This is the first book I have read that is about the Covid Pandemic. I don't know if it is too early to read about the pandemic, since we are still living it, but I did enjoy this book. There is a huge twist half way through, that made blew my mind. I went back to the beginning to see if I missed something!

This story really got me thinking about our purpose in life. Do we follow dreams or continue down the safe path?

I highly recommend this book, but just be warned! If you have any triggers that reading about Covid and the quarantine would affect, you may want to wait a bit to read this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for giving me this ARC,

I will read every Jodi Picoult book without even reading the blurb (except for the ones she writes with her daughter...I haven’t given those a go.) She could write about the sky being blue and I would read it. The first of her books I ever read was My Sister’s Keeper and it is one of two books that ever made me cry. This is why I will always read her books. No matter what.

I liked this book and then I didn’t. I had no idea what this book was about when I began reading it. Like I said...it’s Jodi. This was an unexpected book. Not from the reader standpoint, but from the writer standpoint. She openly admits that this came only from the pandemic. It’s a book about Covid. About the pandemic. About the shutdown. About surviving. About relationships. I was invested in Finn (I loved Finn) and in Diana (less love here) from the opening. Finn and Diana had planned a romantic trip to the Galapagos Islands when Covid hit New York hard. Finn, being a surgeon, could no longer go, but rather than lose their money invested in the trip, he encourages Diana to go anyway. When she gets there, tourists have left, businesses are closed, and she is quarantined to an island she’s never visited, with language she doesn’t speak, and all alone. We get to witness her struggles of being in a foreign land as well as the new relationships she forms with Abuela, Beatriz, and Gabriel, among other residents of the island.

If you are a Picoult lover you know her books have a twist, make you contemplate issues, and place characters in dreadful situations. Some turn out how you would like, others don’t. This was a don’t for me.

This book felt different than her normal books, and I believe she will even tell you it is. It was more of a book for remembering. Remembering what we’ve experienced during this time. Commemorating the doctors, those who have been lost to Covid, those who survived the virus, the changes people have had to make, the sacrifices of many. After reading her note at the end, I feel that she has done her due diligence research-wise and the Covid details and after effects are real, not that the virus isn’t real, because there is no question about that, but that the experiences people have had while saving lives or surviving themselves are real. It’s accurate. It’s scary. And Jodi does a good job telling it. I just don’t like Diana, and the choices she makes. She made me confused, angry, sad. I don’t understand her!

With all that being said, it was overall a good book. I’m glad I read it, and will tell others to read it. I would like to discuss with others what they thought of Diana and her choices. Maybe my outlook will change. I don’t know.

Recommendation: yes...with reservation...maybe not...yes...read it.

Rating: 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

This is by far her best book yet! So well written and timely. I was actually aghast! But I loved every page of it. The best one she's written since Sisters keeper, and that says a lot!

I may not have been willing to read this book if it was written by someone else. But I have known and loved many of Jodi Picoult's novels that address deep and sensitive topics, from school shootings to racism to rape allegations and I trusted her. I am so glad I did because this book will stick with me for quite some time.

COVID is still very real and very raw--and a huge part of this book. Centered around Diana who has her whole life and a bucket list trip planned when the virus changes her and her surgical resident boyfriend's plans. If you are someone like me who turned to books to escape COVID, you have to go into this book knowing it will invite all of those feelings, and more, back in.

The COVID heaviness and darkness is juxtaposed against the beauty of the world--from the Galapagos Island adventures to the discussion of art, which I really appreciated. I also loved the way the author incorporated emails and postcards between Diana and Finn.

There's a lot of depth to the themes explored throughout this book and I found myself wanting to highlight so many of the passages. I very rarely re-read novels but this is one I will likely return to.

It's a bit surreal to see something we are living through immortalized in fiction, and while it might not be something everyone is ready for, it was done in a really beautiful way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books & Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of one of my favorite author's new books. I just finished reading this after two days, so it is safe to say that this was a page-turner (or swiper if you are thinking digital).

I have complicated feelings about this one. It is my first "pandemic fiction" and after reading it, I can't help but say that this book was a little too soon. We are still in a pandemic. People are still losing their lives. I found the subtle jokes about "Tiger King" and toilet paper to be dry, and almost tasteless humor as Finn was recounting his horrific experience as an ICU surgeon. I also found that there should be trigger warnings from the author herself about how if you've lost someone to COVID or experienced COVID, to not read or expect to be triggered. I am almost on the fence that Picoult is profiting off of the pandemic, which does not sit right with me.

The twist in the middle? I felt like it would be really interesting if this book wasn't set in the pandemic. I honestly didn't see it coming, so kudos to Picoult, but honestly? I was upset. I was already disoriented and experiencing triggers. I just feel like this book had good intentions, but it's too soon. Two stars.

Here is my Goodreads review:

I will preface this review by saying thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will also preface this review by sharing that Jodi Picoult has been one of my favorite authors since I was a girl. This will not be a nice review.

I read this book in two days. Much like her other books, Picoult is a great storyteller. However, I read the book with a scowl and found myself not enjoying the content throughout. Going in, I knew this was a book about the COVID-19 pandemic, and found myself curious by the premise and reading about Diana, the MC, going to the Galapagos Islands without her boyfriend as he worked on the frontlines at a hospital.

This book did not come with any content warnings from the author which is a huge disservice. Of course, Picoult's books always cover heavy topics, but to write a pandemic fiction when people have lost loved ones or who have suffered because of the virus (we are still in the pandemic, Jodi), and not have any trigger warnings, is just unforgiveable. If you are easily triggered or have lost a loved one during COVID, do not read this book. If you have experience with mental health issues or PTSD, do not read this book. Other warnings include: self-harm, death, suicidal thoughts, suicide ideation. How hard is it to start your book with that note?

As I was reading, I didn't laugh at the references to toilet paper or baking bread. I found it extremely insensitive. Again, we are still in this pandemic. And, profiting off of a global pandemic where just doesn't sit right with me. This book was too soon. I've read reviews saying that Picoult writes this book with such grace and it has powerful messages, but I didn't really get that.

SPOILERS ahead ----






Now, Let's talk about the plot twist. I was not impressed that she stumped me. I was angry. Infuriated. Absolutely ridiculous.

Diana imagined that she was on her trip when she was in fact on a vent due to having COVID. She wakes up in the hospital, and learns that her trip was all a hallucination while she almost lost her life to COVID. Not only are we triggered by the MC almost dying, but we also join her in this manipulative plot twist that further messes with our brains as we read. This entire motif was not clever on Jodi's part. It was cruel.

Then, I would like to talk about Beatriz briefly. To write about a girl who is harming herself and suicidal (no content warnings about that by the way ... that was nice) and then to basically erase her from existence? My heart hurt for her as someone who understands her. Then, to discover she wasn't real? I felt seen and then erased in one page. It's shameful.

I appreciate that others enjoyed this book. I'm happy that Jodi wrote another bestseller. But in my opinion, this book was unnecessary, insensitive, and disingenuous.

Let me start by saying that I generally like Jodi Picoult novels, though I have found myself burned out by them lately. Still, that doesn't deter me from at least giving them a try. This book, like all of Picoult's books, is highly readable. I fell into the story quickly and found the whole story to be unputdownable. However, I'm not totally sure how I felt about a book about Covid...it maybe feels a little too soon for me? I know Picoult felt the urgency to document this experience and I can really appreciate it, but sometimes it feels like some time needs to pass before a fair and balanced look at the issue can be presented more appropriately. This version feels very one-slanted and perpetuates a lot of things that I don't believe have been determined to be 100% factual yet. I truly wonder how this will stand up against the test of time.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title! Picoult is an author who really boosted my love of reading years ago. However, I haven’t picked up something of hers in a few years so I was super excited to read this one.

This story takes place in March of 2020 aka when the world shut down because of a deadly pandemic. Diana and her boyfriend, Finn, are set to spend 2 weeks on the Galapagos Islands having the vacation of a lifetime. Diana was even expecting a proposal. They have their entire lives planned- get married, have kids, buy a house, etc. However, Finn is a resident and there will be no vacation for him. I hesitate to say more because I don’t want to spoil the story.

What I love so much about Picoult is her thorough research she clearly does before writing a book. She is able to set a scene so vividly while informing a reader about SO much. In this book, we learn tons about the nature and history of the Galapagos, as well as art history and the business of selling art.

I will admit, I didn’t feel satisfied by the last part of the book- I very much enjoyed the first half as well. Which honestly, I feel was the point. (You’ll see why when you read). Picoult handled writing about what the pandemic looked like in NYC very well and I was hesitant to read a novel set in this time. I was pleasantly surprised and it made me think deeply.

TW: If you’ve been affected greatly or lost loved ones to Covid-19, I would read with caution. It is detailed and may be triggering to you.

{Thank you to Ballantine Books for my gifted copy.}

I remember in the spring of 2020 thinking how odd it would be if/when books started to incorporate the pandemic into their premises, and now here we are..

This was the 3rd book I have read that was based around COVID and it was also a very interesting time to read this, as we were definitely changing courses yet again, and not for the better. (I read this in August when the Delta variant was exploding across the country)

Like all Jodi Picoult books, #WishYouWereHere delved into a timely topic, took twists I never expected, and kept me turning the pages until the very end.

I loved the social commentary and the reminder of what it really means to live the full human experience. ⁣You can always tell Picoult. does her research with her book, and Wish You Were Here was no different -but also is a powerful reminder of the world we are living in, right now. Get your vaccine and add this to your TBR list ASAP! 5/5

I have read every adult Jodi Picoult book she has written. I am a huge fan. I was super excited to get this from #netgalley. What started out as a seemingly fluffy, easy read quickly turned. I hadn’t seen it coming. Set during present day, with covid, this story is a definite page turner.

Wow!

I finished this book a few days ago and feel like it’s still marinating in my brain. First off thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! Picoult is always a must read for me. The Pact is one of my all time favorite reads. I was emailed an invite to Wish You Were Here and was so flattered! I didn’t even care what it was about.

Picoult always does her homework and then some. Her research skills are undeniable. This story was set in present pandemic times. The detail she provides is vivid. The information conveyed in this book was spot on. She even met every art detail perfectly. I loved that I believe one character was an ode to Yoko Ono.

Diana O’Toole is in art sales. She and her doctor boyfriend, Finn, have a vacation planned that has engagement proposal written all over it. They’re to leave for the Galápagos Islands in March of 2020. As any one on the planet now knows- that’s when the world changed completely. Finn decides he can’t possibly leave when COVID-19 just is beginning to rampage through New York, where they live. He tells her to go without him. When she arrives at the island people are fleeing but she feels compelled to stay. The island is then completely shutdown for the “2 week lockdown.” Even Diana’s hotel isn’t open.

Due to the kindness of a stranger she finds somewhere to stay and scrounges up some food to survive off of. There’s minimal cell service but when she does receive communication from Finn they’re the saddest emails. Honestly, they were hard to read as Finn is recounting his experience treating Covid. Even though we’re a year and a half out from March of 2020 it is still so raw. We’re still actively living through this pandemic. I remember vividly so much of what Finn tells Diana from the never ending news broadcasts and social media posts.

Diana’s journey gave me a little bit of anxiety especially knowing now how long Covid has lasted. She is furloughed while away and starts to question her whole career. She befriends some locals and begins to make an adventure out of her trip. But how long will she be stuck there? How can she return to New York safely? And the biggest question how can she go back to life she was living when this island has changed her?

I honestly gasped at one point in this book. No spoilers but wow!! Picoult wrote such a profound book around the pandemic. I think it’s a must read although it may be hard if you’ve been effected in a certain way by COVID. I just love how she told this story and am still thinking about it!!
4.5 stars!

This book sucked me in from the start. I was not expecting the dramatic shift the book takes halfway through and it was so interesting! Definitely a good read in the times of Covid.

I am not always a Jodi Piccoult fan, but I loved this newest book and thought about it for days after I finished.

The book is the story of Sotheby's worker Diana, who has a perfect plan: marriage to her surgeon boyfriend, moving up at the auction house and children. The first step is the proposal in the Galapagos islands.
However, Covid hits, and Diana has to leave on their vacation without her boyfriend. She soon realizes she is stuck on the closed island and realizes her plans have gone far astray.

This book was so engaging and had a beautiful story. I loved the characters and the settings, and I felt the look at the front lines of Covid was done deftly and with care.

At the end, the story is one of understanding yourself in the face of adversity and learning resilience. It was an amazing read.

Thank you Jodie Picoult and Random House for the ARC of this book for my honest opinion. I wasn’t sure I was ready to read a book about the Covid pandemic. It’s still continuing and everything is still so raw. However, I really enjoyed this book. Yes it dealt with the pandemic and how if affects Diana and her surgical resident boyfriend Finn and their relationship,, but it became so much more than that. The Galápagos Islands become a character in the story as much as the people. The islands represent change and evolution of everyone who experience them. Diana is no different. I can’t say a lot more because I don’t want to give anything away. But please read this book. You will not be disappointed.

So, I wanted to start off by saying that this will be hard writing a review for this book. I’m not really sure what to make of it, and I don’t really want to give the plot away. While I did enjoy the book, there were parts (which I’m not going to mention due to spoilers) that I just didn’t like. This is the first book I have ever read about COVID, and I actually enjoyed that the author wrote about it realistically.

First off, I think the book was very well written. I wasn’t really invested in this book until about Chapter 5, which was about halfway through. With that being said, I feel like the first part of the book was all over the place. It kind of made sense why after the fact, but as I was reading, I felt there needed to be more transitions throughout different scenes. However, I thought the writing was still engaging enough that I didn’t put it down.

Some of my favorite parts of the book were the emails from Finn. I actually didn’t realize how bad it was for health care workers during COVID until I read his emails. Those really gave insights into how it was during those first few initial months.

I also enjoyed learning Diana’s backstory throughout the book. I feel like it gave a great insight into what her character was like before COVID.

By Part 2, I basically fell in love with this book. It was so interesting to read and learn how everything played out. It made so much more sense by then, even though I had basically already guessed what happened.

Oh, that’s the other thing I wanted to mention. This book was very predictable. Nothing really happened in the book that I didn’t predict. Even though it was predictable, I still enjoyed it and highly suggest going into this book without reading the plot (which is why I’m not mentioning the plot at all in this review). Oh, and the blurb makes no sense for the book at all. I read it and then started reading the book and wondered if the person who wrote it actually read the book. Maybe the book was edited, so Diana’s relationships with everyone changed by the time I received it? Either way, I do think it needs to be updated.

Let’s talk about the ending without giving anything away. So, I didn’t like how the book ended at all. For starters, it kind of made me leave with more questions than answers. I completely understand why it stopped where it did to let the reader’s mind imagine what happens next, but I really just wanted to know. Secondly, I still didn’t understand Diana’s decision in the end. It really didn’t make much sense to me why she decided what she did. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe I just needed more insight into why she made that decision.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. Jodi Picoult captures you in Diana’s world and how different people experienced COVID, with the common theme of feeling isolated. The author’s note at the end of the book actually made everything in the book come together and opened my eyes to how other people had experienced this pandemic.

I wasn't sure I was ready to ready to read a book with this topic, but I loved it! It was so timely, dealing with the pandemic. Jodi Picoult does not disappoint. The characters are likeable and relatable. I couldn't put it down.

I absolutely loved Part 1 of this book. I was heartbroken during Part 2. I couldn’t believe the path the book had taken. It is interesting to read books written around the pandemic.
I have loved all of Jodi Picoult’s books. I am never disappointed. This book was written with emotion and real life scenarios.
I would definitely recommend this book for all fiction lovers. Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. It grabs your attention right from the beginning.

Wish You Were Here was the book I didn't know I needed when I received it as an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book really hit me in a good but emotional way. Set in March 2020, Diana O'Toole is totally on track with her life plans. She has a job with Sotheby's and is in process of nailing down the sail of a famous work of art that will cement her career. She has a hunky boyfriend Finn, who is a surgical resident and it appears is ready to pop the question on their upcoming bucket list trip to the Galapagos islands. But it is March 2020, and we all know what happened in March 2020.
Enter Covid-19. The pandemic. The life-altering thing that none of us saw coming just 2 short years ago.
Diana is challenged in ways she never expected as she navigates through the pandemic, in a way that is both cathartic and hard to read. As a reader and a nurse, there was so much to resonate with. The struggles of Finn hit so close to home, but were almost therapeutic to read and know that there are others out there that get it, that have felt the way I have felt.
This story is challenging, comforting, entertaining, and fascinating all in one. I highly recommend with 5 stars.

Thank you to Jodi Picoult for writing a fictional story so responsive to the pandemic, and to Ballantine Books and #NetGalley for an advanced copy for a review.

Diana works at Sotheby's as an associate specialist. Finn is a surgical resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital. They have been saving up for years for a tip of a lifetime to The Galapagos Island. Diana expects Finn to purpose during their vacation but Covid-19 rears its ugly head in New York (only 19 case) and Finn is no longer allowed to go as the hospital is expected to be overrun within days with Covid cases.

Finn encourages, Diana to take the tip alone. She is hesitant but the non-refundable tickets sway her and she embarks on the journey alone. When she arrives her luggage is lost and people are leaving the island. The boat she is on will be the last boat leaving the island. but she makes a quick decision to stay on the island. The hotel she was staying is has closed, she has no internet access but luck intervenes. She's given a place to stay and the entire island to explore on her own while Finn finds himself working long hours trying to save lives and watching people die of Covid.

Finn emails Diana quite often about what is going on with the virus. His experiences are haunting and realistic. You will be left aching and wanting to know more about his life in rather than Diana's on the island. Be prepared for an emotional overload during Finn's portions of the book.

Diana and Finn are leading vey different lives. Both of their experiences are unique to one another's however Finn's reality is frightening and pulls you back into reality over and over again while Diana's gives you some reprieve.

Diana eventually finds her way off the island and back to Finn but the twist leaves you gasping for air.

Expect beautifully crafted and complex characters. This is one book you won't want to put down.



* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors as her books often deal with a current theme occurring in the world. This book will be published on November 30, 2021.

This was a heartbreaking novel that deals with the current COVID outbreak. The story begins at the onset of COVID that began in March 2020. The main characters are Diana O’Toole, who is an art specialist working at Sotheby’s in Manhattan. Her boyfriend, Finn Colson, is a surgical resident at
New York–Presbyterian Hospital. They have been saving for a romantic trip to the Galapagos. This trip is on their bucket list and Diana is thinking that Finn will be proposing to her on the trip. Diana is a planner. She has set goals for her life, including when she will get married, have children, buy a house, and getting job promotions in the art world.
Unfortunately, Finn can no longer go to the Galapagos as he is needed at the hospital as COVID infections begin to spin out of control. He encourages Diana to still go alone, which hesitantly, she does. From the onset of the trip, all that could go wrong does. The airline loses her luggage, the island has to shut down due to the virus, she doesn’t know the language, and the WIFI is almost nonexistent. This causes difficulty for her and Finn to communicate back and forth. Slowly, Diana becomes friendly with a local family, including a teenage daughter, her father and his mother. Diana befriends the teenager, who is dealing with a number of issues. While Diana spends her time in quarantine on the isolated island, she begins to examine her life back in New York City and the goals that she set for herself.
The characters in this novel are so real, all dealing with COVID quarantine issues. It is easy to cheer on Diana as she makes her way through her trip, discovering a brave, different side of herself. While it was difficult at times to read about the beginning months of our lockdown, the author was able to weave this with the story of Diana on her trip to the Galapagos. As you work your way through this novel, Jodi Picoult throws in a very surprising twist to this story. It completely changes the momentum of the book.
This book was a definite page turner for me. It was a thought-provoking story, involving love, honesty, bravery and hoping for the best outcome. Highly recommend this novel.

Its been years since I have liked one of her books. I used to love them and devour them, but then something changed and I didn't care for at least 4 in a row, but I did like this one. I think part of what I had not liked in the past was the sense that the research she did for each book dealt with subjects I just didn't care about, like wolves in one of them.

This book dealt with COVID and made it seem interesting and real. I wish all non virus believers would read this book. Yes, there was still some non interest in some of her research, but the Galapagos in general was interesting to me. I still felt there was maybe more included than was needed for the story and did skim some pages for that reason, but overall, I liked it.

thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.