Most of the times we read books to escape, but this is not a book that allows for that. At this point in time many of us, myself included are COVID'd out. Maybe because I live in NY and have a family member who works in a NYC hospital reading this book was like reliving the past year and a half all over again. I'm sure more books will be incorporating the Pandemic and everything that has happened into them, but this was just too soon for me. As a librarian I will be very careful with recommending this book if I don't know the patron very well. This maybe too hard for some to read depending on their own experiences during the Pandemic. I'm sure Jodi fans will read it because they read everything she has written (myself included).

For me, Jodi Picault's books are very hit or miss. I love The Pact, The Tenth Circle and Salem Falls. When she writes family drama with a little mystery she is at her best. This one is not like the others. Maybe a book about Covid shutdowns and isolation is just too soon, or maybe writing in the voice of a millennial is just not that interesting. Either way, I had a hard time getting through this one. Halfway through I had no interest in any of the characters. They weren't empathetic in the least, just spoiled and boring. There was no real plot, just spoiled girl makes entitled decisions and sticks her nose in where it doesn't belong. No thank you.

Jodi Picoult’s upcoming novel Wish You Were Here takes place in March of 2020. Diana works in the art auction world and is on track to have the life she’s always dreamed of. She’s found love with her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident in NYC, and feels so sure he’s going to propose on their upcoming trip to the Galápagos Islands. But when COVID-19 hits the US, it’s all hands on deck at the hospital, and Finn needs to stay in New York. He convinces Diana to go without him, but upon arrival with the islands shutting down, finds she’s made a mistake. Stranded until borders reopen, Diana has to learn to forge her own way, but will she be the same person when she returns?

I apologize in advance to the Jodi Picoult die-hards out there, but yikes… this was not it. Quite frankly, I found the main character Diana to be incredibly selfish and unfocused on anything but what she wants at any given moment. Finn was a saint for dealing with her, on top of already being exhausted from taking care of COVID patients everyday. In a world where this pandemic is still very much a part of our everyday lives, the lack of regard for anyone but herself made Diana absolutely insufferable to me. I enjoy books with unlikable characters, but they need to be self aware. Diana didn’t think she had done anything wrong, and it just made me hate her. There is a huge twist about 55% through that just frustrated and annoyed me, but I can’t say more without huge spoilers.

I definitely think this is a book you can skip, even if you love Jodi’s other books. Thanks to @netgalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC. Wish You Were Here will be published November 30, 2021.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I have been a big fan of Jodi Picoult, so I was very excited to receive this ebook. This is a very timely story given the state of the the world with Covid-19. That being said, it is a good story. It follows Diana, who is on track to have her life play out according to the plan she has in her head. A great career with Sotheby's, marriage to her soon to be fiance' and kids by the time she's 35. A romantic trip is planned where Diana knows her boyfriend Finn plans to propose. Then the world falls apart due to a virus. Finn, being a doctor, cannot go on the trip. He urges her to go and she does. This otherwise planned to be amazing trip, is anything but. The island ends up being quarantined, and thankfully Diana finds and befriends a family who lets her stay with them. As time passes, Diana begins to rethink the things she had planned for her life. I did like this book and it is well written, but it wasn't a favorite, but maybe that's because Picoult has so many incredible books! I do recommend this book.

I've never written a review before finishing a book. I am at 23% and I just had to stop. I've read Jodi Picoult books before (is there anyone who hasn't?) but this one is just . . . special. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and transcendent—any yet also relatable. I love Picoult's descriptions and prose. love the emails and letters that are mixed in with the storyline. I love learning about Diana's work with Sotheby's and her relationship with her parents and Finn's experience as a doctor in NYC during COVID.
I have a million things I should be doing right now but all I want to do is keep reading. I hope, though, that eventually I'll put this book aside. I don't want to gulp it down. I want it to last, to savor this story. But I had to pause for just a few minutes to share my thoughts, to gush a little bit here.
Thank you to JP for writing this amazing book, and for the person at Random House who sent me the link to download just yesterday. I started it because I was curious after reading the description and I'm so glad I did.

Even though Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, I wasn’t sure I could stay the course with this one because of the Covid theme. But I’m so glad I did!

Diana is in the Galapagos on a 2-week trip that she hoped would end in an engagement to her long-time boyfriend, Finn, a surgeon. But she’s there alone, and things are dire. The Covid-19 pandemic is in its earliest stages, and Finn is called in to work in the Covid ICU and can’t get the time off. And in the Galapagos, Diana’s hotel and most of the stores are closed, she can’t get a phone signal, she doesn’t speak the language, and her money is running out. If not for the initially reluctant assistance of the locals, she wouldn’t know how to cope. When she is able (only sporadically) to receive email, she reads Finn’s heartbreaking account of what his life at the hospital has become.

But gradually, as Diana makes some friends in this unfamiliar country, she begins to wonder if her carefully planned life is really what she wants. The story is brimming with musings about the art business vs. artistic expression and one particularly storied Toulouse Lautrec painting, as well as interactions with the indigenous wildlife for which the islands are known. Family dynamics are also movingly explored. And all of it is in Picoult’s luminous prose.

The plot takes a stunning turn in the latter part of the book, which I won’t spoil because you NEED to read it for yourself.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have reviewed this novel for New York Journal of Books, where it will be posted on their site the evening prior to the release date.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
Ballantine Books
November 30, 2021
10-1984818414


“The stark and concise portrayal of the pandemic gives food for thought about what exactly matters most in one's life.”

Most folks like to plan out their future, and Diana O'Toole believes all her plans will fall in place. She hopes to be married to resident Dr. Finn Colson, the man she loves and with whom she lives, have children within five years, and move out of New York City to the suburbs. Meanwhile, she has an enviable position at Sotheby's as an associate specialist, working in the art world that held her photographer mom and artist captive for many years.

Diana and her boss meet with a wealthy, well-known client hoping to gain her prized Toulouse-Lautrec painting for auction; acquiring this deal could cost her a much-wanted promotion.

Shortly before Diana's 30th birthday, she and Finn plan a holiday to the Galapagos Islands, and she knows he will propose to her. Suddenly, the Corona virus hits, and Finn is needed at the hospital to care for those stricken. He suggests Diana go alone, for the trip is nonrefundable. Unsure, she agrees and leaves the city.

After a long flight, she learns the airlines lost her luggage, and the hotel she booked is closed because of the pandemic. With the whole island under quarantine, where is she to go?

Diana connects with some locals, and Abuela, the grandmother, offers to let her stay in her basement apartment.

"By the late afternoon, I am not only wondering if I can get off this island. I'm wondering if I'm the only one on it.

"Even though I know it can't be true, it feels like I'm the last person on earth. Since being dismissed by the man from the tortoise breeding center, I have not seen a single soul. There is no movement of light in Abuela's part of the house; the beach is entirely empty. Even if there are no tourists descending on Isabela Island—even if people are being cautious because of coronavirus—it feels as if I've been dropped onto the set of a dystopian movie. A beautiful set, but a very lonely one."

WiFi is next to nonexistent, so she has trouble contacting Finn; they contend with sporadic texts. While stuck there, she forms a friendship with the elderly Abuela, who has taken Diana under her wing though she does not converse in English. Abuela's grandson, Gabriel, is distrustful of Diana at first, as he is suspicious of outsiders. His teenage daughter, Beatriz, is now with him since her mother sent her there, and she is aloof and standoffish. Still, Diana is drawn to the young woman—possibly due to the similarities with their mothers?

As the world deals with the ravages of the virus, Diana experiences safety and protection on the island, which turns out to be a paradise. As she gets closer to Gabriel and Beatriz, she reflects on her life and the plans for her future.

The days turn into weeks, then months, and Diana learns her employment has been put on furlough, leaving her to wonder what is happening. Will she ever be able to return home to her beloved Finn and her dream career?

"The more time I spend on this island, the more clarity I have about the time leading up to it. In a strange way, being stripped of everything—my job, my significant other, even my clothing and my language—has left an essential part of me, and it feels more real than everything I have tried to be for years. It's almost as if I had to stop running in order to see myself clearly, and what I see is a person who's been driving toward a goal for so long she can't remember why she set it in the first place."

The longer she remains at this tropical paradise, she sees her world change:

"Here, I can't lose myself in errands and work assignments; I can't disappear in a crowd. I am forced to walk instead of run, and as a result, I've seen things I would have sped past before—the fuss of a crab trading up for a new shell, the miracle of a sunrise, the garish burst of a cactus flower. Busy is just a euphemism for being so focused on what you don't have to ever notice what you do."

With Gabriel as her guide, Diana explores areas only known by the locals. They swim in secluded lagoons, hike the mountains, trek through lava arches formed by long-ago volcanos, and explore the jungle with all the intrinsic beauty of the area.

Beatriz confides to Diana about her pain of being abandoned by her mother, and Diana confesses her circumstances were similar. Her mother seemed more involved in traipsing the world for her photography and leaving her alone with her father. The two become close, and the girl begins to trust Diana—that is until she catches Diana and her father in bed together. Filled with regret and guilt, Diana chastises herself. What is she doing?

"I have always believed we are the architects of our own fates—it's why I so carefully planned my career steps and why Finn and I dreamed in tandem about our future. It is always why I could blame my mother for choosing her career over me—because it was just that: a decision she made. I have never really subscribed to the mantra that things happen for a reason. Until, maybe now."

As the world copes with the current crisis, everyone wonders if things will ever return to normal. This is especially true for Diana, who, before long, must face what is real. Has this all been a dream? What is to become of her and her life?

This novel offers an exciting and colorful escapade describing the Galapagos Islands, giving the reader a visual journey of the area. However, by confronting reality, we are brought back to the heartbreak and terror caused by this virus, which has shaken the planet and changed life for everyone. The stark and concise portrayal of the pandemic gives food for thought about what exactly matters most in one's life.

When Covid first comes to New York City, Finn, a surgical resident, must stay behind, but encourages Diana to go on their long awaited trip to the Galapagos without him. As soon as she gets to the island, it shuts down with all tourists escaping back to the mainland. Diana decides to stay anyway. Through patchy cell service, Diana begins to learn the true extent of Finn's Covid reality, just as she is beginning to learn more about the island - and in turn herself.

Halfway through the book, you're thrown for a complete loop and this book becomes something completely different, something I'm not sure I was truly on board with. I liked where it was leading in the first 50% and am still unsure how I felt about it after. And because we're still in the midst of the pandemic, I'm not sure if I would've liked it better had I been further removed from it.

However, I loved the journey that Diana went on as she learned more about who she really is inside. I liked how realistic the Finn character felt being a frontline worker. And I loved the relationship between Diana and Beatriz, a teenager from the island. All in all, I'd recommend this one - maybe just when we're on the other side of Covid.

(This book will be reviewed on the 10/6/21 episode of Reading Through Life podcast.)

Jodi Picoult's writing is stellar in this emotional book. I highly recommend this book! You won't be disappointed!

The first book I ever read by Jodi Picoult was The Pact. I made the mistake of reading that on vacation -- the mistake was that all I wanted to do was read. It was that engrossing. I read everything she's ever written up to 2020's The Book of Two Ways, which brought my streak to a screeching halt. It was so heavy and filled with ancient Egyptian history that I couldn't get through it. While I liked Wish You Were Here a little more, I didn't like it as much as other Jodi books.

The main character, Diana O'Toole, is positive that her boyfriend, Finn, will propose on their upcoming trip to the Galapagos. But as a surgical resident, Finn must cancel the trip because of "all hands on deck" at the hospital. At this point, no one knew exactly how bad Covid would get. Implausibly, he tells Diana she should still go, and she does. But, of course, she gets stranded and only has limited contact with Finn, who tells her that things are not going well. Since her hotel has closed, a local family puts her up, and she grows close with them.

A warning that the majority of Wish You Were Here is about the pandemic, so if you're not ready to read about that yet, you might want to steer clear. I think what I found most frustrating is that Diana in the Galapagos really seems like a completely different book than what Finn is going through in the States. The mesh wasn't seamless. All in all, I would put this toward the bottom of the list of Picoult books, but that's because she has so many other ones I liked better.

MY RATING - 3

Wish You Were Here is Jodi Picoult’s latest book. It starts out with Diana who works for an art auction dealer and she has planned a trip to the Galápagos Islands with her bf Finn, who is a surgeon in NYC. A pandemic hits NYC and Finn tells her to go ahead without him (personally I can’t imagine going across the world by myself like that but … ). As soon as she gets there, everyone and everything is in lockdown so she’s stuck there. Instead of just being a tourist now, she becomes friends with a family who has many secrets. The pandemic is front and center throughout the book. I wondered if it was “too early” for a book about Covid but she wrote a really touching novel here. It’s been a nightmare for so many people in 2020 and still going strong, unfortunately through 2021. There is a BIG TWIST a little more than 60% out and Holy cow!!!! What the heck happened???? You can tell ALOT of research went into this book and i really feel it’s one of her best books to date. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I don't want to give any spoilers on this book. I was a bit hesitant to read it because I knew it was based on covid. I read the acknowledgements and author's note and felt connected to Jodi. She talked about struggling with asthma during covid and what it meant to her. I decided to give it a read as I felt I would be able to relate since I lived through covid with a chronic illness. This book can be a reminder of what we went through/still are going through with covid. But the way Diana changes and examines her life and how she is on the Galapagos is heart warming. I recommend this book to everyone. It will help you look inward.

I was so excited for a new Jodi Picoult book but I was unsure about reading a book set during the pandemic while we are still in the pandemic. I am so glad that I read it now because it is just perfect. There is a whole ‘nother level of this book that I was not expecting and was super engaging. This was a great, quick read. Be sure to read the author’s note!

Too soon?
I think it is too soon for me to read this book. I liked the beginning, it is well written and engaging, but maybe too engaging for where I am at right now. It talks about a pair who got separated in the beginning of the pandemic - one working in NY hospital seeing horrors, the other locked down on a remote island where she does not speak the language and doesn't even have her luggage. I think I would love to finish the book when all this truly behind us, but it is just too painful and too vivid for right now.
I received a digital copy of the book from NetGalley

Wow! Another timely and relevant masterpiece with a classic Jodi Picoult twist! The protagonist of the story, Diana has her life planned out to include a career, marriage, a move to the suburbs and eventually children. And she is on target to achieve all these goals. She and her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident at a New York City hospital are ready to take a vacation to the Galapagos islands and Diana is certain that Finn will propose while they are there. However, the day before they are set to leave, Finn is ordered by his boss to stay in the city to help fight the new Covid 19 pandemic. Through a miscommunication, Finn insists that Diana go on the non refundable vacation without him even though he really wants her to stay in the city. Diana travels to Isabela Island in the Galapagos only to arrive and find out that the island is closed due to the pandemic. She has nothing but her backpack and with no place to stay, mostly nonexistent Internet access and no ATM or money, she has to rely on the island residents, most of whom do not speak English. During her several weeks of isolation, Diana explores the island with her new friends, Gabriel and Beatriz and her experiences change her life forever. Meanwhile, back in New York City, Finn is experiencing his own life changing events while treating Covid patients who are severely ill and dying. The author very cleverly incorporates Finn’s experiences into the story by use of very descriptive emails to Diana which come through randomly to the island via sketchy Internet service.
In the afterword of the book, Jodi Picoult explains her extensive research for the book done while she was spending a year in pandemic isolation. Her beautiful descriptions of Isabela island will make any reader want to put this destination on his or her bucket list. But it’s not all paradise on the island. The author also masterfully incorporates complex relationship issues, teenage angst and issues of single parenthood into the storyline of Diana’s time on the island.
Once Diana and Finn are reunited, they begin to struggle with their own values and relationship issues, mostly brought on by the impact of the pandemic. As a reader, I really appreciate the author’s tribute to healthcare workers who are risking their lives daily to take care of Covid patients. As a nurse, I especially appreciate Finn’s comment about nurses being the real heroes in this battle. Picoult’s research also enabled her to include very real and descriptive after effects developed by Covid long haulers. All of the issues around the COVID-19 pandemic should never be forgotten and Jodi Picoult is definitely ensuring that these concerns are brought to the forefront in this fantastic novel. Even though the characters are impacted forever as a result of this horrible pandemic, Picoult ends the story with hope for the future. This book is hard to put down. Definitely one to stay up all night to finish. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel to date!
Also worth mentioning, I love the way the author incorporates the wisdom of Kitomi Ito, AKA Yoko Ono into Diana’s transformation.

Truthfully, this was the first Picoult book I've ever picked up. My supervisor has always recommended her, and when I saw this available as an ARC, she urged me to apply for it. So I did!

All in all, I really enjoyed this read. It started a bit slow, with a lot of art business jargon that resulted in me taking a break for a couple of days because I really couldn't get into it. But I forced myself to keep going, and I'm glad I did.

Picoult lives up to her legacy- she truly pours into her research and ensures that any time she gets technical, her information is spot on. While this is great, I did find that the parts where she shares her research to be dragging a bit, and I fervently hoped for those sections to go by a bit faster. However, they were still expertly written, and I appreciated that she credited her sources in the credit section at the end.

Her characters I found to be phenomenal. Each of them was unique, and I had no trouble at all distinguishing one character from the next. It was very refreshing to see a white female author being inclusive, and actually writing a fun gay character (even if that was most of his personality). Each of them was fully believable, and I enjoyed the Galapagos family that adopts Diana.

And that TWIST! When she woke up and found herself in the hospital, I started flipping back and forth between the last page and the start of the new chapter because I was so confused about what was going on. As I kept reading, I started to understand, but I thought it was interesting how she chose one of the stranger effects of Covid for the premise of her book. Though this felt a little weird, I feel that she very effectively conveyed the severity of Covid- even if she used a lot of technical terms that sort of alienated the virus and made it that much more intimidating. I felt just as confused as Diana when she resurfaced, and felt her anger as everyone tried to convince her that it was nothing but a result of drugs, the vent, and her lack of oxygen. Picoult did her research on the hallucination stories, though- I found several of them online after I finished her book.

I did have a few issues, one of which being Beatriz. It may be from personal experience, but when white women force their way into the lives of suicidal teens and try to "fix" them, I just get really irked. I think that their interactions were believable, and Diana was decently competent at talking her through her problems, but it was still pretty annoying that she was basically inviting herself into this family and their issues. I mean I guess it was okay- she was basically in a dream state so if her relationships flowed perfectly, it's no surprise.

When Finn proposed and she declined, I will say I was a little surprised. Her reasoning felt weird, and I didn't entirely believe that their relationship was truly in shambles. Yes, Finn was perhaps a bit too overprotective and constrictive when she left rehab, but I didn't fully grasp how their relationship could have fallen apart so quickly. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention, but it just wasn't really believable for me.

Other than those little things, I enjoyed the book. I liked the relationships between characters, I liked the heart-wrenching moments Diana shared with her mother, I liked the twist that left Diana fumbling for an answer and confused about whether she wanted back her life in the Galapagos or her life with Finn. Picoult's writing was also very good, and I think her plot and characters were well done. Although at first it seems that she is just going to be tackling Covid and how Diana is torn between returning to Finn and staying in the Galapagos, there are so many other touchy issues present that she tackles head-on.

All in all, this was a good read with a twist that leaves your head spinning with a well-written story and characters. My only wish is that she had written a little more for that ending!

I wasn't too sure about reading a book set during the pandemic. Ultimately, I enjoyed reading Wish You Were Here and following Diana O'Toole on her adventure to the Galapagos Islands where she faces many challenges as the world is on lockdown. Diana leaves behind her boyfriend Finn, a New York City physician in the trenches with Covid patients to go on the vacation they had planned to take together. Her life takes a series of turns as she navigates life during a lockdown on the other side of the world from home. Without giving any spoilers, I can say I was shocked at the ending of the book and the twist that it took. Jodi Picoult is an expert at capturing emotion and humanity in her writing. She never disappoints! Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

It’s taken me a couple days to be ready to write a review for @jodipicoult newest novel “Wish You Were Here”. If anyone can write a book about the COVID 19 pandemic, and write it beautifully…it’s Jodi. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
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-Diana had her life perfectly planned out, and so far, it was perfectly on track!! She and her boyfriend were headed on a trip to Galápagos Islands where (hopefully) he’d be proposing. But Finn is a doctor in NYC, and this book takes place in Spring 2020. So, he encourages her to go on the trip, while he stays. But when she gets to the island, the quarantine goes into effect and she can’t leave.
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-While this is a fiction novel, Finn’s experiences of working with Covid-19 patients, is absolutely true. And there were times I had tears in my eyes and times I had to stop. But wow, I loved this book!

Jodi Picoult is a long-time favorite of mine. I've read nearly all of her books (except for only 2) and I have to say that this one is right at the top of the list of the best books she's ever written. I didn't know how I would feel reading about the pandemic while we are still very much dealing with it, but she nailed it.

I was transported right back to the day when our country started to shut down and felt every emotion again that I did at the beginning of the pandemic. This is so much more than a story about a person during the pandemic, but a story of hope, resiliency, strength, and love.

Absolutely beautiful. 5 stars all around.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is set during the covid pandemic. This may be too soon for some, but I was okay with it. Diana is living a great life in NY, working in Art Auction. Her fiance Finn is a surgical resident at the hospital. They are set to go on a two week vacation to the Galapagos and she thinks Finn is going to propose.

Then covid hits the city and Finn is not able to go on the trip because he must stay to help at the hospital, but tells Diana she should go on this trip without him, so they don't let all their money go to waste. She reluctantly decides to go.

After she's there, everyone goes into lockdown, and she is unable to leave the island, but finds an apartment to stay in. She feels alone and nervous about her circumstances. She ends up meeting a local family, and then things will really pull you in at this point. I do not want to give any more details about this story as to not spoil anything.

This was very emotional, and I love how she took this book in a direction I was not expecting. Picoult definitely put a lot of research into this one and I was completely captivated while reading!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own!