Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was an amazing read. Set at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic it explores what happens to a relationship when one half of the couple has to stay behind and miss their romantic getaway and the other goes and is unable to return home right away due to quarantine requirements. It will make you laugh, cry, and long for a tropical getaway. I highly recommend Wish You Were Here.

First, let me begin by stating that I am literally sick of being inundated, on a daily basis, with facts, figures, fears and general information concerning COVID for the past year and a half. Second, I admit that I am not what one would refer to as an ardent fan of Jodi Piccoult.

That said, I admit that WISH YOU WERE HERE was not at all what I expected and I ended up being positively enthralled. Once I began reading this emotional tale of a woman who has planned every aspect of her life only to have it disrupted by COVID as well as some unforeseen circumstances that have her exploring dangerous terrain as well as examining various relationships, I literally could not put the book down.

This is one of those reads where too much information in a review can ruin the reader’s joy of discovery so let me just say, try this one. You’ll be surprised and satisfied.

This is such an interesting book about COVID-19, surviving and realizing what life really should be about. I really enjoyed the parts where Diana is in the Galapagos. This part was so enjoyable. However, this isn't what it seems. During an almost life-ending emergency, Diana is no longer in the Galapagos, but back in NYC. COVID is rampant and she has been in the hospital for a few days with, nearly dying. She soon realizes that all the plans, the wants, the nonsense doesn't matter anymore. She goes on to change many things about her life because of her near-death experience.

This is pretty powerful, but I felt like it was lacking a bit. Like I said before, the story in the Galapagos was very good. I just felt like the story was going to go in a totally different direction. The ending is OPEN-ENDED. Be warned. I looked at the last line for a few minutes before I read the author's notes (also pretty important information here so don't skip it).

Thank you #Netgalley #RandomHouseBooks and #JodiPicoult for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my review!

Diana O’Toole has it all – a great job at Sotheby’s in NYC and a wonderful boyfriend ready to propose. She and Finn made plans for a romantic vacation on the Galapagos Islands where they’ll celebrate Diana’s birthday and she’s sure the proposal will happen there. But when the COVID pandemic hits, Finn, who is a surgical resident, is needed at the hospital and is unable to leave. He convinces Diana to go on her own, which she reluctantly does. But as soon as she arrives, the island is quarantined and she is unable to get back to NYC. The people Diana meets on the islands and the events happening there cause Diana to examine her own choices and desires.

Until this novel, I’ve stayed clear of books that take place during the COVID pandemic. I want to escape from that experience when I read and put it all behind me. But this is Jodi Picoult and I couldn’t pass it up. I have to say that I began to feel disappointed through the first half of the book and felt that it was going in a predictable way but then, BAM, it blew my mind away. The twist is completely unexpected and unique. The author does a great job detailing the heartbreak of COVID and the guilt and confusion Diana felt while quarantining on an island in paradise. Ms. Picoult knows how to touch your heart in so many ways. I felt the novel to be a healing one and really made me think about my own reality and choices. And I must say – that ending was perfection!

Recommended.

4.5 Stars

This book! It’s intense, it’s full of emotion, and it’s about COVID and lockdown. If you’re not ready to read about COVID, your forewarned because one of the characters is a MD in a NYC hospital and goes into detail about his day-to-day heartache and stress treating patients in the ICU.

If you are new to reading Jodi Picoult books, she is a phenomenal storyteller and you can tell she does meticulous research about the subject matter, this book is no exception.

The story follows Diane O’Toole. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s and her boyfriend, Finn, is a surgical resident. They are about to go on a trip to the Galapagos Islands, but COVID is on the rise. Finn decides to stay home, but he encourages Diane to go.

Once she arrives to the island, the whole island is under lock down, the WiFi doesn’t work and she is stranded until the borders reopen. While isolated on the island Diane starts to reevaluate her life – has she made the right choices, has she chosen the right career, does she need to make changes. What will happen when she returns home?

This is an amazing story and the writing is beautiful. It’s a rollercoaster ride full of emotions and brings back all the fears and uncertainties people were feeling during the beginning of the pandemic. It was also powerful, thought provoking and full of hope. It was a very interesting story with a huge twist that I wasn’t expecting. If you can look past the topic of COVID and the pandemic then I highly recommend.

A huge thank you to Random House – Ballantine Books for my #gifted NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5. This is the first book I've read that's all about COVID, and it felt like too much too soon--but I'll have to get over that at some point!

I had a tough time with the first half of the book, mostly because it included reading about an entitled white woman who is adjusting to being in a different country, and there are plenty of lines of dialogue that made me roll my eyes. I had more sympathy for Diana over time, especially during the second part of the book after the twist, but some aspects still felt a little bit cookie-cutter for me. I have to commend Picoult for the amount of research she did into the science behind it all, the lives of COVID-19 survivors and healthcare workers, and the way the pandemic has affected and will continue to affect our lives for a long time.

Don't read this if you are triggered by COVID. Otherwise, pick it up for a story that will genuinely surprise you (as long as you don't read any spoilers beforehand).

✨Book Review✨
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult


Travel back in time to before the pandemic, before we understood what quarantine actually meant, before we understood the real fear of an unknown virus running rampant around the world.
We were living life, planning for “known” futures, and booking tickets for future trips.

As we are introduced to Wish You Were Here, Picoult’s newest novel, we find ourselves in precisely this position. We are introduced to Diana and Finn, a couple with a plan for their future. They are planning a life that includes her rise in Sotheby’s Art Auction House and his rise as a surgical resident in a New York City hospital. They have designed a Bucket List trip to the Galapagos Islands. A trip where she believes that Finn intends to propose - the next phase of their life going precisely as planned. On the eve of their departure, Finn tells Diana that he must stay behind. Covid is becoming an issue in New York City hospitals, and he will be needed. He believes that she should go anyway, and though she feels unprepared to take the trip alone, she decides to go. She feels abandoned by Finn and unsure how she will manage without any knowledge of Spanish. But she leaves just the same. Her luggage is lost en route, and as she arrives, the last boat is leaving the islands, and the Galapagos are shutting down. She chooses to stay, not realizing how alone and dependent on strangers she will become. Like the rest of the world, quarantine for Diana becomes a time of loneliness, isolation, and reflection, even in paradise. Everything begins to change, and her world starts to slide on its axis.

This novel held some surprises, which were ultimately highly thought-provoking. Picoult, in her usual style, is able to capture imperfect but empathetic characters. Reveals enough about her character that still allows us to form our own opinions, all while placing us in a bit of a moral dilemma requiring the reader to make their own decisions. Wish You Were Here is no different. That being said, I personally felt that the book was hard to read. I felt like it was a bit of “too much too soon.” I’m not feeling enough distance (if any) that will allow me to relive the experience through someone else’s eyes. I’m still very much living my own anxiety of the here and now. I know that some creators use their art to seek understanding of the array of emotions that took place, and this felt like Picoult’s way of processing the experience. Some readers may be ready to look closely at the pandemic. I’m not sure that I am emotionally there yet. It brought back all the fear that those early months contained. In a way, Diana lived the ideal pandemic experience, removed from our weird quarantined city reality. Yet, no one was protected from fear, anxiety, and a close examination of our mental health. Nothing escaped the microscopic examination of our relationships, lives, and decisions.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and Jodi Picoult for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read a book by Jodi Picoult that I didn’t like, and this one is no exception. I will admit at first I wasn’t sure if I could get into this book, as it’s a book about the COVID-19 pandemic which we are still going through. I thought that it might be too soon, too fresh, but I was wrong. I throughly enjoyed every minute of this book and the emotional journey it lead me on.

The book follows Diana, an almost 30 year old in the art auction field who has her whole life planned out. Her and her boyfriend Finn (a resident at a NYC hospital) have a trip to the Galápagos Islands planned, but when Covid starts hitting NYC hard Finn decides he can’t leave as he is needed at the hospital and insists Diana go on the trip without him. She does, and gets stranded there as the world shuts down because of the pandemic. She meets a family there and grows close with them and seems to find herself along the way.

I highly recommend this book as it is wonderfully well written and relevant to the world today. Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for a copy of this eArc in exchange for my honest review.

NetGalley Advanced Copy | If you enjoy books set on islands, travel to the Galápagos & Ecuador in Jodi Picoult’s newest upcoming release, Wish You Were Here.

This is one of the first fictional 2021 books to really dive into pandemic “politics.”

I love that Picoult never shies away from current topics, and she lays it all out there. See the effects of the pandemic on hospitals, staff, and COVID19 patients & their families.

This story also has a huge twist. No spoilers here, though.

While Diana’s surgical resident boyfriend Finn battles the initial onset of coronavirus cases back in NYC, he convinces Diana to take their vacation to Ecuador.

Diana arrives just as Isabela Island shuts down to protect its residents. She’s trapped on an island where she knows no one.

We watch her transform from “tourista” to friend, questioning her once planned out future.

Along with gorgeous travel to Ecuador (December’s #UncorkedReading2022 reading challenge theme), encounter themes of mental health, family, and the importance of science.

CW: suicide ideation & self-harm

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for providing us with a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is one of my top books of the year. When I first started it I wasn’t sure I wanted to read about a pandemic I was still living through but after reading some other reviews I persevered and I am so happy that I did.

It’s kind of surreal reading about March 2020 through a fictionalized lens. The confusion, uncertainty, and misunderstanding about how severe Covid would get were perfectly depicted through Diana O’Toole as her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, begins to ring the alarm bells about the pandemic. Finn urges Diana to take their planned vacation to the Galápagos without him, and she finds herself transported from an increasingly dystopian NYC to a locked down paradise.

The juxtaposition of the unique and stunning natural setting of the Galápagos, with the heartbreaking horror of the New York City ICUs, as described in Finn’s emails, was an incredibly powerful way to frame this story. The research that went into understanding what doctors have been faced with through the pandemic was clear and makes you realize the intense pain of this pandemic all over again.

We also get flashbacks to Diana’s job auctioning art and her relationship with her parents, both of which helped round out her character and added yet another level of depth to the story. That being said, I didn’t really like Diana. She came off as very selfish, and as a result, the ending of her story didn’t sit well with me. It did, however, do a great job of depicting how the pandemic has made people reevaluate what they really want out of their lives, a process which can be painful.

Wish You Were Here was hard for me to read in the current climate, and the big twist halfway through, although interesting, made me like the first half of the book less. It was, however, beautifully written and incredibly powerful and insightful. If you read this book, be sure to read the author’s note at the end.

I always thought to myself that it's too soon to read a COVID related book. That books are supposed to be our escape from the traumatizing time that we have all been affected by, one way or another. However, I knew that Jodi Picoult would do the subject justice. Wish You Were Here is set at the start of COVID. Diana and Finn are set to travel to the Galapagos Islands, when Finn who is a resident insists he must stay and treat this mystery "virus". He is adamant that Diana goes, so she does. The very first day the island shuts down, and while Finn is working on the frontlines, Diana is feeling guilty as she is making new friends and experiencing the beauty of life when it seems like the rest of the world is dying. After a couple of months, Diana endures a traumatic experience that leaves her in a hospital back in America...this is where I won't continue. This plot twist blew my mind, but also disappointed me. Although it disappointed me, the concept behind what Picoult was trying to portray was utterly fascinating. When we think about time, time isn't linear. I believe in stories of past lives, and in this story Picoult explores simultaneous lives we may live through during near death experiences. The amount of research Jodi did to do front line workers and survivors justice shines through her words. I have to admit, I wasn't blown away by th ending, in fact it left me feeling quite sad, but all in all this was a book that I flew through. I've got to admit, Jodi Picoult being my favorite author of all time does leave me feeling biased. Rating: 3.5

So thankful to Netgalley for a free ARC of one of my most anticipated reads!

I enjoyed Wish You Were here. The book provoked a lot of different feelings….that changed over the course of the book. I enjoyed Diana’s trip to Galapagos Island.

The twist in the story was 🤯. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. And everything after was truly thought provoking. And made you think about my life, choices being made and how something life altering may affect everything in it.

I understand that Jodi wrote this to deal with the Covid pandemic but sometimes it seemed to be the only thing the book talked about…and maybe that’s just a bias of still living in a pandemic world.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read Wish You Were Here in return for an honest review

SPOILER ALERT

I was really interested in Wish You Were Here because I am traveling to the Galapagos next year and that's where I *thought* it was set. I am not a fan of books that dupe you... The first 60% of the novel follows Diana as she travels solo to the Galapagos, gets stuck there due to the pandemic, befriends a teenage girl, and has an affair with a local. Then BOOM! Actually she had COVID and hallucinated all of it. What!?
What I did like:
-Picoult's writing style
-She does end up giving a possibly plausible explanation for the hallucinations
-The ending

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by one of my absolute favorites, Jodi Picoult. 5 stars!

Diana has had her life all planned out and things are going along just as planned. She is working at Sotheby's as an art specialist, almost engaged to Finn, a surgeon resident. She finds a ring he's hidden and she is sure he's going to propose on their upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands. But it's March 2020 and as they plan to leave, Finn says he has to stay and work. He encourages Diana to go on the vacation alone - and she does. But the world shuts down when she gets there and she misses her last chance off island. Alone, not speaking the language and with no money, Diana has to figure out how to survive. But survival makes her reconsider all those plans she made.

I loved this book. While the thought of reading a book about Covid while we are facing yet another holiday season wondering if it's safe to gather with our family even when everyone is vaccinated, don't miss this book. In Jodi Picoult's talented hands, she gives us another look at the pandemic through the eyes of those on the front line as well as those recovering. There are also so many gems here about what is important in life. You'll be best served going into it not knowing too much about the story and experiencing the turns for yourself. Be sure to read the author's notes at the end as well. Highly recommended!

Diana O’toole is thriving as an art sales specialist at Southeby’s and preparing to take a trip of a lifetime to the Galapagos with her doctor boyfriend and future fiancé if this trip goes as she thinks it will. But, it’s early March 2020 and we know how that panned out for the world. Diana’s boyfriend is asked not to go anywhere and tells Diana she should go on without him. Little does she know that the island is closing for two weeks to protect its locals from the virus.

Let me start off with saying how this book is impossible to talk about really without spoiling! And I truly want everyone to go in not knowing where the book is going! But here are some things to know.

First of all, and most importantly, this book is about the pandemic. Not just set during the time. Jodi Picoult really nails so much of the pandemic — from wiping down groceries and outbreaks at assisted living facilities to stories of recovery and perspectives from the frontlines. I really am impressed with how she approached the book but it was a lot. I felt very stressed reading it. But sometimes good books are hard to read, and that’s ok!

This one really reminded me of The Book of Two Ways, which was good for me! I’m always in awe of how Jodi Picoult can take a good narrative and include really interesting information into the plot. Diana’s perspective on art was so fascinating.

I’m a devout Jodi Picoult fan and I realized this book was going to be… heavy. But I think knowing that going in helped me enjoy the book more.

4.5 stars rounded up

Diana and Finn have plans. They are on track to be married by 30, done having kids by 35, move to the suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder.

They are about to leave for a two week trip to the Galapagos when Covid rears its ugly head and Finn, a surgical resident at the hospital, is called to stay and help with the incoming wave of infections. He suggests that Diana go on their trip solo. Reluctantly, she does. She arrives in the Galapagos just as the world shuts down.

And that's all I want to tell you about the plot because I was NOT prepared for the turn it took and it was fantastic.

I love Jodi Picoult's work. She has a way of melding interesting topics with heavy subjects, and raising controversial topics in a way that exemplifies empathy and humanity. Wish You Were Here is no exception.

I was worried about reading about the Covid pandemic because we're all still living it, but I was pleasantly surprised with the careful and considerate way it was handled.

I think ultimately I'm going to land on 3.5 stars, but I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one. Picoult tackles the pandemic head on (and I think many readers might not be ready for this one yet). I like the different perspectives on the early days of the pandemic, and how it impacted people in different ways. I enjoyed the first part of the novel (although the entire book is pretty slow moving), but I definitely struggled with the rest of the book (and part of it may well be that I'm not ready to relive the worst parts of the pandemic yet.....and not even relive since so much of it is ongoing). I think the character development was fine, but I never really connected with any of the characters. I appreciate the growth of Diana throughout the novel, and the ultimate message that her journey sends to the reader. I don't think this is a bad read, but I also won't be shouting from the rooftops on this one.

This book is classic Jodi Picoult. It sucked me in so deeply that whenever I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it (I also maybe stayed up way too late one or two nights because I couldn’t put it down.)

I had to prepare myself to read this knowing the subject matter. I was worried it would be too soon, and in some ways it still was. It’s hard to read about those early days of the pandemic, when there was so little we knew, at a time when on average 1,000 Americans are still dying every day. Even still, the story kept me engaged and made me think. I especially appreciated the author’s note for giving context to how she went about writing the book.

I wanted a little more closure - don’t we all? - but otherwise I really enjoyed this. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

Jodi Picoult is a prolific and massively talented author, but I'm not sure I've ever read one of her 26 other novels. And I'm not sure why. However, when I saw this title on NetGalley I was intrigued by a book that looks at our year of Covid, aka 2020. For many -- especially those who lost loved ones during this horrific pandemic -- it might be too soon to read Wish You Were Here. It is an unsparing depiction of the start of the pandemic and the changes we all experienced. I was fortunate though as no one close to me suffered extreme bouts, and I was curious to read an author's perspective on the world we lived through (and continue to live through).

We start by meeting Diana O'Toole and her fiancé, Finn Colson. Diana is just about to turn thirty, and her life is exactly on track. She has her dream job as an associate specialist at Sotheby's and is deeply in love with Finn, who is a surgical resident at NY Presbyterian Hospital. They have their entire futures planned out, but it's early 2020 and God laughs when man plans (per an old Yiddish proverb).. So it is for Diana and Finn. They are just about to leave for a vacation to the Galapagos, where they will celebrate Diana's big birthday, when the hospital cancels all leaves due to Covid. Finn suggests that Diana go ahead anyway since they prepaid for the hotel. She does, but it doesn't go well.. First, the airline loses her luggage. Then, when she finally lands at her final destination, Isabela Island, she finds out that hers was the last ferry to the island and now there is no way back to Ecuador, much less New York. Worst of all, the hotel they had booked is closed and shuttered.

Diana is left to rely on the kindness of strangers, and she is fortunate to meet an old woman who introduces herself as Abuela (Spanish for Grandmother). Abuela kindly leads Diana to her to a small, vacant home/apartment and tells her to stay. It's important to note at this point that Diana speaks virtually no Spanish (although Finn does), and she has neglected to pack a Spanish dictionary in her backpack. The island is desolate and the few small businesses that exist are closed as they are in the rest of the world. Soon though Diana meets two people who, along with Abuela, will be her only companions while she is stranded. The first is Gabriel, who -- thank God -- speaks English! Gabriel is a bit older than Diana and is a former tour guide. He also happens to be Abuela's son, and the apartment where Diana is living used to be his. The second person she meets is Beatriz, a teenager who also thankfully speaks English. Beatriz is troubled, and when Diana first encounters her, she is cutting herself. Beatriz is Gabriel's daughter, and she's stranded on the island because her private school has closed.

The bulk of the book takes place in the Galapagos and focuses on Diana's time with Abuela, Gabriel, and Beatriz. It's here that Ms. Picoult takes the reader on a virtual tour of the island, which is absolutely captivating. However, my favorite part of the novel is the communication between Finn and Diana, which comes in the form of emails he writes her and postcards she sends him. Finn's emails are nothing short of heart-breaking as he describes the hell he is living at the hospital. As much as I lived and read about the pandemic, I never cease to be amazed at the experience of first responders. This look back at the early days of Covid is so compelling and brought tears to my eyes.

Wish You Were Here has a humongous twist at about the 60% mark, and this is a no-spoiler zone, so I'll stop my review here. This is a powerful novel, and I'm so very glad I read it. And yet, it left me feeling so very, very sad at how one year changed all of us in so many ways. The story of Diana and Finn is a microcosm of a year we will never forget.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Wish You Were Here is scheduled for publication on November 30, 2021. Be sure to read the Author's Note and Acknowledgments.