How you feel about Wish You Were Here will be almost completely dependent on whether you feel ready for a deep-dive into living through the early months of the COVID pandemic via fiction. For me, my overriding response was — it’s too soon. And I suspect many readers will feel this way as well.

In Wish You Were Here, Diana has a career on the cusp of a huge success, a wonderful boyfriend, and a life carefully planned out. Then COVID happens. Diana and her boyfriend Finn had a dream vacation to the Galapagos planned for March 2020, when the book opens. But Finn, a resident at a New York hospital, has his time off cancelled as the virus begins to escalate and New York moves into crisis mode. Since the vacation was already paid for, Finn insists that Diana go anyway, and she agrees.

As Diana arrives at her destination, she’s moving against the flow. Tourists are scrambling to get the last ferry back as the island Diana is heading toward closes down. Still, she’s there already, with a prepaid hotel reservation. Might as well keep going! When she arrives, though, even the hotel has closed, the town seems to be shut down, and Diana — without her luggage, with minimal cash, and no knowledge of Spanish — is stranded.

But as time passes, with only spotty cell reception and inconsistent access to Wi-fi, Diana finds refuge with a local woman and her family, a troubled teen girl and the girl’s father Gabriel, a former tour guide. As this family takes Diana under their wing, she finds connection with them, and grows to love her time on the island, even as she becomes increasingly disturbed by her inability to contact Finn, only occasionally getting email downloads that include his frantic, troubled descriptions of working day and night in the heart of a crisis.

This book is… a lot. Finn’s emails are just too real — I had family members working in New York hospitals in the thick of things last year, and re-experiencing the description of the crisis via fiction is difficult and unpleasant. Not to say that Jodi Picoult is any less than the terrific storyteller she always is — just that there’s way too much realism in this book to make it work as an escape of any sort.

I enjoyed the descriptions of life in the Galapagos, although I marveled at Diana’s incredibly poor decision-making, especially deciding to go forward with staying on the island while every other tourist with sense was leaving. She was fortunate to find people willing to help her, and I couldn’t help but doubt that in real life, things would have gone as smoothly as they did.

There is a twist, and it’s a BIG one, at about 60%… and I don’t know why I was so surprised. I mean, I HAVE read Jodi Picoult books before. I should have remembered that there’s always a twist. I didn’t see this one coming, and it’s a doozy… and I won’t say anything further about it or talk about the rest of the book, because I think it’s worth reading this book in as unspoiled a state as possible. (That said, I imagine that many reviews will spoil the twist up front, so I recommend avoiding those or proceeding with caution.)

Wish You Were Here is in many ways a rumination on finding joy in life, in being present, and about learning and reconnecting with what truly matters. In the heart of a pandemic, in a time with fear running rampant and isolation a key factor of life, it’s connections and purpose and love that matter, not the next meeting or work project or purchase. All this is encapsulated in Diana’s experiences, and while none of her revelations are earth-shatteringly new, they’re still presented in a way that feels affirming and hopeful.

As I said, for me, Wish You Were Here was too current to make for an enjoyable reading experience. The details on experiencing COVID, from the perspectives of health care workers and survivors and families of people who lost their lives, feel ripped from the headlines — and that, I think, is where I struggled with this book. I’ve spent the past year and half reading the newspapers and watching coverage and being inundated with COVID discussions; reading fiction with the same subject is not at all relaxing.

Maybe if this book were to be handed to me in five years, I might feel differently. As of now, despite the book being highly readable and the fact that I was interested in the characters and how their lives would turn out, I can’t say that I’m glad to have read it. Mostly, it felt like a return to a recent bad dream, and I struggled at times to stick with it — not because it’s not well-written (it most assuredly is), but because I’m just not ready to receive COVID stories as entertainment, no matter how seriously it’s presented or how good the intentions.

As I wrote at the start, I think for each reader, it’ll come down to a question of whether it’s too soon to read a COVID novel. For me, it was. Your mileage may vary.

Wow. Not sure how to rate this, so I'll give a few points as I can't give too much away about the story.
1. The twist will make you go "wait....WHAT???"
2. Picoult is such a gifted writer
3. So many triggers as the entire book is about covid.
4. Medical professionals are angels on earth
Thank you Netgalley for this advanced preview. I also wrote about this book here
https://m.facebook.com/groups/839826529500443/permalink/2056771114472639/

From my blog: Always With a Book:

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by Jodi Picoult, but as soon as I heard about this one I knew I had to read it…and I was not disappointed. Yes, it’s about the pandemic but you know that going in if you read the synopsis but in true Jodi Picoult form, it’s so much more than that.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read the deals with the pandemic, but it most definitely is the first one that really made me emotional. I live just outside NYC and have friends that are in the medical profession who work there and this one hit close to home in that respect. The emotional toll that those frontline workers went through during the early wave of this pandemic was so clearly drawn through Finn’s character as a medical resident.

This book takes you on quite an emotional journey and is incredibly thought-provoking. If you aren’t ready to tackle a book that deals with all the feelings that the pandemic will bring up, this isn’t the book for you, but if you are ready to go back to those early days when there was so much fear and little was known about what would happen or how long it would all last, then definitely give this one a go. It’s definitely the type of book that you are going to want to read and think about and then chat about with someone and I’m so glad that my online bookclub, #mommaleighellensbookclub, has selected this as one of our December picks.

There is so much more I want to say about this book, but to do so would be to spoil it and I will not do that. Just know that this book is incredibly researched and layered with emotion. The author has such an uncanny ability to put you right back where you were during such an uncertain time and make you feel all those hard emotions – anxiety, fear, isolation – and while this is a fictional story, it feels so real. She also doesn’t just make this about the pandemic but about finding yourself and that is the beauty of this book. I highly recommend reading this one if and when you are ready for it.

Thank you you NetGalley for the ARC copy of Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.
I normally live Jodi Picoult stories, but out of all of them I think this is my least favorite so far. As always it is well written, but this story just seemed desperate to be one of the first ones about covid on the market. It wasn’t the emotional tug of war that her books normally are. While she was well informed about the science and medical parts of covid, the islands, and about the art world, that’s basically most of the story. To me there wasn’t much else to it.

Picoult has a way of painting a picture, and this novel was no exception to that. I felt like I could envision all of the details of the Galapagos! The first half of this book was an easy five stars, I fell in love with the characters and felt their frustration, their sadness, their joy, etc. About halfway through the story takes a big twist, which I won't mention of course and I found the remainder intriguing as well, but the story slowed down A LOT for me in the second half.

Overall, this was a great book with some amazing imagery, set in our very real world.

Simply stated, brilliant. This author takes you on a journey to the Galápagos Islands. She also takes you on a journey to the front line hospital workers during the initial Covid breakout. This story left me breathless and hopeful. I never suspected the twist. Which are the best surprises in books. Jodi Picoult has a unique, fascinating mind that I’m glad she shares with us.

I wasn't sure I was ready to read a book about the pandemic in which we are currently living, but once I picked up Wish You Were Here, I couldn't put it down. I was drawn into the story between Julia and Finn and how the pandemic was affecting both of them. This is not a book where COVID-19 is in the background. Rather, the pandemic is a main character in this story.

If you are at all triggered by COVID-19, do not pick up this book. However, if you are at a place where you can read about how life changed for everyone in March 2020, read on. This book accurately describes how life was like at the beginning of the pandemic. We wiped down groceries and quarantined mail because we just didn't know. It took me back to that time and the realization that life still isn't back to normal.

Reading about Finn, who works in a hospital in New York, and the fatigue he feels, the despair with working with COVID patients, is tough. The book is heavy, but in a way that feels like growth and hope. I don't want to give too much away, but it is very well written (especially considering how fast it must have been put together given the timeline!).

This was a timely moving story that beautifully captures a variety of perspectives on the Covid-19 pandemic. While that is a topical thread running through it, this novel is focused more on relationships. Those gained, and lost and how to find your way through to your authentic self. The twist in the middle is shocking and helps set up the 2nd half of the story. Thanks NetGalley and Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.@NetGalley @randomhouseca @jodipicoult

This book is absolutely one of my top reads for 2021! I just love Jodi’s writing, her last 2 books have been so good and it took me a day to read each of them. I really need to read her older books, because I’m sure I will love them as well.

Without giving too much away, Wish You Were Here is about the pandemic and let me just say that this was a very interesting story. I didn’t expect the second half of the book, it really threw me for a loop! But it ended exactly perfect for me. I had many different emotions throughout the book, it was just so good!!

Fabulous story of Finn and Diana and their relationship just as the pandemic was beginning. Diana knows Finn’s going to propose but he has to stay for his internship because people are dropping like flies. Diana continues on their paid for trip and she is on Galapagos’ when the world shuts down and is not able to get back.
Diana meets people that changes her thoughts about what living is really about.

Jodi picoult is such an amazing author and I literally feel like each time she releases a book - it’s my birthday and I can’t wait to read her stories. She has a way of bringing current events into life and makes you believe and feel in the narrator.

Content warning for this book: COVID-19 topics.

Prolific author Jodi Picoult has done it again. Wish You Were Here dives right in to the early days of the COVID-19 crisis in New York City. While working my way through the early chapters I had the feeling that the storyline was predictable and simple. I could not have been more wrong.

Wish You Were Here took me on an emotional ride that I was not expecting. Picoult crafted a beautiful story with complicated characters and layered meaning. It may be too soon for some to read this book, with so many people coping with COVID-19 tragedy. But if you are ready, I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

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So it turns out this is actually my first Jodi Picoult but it definitely won't be my last! I absolutely flew through this one!!

And I will say that, depending on how you're currently feeling about the pandemic, this is a book you'll probably either love or hate. If you're still processing 2020, this might not be the book for you. I really enjoyed seeing the pandemic from the pov of the trenches (so to speak) and I think that actually helped me process this even more? Even though I have lived through this pandemic, it almost felt like reading this from an outsider perspective. There were things I identified with but also many pieces that I had never really stopped and considered before this book forced me to.

Not being a healthcare worker, I hadn't really thought about what it must have been like in all those hospitals throughout the world, particularly at the beginning. And I'm really, REALLY glad Picoult took the time to research and interview and write about that. So much misinformation was spread at the beginning of the pandemic (and, let's be real, is still being spread) that to hear it from ~the horse's mouth was almost... a relief. It made everything feel more real and almost made that terrible year make sense.

So I loved this book for that. And I really appreciated all of that information and that viewpoint. But my favorite parts of this book were the bits at the Galápagos. And Gabriel was definitely my favorite character. (Diana honestly drove me up the wall and when we were just stuck with her, without a distraction, I enjoyed this a little less.)

The twist in this book was FANTASTIC as was the ending. I honestly cannot recommend this one enough!!! It was honestly one of my favorite reads of the year! I'll definitely be grabbing a copy to add to my shelves and I hope to revisit this one in a few years. So, so good!! Please, read this one!

And thank you so much to both NetGalley and Libro.fm for allowing me to read/listen to this book in exchange for an honest review!

I DNF'd this one. I couldn't get past the stupidity of the MC, and the errors on the medical issues (just to be clear I'm in the medical profession, so I know). I'm usually willing to allow literary license in some areas, but from the start when a resident (a Dr. in training) performs a tracheotomy when an anesthesiologist (an actual M.D.) is present was so ludicrous I couldn't continue.

This is an outstanding book. I initially put off reading it because I wasn’t sure I was ready to read about the pandemic yet. Once I started reading I was immersed in the book. The “Picoult twist” in the middle took me by surprise, as it was intended. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Diana and Finn have a plan for their careers and their lives. Diane works for Sotheby’s and Finn is a surgical intern at a hospital in NYC.

They have planned a trip to the Galápagos Islands down to the last day. When people start getting sick from Covid, Finn can’t take vacation because the hospital is filling up fast. He tells Diana to go, and she does, arriving just as the islands shut down for quarantine.

Her hotel is closed and she ends up renting a room. There’s no cash, so she barters using quick sketches as currency. She meets a young girl and becomes her confidant, and gets very close with her father Gabriel. Email is spotty, but she gets communications from Finn about the severity of the pandemic so she’s slightly informed. She’s removed from reality as she knows it, and it forces her to examining her choices.

Gabriel says to her “You can’t move forward without losing something” and that quote made me think about the changes Covid has wrought. Some of them may be temporary, some permanent, it’s too early to tell what we’ve lost as we’ve moved forward from a global pandemic. He was talking about an animal on the Galapagos, the cradle of evolutionary theory, but it applies as a general theory too.

This was a tremendously moving book, I think everyone will find something personal to relate to. 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read so many Jodi Picoult books in high school, during the time of juicy couture tracksuits, going out tops, and low rise jeans. So let’s assume the last time I read anything by her was around 2006.
This book is so different than her writing that I remember, there were no Amish teens or kids being born to provide bone marrow. But, in typical Jodi Picoult fashion, she hits on current issues, Wish You Were Here takes place during the height of the pandemic.
Half of this book felt like such a departure from my expectations based on previous experience with her work, and then the second half was comfortably familiar. It hits that poignant issue while still being sensitive. It was so well done, the concept was weird but in a good way.
Jodi Picoult does emotional depth like no one else, but I can’t say much more because this book is so unique I’m scared to post anything that could spoil it. But, I do wish that at the end it came out that the trip to the Galapagos was inspired by Schitt’s creek.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is the book I needed to read after more than a year of frightening uncertainty. What started as an interesting story about coping with being stranded alone in another country during a pandemic lock down shifted to exploring important relationships with others -- family, friends, co-workers, lovers, caregivers and strangers.

The characters were fully developed and increasingly became more real to me as the story progressed. The book was impossible to put down after the unexpected u-turn in Part 2. The best part was the introspection about what matters most to us and the tough decisions and changes needed to make that happen in our lives. The Epilogue brought the story to a satisfying close, but the Author's Note was the part I liked best. I predict this book will be another bestseller for this amazing author.

I love Jodi Picoult’s books and looked forward to reading this one. While I really did not like the major plot twist in this book, I still enjoyed it. Part of the reason I didn’t enjoy the twist is that I enjoyed that angle of the novel a lot. I’m trying to review this without a spoiler.

Thank you Jodi Picoult for creating a wonderful story filled with many enjoyable characters. Happy Reading!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher ~ Thank you ~ !! This is my honest and personal review.

Man. I wanted to throw my kindle at 60% but I’m glad I kept going. I was really enjoying it and it’s hard to not spoil anything but I can say it was a good way to tell a Covid story. If you’re ready for a Covid story. Maybe a little too soon but ir was my first Jodi picoult book and it definitely won’t be my last. The audio narration was fantastic as well.