just finished this book and I am still processing how I feel about this one. This is my first book by author Jodi Picoult and I loved her writing. The description of Isabella island in the Galapagos is so vivid. I could picture and see it so clearly in my mind. After reading the author’s note I got to know how much research she did for writing this book and it is so amazing. The first half of the book was very slow and I got to understand in the second half why it was so slow-paced.

Diana is an interesting character but I couldn't connect with her. There are some decisions she makes that I could not understand. One should always take some risks in his or her life but to rely so much on an uncertain future was beyond me.

I loved Finn’s character so much. He is fighting for saving the lives of the covid patients and his emails to Diana are filled with so much emotion. I could understand a little what the frontline workers were going through during this pandemic.

I have so much more to say but if I write one more word I will spoil it for you. So it will not do it. Just that at around the 60 percent mark this book took a turn that I was not expecting. 😊

The main setting of this book is about the Covid 19 outbreak and the life of the people during that time. If you are ready to read this I will definitely recommend this. This book is a gem for a reader who prefers slow-paced reads.

This book was exactly what I needed. It was incredible. I was so soothing and almost therapeutic. I was hesitant to start because I was worried it was too soon to be reading a pandemic book. However, it made me feel incredibly validated and understood. The story follows a couple in March 2020 in NYC who have to decide to separate when a trip to the Galapagos is out of the question for the doctor in the couple. The entire thing felt like a beautiful daydream, and also felt very in touch with reality with the mentions of Tiger King, toilet paper, sourdough -- things anyone alive in March 2020 will remember forever. The "twist" was poignant and well done and this book left me feeling all of the emotions possible. This was my first true 5 star read of the year and I'll cherish this story forever.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It has an interesting premise, and the focus on the pandemic is timely and relevant. At first, I was intrigued and engaged. But when the plot shifted to its second arc, I started to skim the pages. The topic was compelling, but the writing was was little long-winded and the outcome a bit predictable.

My first Jodi Picoult! I think maybe this was a little too soon for me, reading a book that was about the current pandemic and how it has affected everyone. This was a 3.5 star, rounded up to 4 for me, and I'm not totally sure why, so I think it was just too soon for me. In saying that though, it was still very well written, heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.

This book covers so much - love, loss, heartbreak, hope, and so much more. You feel every single thing the characters feel because it's so well written. This book will easily make you take a look at your life and how fragile it is. There was a small plot point towards the end that I felt really ruined parts of it for me, I wish that outcome had been different. The overall ending though was beautiful.

Jodi Picoult always delivers. This was an awesome read during the pandemic and really cut deep. I always know she is a sure bet. Thanks for the ARC

I have only good things to say about this book. Even though I have read similar “waking-up-from-another-reality” narratives before, the twist totally gutted me. I can tell every part of the book was very well researched, even before the author’s note (which I appreciated!). I feel that Piccoult handled the topic of the virus, it’s effects, and the impacts on healthcare with care and sensitivity. There is always room to make someone else the villain because of COVID, but this book treated every character and caution with the utmost care and research.

I will tell all of my friends and family to read this book! Thank you for the advanced copy.

What can I say about this that hasn't already been written? Jodi Picoult is the master of research and her writing is top-notch here! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was perfect!

Part One was hands-down a 5 star. It "wowed" me!!

Part Two was good and fascinated me but I feel it was a little bit too long.

If you're ready for a Covid story 😷 then this one is for you. Be prepared to go on a gutsy journey about survival, courage, love and loss.

I usually enjoy Jodi Picoult novels, but I found this one to be disappointing. The plot was thin.and the issues raised were forgettable. However the author did a very good job describing the first few months of. the pandemic and our common cognitive dissonance surrounding it. The hospital scenes were especially heart wrenching.

I adore Jodi Picoult and I enjoyed this book. The pace was good, the plot was interesting and I always love a good plot twist! The timing was a bit off for me though. I wasn't quite ready to read a book about the pandemic when we're still basically in it. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I read it 5-10 years from now when it all wasn't still so fresh. Don't let that deter you though! I have lots of friends that loved it because of that.

Wish You Were Here is classic Jodi Picoult, taking the current hot topic (the COVID pandemic) and weaving it into an engaging story with a jaw-dropping twist that you definitely do not see coming. My only complaint was that the twist came way too soon in the book, leaving the rest of the story uneventful and lacking.

I love Jodi Picoult so I was super excited to read her latest. I was not disappointed. I loved the twist; I definitely didn't see it coming. The writing was superb, as always. I enjoyed this one much, much more than The Book of Two Ways. That one read more like a history lesson. It's clear from this book how Picoult feels about the pandemic; I'm afraid she's getting just the tiniest bit preachy. I will still read all of her new books though. Keep 'em coming, Jodi!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a new Jodi Picoult fan as this is only my second book by her. It is amazing to find an author who presents two totally different books.

This book had me feeling very conflicted and I struggled to rate it. I gave it 5 stars but it comes with some conditions.

Picoult is a very atmospheric writer and her character development is seriously top tier. For that alone she earned 5 stars. The plot was very clever and so well done. With that said however, the covid parts were not it for me. And not because she didn't write them well- she did- I am just not interested in reading about something still so raw.

So I find myself wondering how I can give a book 5 starts that I hated parts of and it is simple. Her writing is amazing and touched parts of me (especially with her mom)

So trigger if you don't want to read about covid!

Stranded by an outbreak of a deadly virus while on vacation--it's happened to many of us since the pandemic that began in 2020. Jodi Picoult's novel, Wish You Were Here, follows Diana O'Toole as she leaves for a trip to the Galapagos Islands just as her boyfriend, a surgical resident, is about to propose. I enjoyed the book but it felt one-sided when it came to the pros and cons of vaccinations, government mandates and so forth. Great ending, as you can always expect from this author. The topic is too serious to make this book light reading, but it's very, very good reading and Picoult fans won't be disappointed.

I would give this book all of the stars I could because I loved it so much. It's so odd to hear about Covid and to read about how it all started, because it seems so long ago, but as we know, it's not and it's still something we're dealing with.

This storyline she created was incredible! I loved reading the book (and also purchased the audiobook because I loved it so much and needed to know what happened) I literally read or listened to this book as often as possible. I was hooked. I fell in love with the Galapagos Islands and I lost it with the twist in the book presented itself. OMG!!! I haven't been that shocked by a book in a long time. Amazing characters, fantastic storyline, tremendous ending.

Perfection!

I started this book on the first day we went shopping without having to wear a mask. Jodi Picoult's description of a New York hospital in the midst of the Covid crisis brought it all back home with descriptions so vivid I felt like I was in the hospital myself. Diana is 29, living in New York city and working for Southeby's auction house. She is about to be promoted for securing a unique painting by Toulouse-Latrec from a woman very similar to Yoko Ono. Her life is on track, her boyfriend, soon to be fiancé, Finn, is a respected Resident at the hospital. They are planning a trip to the Galapagos when effects of the virus begin to show. It is paid for so Finn urges Diana to take the vacation even though the hospital is requiring all hands on deck. Diana takes the last water taxi to Isabella before realizing that the island is completely shut down. A local family takes her in and as the quarantine lingers, Diana becomes more of a local herself. Unfortunately the cell coverage is very poor so she is only able to receive emails sporadically, learning belatedly how entrenched Finn is at the hospital and how deadly the virus has become. Of course she feels guilty for quarantining in paradise, on the other hind she grows to resent Finn for sending her off without him. As time passes and Diana grows closer to her friends on the island, Finn's emails become increasingly desperate and hopeless. All Diana can do is pass the time until she is permitted to leave, but when that time comes will she want to go? Picoult has written another deep, reflection on our time. The was told through Diana's point of view, with emails from Finn depicting the horrors in the hospital. That is balanced by lush, vibrant descriptions of Isabella and the unique flora and fauna of the islands. I started reading this early in the morning and had to stay awake to finish it. I felt at once transported to the tropical island, and found myself startled to be going out shopping instead of staying home in isolation - that is how real the author writes. There is a lot more going on in Wish You Were Here than I can write in this review. I am so thankful for the chance to read an ARC. I recommend this book to everyone. There is so much for book clubs to discuss I'm thinking of starting one myself.

This is the first Jodi Picoult book I’ve picked up in a long time. While I knew that the plot was COVID-heavy, I was surprised just how much it felt like the main character. I enjoyed the first half of the book for the most part, and DID NOT see the plot twist coming, I was frustrated by the plot twist, but the ending was decent. Although something about her writing style doesn’t quite do it for me anymore, Picoult continues to be a fantastic storyteller in my book, and I’d recommend this book to fans of her work, or any reader looking for a easy contemporary fiction read.

I think I’m in the minority as I liked the first part of this story better than the second when Diana was in the Galapagos. I loved the setting and the family she meets. I also loved learning about her job in the art world. However, the story takes a huge turn which I didn’t see coming, and it turns out I wasn’t quite ready to read about Covid as I thought I was. You can tell Picolt did an excellent job with her research (as always), and the story is very well-written, but it does center around the early days of the pandemic in New York hospitals, so the reader must be mentally prepared.

Literally couldn't put it down. Although we're all sick of the pandemic, this book is worth picking up and reading. See Goodreads post for full review.

This was only my second book from Jodi Picoult but it was another amazing read. The level of detail in this book was outstanding. Honestly, I wasn't sure I was ready to read something Covid related but I told myself to give it a chapter and DNF if I need. Not at all, the way that it was written was so tasteful to the real world but had an elegant side story that truly was beautiful but did not overwhelm the memory of the pandemic.

I'm having a really hard time reviewing this one. While on surface it seems to check so many of my boxes-meticulous writing of a controversial topic check, timely subject check, interesting characters check but for some reason this one didn't knock my socks off the way Jodi Picoult books typically do. While I appreciate she tried a completly different approach in her twist it may have been that twist that gave me such a "blah' feeling reading this. Or maybe it was the tough subject matter that we were still going through when I read this. Annoyingly I can't put my finger on what exactly made this one just okay for me.

If you are typically a Jodi Picoult fan you'll probably enjoy this one as well, I seem to be in the minority on not loving it. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.