I can always trust Jodi Picoult to provide me with a reading experience that is going to push the boundaries of what I think I know about a certain topic. In this case, I found myself grappling with the complexities of the death penalty and what I thought I knew. Change of Heart follows four characters: June, whose daughter and husband were brutally murdered by Shay. Michael is on the jury that sentences Shay to the death penalty but comes back to the story 10 years later as the religious figure guiding Shay through his last few days. Lucius is another person on death row, experiencing the magical things Shay does in his final days. Maggie, raised Jewish, takes on Shay’s case, trying to work through the legal system in the final months leading up to his sentencing. Making everything infinitely more complicated is the fact that June’s youngest daughter needs a heart transplant and Shay is convinced his is the only heart that can truly save Claire.

Things I Liked:
-As with all of Picoult’s books, the various perspectives allow for the topic to be covered from virtually every angle. There are layers upon layers of complications to uncover and work through. I always appreciate that all angles are covered in Picoult’s books, not just the side I deem to be the “correct” one. That’s the cool thing about books: we can see things from another’s perspective without having the very real feelings that are associated with talking with people in real life.
-I liked seeing Michael’s character arc from the young juror to the religious figure who is helping guide Shay in his last bit of time before he was sentenced. There is so much that contributed to Michael’s choice to join formal religion and I am so glad this transition was explored throughout the book.
-While I didn’t like all of the aspects of this book, I did really appreciate the conversation (and consequently, thought process) about the legality of a death row patient donating their organs to help other people. Should that be allowed? Does it matter who their organs go to? What fascinating questions to explore beyond the obvious debate about the death penalty.

Things I Didn’t Like:
-I’m not the first one to say this, but there are some MAJOR The Green Mile vibes coming from this book. Did Picoult steal King’s ideas? I don’t know but it didn’t feel original. I felt icky reading this book and knowing I had read something quite similar when it came to Lucius’ story.
-I saw the “twist” coming from a mile away, especially taking into consideration what I knew about The Green Mile.
-I HATED the epilogue. The epilogue ruined any good feelings I had towards this book. Absolute garbage and not needed in a book like this.
-I probably would have only rated this book one star, but my respect for Jodi Picoult and her work toward fighting book bans prevented me from giving this book only one star.