The author did an amazing job taking a current problem in the world, and turning it into a great story. I learned a lot about COVID, reactions by different people( health care workers, psychologists; and loved ones) , and near death experiences. We really see the effects of this deadly disease thru the eyes of someone that survived.

Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult’s newest novel, really threw me for a loop. I loved that it was so mainstream in dealing with Covid issues, and things that are relevant to the now. When I started reading I really loved the premise of the story and I totally thought I had this book figured out.

The plot twist totally blindsided me. At first I didn’t know if I liked the turn the story took, but by the end I felt like it was genius. It is not too often at all that I find a book that totally throws me off guard the way this one did. A lot of times I find books to be very predictable but in this instance I never guessed that this story would go in the direction it did. I found this book highly enjoyable and I would recommend it.

If you’re anything like me, you are burnt out on all things COVID. I was always going to read this book because I love Jodi Picoult, but I wasn’t going to read it now (or probably even within the next couple of years), but then NetGalley emailed me an invite to read it and I just couldn’t turn it down.

I LOVED this book. Even with the setting, even with being a little annoyed by a lot of the mentions of the pandemic, and even with a part of this book that made me want to throw my Kindle across the room.

I can’t really say much about this story without spoiling it, so I’ll just advise everyone to read it whenever they feel they are ready for a book set very much in COVID times. It is a masterfully written story that pulled nearly every emotion possible out of me.

This is absolutely one of the best books I’ve read all year. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it given it is mostly about Covid. The characters and storyline were so interesting and well-developed. There is a BIG plot twist I was definitely not expecting and I loved that this book was able to surprise me in such a way. This was my first Jodi Picoult book. I’ll definitely be reading more by her.
*Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine Books for this arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for an ARC of this book

Imagine if you have not lived what you thought you had? I have read some books lately that had included COVID-19 in their plots but none of them dissect the pandemic, revealing it in all its angles, as well as Wish You Were Here.

In this story we follow Diana O’Toole, a twenty-nine-year-old associate specialist in the art business who thought she had her life all figured out, with a successful career, married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five. But life does not always happen as we imagine.

Diana has a romantic relationship with Finn, a surgeon, and they have planned to go to the Galápagos Islands for vacation, where she is expecting him to propose. But a global pandemic hits the entire world, closing borders, keeping family members and friends apart, causing thousands to lose their jobs, furloughing thousands more, killing millions and changing how human beings interact with the world.

This book is about survival, love, grief, perseverance, redemption, and about realizing what really matters in this life. Wish You Were Here is a beautiful and emotional novel that frames a unique event that changed the course of human history. We survived through it. We are here to tell the next generations about the COVID-19 pandemic, and Picoult does it magnificently.

Wish You Were Here tackles an interesting aspect of COVID. Diana and Finn have planned their bucket list vacation to the Galapagos Islands. Diana has a plan to get married by age 30, kids before 35 and be on the Forbes list of 40 under 40 once she is promoted from her position as an art associate at Sotheby's. So far everything is going to plan. But when COVID first strikes in March of 2020 in New York, Finn, who is a surgical resident, is working endless hours at the hospital. She may have botched the sale of a priceless piece of art with a famous client. Finn encourages Diana to go on the trip rather than stay in New York. Diana decides to go on the trip only to find that when she lands on the island, the island has shut down and there is no way off the island. With very little cell phone service and sketchy postal service, so that she can't even reach Finn, she has really no option but to stay on the island. Along the way, her luggage is lost so she only has a bag with some essentials. Occasionally she has a cell service and she can read emails from Finn letting her know the trials and horrors he was facing at the hospital. She has no other way to really know what was going in the rest of the world. As Diana tries to accept her circumstances, she grows to like the slower pace of the island which has forced her to slow down and re-evaluate her own life. She eventually meets some people on the island that help her in her situation. Jodi Piccoult is known for addressing challenging moral situations. This is an interesting spin on someone being removed from the pandemic situation. Jodi has done her research, as always. I enjoyed some of the topics she addresses in her book. This could be a difficult book to read if the topic of COVID is challenging, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

I have been a Jodi Picoult fan for most of my adult life. I go into this review wanting to automatically give 5 stars, but something here just didn't resonate with me. Obviously there is a big Covid trigger warning with this novel. In the back of my mind I kept thinking "Too soon!"

As far as the book itself, I had problems with Diana. I just didn't like her all that much. I give an extra star just because the plot twist in the middle did indeed get me and make me exclaim WTF! The ending was just OK for me.

I will for sure continue to read anything that Ms. Picoult publishes. This one was a quick (albeit not light but actually fairly dark) read that just wasn't my favorite of hers.

Jodi Picoult is back on track! I didn’t think her last book, The Book of Two Ways, was up to her usual level of writing. But Wish You a Were Here is up to par with her other books. This a story of Diana O’Toole (an employee at Sotheby’s) and her boyfriend, Finn Coulson (a surgical resident). They are planning a trip to the Galapagos when the COVID pandemic hits. Finn is needed to work caring for the COVID patients at the hospital, so he convinces Diana to go on the trip anyways. Just as she arrives in the Galapagos, everything is closing down for quarantine due to the pandemic. Her hotel is closed, her luggage is lost, and there is rarely any WiFi to try to communicate with Finn. Luckily, Diana is able to make friends with several residents on the island who provide shelter and food for her. The tour company is closed, but her friends take her to some of the must-see locations. The descriptions of these areas are wonderful. Ms. Picoult also does a great job of relating the multitude of emotions everyone is feeling due to the pandemic, including Finn’s struggles working long hours caring for the COVID patients. I don’t want to tell any more about the story because I don’t want to spoil it. But if you liked Jodi Picoult’s previous

I finished Wish You Were Here a little over a week ago and still haven’t stopped thinking about it. I’m not going to say too much about it other than I thought I knew where it was going, but I was so wrong!

Diana thinks she has her life all planned out. She’s going to be married, living in the suburbs, and done having kids by the time she’s 35. She’s not engaged yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, will pop the question on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos. On the night before their departure Finn’s hospital declares all hands on deck to help fight a virus that will quickly take over the city. Finn insists that Diana still go without him, she’ll be safer out of the city. She decides to go and arrives to the island right as things begin to shut down. Stuck in the Galápagos, Diana meets a local family that will change the way she views the world and maybe alter her perfectly planned out life.

This is a 5-star read for me! And I don't give out 5 stars very often.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult will stay with me for a long time. The story captures all of the emotions that we as humans are feeling during the pandemic. Picoult is a brilliant writer who shares so many profound thoughts in this novel. I found myself rereading passages because they are so beautiful and so full of truth.

The main character, Diana, is very ambitious and has big plans, and lives her life marking each step towards those plans. Her boyfriend, Finn, lives his life the same way, ticking off boxes as he achieves each goal. The couple has saved up for a trip to the Galapagos, another bucket list item. Then the Covid virus begins to appear so Finn, a surgeon, has to stay behind as he is desperately needed at the hospital. Diana decides she will go on the trip alone.

Soon after her arrival to the island, a quarantine begins due to the virus. No one is allowed on the island and no one is allowed off. Her trip is definitely off to a rocky start, with the lockdown, her luggage is lost, language barriers, and the internet is unreliable. Soon she meets a family who has a significant impact on her. Diana begins to question her values, relationships, and purpose in life.

The next part of the novel involves a mind-blowing twist that I won't spoil. Picoult's story reminds us of what is truly important in life. We all have been touched by the pandemic in some way and Picoult puts into words what many of us cannot express about what it's like to live through a pandemic. The author gives us hope that the "new normal" may be even better.

I really loved this book and cannot wait to read more of Picoult's work. Highly recommend! Thank you to Random House publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

We are living in a pandemic, so as I was reading Jodi Picoult’s new book, Wish You Were Here, all about Covid I kept wanting to stop. I feel that if I waited to read this book a few years from now I would have enjoyed it more. What was interesting though as I was reading Finn’s emails to Diana about what was happening in the hospital he was a surgical resident at, I truly forgot many of the details of the nightmare we were living in the beginning of this pandemic. It felt like I was reading about a sci-fi horror movie not something that we had actually lived.

There were definitely interesting topics discussed in the novel, ICU psychosis, there were interesting artist brought up, Banksy and his painting Girl With Balloon and Henri De Toulouse and his painting Le Lit. I ended up searching the internet for interesting tidbits of information on these artists. It was good to learn something new. Also part of the book takes place in the Galapagos, and since I have been there and it is one of my all time favorite destinations I loved reading about, and reminiscing about my time spent on the islands. There was also an element of surprise a third of the way through the book.

All in all this was a mediocre read for me. I have not enjoyed Picoult’s last few books as much as I did her earlier books but I will continue to read all of her new books because even though they are not always my favorites, there are elements I enjoy. My advice would be to wait to read this book later once the pandemic is behind us. You might appreciate it more.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had taken a break from reading Jodi Picoult and I'm so glad to have picked this one up. She is an amazing storyteller and sucks you right into the story.

This book was a slow read and very heavy. I think since it centers around COVID, she should have waited to release this book until a little later since the virus is still a real thing.

I gave this book 3 stars because it was a hard read. Some trigger warnings people should be made aware of: death of a loved one, self harm, feelings of loneliness/depression. Also, if you have lost someone to COVID, this might be a hard read. Jodi Picoult is excellent at doing her research so her story is very accurate which may be hard to read for some on this topic.

Overall, I think this book was released a bit too soon. Hopefully in the future my rating will change as time goes on and we move past this pandemic. One thing that Jodi Picoult brought forth that we can all agree on:

We all have had plans disrupted from the pandemic and we have all felt alone/isolated. We have all lost something to COVID as well.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication day will be November 30, 2021!

WISH YOU WERE HERE was my first book by Jodi Picoult. Undoubtably, her writing is very impressive. However, I don’t think her style is for me. I found most of the book to be fairly slow. But I would still absolutely recommend someone to try it for themselves, especially if you’ve enjoyed her work in the past! She’s very talented! This one gets 3 stars from me. Thank you Netgalley for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is the first book I’ve read of Jodi’s and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long. Wish You Were Here was an immersive, emotional novel and the first that I’ve read on the subject of Covid. But, it’s so much more than the pandemic we all know and experienced. Here listed are my thoughts.

👉Sensitive subject matter done well.
👉Relatable emotions and motions on real world event.
👉Window to doctors dealing with new disease and no answers.
👉At the same time, secluded island getaway, budding relationships that I was invested in.
👉Shocking twist that made me uber invested.
👉Rodney was an absolute gem.
👉Lovely descriptions on art history, the business side of it as well.
👉 Loved Diana’s growth and her interactions with her family
👉Beautiful descriptions of the Galapagos and wildlife

Its easy to see why she’s such a well loved author and would love to read more of her books. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.

Wish You Were Here is the latest story from Jodi Picoult. Diana and Finn live together in an apartment in New York City. She is an associate specialist at Sotheby's and he is a resident on his way to becoming a surgeon. They have their future all planned out. The story begins mid- March 2020 when COVID has just begun to take over the city. Ms Picoult (as always!) manages to pull on the reader's heart strings. I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an early copy to review.

This was my first Jodi Picoult book. I requested it because a friend read it and raves about it. Many times throughout I felt myself feeling like it was too soon for a book about covid19. But instead over and over again as I read the characters thoughts and feelings about events I felt understood and validated for things I have felt over the last 18 months. I loved the storyline in the Galapagos, Diana’s evolution as a person, the plot twist, and the ending.

Diana O’Toole has her whole life planned out and she is busy checking off the boxes. She has a high profile job with Sotheby’s. She just knows a proposal is coming soon from her boyfriend, Finn. Maybe he will pop the question on their upcoming vacation to the Galápagos? All of a sudden, the worldwide pandemic is hitting closer to home and Finn’s boss has told him he’s needed at the hospital. He insists Diana go on their vacation without him. She goes but nothing goes as planned! She loses her luggage. The Wi-Fi is hit and miss. The pandemic is shutting down everything including businesses and the borders. She is alone until a local family befriends and helps her. However, is this paradise too good to be true?
I enjoyed this book immensely! Beautifully descriptive. I enjoyed Diana’s character and her job as an art dealer. I will say I was not expecting the turn of events about halfway through and that had me flipping pages because I had to know what happened. I will say, Picoult’s description of the coronavirus brought back all of the fear, isolation and unknowns we faced in the beginning of the pandemic. I appreciated Diana’s character for her vulnerability and tenacity. She faced many obstacles and in the end, she had to do what was right for her. Sometimes the right thing isn’t the easiest but the most rewarding!

Caution ⚠️ this book is about Covid 19, in New York in the thick of it. It’s a bit heavy, descriptive and raw.

With that being said. There were times when I needed to take a break or else I would start crying. There are some tough passages in this that I’m sure we’re written with a heavy heart. This was a bit too real too soon. All in all this was very well researched, being in the front lines and the history and information about the Isabela Island in the Galapagos and all around Informational. There’s a big twist, that I did not see coming. I would say that was the best part of the book. The main character, is very uncertain about her life the whole book.

The writing and writing style were easy to follow and flowed, I think it was just the topic that I couldn’t really do.

I was very surprised by this book. I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult but was skeptical to read a book that at first seems to be out about the Corona Virus. The writing, the story telling, the characters were just WOW. I would highly recommend this book! A great read!

Who better to chronicle the 2020 Covid pandemic than Jodi Picoult, an author whose trademark is putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Released while the pandemic is still raging, and the future is uncertain, this book captures all the fears and frustrations from the perspectives of both the patients and the doctors. With a fast paced plot and engaging characters this was a real page turner with multiple unexpected twists. Highly recommended