Great story, very contemporary. The characters we're believable and the story true to life. Book grabbed me you from the beginning and I couldn't put it down..

I almost put this book down at the 60% mark. Seriously, Jodi? You're giving me "it was all a dream" after you built an entire story and world and island family and made me love the sea turtles?

But she had so much more in store for me, and I'm glad I stuck with it. I loved it. Loved the unexpected places Picoult took her characters, loved the ending. I so appreciate being surprised (at least when it's a good surprise...), and Wish You Were Here took me somewhere I never expected to go. What a treat.

In the summer of 2004, while working at Books-A-Million, I discovered Picoult's books - I read her latest and then quickly moved my way through her entire backlog. There are some that I have since read more than once and rank amongst my favorite books and I can't stop that trill of excitement when I hear that she has a new book on the horizon. To not spoil anything for myself, I didn't so much as read the summary of this one before I started it - so I really had no idea at all going in that this was going to be a COVID-19 novel.

Diana, on the cusp of turning thirty, lives a life largely organized and on track. She shares a home with her surgeon-resident boyfriend in NYC and is in line for a promotion at Sotheby's. With a trip to the Galapagos upcoming, Diana feels like she can hear the wedding bells in her future. But, the book opens on March 13, 2020 - and even the best laid plans are quickly foiled by the ravages of this virulent virus.

Broken into two parts, Dian'a's story - while not exactly unpredictable - makes for a hard-to-put-down read. Picoult sets the book in a way that makes everything so realistic and totally in the moment. Though it hasn't actually been that long since those first shelter-in-place mandates went into effect, Picoult includes details from that time that I think many have already forgotten about (or purposely so!). As with many of her previous books, this is an emotional read. Diana makes for a sympathetic character and I also appreciate the role that art and books play in her life. The characters all really do come to life here and I felt totally absorbed into the story.

I do with that it had been perhaps a bit more unpredictable... and Finn's side of the story seems to exist mainly for huge swaths of info-dumping. A bit more finesse from his side might have made this a stronger read. As with many of her more recent books, comments that seem to come directly from Picoult's own personal opinions can jar the reader out of the moment. This isn't the first COVID book that I have read this year - and I am sure it won't be the last one to hit the shelves, but this is certainly one that is hard to put down. And as usual, I am curious to see what she will write next!

i'm normally a huge jodi picoult fan, but i felt, for me, that it was too soon to read a covid book. i, as always, thought the book was wonderfully written by jodi and loved the twist in the middle. i found the first half amazing and really into it, but the second half was tough to read and i wasn't as bought in.

To say this book had me rethinking life choices doesn’t quite explain the ride this story takes you on. With this one debuting while still in a pandemic and written about said pandemic, in a fictional way, it feels all too real and was an exceptional step by the author. While we all are still reeling in certain ways and wondering when we’ll get through this roller coaster ride, Picoult documents a journey that is as much heart wrenching as it is inspiring.

There really isn’t a way that you won’t connect somehow with at least one event that occurs in the book. Picoult has successfully detailed various elements of what the pandemic has done to humanity and to us as individuals; without it feeling cumbersome, but you’ll probably end up in your feels along the way (and numerous times) unless you have totally lost your emotional capabilities.

As my first Picoult read, I’m hooked.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult isn't for everyone but maybe everyone should read it. If you’re ready to read a novel based in a time of Covid then this is a great one to start with. Picoult, as with many of her other books, does her research and creates great depth in atmosphere with quality events and characters. I really enjoyed this book but it may have been a little ‘too soon’ for me to read a novel about Covid which kept from absolutely loving it.

This book. Wow. Picoult has hit another book out of the park. I knew going into this book that it was going to touch on some tough topics - as Picoult's books always do. Also, reading a book about a pandemic that we are still currently in the middle of is a strange sort of deja vu. This book was about so much more than just the pandemic. It was about life and love and forgiveness and finding yourself and living life to your fullest. This book will be one of my most recommended books of 2022 and beyond.

🐢 Wish You Were Here 🐢

I’ve been sitting on this review for weeks because I’m having such a tough time getting my thoughts into words. I’ve seen in most other reviews that this read is a love it or hate it situation. Honestly I could go either way but I’ll err towards the positive side because regardless, I was invested and cared about the outcome greatly.

This is a hard review to write without spoiling the story so I’ll stay as vague as possible. As someone who was healthcare aligned through COVID - some of the timeline was off in the letters and that got under my skin a bit. What my friends in the trenches went through was serious and I do appreciate the credence given there. I’m SO glad OT was represented although imperfectly - OTs handle toileting though PTs do transfer training as well. But still! Yay for OT awareness. We do cool stuff!

And I HATED the ending but the character had such depth that I couldn’t be mad. It was her story, not mine, and it says a lot that the character was so real that I genuinely believe that. I think this will age incredibly well and the writing was great as is expected from Jodi Picoult!

Hug your healthcare workers, y’all! They’ve been through it and are still in it.

Lots of content warnings that contain spoilers, so I suggest looking into that if you have a sensitivity.

Thank you @randomhouse for the ARC and ALC through #netgalley and #librofm in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why but Jodi Picoult books have been a hit or miss for me lately. The last two or three novels. I've loved all other novels of hers. A lot of people think it is too soon to read about Covid19 in a plot, but I really don't think so. I think that was fine. But, the pacing of this novel was just a big slow and lacking. I loved the MC and the characters though.

Diana is booked to go on holiday with her boyfriend Finn when the Covid pandemic causes havoc in New York. Finn a doctor in the local hospital persuades her to go on holiday on her own as he is desperately needed in the hospital.
Arriving in the Galapagos Diana finds that her hotel and everything else in the resort is closed and she has nowhere to stay, the airport is closed and she is stranded with no WiFi and a very limited phone signal.
She is forced to look after herself until she able to get home.
This predicament forces her to reassess the choices she has made in her life so far.
I enjoyed reading Diana’s story but I found Finn’s story very sad and difficult to read.

I'm so torn on my review for this book. There were some parts that I really enjoyed and felt myself not being able to turn the pages fast enough. During those times I felt lost in the story, you know that feeling you get when you are reading and dont even realize you are reading. You are just lost and enjoying every second of it. Then we would move back to Diana's current life and I felt like I got yanked out of the story and had to trudge my way through that part until we got back to the part of her past life. I had a hard time with her decisions and the person that she was.

I was so, so hesitant to pick up this book -- it sat on my "give feedback" shelf for quite a while and I was inexplicably put-off by the idea of reading a book about the covid-19 pandemic. Don't let the same thing happen to you; pick up this book immediately.

Diana and her boyfriend, Finn, are planning to leave for a vacation when covid-19 first starts infiltrating America. Cases in the single and double digits, but fear rising, and Finn eventually ends up staying in NYC where he practices as a doctor to help with the influx of patients. Diana ends up going on the trip alone and goes through a journey of her own. Each individual experiences the pandemic in a different way, and Diana gets glimpses of what life is like back in NYC through Finn's stories.

Jodi Picoult's writing is pure magic. I loved the conversations and details about art, I fell in love with Beatriz and all the nature scenes, and I so, so regret not having picked this book up sooner.

Many, many thanks to Jodi Picoult, Random House -- Ballantine, and NetGalley for this ARC (and for patience with me!)

Jodi Picoult absolutely nailed it with this book. Her research was impeccable, her characters were realistic -vulnerable, flawed yet relatable, and the story just blew my mind.
Jodi brought all the fears, pain, worries, loneliness and reality of the COVID lockdown in March 2020 into this novel. No one knew what to expect - we didn't know if we would be infected, if our families would feel the effects, or need hospitalization in the face of overwhelming numbers of victims. And I think that Jodi Picoult captured the mood of the world and the nation in this book. She also acknowledged the realities of healthcare workers at the onset of the pandemic and recognized them as the real heroes.

I loved the way she integrated her research into the story. It did make me add Galapagos onto my Bucket list - and I found it amazing that she brought the islands into the novel since it was where Darwin developed his theory of evolution (and no one knew the evolution of COVID at that time).

I think that Jodi Picoult did a great job showing how the pandemic forced Diana to re-evaluate her life, and priorities, her relationships and choices and eventually the goals that she had - and realize what really matters in life. I think that a lot of us did the same thing and it changed who we are and how we interact with the world.
The author's note describe her research and I found it fascinating that she would tackle this subject while we are in the midst of another variant of COVID. But we all have an experience with COVID and I appreciate that she focused on it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book. The opinions are purely my own and I appreciate the opportunity to express them

I’ve nor read a lot of Jodi Picoult’s work, but the ones I’ve have (including this) have been so beautifully and realistically written, they always pull at all my emotions! The writing, while beautiful, it’s also brutal in its honest and often unflinching writing! It really makes you think about the subject and brings forth a lot of emotions! I think all should be required to read her books, especially ones like this that really hit home some important things! If you’re a Picoult fan, this one is a must, if you’re not a fan, I’m positive this one will make you one! Be prepared with tissue though!

Diana O’Toole is an art specialist for Sotheby’s in New York City and is thrilled to see her career taking off. Her boyfriend Finn, a doctor finishing up his residency, appears to be preparing to propose during their upcoming vacation to the Galapagos Islands. They’re checking all the boxes on the life together they’ve hoped and planned for.

And the date is March 13, 2020.

Jodi Picoult has mastered the novelist’s art of creating believable, complex characters and then dropping them into a world of hurt. At the last minute Finn has to stay in New York as hospitals gear up for an influx of Covid patients, but he suggests Diana make the trip on her own. She arrives on Isabela Island in the Galapagos, just as the island is shutting down and every other tourist is rushing to get home. Diana impulsively decides to stay on Isabela, reasoning that the emergency order is probably a short-term situation, and she wants a bit of an adventure.

Wish You Were Here is one of the first novels to take on the pandemic, something not every reader may be ready for yet or ever. Picoult doesn’t pull any punches in her description of the situation in New York hospitals that spring. With spotty to nonexistent internet service on Isabela Island, Finn’s emails to Diana don’t always get through, but when they do, they make it clear that Covid is taking a devastating toll on patients as well as the mental health of doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff.

In the meantime, Diana has been taken in by an older woman, known simply as Abuela, or Grandmother. She’s soon caught up in the family problems of Abuela’s son Gabriel and his teenage daughter Beatriz. Unable to get internet service, she writes postcards to Finn with no idea when or if he’ll ever receive them. (My one quibble with this set-up is that Picoult has Diana writing lengthy epistles to Finn that wouldn’t fit on even an oversized postcard. But the book is so fascinating that I have to let that go.)

Fans of Jodi Picoult will know to expect plot twists, so no spoilers here. This smart and timely novel will win and break hearts.

In 2020, we became part of a world that experienced a pandemic unprecedented in our time and with our technological advances.


Wish You Were Here captures the rawness of the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that allows the reader to experience the pandemic from the perspective of others. We all isolated and experienced the pandemic differently and it’s not something we talk about, until now.

Picoult weaves the desire for perfection in life, vacation, and turmoil into the panic stricken, reality of a real life event, and I’m better for reading it.

I have read every single one of Jodi Picoult's books, and Wish You Were Here is no different. I loved every moment of it. Picoult is known for her famous plot twists and she didn't disappoint. Wish You Were Here was a tough read as someone who spent the 2020 lockdown in NYC and experienced those same never ending ambulance sirens, but Picoult takes care with the subject. Great read, highly recommend.

Reading the new Jodi Picoult novel was a unique experience because it is historical fiction set in the very recent past, New York City early 2020 when COVID hit.

Now you may be thinking “I am not ready to read a novel about COVID” and I can understand that but I would still ask you to consider because this novel offers some perspective that most of us didn’t have, and it’s also just a really good read.

Plus it’s already set to be on Netflix as a feature film!

Diana is on track to meet all of her life goals with her career and personal life, including an impending engagement to a surgical resident at a NYC hospital. She expects this engagement during their upcoming trip to the Galapagos. But this is early 2020 and the virus is hitting NYC hard. Finn can’t go on the trip so she goes alone. What I liked about this book is 1) first-hand perspective from those first weeks at the slammed hospitals in NYC when everything about COVID was new to all of us (the week the country shut down). Also a reader gets perspective and literary travel to the Galapagos which seems to be a million miles away.

I can’t say more about this story; it takes some unexpected turns. I enjoyed the book and recommend it! I’m also excited to see what Netflix does with it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wish you were here is so good I ordered it as holiday gifts for my friends. I am a fan of Jodi Picoult’s books and this one did not disappoint. I’m not going to give anything away about the story other than to say it is relative to our recent struggles, thought provoking and very hard to put down. Don’t miss this one

What a timely book! The story centers around the Covid 19 crisis that we all living through today. It is one of the earliest books to come out and truly describe the horror and interruption of life that the Pandemic has created.
It's a story of a young woman attempting to find herself when confronted with an illness over which she has no control. What remained with me was the vivid and realistic description of life in a hospital after being on a ventilator. If you've only read about it in the newspaper, this book will certainly bring it home and make the suffering real. The love story juxtaposed against the backdrop of the health crisis was secondary to the effect of the toll of Covid. Excellent read capturing the world today-