I loved this book. The description of the confusion and devastation at the beginning of the pandemic, drew me in from the beginning. We follow Diana's journey through the pandemic, how it changes her and the people around her. I suspect this story will stay with me for quite a while.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read, and review, this book.

I am usually a huge Jodi Picoult fan however I struggled with this book. It wasn’t bad by any means but nowhere near her best. I normally enjoy her twists but this one fell flat for me.

This is my second book by Jodi Picoult and not my last! While I did enjoy the story, I really liked the first part but didn't love the second part. Without giving spoilers, the major twist that lead to the second part and the ending didn't really hook me as much as the beginning. Overall it was still a great story and I definitely recommend it! Pretty significant COVID triggers so look into those if that impacts you.

I really wanted to love this one but I didn't. Maybe it was the topic - reading about the pandemic just hit close to home. Even though Picoult's writing pulled me in, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and couldn't root for them. There's a lot of specific detail about living in Covid times as well as facts about the virus that were challenging. I think if I read this book 10 years from now, I might appreciate it more.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy to review.

I've never met a Jodi Picoult book that I didn't like, so when I saw Wish You Were Here as a wish list book on NetGalley I immediately wished for it, blindly.

I let this sit in my TBR for a little while because Jodi books, while are so great, seem a bit daunting to me. I feel like I can always count on her for long chapters, which a lot of the times seems intimidating to me. I saw a good amount of stellar reviews for this and decided to start. Still - blindly.

When I realized that Wish You Were Here is HEAVY on the Covid - like the entire book is centered around the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020), part of me wanted to DNF. I was getting flash backs of times of severe anxiety in my life (and many others I'm sure as well) and I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue. Usually I like to read as an escape and this was not the place I wanted to escape to.

I am SO GLAD I kept with it. I was so involved in the characters and the storyline... I was invested in Diana's time on the Galapagos and her relationships with Gabriel, Beatriz and Abuela.

And then part two happened.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I did not see it coming. Over all I really enjoyed the book. It gave an important look into what the frontline workers were going through in a tasteful way... and I can truly say that when the book ended I was upset because I wanted more... fingers crossed for a sequal because I'm going to need an update.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish with this one!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Jodi Picoult. It had a different feel than some of her other books (in a good way, honestly). Some may be put off by the time period (early COVID days) of the story, but for me, it was interesting. Like her other books, there is a lot in this book to think about, so it would be a good one for book clubs. I would definitely recommend this to others.

If you are patient, this will pay off. The first 60% was slow and I wasn’t captured but it the way Jodi Picoult can usually capture me. Then WHOA that plot twist comes out of nowhere. The rest of the story just flows and flies by.

As you would expect with Picoult, she has done her research and it’s evident in the story. The very early emotions perfectly capture what, I think, all of us went through in the early stages of COVID. In a broader sense, she flawlessly depicted so many experiences and emotions of the last almost two years: experiencing Covid to varying degrees; losing a loved one to the virus; working tirelessly though the pandemic; navigating lockdown and endless quarantine; re-evaluating everyday life in the midst of such loneliness and despair.

I wouldn’t say it’s your average Picoult book but overall hopeful and lovely and absolutely fascinating.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I love Jodi Picoult some of her books have stayed with me and I always recommend! This book is set during the COVID pandemic. For some it may be a little too soon to read a book about the pandemic but when you are ready definitely pick this one up!

It’s no secret by now, that Jodi Picoult is my favorite author. I always am so excited for a new book of hers and have high expectations for each. So when one of her books isn’t amazing, I get a bit disappointed.

Jodi’s writing is always excellent, and she always it’s a great amount of research into each book. But sometimes the subject of the book using as interesting, and the was the case here. The topic of the pandemic was ok, but I didn’t really feel there could be a lot for her to write about to keep it interesting, and I was right.

I thought this one was much slower paced then many of her other novels, and the twist m, if you could call it that, was a bit confusing when normally they are jaw dropping. Of course I liked it, I will always like Picoult. But this one will not be one of my favorites. 3.5 stars

I used to read Jodi Picoult's works when I was younger -- Wish You Were Here is my first Picoult book in about a decade I would say, and it was not what I expected.

Like most books I read, I went into blind. I knew that it dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was the extent of what I knew. So when the story was unfolding, I was completely surprised at the second half of the novel.

So for those who'd like trigger warnings: be warned that this a realistic take on the advent of the pandemic and how it struck New York City.

But a majority of the book takes place in an island off near the Galapagos.

Enough said.

I recommend this book if you're a fan of Jodi Picoult. I think she really pushed the envelope here. I think as readers, we expect the authors we've come to love to have a certain style. Picoult, in my opinion, wrote an ambitious novel that she knew would not necessarily fit the mold of her earlier works and I think that is great. It's certainly contemporary, thoughtful, and nuanced in many ways.

The first of the pandemic books. This was so well thought out and philosophical while doing credit to the doctors working during these times.

This was such an inspiring and thoughtful read. It was reminiscent of the early phases on the covid-19 pandemic and how we were all struggling to find our footing. While it was a bit of a slow build, I enjoyed how it evoked such a reassuring and thought-provoking journey of someone we can all relate a little bit to.

If I wouldn't have received an eArc, I wouldn't have picked this up...EVER. This was a difficult read and I guess because the pandemic is still highly triggering for me; this wasn't for me. Reading about it wasn't cathartic, in fact it was basically reliving the last two years in print.

I shockingly enjoyed the first half of the book versus the second half. I almost deemed it a DNF right before the big twist. I don't want to spoil it though. After the big twist I thought it was going to turn into a crazy plot twist (wishful thinking)..but it didn't. I don't think the main character had any real character development nor did the story. Everything she "developed" was already in her subconscious and was noted in the first half of the book before the trip. Also, there was a lot of art jargon that served no purpose other than to learn new facts - cool.

The only reason I am giving 3 stars is because of the message of the book - second chances. It is never too late to live your life to the fullest.

I have read many Jodi Picoult books and they seemed to follow a pattern of legal themes with alternating viewpoints. This book is entirely different and one I devoured in two days. It’s the story of a young woman who seems to have her life in order, who decides to go on a Galapagos Island vacation alone when her doctor boyfriend has to stay in NYC battling Covid. As soon as she arrives on the island, everything shuts down and she is stranded there, unable to communicate with anyone. The story also touches on having a parent in memory care which hits close to home for me, as I had to deal with this during Covid. Then there’s a huge twist in the story which I can’t relate without spoiling it….. but let’s just say I couldn’t put this book down. It’s current and relevant, based on so much research both into facts about the Galapagos and treating Covid. I highly recommend this book which may now be my favorite Jodi Picoult book!

From other reviews that I read prior to reading this story myself, it seemed like a lot of people didn’t enjoy it. I’m not of that mindset - I actually loved this book! In true Piccoult form, the reader is completely immersed in this world of Covid, art and consciousness. Without giving any spoilers, the ending left me wanting more but I think that was the point. There are even some elements of racism, privilege, how families function etc and somehow it is all tied together. Consciousness and reality were incredibly thought-provoking for the main character, Diana, and for me as a reader as well. I know it’s hard reading about Covid after the year we just had, but I found it a bit cathartic - it seems like we are finally on the upside of this thing. And Picoult has perfectly captured so much of what the world experienced while it was happening.

Big thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review! I will be sharing this to my Instagram blog (books_by_the_bottle) .

I enjoyed this book the sudden shift of story in the middle really bothered me and it was hard to be interested again. I was entertained but overall it was forgettable.

I have read ALL of Picoult's books and have enjoyed them all... until this one! I was so upset when she did me dirty by having the first half of the book all be a fantasy/fever dream. It felt like such a cheap trick and also kind of lazy writing. Maybe it made me crabby because I was not ready to read a book about COVID while still living through this endless pandemic? I don't know. I'll still read her books in the future, probably, as long as there are no more Dallas plot lines.

I think for me this book was too much given everything going on with the pandemic still.

I also lost my mother not long ago from COVID complications so this was definitely an extremely difficult read and not one I enjoyed.

If you're ready to read a book that will take you back to the early days of the pandemic, Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Picoult, is a must read. If you are not, and some parts are difficult to read, I would recommend skipping for now.

While there are difficult and tragic moments this story reminds me of Picoult's earlier writing. Diana seemingly has all her goals checked: on track for a promotion in the highly competitive art world, nearly engaged by 30 to the love of her life and a trip to the Galapagos planned where an engagement is sure to occur. News reports of a virus start trickling in and soon its all hands on deck at the hospital where her boyfriend Finn is a surgical resident. Diana takes the trip alone, encouraged by Finn, and finds herself stranded on an island during lockdown. She befriends a local family as she explores the lands where Darwin formed his theory of evolution. Diana is forced to reconcile between her two worlds as they collide in dramatic fashion that is classic Picoult.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Jodi Picoult has done it again! In fact, this may be my favorite book of hers. Talk about timely - she really nailed the world we know during the covid pandemic. Wonderful heartfelt story that really brings to the surface all your emotions - isolation, grief, fear, and romance. I especially loved the author’s notes about her experience and how this book came tobe.