at the Center, a women’s reproductive health services clinic, becomes a nightmare when a gunman bursts in and takes everyone, medical staff and patient hostage. A police negotiator, Hugh McElroy arrives and works on a strategy to get everyone out safely, a task that becomes even more important when he realizes his teenage daughter is inside. What follows are the stories of the hostages, doctors dedicated to helping women and making sure they have access to all the care they are guaranteed by law, patients making desperate choices and the gunman himself, a disturbed man with an agenda. This book couldn’t have come at a better time, and while it makes my blood run cold, it’s a reality that women are fighting every day to retain the freedom to control their own bodies and their own choices