As the Covid pandemic is possibly winding down, this novel serves as a reminder of some of those details from the early days that we might like to forget. Diana leads a well-organized fast-paced life working for Sotheby's in New York, and she and her surgeon boyfriend are smitten with each other. As New York hospitals are hit by overwhelming patient needs, Finn must bow out of their romantic Galapagos vacation, and urges Diana to go on by herself. Her trip is a journey of discovery about herself and her New York life. Her sense of order is completely disrupted, and she is stranded on an island without a hotel room, no Spanish ability, and no connection to her usual world. She befriends a romantic interest, a depressed teen who cuts, and a grandmotherly woman who takes her in. This journey's ending is not as predictable as readers might expect, in much the way that many of us found the covid lockdowns a growing experience.

This is the first book I've read that has Covid as a very significany plot point in the book. It was so interesting to remember what my feelings and the feelings around the world were when Covid began. Hard, but interesting. I enjoyed this book.

I know it’s inevitable that Covid will be a theme in books but this one felt kind of rushed to me. It didn’t leave me as emotionally raw as the other Jodi Picoult novels I’ve read. It’s difficult to review the story without giving away the major plot twist so I will just say that at the outset of Covid a woman goes on vacation while her physician boyfriend stays behind to treat sick people. Only she finds herself stranded with no way home and no idea when the borders will open again. She also happens to be on an island with spotty internet connection and no cell service. Out of touch with home she’s only aware of what’s going on by the few emails that manage to pop through. Little does she know how Covid will completely turn her world upside down. 4⭐️

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and I have read almost everything she has written (with the exception of seeing Plain Truth as a movie instead). I have my share of favorites from her books, and am pleased to say that Wish You Were Here has made it onto that list.
Diana was easily relatable, even though there's 15 years between us. She was an interesting and sympathetic character and I could easily see becoming friends with her if we had met in real life. Her job even reminds me of my previous job, as we both had to research obituaries for somewhat similar reasons. So we could definitely commiserate about that together!

I really liked the setting of the Galápagos Islands, and not just because an important character went there on Schitt's Creek. (Given the timeline of the show and when Diana went, they should have met up if a crossover had been allowed.) The descriptions really brought it to life and the settings sounded amazing. I liked the life Diana made for herself there, while she had nowhere else to be.

I think I had my head buried in the sand during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic because I had no idea that it was as horrible as Finn recounts in his letters to Diana while she's away. I knew it was bad, but what Finn was describing was beyond nightmarish!

Overall, it was a really compelling and well-told story that I had a hard time putting down to get back to real life.

Movie casting suggestions:
Diana: Elizabeth Olsen
Beatriz: Kyndra Sanchez (she recently played Dawn in The Babysitter's Club, which I was watching while reading this novel.)
Gabriel: Jencarlos Caneda
Finn: Matt Lanter
Rodney: Dyllon Burnside

Review at my blog has spoilers at the end.

When I found out this was about Covid at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it but man I’m glad I did, I was blown away on how well done this was. ⁣
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I have loved Jodi Picoult for years. I always had to have her most recent book. Leaving Time is still probably my most favorite of hers but this truly was well researched and I felt the emotions in my bones. ⁣
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Finn is a surgeon, working day in and day out during the pandemic. Diana’s mom is in a nursing home with dementia during the pandemic, she’s furloughed from her job, and struggling with restlessness. ⁣
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The amount of research, the depth of these characters and they turmoil and emotions they were feeling throughout this story was just so so well done. There is also this genius twist mid book that I never saw coming which made this unputdownable for me.⁣
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I think anyone can relate to these characters on some level, for the ways we have all felt one way or another over the last two years. ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for an ARC for my honest review. #wishyouwerehere #netgalley #books #bookstagram #fiction

Diana and Finn planned a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos and Diana is sure Finn will propose while they're there. The plans fall apart as Covid shuts down the world and Finn is stuck at work in the ER department of his hospital. He tells Diana to go without him and soon she's stuck on an island with no way off and no way to communicate with her loved ones at home. Or is she?

I feel like you know what you are getting into with a Jodi Piccolt book, and Wish You Were Here is no exception to the rule. This is a sad but moving story that takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you think you may be triggered reading about the pandemic please do not pick this up! Diana, the main character, has the perfect life-- a job she loves, the perfect boyfriend with a ring in his sock drawer, and an amazing vacation planned. The global pandemic knocks her plans off-track when she is forced to take her vacation alone, her luggage and guide book are lost, and she ends up trapped in the Galapagos in the worst epidemic the modern world has seen. But, maybe this trip is exactly what Diana needs and the time away to think forces her to reexamine her life and think about what really is important. This book made me want to laugh and it made me want to cry! A seriously well written roller coaster of emotions about the difficulty of learning life lessons and the importance of straying from the plan every now and then.

It's been quite a few years since I've read a Jodi Piccoult book and reading this brings me back to all of the things I love about her writing.

Diana and Finn are your typical young adult couple. They've got big plans for their lives and their future to include marriage, children and a house in the NYC suburbs. First up is the once in a lifetime trip the the Galapagos Islands where Diana thinks Finn is going to propose.

Finn is a surgical resident at a hospital in NYC and Diana works for Sotheby's in art sales. Enter 2020 and the covid pandemic and everything changes. With the onset of covid, Finn is unable to miss work so he encourages Diana to go to the Galapagos without him, which she does.

What Diana finds in the Galapagos is another version of herself. One where she can help others through art. She builds relationships with others during her 2 weeks of isolation there,

JP is a master of crafting a detailed story. She is wonderful at establishing a setting and characters. I felt that she gave a wonderful depiction of the Galapagos and Isabella Island. Additionally, this is one of the most realistic pictures of covid I have read in a book. She does a great job at showing what it is like to be a healthcare provider during the pandemic. It is easy to see that this book is well researched and I really enjoyed it.

My one negative about this book is that the chapters are SO long! Otherwise, I highly enjoyed this novel by JP.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was an engaging book. I would not say it is my favorite of her many books. This book is about living through the Covid Pandemic and it may just be to soon for a book on this topic in my life. Some of us are not done living this pandemic. I did not have the pandemic hard. I worked at home, I stayed home a lot, and I did not catch Covid. This book talks about the PTSD that effected both the frontline workers and those that survived a Covid hospital stay in the beginning. The topic is heavy and very fresh in my mind.

The book is well researched and Jodi Picoult can write! In the beginning of the Diane O'Toole visits the Galapagos for a vacation that was supposed to be with her boyfriend, Finn, Finn is a resident in a NYC hospital and cannot make the trip due to the number of Covid patients. Diane is stranded on the island with no way to leave when the world essentially shut down. True to Ms. Picoult's writing style, there is a twist towards the middle of the book.

If you are reading as an escape, this may not be the book for you. If you want to understand better, what it was like to be a frontline healthcare provider, this book seems pretty realistic. Be sure to read the Author's note at the end. That was so interesting and brought some of the book together. .

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #WishYouWereHere by #JodiPicoult. This book is going to be released on November 30th, 2021.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and it always amazes me how well researched and thorough her novels are. Wish You Were Here is no different, however, it's all about our current situation with the pandemic and maybe I just wasn't ready for that.

Diana and her boyfriend Finn live in New York City. Days before the pandemic shuts down the city, they are debating whether or not to still go on their trip to the Galapagos. Finn is a surgical resident at a local NYC hospital and when the hospital braces itself for the coronavirus, Finn knows he must stay behind. Diana, burnt out from work and thinking she may be safer skipping out of town, decides to still take the trip. But once on the island, Diana realizes how serious the pandemic really is and wonders if she made a mistake leaving Finn behind.

I struggled with this novel. Yes, because I wasn't quite ready for the gory details and rehashing of what we are still living through, but also because I couldn't connect with the characters and found them ultimately unlikeable. Diana was whiny and ungrateful and I wasn't impressed with her attitude while being stuck and safe on an island paradise while her boyfriend was working 50 hour shifts and risking his life. I didn't really understand their relationship or the lack of trust and ultimately it felt wildly hypocritical. Diana seemed to find fault with Finn where maybe she didn't need to and she just kept rehashing it over and over again.

Right when I was at my breaking point with the Galapagos narrative, the novel took a major shift. I won't say more on this point as it came out of nowhere and really surprised me in a good way.

Picoult's infamous knack for nailing down all the most important facts and details really came to light in this novel. I think had I read this in five or ten years from now, I would have been in a better place to "enjoy" reminiscing about wiping down our groceries with Lysol wipes, running out of toilet paper, being afraid to leave my house, and the confusion surrounding the spread of the virus. But, because we're still so in the thick of it, it just reminded me how little we've progressed and how real the feelings of fear and anxiety still are.

Picoult shares really horrific details of this deadly virus, some of which I wasn't even privy to. It really was a wake up call for me as I took quarantine very seriously and haven't witnessed the devastation this virus has caused first hand. If you know a reader who is on the fence about getting his or her vaccine, this might be a good novel to recommend.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

This is one of those far and few between books that I feel deserves as many stars as possible. It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful and also had that mystery element that made it just absolutely gripping in all the ways. To be completely transparent I delayed starting this book for a hot minute. I did NOT want to read a book that was going to take me through the pandemic and make me internally cringe but I took a deep breath and began. And read and read and read and maybe cried a second and then kept reading. I even paused at about 95% because I wanted to reflect on all the brilliance I just read and I didn’t want it to finish. But I did finish and I would read it again in a heartbeat.

There are no spoilers to give - do not hunt them do not seek more about this story - just read it!! It’s different it resonates with all humans and it just fills your soul so good. Absolute win of a book!

Thank you Random House - Ballantine and netgalley for the honor of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A book set in a very prevalent time. Diana and Finn are to go on vacation to the Galapagos, unless New York City is on lockdown with Covid. Finn is also an up and coming surgeon who obviously cannot go on the trip.
Diana works in art and Finn encourages her to take the trip by herself, however, once she gets there, the island is on lockdown.

The only form of communication Diana and Finn are able to have are sporadic emails. With their relationship hanging on by a thread will their relationship survive? I can't say anything more as it would spoil it, but not everything is as it seems.

This was written with such raw talent and emotion. Having had Covid myself, I truly felt the emotions of this book. I was lucky enough not to have it to the point of hospitalization or any lingering effects.

This was a great read!

This was so compulsively readable but I turned the last page and was left with so many conflicted feelings. Firstly I felt like the author imposed her very strong political opinions in regards to Covid on the reader and I felt very uncomfortable with this. The author does not have a problem making readers uncomfortable but the topic of Covid is very contentious with the world right now. Should we be reading a book about it yet? Perhaps it’s too early. Another thing that didn’t work for me was use of a plot device about halfway. I was not a fan of it. I did however get the strong feelings many of us encountered during the pandemic with isolation, fear and depression. Also the hardships of not being able to be with family, the losses of friends family and employment as well. I think readers will be divided on this one but I fall pretty much in the middle.

This book brought me right back to March 2020 and specifically the few days leading up to everything closing. Diana has her life planned and one of those plans is to get engaged before 30 to her boyfriend Finn and she knows this is going to happen on their long-planned trip to the Galapagos Islands. As the pandemic begins to unfold rapidly over a few days Diana knows this trip is just what she and Finn need. That is until Finn, a doctor is forced to stay in the city and encourages Diana to take the vacation. I can't say too much without spoiling the book but will say two of Picoult's trademarks are that she does an incredible amount of research on her novels and she always does something in the last few pages that is a shocker. This book held true to those characteristics and did not in any way disappoint.

Just what I needed! Spot on and gorgeous insight, beautiful prose, fabulous scenery. The characters are all people you want to get to know better. Love this author. I always learn from her and this was no exception. I kept looking up artists and their work. Very interesting. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I don’t think Jodi Picoult could write a book I wouldn’t like. Her writing style is like listening to wind chimes on a slightly breezy, warm, and sunny day. It is that relaxing and enveloping. I’ve read all her books and have yet to be let down.
Her new book, “Wish You Were Here”, is about a young couple separated by continents during the early days of the COVID epidemic. Diana and her boyfriend Finn, (yes, THAT Finn from earlier books, you avid fans), have planned a romantic and relaxing getaway to the Galapagos Islands. Just as it’s time to leave, Finn, who is a surgical resident, has to cancel in order to assist with the huge influx of sick and dying patients. Begrudgingly, Diana goes ahead, with no clue that her methods of transportation will shut down indefinitely behind her.
She’s trapped in an oasis of beauty with hardly any internet, her luggage was lost, her hotel has shut down, and the entire island is on lockdown. Luckily, a resident of the island lets her stay in her basement apartment and helps her get acclimated to the limited food choices.
Diana spends her days enjoying the beauty of the island, its habitat, and its living creatures, both human and other. As her communication with Finn is distant and limited, she begins to ponder their relationship; she’s able to back up and look at life from a broader perspective in her solitude.
Her friendship with a young troubled teenager and her overprotective father further complicates her feelings. In her solitude, she questions everything she held dear prior to her trip.
I will not hint at spoilers, but it’s safe for me to say that this book packs a wallop of a plot twist, and it reminds me of something my mother went through during an illness. Things happen as a coping mechanism and leave it to Ms. Picoult to weave a beautiful and heartbreaking story around the experience.
The weather’s cooling down so do yourself a favor. Make your favorite hot tea, spike it if you feel inclined, grab your softest blanket, go to your favorite reading cubby, and leave today’s problems behind. The ones Jodi creates are so much more enthralling.
Sincere thanks to Random House- Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is November 30, 2021.

I have mixed feelings about this one.

It's weird reading a fictional story set during a global tragedy that's still ongoing. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had had more distance. Maybe I'll never be okay with reliving March 2020. Diana's story, especially at the beginning, made me so anxious because as soon as I read "COVID," I knew which direction this story was going to go.

Or at least I thought I did. I was surprised (and frustrated) by the direction it took, but at a certain point, I couldn't put it down.

So, even though reading this gave me anxiety, Picoult excellently captured many of the confusing emotions of the pandemic, and I loved how everything came together.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was everything I would expect from a Jodi Picoult novel. You can tell how much research was done on so many different topics for this novel to come together. It was so wonderful because I felt like I was reading two stories, one focusing on the pandemic, and one focusing on the most gorgeous vacation destination I could picture.
I was instantly drawn to Diana, I loved everything about her as a character. She was so independent and inspiring when everything went south she stood up and made the best of it. It took me a bit to understand Finn. I admired him staying back and all the hard work and dedication he had toward his job.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book very much. I was happy to see that after quite a while of not picking up a book by this author, I could get right back into the writing style. I will say there is quite a twist in this book, so be prepared!

I have been a fan of JP since I was 15 years old. I had the sentiment it’s not you it’s me with this book where I really struggled to read about the many hardships of covid 19 when I feel like we are still very much living through it. I am fascinated with South American culture and loved the imagery of the Galapagos for sure but it was just too much to read that I couldn’t really immerse myself into it like I would’ve liked. It did remind me of her earlier book which I enjoy and I can’t sing her on the writing at all. It just wasn’t super enjoyable for me to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this advance copy! This is a popular author with a wide following and I’m sure this book will find many appreciative readers. Unfortunately, it was not for me. I want to avoid spoilers, but I found the plot twist to be offensive, exploitative and emotionally manipulative. I wanted to DNF right then, but I continued on in hopes it might redeem itself. For me, it did not. I honestly struggle to find anything positive to say, so I will not be publishing a review for this book on any of my platforms. Thank you again for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.