Oh no! The twist didn’t work for this twist-lover!

Ready to relive the early days of COVID? The days of Tiger King, toilet paper, and trauma? Banging pots and pans, and cutting your own hair?

Well, check out this book, then, which is like going down a bad memory lane. Picoult talks about all of it. Zing zing, bingo! For minutes at a time, I’d drift off and think back to early 2020. There are a zillion Remember When’s. I actually didn’t mind going into life in the time of COVID—somehow it was a little cathartic—like, hey, we all went through this together. Some people might find it too depressing and traumatic, so be warned.

The main character’s live-in boyfriend is a doctor working in a New York City hospital when COVID first started. We hear the nitty-gritty of his harried life, and it’s not pretty. I haven’t read many COVID stories, and for sure none that show the effects of COVID on healthcare workers. It was eye-opening and powerful, depressing and scary, but very real.

Luckily, a big part of the book takes place on an island in the Galapagos, and hanging out there was relaxing and fascinating. That part of the story was especially brilliant. I loved the characters and was caught up in the intense relationships and the exotic scenery. I couldn’t put the book down when I was there on the island.

Okay, but here’s the deal. There’s a huge twist. There are those who loved the twist, but I am not one of them. And I’m all twisted up about it! It kills me not to explain why, but that would spoil the book for you. Okay, that’s Complaint Number 1, and it’s a biggie.

Picoult usually writes message books—not my favorite kind of fiction. The parts about the Galapagos didn’t seem like Picoult was trying to teach me anything, and I was loving it. And I was so happy to see that she could write plain old dramatic fiction. This book isn’t message-y, but in a big part of the book she does want to educate us about a phenomenon. I’m guessing that most people know nothing about it, so she was covering new ground, and for that she gets credit. Though learning about it was interesting, I wanted to go someplace else. Plus, the facts of it were hard to fathom. Picoult clearly researches the hell out of everything she talks about, and I do admire that—realism out the ying-yang. But I guess this lecturing business is Complaint Number 2.

My third whine: The relationship between the main character and her boyfriend was boring and a little too cutesy pie. It was Hallmark-y, and the portrayal seemed sort of cliched. Even the bantering between the two seemed familiar and ho-hum.

Damn, maybe I should have done a Complaint Board because suddenly I’m thinking of other things I didn’t like. A huge problem was that the parts related to COVID—which took up a big portion of the book—were often repetitive, which got tedious. Picoult really got into the phenomenon business, and I found myself antsy to get to something juicier and less abstract and strange.

Other complaints are smaller. For example, a main character in the Galapagos spoke English way too well. He used complicated sentence constructions, which just wasn’t believable. He also gave a diatribe on Darwin which seemed too intellectual and complicated given his background and the fact that English was his second language.

Another little nit (and I do mean little): the main character noticed there was a gap between a person’s teeth. Now wait a minute—they were in a hospital! The woman had to have had a mask on! No seeing tooth gaps possible! Masks were mentioned a lot; this was just a little writing slip-up.

There’s another sort of big complaint that has to do with letters sent to the Galapagos, but I can’t go into that. Sitting on my hands—Help! Just wanted to mention it for the record, lol, in case anyone who has read the book wants to discuss it.

Picoult’s writing is straightforward, and she clearly knows how to tell a story. Good pacing, decent language, with an occasional insight that made me stop for a moment.

What’s hard for me about Picoult is that she relies on research rather than imagination. Granted, the twist was imaginative, but that’s about it. Page-to-page it was all based on research. For me, that makes any story a little dry. Plus, lectures distract me; they pull me out of the story, which breaks my connection with the characters. I know realistic fiction isn’t known for its imagination, so I should cut Picoult a break there.

Bottom line: I loved a major part of this book but had big trouble with the twist. I’m the outlier on this one, I think; most reviewers gave the book 4 or 5 stars. Picoult fans will for sure love it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I was very late to the Jodi Picoult game. I didn't read my first of her novels until 2019; when I read a second of her books, this is what I had to say:
"Two things had put me off before that: the snobbish idea that good books cannot be written as fast as Picoult writes books and the idea that her books seem to always be about the latest "big" controversy. I still don't know that you could write the great American novel in a year but Picoult proved to me that you can write a book that will engross and entertain readers that quickly. And that if you can write well about whatever the latest big topic is, then it's good to write about those things in a way that will make people think about them."
Obviously, this is a book that has been written in a short amount of time and it is clearly about the latest "big" controversy (ok, one of them). And yet, not for one minute did I doubt that Picoult had had the time to write a thoughtful, well-researched novel.

There is a little bit of an echo of The Book of Two Ways, with Diana struggling to decide between two men, one who she initially disliked but came to have feelings for and the other who was left behind and who seemed perfect. As with The Book of Two Ways, I've tired of the narrative of the cranky man who turns out to be wonderful and I'm growing tired of stories of the heart torn between two men. And here I felt like Picoult had to work a bit to make Diana's choice seem right. That might have meant that the book wouldn't work for me.

But this book is so much more than the story of a love triangle. It is a book about family, about survival, about our dreams, about adapting to changes, and about forgiveness. And all of those themes, they worked for me. I was mesmerized by Finn's accounts of treating CoVid patients and watching them die and I felt his anguish. I was frustrated for Diana as she came across one obstacle after another and as she dealt with her relationship with a mother who she felt had essentially abandoned her but who now needed Diana to care for her. And, dang, I did not at all see the twist coming in this one!

I am bad about reading the author's notes at the ends of books. When I finish the story, I tend to want to move on; there are so many books waiting for me. This time I glanced at the author's notes just long enough to realize that I probably wanted to read further, to understand how Picoult's experience with CoVid 19 had inspired this book.

In reading that, I understood why this book didn't feel rushed and how it happened that Picoult could know so much about both this disease and the Galapagos. And, as it happens when you have all the time in the world, you have plenty of time to talk to people who have both treated CoVid patients and to the people who have survived it. Those stories lent a real feeling of credibility to the story, the kind of credibility that allowed the book to pack an emotional punch. That emotional punch resonated in this book. It's not a book without flaws, but it's a book that made me forgive those flaws.

Wish you were here

Thank you to @randomhouse publishers for sending me a eARC of "Wish you were here" via @netgalley All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Imagine a check list but for life. A check list that contains some of the most major thigns you would like to achive in life. Diana O'Toole had every item on this cheklist already checked off. Graduate? Check. Get a job? Check. Get a signifigant other? Check. To any outisder Diana's life seems perfect and it seems perfect to Diana too. Diana likes to stick to her checklists and play by the book. Her entire future is planned out and it seem's like everything is going just the way its supposed to. Until a deadly virus hits New York and all her plans go down the trash. Diana and her boyfriend planned to go on a trip to the Galapagos but her boyfriend Finns job as a doctor won’t allow them to leave. Diana and Finn decide that instead of wasting the money they spent on their trip Diana would just go without him. Little did they know this descion would impact them for the rest of there lives. As Diana reaches the Galapagos the entire island is shut down and Diana is forced to find hostage with a random family. Not knowing the language spoken or knowing how to naviagte around the island. Diana wants nothing more than to go home. But as Diana becomes closer with Galapagos inhbaitants she begins to create new relationships and with romance in the air Diana feels like maybe her trip hasn’t completely gone to waste.

✨A literary classic. 2 words I can use to describe this book. This book was written like poetry and every word felt like a line that could be quoted. I loved the writing style of this book and for my first Jodi Picoult novel I really enjoyed it. The modern COVID 19 twist was really enjoyable and made the book even more relatable. I was really intrigued in some parts of the story and could tell that this book was incredibly plot driven and I liked that. One of my favorite parts about this book was the ending and how open ended it was.The ending told the readers that not everything end’s perfectly and sometimes perfect isn’t what a human needs. I will say there were some parts in book that progressed a little slowly and was not hooking at all. It's definetly a slower paced read so be prepared for that. I would recommend reading this at a time in your life when things are settled down and relaxed because it can soemtimes feel like an info dump espesially because of the different times information is given to the reader. I can totally predict that this book will be a classic one day and if you wanna stay ahead of the game I would pick up this wonderful novel.

Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Contemporary
Age rating: 15+
Trigger warnings: COVID 19 and death.
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Date published: 30 November, 2021
Page number: 336

Ms. Picoult was able to take a heart breaking pandemic and incorporate it into a beautiful story about how lives change and evolve due to events. I went through a range of emotions while reading this. She remains one of my favorite authors.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did not finish this book. I found it still being a rampant time in the pandemic, it being very hard to read this story. Maybe if it were ten years from now I’d be able to, but too triggering at this time.

I’m too practical to give this book 5 stars - I was very mad at Diana for making the decisions she did about Finn and her mother. But I did really enjoy it and found it relatable, as I was also trapped in a foreign country at the start of the pandemic when borders closed. This was very well written and I didn’t see the twist coming at all. I’m glad this author has turned things around from The Book of Two Ways - I look forward to more of her work!

A timely and interesting read about a woman, her boyfriend, and Covid. The novel takes place in New York City and the Galápagos Islands. It’s almost like two different novels, the first covers the pandemic and individual experiences, and then we get a huge twist that I for one did not see coming. It was fascinating. Then we find out what happens after the twist. The pacing for each seemed deliberate and set the tone for each the before and after. I highly recommend this book.

4.5⭐ - wow, this was so well done!! A little emotional at times because covid, but I loved the way it was presented/handled and it will definitely stick with me!

“You cannot trust perception. Falling, at first, feels like flying.”
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I mean - wow! What a book....! This is my first Jodi Picoult and I am honestly blown away. Maybe it's that Wish You Were Here was super emotional and resonated, maybe it was the insane twist that I am still reeling from, or maybe it was the many thought-provoking lines and directions the author took - but I really enjoyed this story and it may be one of my favorites of the year. And I highly encourage you to go in blind, as I did, because I truly feel like that enhanced the read for me.
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That being said, I don't want to give a lot away. This book delves deeply into 2020 and the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic. It gave me more respect for those early lives lost, what healthcare workers and doctors endured (and still endure today), and ultimately respect for a virus that we still do not know that much about - that isn't just another 'flu' or 'cold' - that living with caution is not the same as "living in fear".
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100 percent will be giving this to all of my friends and family to read.

This book was a wild ride! I've seen a handful of reviews on this one, it seems like people have either really connected with it- or not at all. I suspect the amount of COVID-related pages might've been behind the reviews that weren't glowing.

As much as I'm *also* sick of talking/thinking about covid, (like most people in the world right now, I'd imagine,) I found that I didn't mind reading about it. It was interesting to think about, and get insight into, how this experience has gone for people in vastly different situations than me. I appreciated the weight of the ongoing doctor observations, too. I like the concept of having a book that immortalized this bizarre time we're living in, also. Jodi Picoult did a great job putting our current situation onto pages, her info was accurate and succinct. I think this will be a fascinating time-capsule read for future generations.

NOW... That twist was insane! I loved reading the first 59% of the story, and I was admittedly sad about the change in directions. It was necessary and it did elevate the impact of the book, though. I knew it was coming (bookstagram spoilers strike again!) but it was still pretty shocking.

The only negative takeaway for me, was the pacing of the backend of the story, from the twist on. While the first 60% flew by for me, I struggled to get through the end. I was honestly pretty sick of reading about Diana's shock and refusal to accept the reality she found herself in, eventually. While I completely felt for her and understood the necessity of showing how deeply her experience had unnerved and changed her, I do think that point was hammered home too frequently in the final sprint to the end.

I really enjoyed this book overall, and I'm glad I read it. I would absolutely recommend it to fellow readers (*with a caveat about covid content for those who might not be able to rehash the events of 2020 yet.)

Thank you to #RandomHousePublishing #Ballantine and #Netgalley for the compliment ARC of #WishYouWereHere in exchange for my honest review.

Jodi Picoult has had me hooked since Small Great Things and My Sister's Keeper. Her storylines are not predictable and they plumb the depth of human emotions and interaction. This book is very timely to what people are experiencing today. The isolation that is not self-imposed, loneliness because people now have to sit with their own pain instead of running from it, unexpected loss and grief, disconnected from others. As these characters deal with that in more, Jodi manages to give us glimmers of hope and healing. I highly recommend this book as well as the two I mentioned earlier.
--USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Naleighna Kai

I have a been a big fan of Jodi Picoult! Every time a new one is published, I jump at the opportunity to read it. She has a way of bringing together story lines and making her books easy to fall into. Honestly, I wasn't sure I was ready to read a COVID related novel, but the story did not feel like a pandemic story, it felt like a story of the human condition: finding our way when life can be unexpected and being able to be resilient when we are faced with uncertainty. Another great book by Jodi Picoult!

Jodi Picoult delivers an amazing book that will touch a wide range of readers. I love the unexpected turns the plot took and the way it touched real issues that so many people deal with in the modern-day. The effects of COVID-19 have been traumatizing in so many ways and Jodi Picoult does an excellent job of showing how the pandemic impacted everyone in different ways. Get ready for a soul-crushing experience that will leave you at the edge of your seat and wanting more.

This is the first fiction book I have read that directly deals with the COVID-19 pandemic and Jodi Picoult nails it! Every book I have read by Picoult deals with a timely societal issue while weaving in intricate details that show her dedication to incredible research. I loved reading about the Galapagos islands and how so much scientific discovery has evolved from such a beautiful island. I think those descriptions perfectly complemented her writing that summarizes with the very real heaviness of the emotions, uncertainty, fear and struggle surrounding the beginnings of the COVID pandemic. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect going into this book when we are still in the thick of this pandemic but as a frontline healthcare worker, I truly believe Picoult did our profession justice and wrote a beautiful story amidst the difficult setting.

As always, when hearing that a Jodi Picoult new book is going to hit the stands, I got excited. I love the paths she takes a reader on. The solid storyline behind them all and the endearing characters that are created and brought to life. This one does not disappoint.

Who would think one could successfully cross a story arc with the COVID pandemic and the Galápagos Islands? Intersperse art and major auctions houses, no problem. This book accomplishes it all. Though it may appear slow at the start, hang with it. The threads all come together. Worth the read.

What an absolutely awesome ready this was. This book had me engrossed from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book.

WOW, WOW, WOW! This book was so much more than I expected.
I have been a longtime fan of Jodi, and have loved almost every book I read, for decades. I wasn't a fan of Leaving Time, my first disappointment ever from her, but then I loved the next two, Small great Things and Spark of Light. Along came Book of Two Ways, and I was not into that one at all, so when a new Jodi presented itself with Covid as a key topic, I wasn't sure. Haven't we all had enough of Covid? This novel is about so so much more than Covid. A shocking twist, that you will NEVER see coming, will have you unable to put the book down until completion.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for the opportunity to access this advanced readers edition in exchange for an honest review!

Jodi Picoult is always an exceptional writer, but this book knocked all the others out of the running. Written while the pandemic continues it gives a timely portrayal. As time moves on, our memories become a little fuzzy. Hopefully, this will be read years to come and people will be able to feel through fiction what many felt through life.

This book totally took me for a ride. I did not anticipate what Jodi had in store for me and I am still reeling. It took me back to March 2020 which felt like yesterday but still so long ago.

Was it weird reading about Covid while still worrying about Covid? Why of course, but it certainly made me pause and think of how it affected so many others outside of my own experience. There is no doubt that Jodi’s writing is on another level. She is a master storyteller and I was invested in this story at the jump.

My 📖 synopsis: Diana has a great job, the perfect boyfriend, and is ready to take the next step in her life. Unfortunately covid has other plans and she winds up stranded in a deserted paradise sans perfect boyfriend for who knows how long. There she meets a local family who will have her questioning all she thought she wanted.

I love Jodi Picoult’s writing. She’s so talented and always does wonderful research on topics. Part one was fantastic! I couldn’t put it down, I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next and I was overall wowed. Part two followed suit (slightly long for me) but just overall another fantastic read Jodi.