From someone who lost a family member to Covid, there were some really intense, difficult scenes in this book. If you are someone who has struggled with the pandemic, been sick or known others to get sick with Covid or have lost family and friends then I would encourage you to really consider how much you could comfortably get through with a book set in that time.

This book takes you on quite the adventure to the Galapagos, a destination vacation for most people, during one of the hardest times we have experienced so far. There is so much hope for Diana in the beginning where you just want her to enjoy this two week vacation because you know what will happen after. She leaves right as everything shuts down, including the entire island she is set to stay on for two weeks. As you can imagine, it's an adventure from the get go. She has no food, spotty wifi, no help and is in a foreign place. Of course, she starts to meet people and aim to figure out how to survive and ultimately get home.

There are a lot of details around Covid and what's happening in New York, where her fiance stayed to help in the hospital. It was tough to go back to those moments when things first started and Jodi captures the fear and the unknown so well. Although it's tough to read through it was almost therapeutic to see what has happened since then and some progress that's been made.

This book had me from the first page and halfway through, I couldn't put it down. I shed tears, I remembered all the lives lost and those still fighting this awful virus and mostly I enjoyed the way Jodi shared insight from other views. I didn't love the ending and almost wish it would have ended differently, but I understand why it ended as it did and that didn't take away from the experience.

This book made me question why so may other books I have read get 5 stars from me. I will reconsider what makes a 5 star read after this, because this was the definition for me.

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to read Wish You Were Here. This review will also be posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

I’ve never liked reading about one’s trauma; however, COVID-19 is everyone’s trauma and is harder to ignore. I went into this book with some hesitation about that, but wound up wonderfully surprised at the way the pandemic was written and handled in this book.

I enjoyed the epistolary style of letters and e-mails. I won’t say much about that because of spoilers, but those snippets were some of my favorite parts of the story, when the characters were so honest with one another.

Jodi Picoult’s books always feel well-researched and this one is no different. It’s impressive, when considering the variety of topics this book covers, how well-researched everything is.

This book reminds me another of Picoult’s that happens to be my favorite, Leaving Time. I loved the examination of relationships, but especially the relationship between mother and child. I would describe this book as a discovery of one’s self with just a touch of practical magic. It’s a 5/5 for me and I would highly recommend it!

Diana is all set for a romantic vacation with her surgeon boyfriend, Finn, where he will surely ask her to marry him. However, Finn is unable to go as the Covid crisis is just heating up in New York City, where they reside, and he has to work. She arrives on the Island just as everything is being shut down due to Covid. She is forced to survive by her wits and quickly finds her life entwined with that of a local family, but then suddenly it turns out that nothing at all is like it seems. This very timely novel is about the way crisis makes us reassess our priorities and examine what is important to us and what we really want to do with our lives.

I'm not sure I'm ready for books about the Covid epidemic, but Picoult is a favorite, and I figured Wish You Were Here would handle the topic well. Picoult did.

Diana is sure she's about to get a promotion and have her dream job at the art auction house, Sotheby's. She's sure that Finn, her boyfriend, is going to propose on their upcoming trip to the Galápagos Islands. She will be married by 30, have kids by 35, and move to the suburbs.

Then, a virus hits New York, and Finn is a surgical resident who cannot leave. Diana reluctantly agrees to go by herself on their planned trip. When she arrives, everything is shut down. She has no place to stay, no luggage, no cell reception, and all the stores and restaurants are shut down.

Diana is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers while frantically trying to get in touch with Finn. She knows she will be stuck on this island for a while. She has a lot of time for soul searching and reevaluating just what is important in her life.

And then...

Well, I'm not going to finish that thought.

It is interesting, and I read Wish You Were Here very quickly. Not my favorite Picoult by far, but timely and not too depressing. Although it is a little bit. If you think you can handle a book about the recent life-changing events we are still living through, this is a good one.

Jodi Picoult has done it again! I am a huge fan of her books and the surprise twist that she always throws in. I wasn't really sure I wanted to read a book about Covid. I mean, we are still living in it but this was done so well. Diana is in the art auction world and her boyfriend Finn is a surgical resident who has to take on a ton of Covid patients. They live in NYC so you can imagine how busy and stressful Finn's job is. Diana goes to the Galapagos by herself and well, it is far from a dream vacation. I really can't say much more without spoiling the rest of the book, but it's a great read!! I love how relatable this book is. Jodi does a great job weaving real life stories into her books. You are reading fiction but also learning and empathizing as well.

Thank you to the publishers at Random House Publishing - Ballantine and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Wish You Were Here.

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews when it comes to this novel, but I was honestly pleasantly surprised by it.

Diana is a 29, almost 30 year old woman, living in New York with her boyfriend, Finn. It’s mid March 2020 and the Covid pandemic is just really getting started. Finn and Diana are set to go to the Galápagos Islands together tomorrow, but with cases rising fast, Finn, a resident surgeon, decides he must stay and insists that Diana go without him.

After Diana leaves, things immediately begin going wrong. She loses her suitcase, she can’t speak the local language, and she becomes trapped on Isabela island after they shut down due to Covid. Thankfully, a kind elderly woman decides to take her in during her stay, and this is when Diana really starts to live. She meets a father and daughter, and becomes closer than she ever could have imagined with both of them.

I don’t want to ruin what happens next, but let’s just say this story went in a crazy direction that I never expected, and I really loved the ending! The Covid references are very prominent throughout this story, but in my opinion, it was done to show what frontline workers in hospitals and early Covid patients suffered through. I came away from this book with more empathy for everyone involved.

If you are a frontline worker or have lost someone to Covid-19, I don’t recommend reading this book right now, but if you’re hoping to get a deeper understanding of what those in New York experienced, I highly recommend this book. One downside is the long chapters. Most are between 40 minutes and over an hour long.

Wish You Were Here releases November 30th!

Diana and Finn have a plan. She will climb the corporate ladder at Sotheby’s while he finishes his surgical residency. They will marry, have 2.5 kids, a dog and a white picket fence outside of the city. Spending countless hours looking at homes online they can only dream about - their bucket list grows. The first check box is soon to be filled as the young couple prepares to leave for an exciting and much needed two week vacation to the Galapagos. Coronavirus is splattered intermittently through the news but Finn is confident with so few cases in the city, it will not affect their plans. As the trip approaches it is apparent how very wrong he was. When his program director nixes his time off, Finn encourages Diana to continue on with their nonrefundable travel plans. Diana sets off on the arduous journey and while in the air NYC spontaneously combusts with Covid cases. Minutes after her arrival on the small idyllic island of Isabela, it too goes into lockdown. Diana has few choices and even less wifi connection. With little communication and her luggage vanished she climbs out of her comfort zone befriending a local family. Beatriz a young girl desperate for a friend, her handsome intelligent father Gabriel and their nurturing Abuela. As weeks turn into months Diana reevaluates her career choices and tumultuous relationship with a famous mother she barely knew. When she returns home it’s as if she is entering an entirely new world. It has been a while since I have read one of my favorite author’s, Jodi Picoult. Written from the heart she explores the rollercoaster we have experienced the last two years through the eyes of unforgettable characters whom you will be thinking of long after the last page. Absolutely unputdownable.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book!

First off, I want to say this book is very triggering. As someone who had covid, it was honestly tough to get through at times. It might have been a little too soon for me to read this book just because we are still going through the pandemic. That being said, I’m giving this one 3 stars. I’ll talk about the good things first and then the bad.

The Good:
—This book was a great time capsule of the pandemic. Anyone that lived through it will find it very relatable and if anyone that is looking to have insight into what it was like in 2020, this book will help them get an idea
—It did a great job of portraying what healthcare professional had to/still have to go through
—I like that Jodi Picoult included a lot of social commentary depicting the varying levels of how serious/not serious the pandemic was being taken
—I thought the twist was very creative and I didn’t see that coming
—I like that a lot of attention was focused on long-haulers and survivors

The Bad:
—When Diana was in the Galapagos, I thought it was a bit slow at times
—I had a hard time liking Diana and thought she was selfish
—I didn’t love how some chapters were just a few words. I didn’t really feel they were necessary and I was able to figure out how much time had passed based on context
—I wasn’t in love with the resolution of this book
—This book is political. I took (and still take) the pandemic seriously. Even though I agree with everything that was said in this book, if you are are anti-vaxx or are conservative, you definitely won’t like this one. However, if you know someone who is on the fence about getting vaccinated, you could recommend this book to them as it doesn’t hold back from showing the ugliness of the pandemic and it offers some perspective

I still would absolutely recommend this book but maybe in a few years when our situation has improved! This book kind of just felt too soon!

Believe it or not, this was the first Jodi Picoult book that I ever read - I was really intrigued by the synopsis, and once I started reading it I couldn't put it down! Diana and her boyfriend Finn have been planning a dream vacation to the Galapagos Islands to escape their demanding jobs - as an art specialist and a surgical resident, respectively. Diana hopes to return from the trip engaged to Finn, and is looking forward to the escape from her professional and personal demands.

Unfortunately, the timing of the trip is not in their favor as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to take hold of New York City in early March 2020. Finn must stay behind to prepare for the anticipated influx of COVID patients in the hospital he works at, and encourages Diana to take the trip alone. She arrives in the Galapagos Islands to find them beginning a two week shutdown - leaving her stranded, isolated, and unsure of what the future holds. As Diana begins to build relationships on the island and adjust to the uncertainty of the new world, she also begins to reflect on her life and her future.

I don't want to say too much more about the synopsis to avoid spoilers, but WOW - I'm still thinking about this book days after finishing it. So much of the plot resonated with me - given the significant shifts that have occurred in the world as a result of COVID, I think we've all been in a place of questioning what's most important to us, what role family plays in our lives, and whether our life choices have led us down the path that we originally planned for. I absolutely did not guess the plot twist here, nor did I anticipate how this book would really transport me back to the emotions and uncertainty of March 2020.

I generally don't include trigger warnings in my reviews, but I feel the need to do so for this one - as someone living in New Jersey as COVID-19 unfolded, I had family & friends living in New York City and I closely watched the news of the pandemic's early impacts on the city grow before it spread to NJ and beyond. This book is the most accurate description of the early days of the pandemic in the US that I have read yet - from both a societal perspective, as well as through detailed, accurate reflections of the health impacts of the virus. If you experienced COVID, are a frontline worker, lost a family member, or are still working through the impacts of the pandemic, I would recommend holding off on reading this until you feel that you are in a place you are prepared to deal with a=a book that could be mentally challenging.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book - it will certainly not be the last Jodi Picoult book that I read!

Wish you were here is my first Jodi Picoult book. This was also one of my first that was about covid. Wish you were here is extremely well written for such a difficult topic. I loved getting to watch Annie grow and seeing how Finn deals with being on the front lines.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Diana O'Toole has her life perfectly planned out. Marriage, kids, a career in art history at Sotheby's. Key in her plan is her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident. She's sure he's going to propose during their upcoming trip to the Galápagos. But before they can go on the trip, COVID hits, and the world shuts down. Finn cannot leave New York: he's required to stay at the hospital. Not wanting their nonrefundable trip to go to waste, they decide Diana should go without him. Once there, she finds the entire island under quarantine and realizes she's stranded until everything reopens. Without her hotel reservation or even usual shopping open, Diana finds herself reexamining her life and all she has planned.

This is certainly a COVID themed book, which hits you hard, but it's very well-done. It's told from the perspective of Finn, as he struggles in his New York hospital, and Diana, as she finds herself stranded in the Galápagos. She occasionally writes him postcards and he sometimes writes her emails. It's a fast read, and very "Picoult"--all twisty and emotional, with our protagonist, Diana, questioning her life and her choices. Also meticulously researched--the Galápagos, Diana's art history career, and all the COVID aspects.

Overall, this one makes you think. I found it moving and timely and worth the read.

Well, this story certainly grabbed my attention! I know some readers will shy away from this because it’s about covid, but really any illness that lands you in the hospital and unconscious could apply to some aspects of this story.

A young NewYork couple, Finn & Diana, have their future all planned out. But when covid makes its way to New York, it interferes with their lives in a big way. They had a dream vacation planned and Diana was expecting a proposal while they were away. Finn encourages Diana to go on the trip alone. He is unable to go because he’s a surgeon and is needed to help with covid patients.

Reluctantly, Diana agrees and almost from the moment she arrives, her life starts to take a different direction. It’s at this point the story began to drag a bit, but Picoult makes up for it in a big way as the second half of the story begins. I must admit, Picoult is a great writer, because I found myself as stunned at what happened as Diana was.

The story is a lot about relationships, resilience and change and how we choose to deal with the curve balls life can throw. This was not quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it immensely.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

Diana O’Toole, an associate specialist for Sotheby’s auction house, has her perfect life in NYC with surgical resident, Finn, mapped out - all that’s missing is the proposal and wedding, and she’s pretty sure she’s about to get the former on their romantic vacation to the Galapagos. When the initial wave of COVID hits and Finn is needed at the hospital, Diana goes solo and finds herself trapped longer than expected by travel restrictions. What she discovers during and after this extended vacation opens her eyes and makes her re-evaluate the future she’s envisioned.

I’ve learned something about myself after finishing this book:

I think I’m broken. Looking around at all my friends’ glowing reviews for this, I have to wonder why I didn’t feel those things too.

Let me start with some things Jodi Picoult did so well in this book, though, because she deserves credit where it’s due:

First: This woman researched the hell out of the major aspects of COVID-19 from transmission to its after effects and it SHOWS. Many won’t be ready for such an unflinching, no-holds-barred look at this virus, but if you ever feel ready to look at it more closely in the relative safety of a fictionalized story, this is your book. It’s difficult and sobering at times, but it’s also terribly insightful and honest, and I can respect that. I learned a lot that I didn’t know, and I think it’s a tremendous learning opportunity for those who want it.

Second: She writes very well. Structure, plot, fully-developed characters, pacing, atmosphere, the big twist, which was so clever … it’s all there. It’s perfectly good fiction, and it will appeal to many readers, as evidenced by all those aforementioned glowing reviews.

So why didn’t it work as well for me?

First: The story felt forced. COVID-19 was really the body of the book, so to speak, and Diana’s story was just the clothing thrown on to disguise it. Picoult had all this knowledge about the virus to share, but it felt much better suited for a non-fiction book. Finn’s emails to Diana were just woefully unrealistic to me. Not the details of the names of medicines, machines and interventions used on patients - that was highly realistic, but given their circumstances of being separated for so long, it didn’t feel like this is what he’d be spending all his time writing the love of his life about.

Second: Despite the reasoning for Diana’s decision-making and conclusions, I couldn’t get on board with it. I can’t really discuss it for spoiler reasons, but it didn’t ring true to me, and I really didn't like the ending. She just didn't make sense to me.

Third: The first half of the book was - there’s no way to put this politely - kind of boring. Maybe that was intentional on the author’s part to put the reader back in the mindset of the early days of the pandemic when everything was shut down and we were spending our days struggling to find things to do, but this reader wasn’t ready to revisit those days and how the world felt then.

As I said, it’s a well-written book with an abundance of 4 and 5-star reviews, so I encourage you to read some of those before deciding whether the book is for you. It’s simply a case of right book, wrong reader for me.

★★★ ½

There are books that come along that just aren’t the right fit, and ‘Wish You Were Here’ is that book for me. Author Jodi Picoult’s attempt to immerse readers in a pandemic story feels too expedited and too triggering for so many of us out there who have felt trauma, pain, and loss amid the on-going pandemic. And even if this book were written in a few years, there are narrative choices that I would still question and dislike regardless of timeframe.

Plot-wise, I’m not going to attempt summarize and let the blurb stand on its own. The narrative arc of this book relies heavily on a plot twist that, to me, felt really emotionally manipulative. After reading it, I was angry enough to want to throw my Kindle across the room. I understand Picoult’s desire to explore the mind of a person (Diana) who thought she was happy in her life, only to experience a life-altering shift that makes her question everything, but the execution of this idea felt really gross in the context of this novel. The collateral damage felt especially cruel, too. I know that protagonists can be selfish and unlikable, but the particular way that Diana is selfish and unlikable was a huge deal breaker for me.

One of the things I did appreciate about the book is how well Picoult depicts the horrors and struggles that healthcare workers experienced and continue to experience as this pandemic continues to rage on. Which is why her treatment of Finn in this novel felt especially egregious. I don’t know what else to say about this book other than to really check your triggers, and to be prepared for a twist that will have a polarizing effect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Gosh...what a perfect way to 'take on' the Covid-19 pandemic. Meticulous research by Ms. Picoult had me recalling the first days of the pandemic.

As an aside, I was on a flight in January 2020 sitting next to a man who had just returned from Wuhan, China. He and I talked about the 'virus' what was in China and he let me know FIRST HAND how devastating the virus was in Wuhan. He felt he got out 'just in time', and looking back on that conversation I realize he had.

Back to the review:

Diane, an art expert and Finn, a medical resident in NYC, are planning their dream vacation. After seeing a ring in Finn's sock drawer, Diane just knows he will propose when they're on vacation in the Galápagos. With epidemiologists predicting an uptick in the number of cases, Finn's vacation is cancelled. He tells Diana to go ahead without him. Although she struggles with her decision, she goes ahead and leaves the country.

Once she's in the Galápagos, everything begins to disintegrate. Her luggage is lost. All tourists are leaving the island when she's getting there. Her hotel is closed due to the pandemic. The island is closed to everyone and there is no transportation off island. Even if she could get transportation, international borders are closed. She does make contact with some locals and finds an apartment where she can live.

Diane meets Gabriel, a local who is a former tour operator, and she begins to question her relationship with Finn. Other locals are featured and Diane begins to feel comfortable with herself and some of her decisions. Then...the world changes...

Anymore and I'd be in spoiler territory, so I won't say anything else about the rest of the book. The twist is so well written, you don't see it coming.

This book is a bit slow in the beginning, but stick with it! If I were in a book club, this would be my TOP PICK for a book club read. There are so many ways to look at this story and it begs to be discussed. I was hesitant to even begin this book. I am so glad I read it.

I was gifted with an ARC of this book by the publisher and NetGalley, The review is my own.

Guttingly emotional read about these troubling times and how the main character Diana makes it through, with flashbacks to her past as well. The character study this novel contains is almost indescribable. I can’t believe I haven’t ever read any other books by this author. The way Picoult makes you feel things within each character and how they are portrayed is fascinating. I learned a lot along the way through Diana and her parents, her boyfriend, and her viewpoint on life. This was so well written. Yet I can definitely say it almost felt too soon to me for a novel involving the pandemic we have lived through recently. It brought back a lot of feelings, moments and emotions for me that really got to me. However, I am not taking any stars away from my rating nor is this in any way reflected in my review. I am not one to typically enjoy flashbacks / time jumps, but when they are written as fabulously as this story is, I almost didn’t notice and it really did lend to the entire story line.

Overall a great read. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

I sometimes find Jodi Picoult's books a little tedious due to all the research she encompasses within the pages. I find her writing to be brilliant and emotionally challenging though. I was apprehensive about reading Wish You Were Here because I wasn't sure that I was ready for a book predominantly about Covid but, wow! The job she does in helping to understand what seriously ill Covid patients, their doctors, nurses, family members, etc go thru is exceptional. I was completely thrown for a loop with the twist in the book but it made for such a compelling story. I did have some emotinal difficulty while reading because in 2021 I lost my grandfather to a lung infection (not Covid) and my grandmother was placed in an assisted living home due to Alzheimers so many of the things that Diana goes through within these pages closely resembled part of my own journey with my grandparents this year.

A book that makes you wonder about the power of the brain and how it is influenced by being ill, literally at death's door. It deals with the Covid crisis especially touching those who resided in NYC.

Diana had her whole life planned out with marriage, home ownership, children and even a dog to complete the picture. It was a dream, one that would be shattered when she goes onto a vacation in the Galapagos with her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident in a NY hospital. When Covid hits, Finn is required to stay working in the hospital knowing the worst was in the future, but Diana went to the Galapagos alone. When the island shuts down, Diana gives up the opportunity to leave and stays on the island.

She is befriended by a native woman and her grandson, Gabriel and his daughter Beatriz.
We discover the wonders of the island through the aforementioned two, as well the problems of being quarantined both on the island and in NYC. Without the internet, the people are left adrift in an ocean of the unknown (which in a way might be a good thing, with social media, TV, and other outlets scaring us hourly.)

The book had a slow start and although it did need a pretty wide stretch of the imagination, it did finally hit a stride so that the reader can ascertain the truthfulness of the author's assessment of the crisis. In some instances, the book was difficult and readers who are tired of Covid 24/7 might shy away from this one.

However, it was entertaining and well laid out as Picoult books often are..

Thank you to NetGalley for making this book available to this reader.

Wow. Not sure I was emotionally ready for this story, but I am so glad I read it! Diana is a NYC Art Seller and gets stranded in the Galapagos due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She's stranded there for months, away from her long time boyfriend (who she hopes will be a fiance soon) as he fights from the front lines as a Doctor.

Picoult does an incredible job writing the story of the start of the pandemic, and helped me better understand the experience those working in the medical field faced, as well as those infected by covid.

The book takes some very unexpected turns, but the epilogue was what I needed to read after the last 20+ months. It gave me hope, and reminded me nothing is forever and tomorrow is not promised. Maybe someday we'll be out of this.

Wish You Were Here gave me my first book hangover of 2021. Not only does a lot of the central issue-COVID19- ring so close to home, making me fully understanding of the main character’s situation, but the plotline really kept my attention and helped ease my wanderlust. I love to travel, so going to the Galapagos with Diana was a way for me to live vicariously- but also, as someone with very realistic dreams, I can understand her confusion at the end of the novel about her time spent there. I also really connected to the relationship aspect, and the artistic side. Overall, it was just another Picoult novel that makes me gush about why she’s one of my favorite authors, and why I recommend her to everyone. I’ll certainly be spreading the word about this one!