I think it’s safe to describe every Jodi Picoult novel I’ve ever read as gut-wrenching. Wish You Were Here by Picoult is no different. The minute I began reading, I was reminded of how Picoult creates this magic. It’s her beautiful writing style that easily helps the reader capture the setting and quickly places the reader in the story amongst deeply understandable characters. I found the Galapagos story and setting a fascinating escape, and was incredibly surprised by the twist. The protagonist’s emotions and story were so intricately woven that I know my book-hangover will stick around for a bit. .

Similar to other Picoult novels, Wish You Were Here comes with many TW’s including Covid. Make certain to review those before reading. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Posted on Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon as Lyrically Literary
Instagram handle: @lyrically.literary
The review will be posted on November 28th and November 30th (release day).

“…the world changes between heartbeats…”
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was a must-read for me. What an honor to have been able to receive an ARC from Random House!

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and in true Picoult fashion, this book didn’t let me down. Characteristic of a Picoult read, I learned a lot while reading this book! I love that she always makes readers think, often presents varying sides to difficult topics, and does impeccable research that results in a greater knowledge for the reader often on many different things! I learned things I didn’t know about COVID, the business of art, and other experienced phenomena I didn’t even know about until reading but can’t wait to discuss with others who have read this book too! The most important lesson I learned though is the importance of presence and prioritization in life. I really connected with the main character, Diana, as she experiences fears that many of us have had over the past year and ones many could only imagine.

This book may seem “too soon” for some as many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are explored, but I felt like it was extremely relatable most often as I was able to connect with the thoughts and emotions of uncertainty, confusion, worry, and growth that have characterized much of this past year for me. It was a bit surreal to see it in writing; kind of like listening to a sad song after a hard breakup and finding comfort in knowing others have felt the same way. I really enjoy that this book doesn’t fit into a trope and the unfolding of the story was completely unexpected but so meaningful! Enjoy this real, raw, and beautiful story about finding yourself, resiliency, and living in the moment.
Release day is November 30th! Preorder now!

Content Warning: This book discusses COVID-19 throughout, so if you aren’t ready for an exploration of this topic it may be best to wait to read.

4.5

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Ballantine Books for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took my breath away. It's probably one of my favorites of the year. This book felt so real and so close to home. We are all dealing with this pandemic and it's like we were following it all over again. The timeline of events, what the news was saying, how we can all look back and know where we were when the world shut down.

This is a story about a woman named Diana who worked for one of the leading auction houses in the world. When the pandemic hits her and her boyfriend Finn, (a surgeon in a New York hospital) are about to set off for the Galapagos Islands for a two week vacation. Finn is now unable to go and sends Diana off on her own for the vacation. Once she gets to the island she finds out that it is shutting down and she has a choice to make - stay on the island or go back. A quick decision, thinking she will be there just two weeks she stays only to find out that the hotel she was staying at is closed down and she has no where to go and her cell phone doesn't work. One of the hotel workers takes pity on Diana and lets her stay at an apartment in her home.

Diana befriends Gabriel and his daughter Beatrize and starts to make a life on the island and even has conflicting feeling for Gabriel. She is unable to get any calls or even mail to Finn but she does get his emails, telling her how bad New York has gotten and how he is afraid. She has guilt over being basically in a place that is Covid free, her death of her mother, leaving Finn at a time he needs her and the affair she has with Gabriel.

This is when the big twist comes in the book that I will let you discover. Like I said my mind was blown and it's not what I expected at all. It's hard to talk about this book without revealing spoilers and I really want to talk about this book!

What I really liked was the author's not at the end of the book. How she struggled to write for such a long time and how she was and is fearful of contracting Covid. I loved how personal she was in why she wrote this story and how she finally gained inspiration. This book would be perfect for a Book Club read!

Wow! I could not put this book down. I love the direction of this book. I also love the many perspectives it provides. A beautiful story covering Covid-19, love, adventure, and change.

Is it weird to fervently tell people to read a book that will absolutely wreck them? Because that is what I am about to do 📕😰

I haven’t read much Jodi Picoult, but I admire any author with her level of commercial success. So I was intrigued when Random House offered me a gifted eARC of “Wish You Were Here,” which comes out Nov. 30. I don’t say this lightly: pre-order now. It’s
that good (yet devastating).

“Wish You Were” begins at a time you likely remember very well: March 2020, when, for U.S. residents, the Covid-19 pandemic was still just a thing happening far, far away. But it very quickly gets very real for our main character: Diana O’Toole, an almost 30-year-old rising star at Sotheby’s who has her future perfectly mapped out. She’ll get engaged to her boyfriend, Finn, a medical resident; buy a house outside of NYC; have a baby; get a puppy. Diana and Finn are about to leave on a vacation for the Galápagos Islands when Covid hits NYC, and Finn must remain at the hospital while Diana takes off on the vacation where she thought she’d get engaged.

In the Galápagos Islands — set against the backdrop where Darwin studied natural selection — Diana starts to examine her life choices and relationships as Finn’s dispatches from the hospital become more and more gut wrenching.

This is a book about The Big Picture. The existential questions. It’s contemporary literary fiction at its absolute finest. There was a point, maybe around 35 percent, that I questioned where I should keep going. I think that was more reflective of me as a reader than this book — this is a book you really settle into and let unfold around you, and sometimes that’s hard for me.

This was a five star read for me, and I can’t wait to see more and more people talking about it as we get closer to its publication date.

I have firmly been of the opinion that it’s too soon for books about the pandemic, but I made an exception for Jodi Picoult! She wrote this in such a beautiful way that was a pleasant surprise. I ended up really liking it. The themes are complex and intriguing, and presented in a way that’s thought provoking. It felt like Picoult did her research and told the story in the times of COVID in a way that wasn’t “preachy”. It would be a great book to read with friends or part of a book club so you can talk through all the emotions. Because this book is definitely heavy at times. If it’s too soon for you to read about the pandemic then maybe skip for now but keep it in mind when you’re ready!

I have read many of Jodi Picoult's books and what stands out for me is the amount of research she puts into her writing and this book Wish You Were Here is no exception. Although fictional, she gets the reader up close to the COVID-19 pandemic in the early days in New York City and it's heartbreaking to read what is happening in the hospitals through the eyes of a doctor named Finn. Living in the Midwest I read the articles and watched the news but Jodi Picoult makes the early days of treating patients with the doctors not knowing how to treat it very real. The other part of the story, told from Finn's girlfriend Diana, has her traveling to the Galapagos Islands without Finn for a vacation just before everything locks down. As with all her books, there is a twist and when it come it is a jaw dropper. Will not say more but I highly recommend this book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

Somehow I managed until now to never read a single Jodi Picoult book...So... I have nothing to compare it to. I was super excited about my first Picoult book, especially because she is an "auto-buy author" for so many of you here, but alas...it was not for me.

I did not enjoy it for two reasons. First, the writing style. Sure, there were some gems, but unfortunately (for me), I found them to be greatly outnumbered by banal expressions, and obvious "truths". It is worth mentioning that the author clearly researched a lot of topics for this book. In addition to being an encyclopedia of knowledge on Galapagos flora and fauna, and a borderline medical manual on post ventilation patient care, Wish You Were Here is full of random tidbits of info on everything from art history to psychology that inevitably start with: "A man once told me...", or "I once read that...". I found a lot of it interesting, and googled quite a bit too to learn more. The question, however, remains whether all of this info makes for a flawless FICTION reading experience...

I also had some issues with the organization of this novel. If you read the author's note at the end of the book you will understand why she did it this way. Picoult really wanted to kill two birds with this one "COVID novel". She set out to describe what COVID induced isolation far away from home might feel like, and at the same time she wanted to commemorate in literature severe COVID cases. And she did. There is a "twist" in the middle of the novel. Literally 50% into the story it does 180. I think the author was going for the "WOW" factor. Unfortunately, for me it ended up being more of a "WTF?!" factor. I kind of felt treaked. But...but I was down for it IF it all came together nicely at the end. Which, at least in my opinion, it did not 💁 Not really. So, I was kind of left feeling that this could have been two decent novels about two different human experiences. Instead of one very cumbersome story.

So did I hate everything about this book? No. I actually had fun reading about Diana's time on Galapagos. I mean who would not?! Galapagos sounds like a dream! Especially now, considering the fact that we cannot really travel (safely) anywhere at all. I also think that this book could be quite useful in convincing those who are on the fence re vaccination. The description of the severe COVID cases and all the subsequent suffering (even if you recover!) is quite vivid.

In short, this book was not for me, but don't let my review preclude you from reading it. Especially if you enjoyed books such as In Five Years and The Midnight Library. It gave me major In Five Years vibes not because of all the friendship and cancer parts, but rather because Diana was also a "planner". That is she planned to live her life in a certain way because of something that had happened to her in her childhood, and granted, life just did not care for Diana's neat plans at all!...😂💁 Her relationship with Finn also seems very similar to the relationship in In Five Years. It reminded me of The Midnight Library because it's very "self-help"-y. Although, if you ask me, The Library did it better. By far.

So, yes, unfortunately, I had no luck with my first Jodi Picoult book, however, I am definitely down for trying this author again! If you are a Picoult fan, which one of her books would you recommend trying next?
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Thank you to the author, Ballantine Books , NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A book written during the 2020 Covid pandemic about the 2020 Covid pandemic? Too soon for some? Not for me. I was blown away by this book. What can I say without giving it away? Well, I won't say too much other than the writing was exceptional and the book was just fantastic. That twist had me saying "whoa!!" And the ending....well it leaves you thinking. Very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. While I enjoyed sections of this book, overall, I had difficulty becoming fully engaged with the characters. It felt like there were a lot of different topics crammed into one book, some of which felt unnecessary. The writing was well done as always however the story fell flat to me.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is a wonderful story that twists your thinking. I enjoy books written by Jodi Picoult. Her novels are always thought provoking and cause questions galore as it answers questions. This novel left me more questions than answers - unsurprisingly.

The novel focuses on Finn and Diana. Finn is an internist who works in a large hospital in New York City. Diana is an art historian who works for a large auction house. She is presently working her way to the next level. She has her life all planned out and is expecting Finn to propose to her when they go to the Galápagos Islands for vacation. And then COVID happened. Finn is unable to leave, so Diana goes off on her own.

On the island, she meets and stays with a local family and finds herself opening up to possibilities that she didn’t know. Being stranded and out of her normal zone encourages Diana to explore and question. Then it happens - well several things happen.

The novel, Wish You Were Here has made me question the stream of life. There are reminders about the need to take care of our environment and it is interesting that it happens on the Galápagos. I also liked how Diana’s eyes were opened up! Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was a great read.

Ready or not, pandemic novels are coming. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is just such a novel. I wasn't sure if I was ready to read a book set during a pandemic that won't go away but I actually found it really interesting. It was neat to read about the onset of the pandemic in NYC and to have hindsight about just how bad it would get. This book has Picoult's usual excellent twist that occurs just when you think you've got the whole book figured out. Read and enjoy!

I am going to have a book hangover for a while after this -it was so good! I'm not sure how to review this book without giving too much away. The writing was so good and so descriptive in the best possible way.

Diana, an art dealer, and her boyfriend, Finn, a NYC surgical resident have plans to take a once in a lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands when COVID hits. Finn, being a resident needs to stay and help out with the all hands on deck hospital staff. This book takes place in March 2020.

I wasn't sure I would be able to read a book on COVID but Picoult maneuvers it perfectly. She really describes the feelings and fears and unknowns so well, but it's not done in an overly depressing way. However, it is a HEAVY topic so if you are not ready to read about COVID, don't read this one yet. I did not know anything about this book when I picked it up so I did not know it dealt with COVID and I didn't think I'd be able to handle a book about it, but I actually loved this book. Besides, COVID there are other TW: dementia/Alzheimers, death, suicide, self-harm. So this is not a light book but despite the heaviness of it, there is a great message, a great story and a twist that I didn't see coming. I really loved this book and it will stick with me for a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

I have only read one of Jodi Picoult’s other books and I hated it, so I was a little nervous going into this one. The premise sounded so interesting, I’m ok reading about Covid. I know some people will not be, so if you are one of those then this won’t be for you.

I’m not really sure how to review this one without giving anything away. It takes some turns that completely shocked me and I appreciate any book that can make say “I did not see that coming!”. I had moments where I thought the story could have been edited down a little and there were a few things that bothered me in the story, but overall this was a unique story that I enjoyed. Maybe I’ll give Jodi’s backlist another try.

I’m going to split this book up into three parts:
Part 1: 2 stars
Part 2: 3 stars
Authors Note: FIVE STARS!!!

Honestly I didn’t give this book much respect until I read the authors note in the back. I thought it got way too political, and I absolutely despised the main character. It was a 2 star until the last two pages

3.5 rounded up.

This is definitely a triggery novel if you're sensitive to Covid/death but it was a good story. My only real complaint is that it lacks a Picoult twist at the end like so many of her novels have. There is a twist, one that was really good, at the midway point of the book though. I have to say I was not expecting it at all. Overall a good read.

💭 Book Thoughts 💭

When I saw that Jodi Picoult had a new book out, I knew I needed to read it. I have always enjoyed her books. I knew Wish You Were Here was about COVID and I knew it would be hard to read, but I was determined!

The book was good. The writing drew you in and was fact based about life at the beginning of the pandemic. It created a story of finding your true self. This book supported science which was important to me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and Jodi Picoult for allowing me to read this pre-released book for an honest review.

Rights sold to Netflix for adaptation as a feature film!

Beautifully rendered, master storyteller Jodi Picoult tackles and reflects with sensitivity the emotions, fear, and despair of the early days of the COVID pandemic that swept our world —WISH YOU WERE HERE.

The author transports readers from the trauma of the hospitals and front-line workers of New York City to the beautiful Galápagos Islands with a poignant story of self-discovery, hope, and renewal.

Diana O'Toole is living in NYC and works as an associate at Sotheby's. She is dating Finn, a surgical resident, living together and happily planning their future. She finds a ring and thinks their upcoming romantic getaway trip to the Galápagos, he will propose.

However, fate steps in during March 2020 when COVID hits New York and spreads throughout the world. Finn, being a doctor, is all hands on deck and, of course, cannot leave the hospital.

Finn tells Diana she should go on the trip alone versus staying in New York. A series of events occur with a significant change in the travel plans due to the pandemic. The island is quarantined, and she is stranded on the other side of the world— away from her life and the comforts of home.

All the borders are closed, and they can only write letters with slow internet and bad phone service. During all the problems, she meets a local family with secrets. This place and these people forever change her life. She gets letters from Finn outlining the horrors from New York.

She knows at some point she must return, but she cannot keep thinking about this island and these people. Does she want to go back, and does she really want to do what she is doing now?

A big plot twist comes, and your jaw may drop when you least expect, exploring how NDE can initiate some serious soul searching into the planning of our lives, relationships, and career aspirations.

The author offers readers a moving Author's note of her own experience during the pandemic. Meticulously researched, I am grateful authors such as Jodi Picoult, and others documenting this critical time in history for future generations.

How to survive the surviving?

When your life changes after a profound personal near-death experience. After being given a second chance, what would you do differently with the gift? Would you do good or evil?

"If anyone could tell this evocative & moving story, it would be Jodi Picoult! Thought-provoking."

I enjoyed reading about the journeys of many experiences. The dreams, hallucinations, the memories. After being hit with COVID and coming out on the other side, we hear stories of the patients and their greater appreciation for life, higher self-esteem, greater compassion for others, less concern for acquiring material wealth, a heightened sense of purpose and self-understanding, desire to learn, elevated spirituality, greater sensitivity, and purpose.

Lives may never be the same, and we all have been changed and may have to continue to be cautious and take this virus seriously with new strands occurring daily.

A special thank you to #RandomHouse and #Netgalley for an early reading copy.

#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: 11/30/2021
Top Books of 2021

The publisher sent me this book as an early copy, and honestly, I didn’t even look at its synopsis. It’s by Jodi Picoult… there was absolutely no hesitation before I downloaded it to my kindle.

I went into this completely cold, and I have to say, that was the best decision. I cracked this open at bedtime, and for the first time in forever, I stayed up way into the wee hours of the night reading. I didn’t fall asleep until I was 40% in. And I really didn’t even get to the GOOD parts, yet!

There is a twist that I simultaneously loved and hated. It was both agonizing and fulfilling at the same time.

I think this book will be considered an instant classic due to the timeliness and the historical nature of the subject matter. It is factual and emotional. Picoult really nailed the fear and isolation we all went through in the pandemic and uses it as a moral we all should have learned.

This book is a must read!

📖Book Review📖
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
PubDate: Nov.30,2021
My Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Diana O’Toole is art expert and art sales extraordinaire. She is every bit a picture of a successful career woman. She lives with her Surgical Surgeon Resident boyfriend, Dr.Finn Colson. They have their life mapped and planned. To the type of house they will buy, the number of children they will have and even the breed of dog they will raise. Diana knows that all of these will come into fruition when Finn will drop on one knee and pop the question in their upcoming and most awaited Galapagos Islands Vacation. But, covid-19 was declared a global pandemic and all travels were banned while all medical professionals were called on deck. Diana is now stranded in Galapagos all by her self, sans the engagement proposal obviously while Finn, on the other hand is fighting the battle and uncertainty of this killer virus.

This is a very relatable story. When we read about WWII novel, it serves as a remembrance tribute to let us experience the situation we did not know. In Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult has crafted a novel that readers of today and in the future will genuinely and personally connect because in one way or another Covid-19 has inflicted it’s effects. It is a good situational presentation of how human beings adapt when hell breaks loose. It is written beautifully and I enjoyed the surprise twist, all the while satisfied of how things turned around. A highly recommended read.

Special thanks to @randomhouse , Ballantine Books via netgalley for the e-ARC. To @prhaudio for the complimentary audio file. Marin Ireland on narration was phenomenal.

I got to admit that this is only my second JP book- I know, I know, how could I. So, help a girl out and tell me what book you love from this author!?
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