I don't read Jodi Picoult all the time but when i do it makes wonder why. In Wish you were here she writes a story about whats in the news right now which is covid -19. Takes place in New York City in the early stages of the pandemic. What I Iike about it she doesn't sugarcoat it. The good, bad, and ugly. The loneliness, fear, compassion, and the humanity. This book might be difficult for some who have been affected but I would still recommend reading it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for a honest review.

Diana is right on track. She has a fabulous job, a wonderful boyfriend and her plan for life is right on schedule. She has a big trip to the Galápagos Islands planned with her boyfriend. But the pandemic has hit and he must stay at the hospital. He tells her to go anyway. Diana goes to the Galápagos. But, as soon as she gets there the island shuts down and she can’t get home and has little access to phone service or internet. So, she is trapped.

At first, I was not a true fan of Diana. She is a bit focused on her plan for life and there will be no detours! But, her time in the Galápagos changes her and her out look on life. She finally realizes what is important.

Ok! I don’t want to give anything away…this is such a unique read. I absolutely loved the Galápagos Islands. I enjoyed all of Diana’s adventures touring the caves and the volcanoes. I truly could picture all the wildlife. This is now on my bucket list! Then…the story turns on a dime.

Jody Picoult has done it again! This is a book you will not soon forget…and that twist in the middle! Just know…not all is as it seems!

Need a fabulous book which takes you in a very usual adventure…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really went back and forth with how I felt about this one. Going into reading it, I wasn't sure I was ready for a Covid novel. I wasn't sure I would *ever* be ready for a Covid novel, but I figured I would give it a try. As some other reviewers mentioned, I really struggled with the first half of the book. As I had feared, it felt like a replaying of all the events and collective feelings that we lived through in the early months of the pandemic, and it all felt a little too soon and too real for me. Beyond that, I couldn't get into Diana's story of trying to survive on the Galapagos.

And then came the second half of the book. Without giving anything away, this was much different than the first, and to me, much more interesting. I found myself finally invested in Diana's story, and I learned a lot about a topic I didn't know about. In the end, I didn't love this but I didn't hate it. Picoult's writing is as beautiful as ever, but the Covid narrative was too much for me.

A big Thank You to Penguin Random House and to Netgalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Life happens when you least expect it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a blueprint in your back pocket.”

Jodi Picoult is now one of my favorite authors to turn to for provocative reading! This book was very timely amidst the COVID Pandemic.

Diana O'Toole has her life all mapped out: married by 30 to her doctor boyfriend, having a couple kids by 35, and having a successful career in the art auction world. She doesn't have the ring yet, but she's certain that she's going to get one on their upcoming trip to the Galápagos Islands that they booked months before.

But then the COVID-19 Pandemic begins and New York begins going into lockdown. Finn has to stay behind and help with the imcoming COVID cases, but assures her to go on to the Galápagos without him.

But once she arrives in Ecuador, she's met with nothing but problems, her baggage is lost, and the island she visits goes into quarantine, leaving her stranded with no room and board, and no knowledge of speaking Spanish. A local family take pity on her and allow her to stay with them until the borders reopen. There she confides in a young teenage girl, and her suspicious father of her fears.

I won't tell you what happens next, but I can assure you. It left my head spinning!

Highly recommended!!

Wish You Were Here is the first story I’ve read that deals with COVID in it’s plot. Personally, I didn’t mind reading about lock down and quarantine because it has been long enough for me that it doesn’t bring me to a bad mental space. I would NOT recommend this book if anything COVID or quarantine is triggering to you. What I liked about this book is the though provoking ideas it brought up like realism, regrets, unexplained medical theories and an insight into being a medical professional fighting COVID first hand. What I didn’t love about this book is that the first half of the book and the second half of the book were completely different. I also am not a fan of incredibly long chapters, which this book had. Overall, I didn’t love the book but I also didn’t hate the book. My first impression rating would be a 3/5 stars since I kept wanting to finish the book but went through periods of not enjoying what I was reading. I think this book, however, will stick with me due to the content which is always a plus for books.

2/5 stars. I've tried for months to get through this full book, but I'm finally calling it quits. I've read everything that Jodi Picoult has ever published, good, bad, and ugly, but this one just didn't do it for me. Part of the trouble for me was the subject matter- since we're still in the pandemic, still in the middle of COVID, still losing people every single day, it's hard to dive into fiction about the pandemic when it's still our reality. I will definitely try this one again in a few months.


EDIT 12/14- sure enough, I went back and read this in ONE. SINGLE. DAY. I think this is the type of book you really need to be in the right headspace to read- COVID is still so real and still so much a part of our lives that it' still hard to revisit the trauma we're still experiencing. That said, I think this is probably my favourite Picoult book yet.

I really enjoyed this book, I could resonate so much with Jodi's writing about covid - I could relate to the feelings and thoughts of Diana.

I've read many good reviews of this and I have to say that the book did not disappoint and it completely lived up to its reputation. The plot was incredibly unique and original. There was suspense and some twists. It was heartfelt and so relatable as we live in the midst of a terrible pandemic. This was the first book I've read that really delved into some of the side effects of covid and I actually learned a lot that I didn't know about it. I was deeply touched by the protagonist and the many quandaries she faced and her confusion about her time as a patient. This was above an beyond excellence in fiction and I will be recommending it to library patrons.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and Jodi Picoult for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I fell in love with Jodi's writing after my mom introduced me to her books in high school. Being my mom's favorite author, there was a lot of hype! But reading her books lived up to the hype. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning. I was in a bit of a reading slump, and this one pulled me right out of it! I finished it in a day! The twist took me completely by surprise, and I am in NEED of discussing it with other readers! Thank you Jodi for another great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for an advanced copy of this book! I'll admit it: I was incredibly hesitant to read this book knowing it takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially considering that we're still very much living through the pandemic. I love Jodi Picoult as much as the next white lady, but it gave me pause. However! This was a good book. It seemed very well-researched, it had good character development, I loved learning more about the Galapagos and the art world. Reading Finn's emails about the first responder POV during the early days of the pandemic was gut-wrenching and resurfaced a lot of my early Covid anxieties, but I do feel like Picoult handled it deftly and thoughtfully. Her author's note also shared some helpful insights into her research and writing process. I will likely preface any convo I have about this book with friends with a big fat "BUT!", but I did enjoy reading it and I devoured it pretty quickly.

Picoult’s latest novel addresses the world we are currently living in. The author tackles the covid pandemic and the realities of people surviving or dying, hospitals overwhelmed, and the toll on everyone because of the pervasive spread of the virus. This is the story of Diana O’Toole, a 29-year-old woman who is on track to meet all her personal goals. She has the perfect boyfriend, a job with hopes of advancement and a planned trip to the Galapagos with Finn, who happens to be a surgical resident.

Just as they are preparing to leave, Finn gets called in to the hospital and told he cannot leave for any reason. New York City is just starting to become a hotspot for the covid outbreak. Because the tickets are non-refundable, Finn tells Diana that she should go by herself and have a good time. But with the swift progression of the pandemic, she gets stranded in the Galapagos, just as everything shuts down. This leads her to reevaluate her goals, her life and her priorities. Though communication with home is sporadic, Finn manages to email her with detailed accounts of a hospital in crisis and staff struggling to do their best.

Picoult has clearly researched what happens in ICU rooms: how patients are treated, how a life can become suspended. At the end of the novel she shares how deeply the pandemic affected her personally and how she communicated with survivors who had long-term effects. She strove to come to an understanding of the changes in their lives and attitudes.

This book faces the impact on patients in a personal way. All of us have been living this nightmare that is still ongoing. Books like this may help us better understand the deep emotional consequences that so many continue to struggle with.

This book was amazing and 30% in I wasn't too happy with where it was going cause you know pandemic and I get claustrophobic. So being stuck in a vacation spot no matter how gorgeous if you have no amenities and everything is closed you are still stuck.

But there was this interesting wake up call to it, that this pandemic also has brought to our attention. To think about what is important. To reevaluate and to slow down. We have all been moving so fast through our lives or being pushed that we haven't been allowed to live.

I don't want to say too much about the major symptom that she brought up in the book cause it gave me chills, but read it.

And I have been googling and seeing nothing on this. I want to hear more about this! How have we not heard anything about this if it is happening to people?

I felt chapters 15, 16 and 17 in my soul. I have def felt all of that.

OMG after reading this book I looked up at the tv and my husband was watching the news and it said 800,000 dead. I'm like 😭 my heart breaks for all of these families and there are still people that don't think that it's a big deal. My husband's second cousin was sick with early onset dementia in a nursing home in NJ and contracted covid in March of 2020 and passed so quickly I don't think his wife got a chance to see him. She also lost her father in that same month.

The author's note was perfection too! I can't even cut and paste it, it's too long but it made me teary. If we don't make historical records of these events, are we doomed to repeat them again or to not take them seriously when they do.

Thank you penguinrandomhouse and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I never intended to read a novel set during the pandemic or with plot points related to the pandemic, but something about Wish You Were Here called to me. I just had to read it. The cover is gorgeous, the blurb captures the story's main plot perfectly, and well, it's Jodi Picoult, we all know she knows how to write. What really grabbed my attention though, was the idea of examining where life is at and how Picoult just felt she had to write this. Diana felt like someone I needed to know, her journey felt like something I needed to go on, so off I went and boy am I grateful I picked this up.

The pandemic marks a shift in everyone's life, whether it's an emotional shift, a career shift, or one of just general life examination. Diana thought she'd been through the worst, but the pandemic and her adventure to the Galapagos Islands makes her realize that the worst is yet to come and that only she owns her fate. I related to Diana so much; it's so easy to think that life is mapped out and that we're on the path to whatever we deem is the best thing for us, but it's not always really right. What we planned at twenty or felt pre-destined for may be due to outside influence or just are no longer right for you as you and your world change. Her examinations into her relationships, her family, her past, and her future felt just like the times I have gone through those same self examinations and I loved the reality of this novel. It may be a fiction, but Diana felt real and her journey to discover her true life path is just beautiful and epic.

Wish You Were Here is a gorgeous tale, one filled with sparkling water, a handsome tour guide, and a young girl that allows Diana to see just what really matters in her life. Of course, it isn't all beautiful and fun, the pandemic is jarring; Picoult captured those first few weeks of uncertainty so perfectly that I felt that same anxiety again as I realized doors really were closing around us. The pain of loss and of the unknown are explored so well in this novel, I could feel the isolation that Diana felt and my eyes dripped with tears when hers did. Even with the most difficult topics being covered, Wish You Were Here is the book that I'm so thankful I read to revisit the turmoil of 2020.

I’ll start off by saying that I’ve only read a small handful of books by the popular bestselling author, Jodi Picoult. I believe her latest, Wish You Were Here is book number three for me. Her storytelling truly is extraordinary, and I always appreciate her fearless ability to tackle subjects and themes that others may shy away from. Whether they be controversial, political, medical, or based on current affairs, Picoult embraces such events like no other. It’s no shock to me whatsoever that she chose the current Covid-19 pandemic as a backdrop in her latest novel; and in my opinion, she nailed it. I can see how reading this book might be triggering for some. If you’ve lost a friend, family member, or loved one to Covid-19, I’d probably wait a little while to read this one. The wound is probably still too fresh. I was flooded with memories from the early days of the pandemic. Picoult paints a vivid and precise picture of what life was like in March of 2020; the confusion, the fear, and the heartbreak. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say that there is a little twist to the story, and I liked it. It was completely unexpected, shocking, and made perfect sense in the end. I was left completely satisfied, and quite impressed with this novel. Bravo, Jodi Picoult. Bravo! 4/5 stars for Wish You Were Here!

This book really grabbed my attention from the beginning. I found the premise of being stranded on a tiny island during the start of the pandemic absolutely riveting. I would give the first half of this book five stars without question. BUT - once the big twist was revealed and the story/setting abruptly changed, I was less invested, and more anxious/annoyed. I found the details about covid and recovering very intense and somewhat depressing (maybe it's just too soon) and I was incredibly disappointed with the ending. I felt that the characters made decisions that felt...out of character and just really didn't sit well with me.

The story irritated me halfway through and continued to do so. If it weren’t for the first half I wouldn’t have continued hoping for something better. However there is no doubt that Picoult is one hell of a writer.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.

Thanks to @netgalley and for my gifted copy of Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Picoult. I am in the minority about this review from what I’ve seen, but I am not a fan of this book. In Wish You Were Here, Diana and her doctor boyfriend Finn are supposed to go on a vacation to the Galapagos Islands, but a virus (covid-19) breaks out, and Finn must stay behind to help care for patients. I don’t want to say a lot because of spoilers, but this book goes into great detail about what doctors went through in Spring 2020, along with what New York City was like during the lockdown. If you aren’t prepared for that, this book will hit you hard. The writing is very detailed. In addition, I thought some of Diana’s actions in the beginning of the book were very, very selfish. After all, several airlines and hotels made it easy to move trips, and this trip likely could’ve been rescheduled.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think it needs to be said. I have even more thoughts about the second half of the book, but I’ll share those privately if you want to chat about this book in DM’s.

#wishyouwerehere #jodipicoult #bookreview #bookreviewer

This is the first book I have read where the pandemic is front and center in the plot. In all honesty, I felt it was too much too soon. There are letters that Finn writes Diana from the hospital that are incredibly detailed about patients suffering from, and dying from, coronavirus. They honestly gave me anxiety and I imagine if you work in health care, they would be very triggering. I withheld judgement until the end, but it just wasn't the book for me. Not just because of the pandemic plotline, but the story felt one dimensional and really bored me. Harsh, but true.


I will say, there is a twist that surprised me. But that was probably the only high point for me. And I'm all for the message of living each day to its fullest, but the message truly felt lost in the details of the pandemic. It just overshadowed everything about this story. I know, deep down, Picoult wanted to depict this story of a woman who had her entire life planned out, only to find the pandemic threw a wrench into it and made her realize that wasn't what she wanted. As well as a message of minimalism and what truly matters in life. I get that and I love that message, but it was completely lost.


There are also several content/trigger warnings to be aware of going in: including self-harm, attempted suicide, death of a loved one, and detailed depictions of COVID-19 scenes in the hospital setting.


All thoughts are my own. Who knows, you may like this one. I've seen reviews on both ends of the spectrum. Read and judge for yourself.

The plot twist was one of the most shocking I have ever encountered. The plot was a bit slow before the twist and some of it was flippant. However, the twist made the story. I wish I could say more but you will have to read it yourself. Very Covid heavy so be aware.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I didn't really read the synopsis for Wish You Were Here before going about reading it. I saw the name Jodi Picoult and knew immediately I was going to read this either way so why bother? Well, you might want to since you definitely need to know that it is very heavily about the virus our world is currently tackling, and it is an extremely surreal experience to be reading about it when it is still happening. That being said, there is a lot more going on in the book than just that, and despite the sadness of Diana being isolated on an island away from her boyfriend in the middle of a pandemic, the setting of the Galápagos was simply breathtaking. I loved that we got so many wonderful descriptions of it in addition to all the tough subjects Picoult tackles, and she made me really want to go there!

The audiobook is narrated by Marin Ireland and I had to take a listen since I heard Wish You Were Here was a bit of a slow mover. I don't regret this choice, and I thought Ireland was the perfect person to be the voice of Diana as well as enjoying her all-around excellent narration. The book is interspersed with emails and postcards between Diana and Finn which was a nice touch, and I also loved that I got to learn a bit about art through Diana's character working for Sotheby's. I don't know if I would call this a page-turner per se, but it had very consistent pacing and I wasn't once bored while reading it. I could definitely see myself doing a reread of this at some point and reading the physical copy I bought. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I was immediately drawn in by it being so eye-catching. In true Picoult fashion Wish You Were Here is going to make you think, make you laugh, and leave you in tears, and that combined with a major twist made this a terrific read and a real winner for me!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.