I received a copy of this book through Netgalley Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in an exchange of an honest review.
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
I have been a fan of Picoult’s work for a long time. This book isn’t the typical multiperson view point that is classic Picoult. The book was definitely all consuming and I didn’t want to do anything other than read. This book addresses a world in which Covid is a reality and Diana and Finn are like the rest of us trying to navigate the pandemic. You will find yourself rooting for the characters in how they are dealing with the pandemic and see moments that we have all experienced during the past year and a half. Jodi Picoult fans you will devour this book!! This is my favorite of hers to date!

This book is beautiful, heartbreaking, frustrating, and so thought-provoking. I loved it, then hated it, then loved it again. The story and writing draws you right in. There is a twist that I absolutely wanted to remove but overall this is one of the best books I have read this year. It was brutal and beautiful, and I devoured it. A lovely ode to NYC and the Covid crisis.

Honestly, I would not have picked up this book knowing that it was about Covid. I requested based on the author alone and I am so glad I did. This was the first book I have read that was based on the events of 2020. It was heartbreaking, but beautifully written. Thank you for the opportunity to read! I cannot wait until it comes out so I can discuss it with others, looking forward to November.

My emotions were all over the place with this book ranging from fear and despair, sorrow and pain, to hope and joy. The book is certainly timely and delineates many facets of the COVID-19 pandemic through perfect characters. I couldn't put the book down and hated for it to end. Jodi Picoult's beautifully descriptive prose allows you to feel like you can see the surroundings and experience the feelings of the characters.

Diana and Finn are living together and getting ready to travel to one of their bucket-list destination, the Galapagos. Just before they leave Finn finds out he can't go because he will be needed at the hospital as they are dealing with an increasing number of patients with something unknown that leaves them struggling to breathe. They have a lot invested in this trip, so Finn insists that Diana go without him.

When Diana arrives she's on the last ferry to Galapagos and then it is shutdown due to the COVID pandemic. She is stranded. Her luggage was lost. The hotel is closed. The town is closed. The ferry has shut down. Very limited cell service. How in the world will she get back home?

Finn, even though he is a surgical resident, is doing his best taking care of COVID patients. We see through his eyes what the physicians were seeing in the New York City hospitals. Through his emails to Diana we get a feel for the heartbreak and devastation of the disease.

A poignant and relevant novel that captured me from the beginning to the end. Loved it!

Thanks to Jodi Picoult and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 30, 2021.

I’m a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, although I do have to say that her previous book “The Book of Two Ways” was one I abandoned part way. So I was the teeniest bit hesitant going into this, but this book proved me wrong! This is a beautiful and timely story that will take you along quite an emotional journey.
Jodi Picoult has a gift for reaching through the pages and placing you right into the story. Her lush descriptions of the Galapagos species and landscapes makes you feel as if you are seeing them in real time along with Diana. You also get a heightened sense of how isolated and scared Diana feels when she is first on the island and out of resources. Finn writes letters to Diana detailing the horrors of what he is seeing on the front lines, and the realization that these are based on real stories deepens their impact.
Yes, this book does mention Covid 19 and its effects, and it is sad to see some reviewers giving this book bad reviews solely based on that factor alone. I didn’t feel that the book was political at all, instead honestly depicting real world issues that occurred at the time; particularly when Diana chose to vacation when everyone else went on lockdown & the reactions of the Galapagos residents and Finn’s experience on the front lines and how that affects him. It’s plainly apparent that the author did her due diligence when researching, and the author’s note gives you insight into her motivations for writing this book.

A huge Thank You to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy of "Wish You Were Here" in exchange for my honest review.

Jodi Picoult does it again and make us ask. "Is there any situation this author can not master writing about.?"

I have read everything Jodi has written but this one has to be my favorite.
The main character Diana O'Toole has her life on schedule, a career, an upcoming trip with her surgical resident fiancé, and the sure idea of his marriage proposal just in time for her 30th birthday,

Things seem beyond perfect and then a virus hits. Diana takes her flight and lands in Galapagos but her fiancé has to stay back and help with the virus on the home front. Pandemic, lockdown and now on island where she doesn't speak the language her world has been turned upside down.

This brilliant writing shows so much of the vulnerability, we have all experienced and are still progressing through as we struggle with the constantly changing pandemic.

Once again Jodi. has done her research and written with passion and authenticity.

This book will resonate with many, as so many of us were forced to re examine what matters. It will stay with you long after the final sentence.

Diana is looking forward to a vacation to the Galapagos Islands with her boyfriend. Her life is right on track with a possible promotion at the art auction company and a future engagement after finding a ring at her boyfriend's home. The day before their trip, her boyfriend has to stay in New York when the number of Covid patients is rising. Yes this book takes place in March 2020. Diana, unaware of what the future holds, travels by herself and once she gets to her destination, the island just closes. Her hotel is closed, the internet is spotty and her luggage is lost. She forms relationships with the locals and her 2 week vacation extends to two months. This book has a very unexpected ending! I liked reading about artists through Diana's job and learning about the nature of the Galapagos Island. The only part I didn't like was the obvious story knock off of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The author could have easily made up a famous celebrity.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

To say I flew through this book is an understatement. I couldn't put it down. I honestly am tired of covid so a book about covid? I wasn't sure. But this is the covid book we all needed.

Diana and Finn have the perfect relationship. They are headed to the Galapagos where Diana knows she will get engaged at. Yay! But then covid hits 😞. Finn works at a hospital and he insists that Diana continue the trip. She goes but gets stuck there for months. Yikes! But while there she meets some amazing people who welcome her with open arms.

This book is something else. Plot twists, pandemics, romance, it has it all. Just read it.

Jodi Picoult once again examines the choices one makes and how circumstances can force retrospection and change. Diana and Finn are the perfect couple with shared goals that they are all on the way to achieving. Diana, who works for Sotheby's, is about to close on an amazing deal that is guaranteed to give her respect in the art community and a promotion. Finn is a resident at a NY City hospital and he is on his way to a successful career. But, Covid hits and their lives change. Finn is called to work on the Covid ward and Their upcoming plans to vacation in the Galapagos may need to be cancelled or Diana may need to vacation alone.
Picoult has excelled at providing a viewpoint from Frontline workers with her precise and heartbreaking accounts written to Diana from Finn. She explores the after effects of Covid patients and the often confusing and disturbing results of being placed on ventilators. The strength of this novel is in the medical details and accounts of survivors.
Recommended for Picoult fans. This is a story of resilience, choices, and taking chances.

As someone who read Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson many times as a kid, I've spent most of the quarantine dreaming about the novels I'd read with main characters living through this pandemic. This wasn't at all what I thought I'd read.

No spoilers here, but this was exactly what I needed to read. It's lighthearted enough that it didn't make me feel sadder about the constant stream of Delta variant news and stories about hospitals running out of generators again. Don't get me wrong--this book was not a walk in the park to read. I cried so much while reading it, but it gave me a space to process my own COVID grief.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy of Wish You Were Here. I was skeptical of this book during the first half of the book because writing about the pandemic and quarantine felt too raw and too soon, but I absolutely loved the second half of the book and the ending. Read it! #NetGalley #WishYouWereHere

I quite enjoyed this title (as I always do for any Jodi Picoult novel). I was slightly wary of the fact that the premise dealt with the pandemic and wasn't sure how I would feel about "thoughts of the world infiltrating my time of escape", but I felt it was handled beautifully and I can see it resonating for years to come. I quite enjoyed this read and will recommend it to others during readers advisory in the future.

This was a thoroughly absorbing and timely read, with quite a few surprises. 4.5 stars rounded up.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Random House Publishing for the eARC!

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and this book just reinforces that fact. Wish You Were Here is beautiful, heart wrenching, and immensely powerful all in one. Reading a story that was set during the lockdown of last year made me relive all of the emotions I felt last year. But, Jodi Picoult has a way with words. You will fall in love with the characters in this story and you will feel for them as well. This story made me cry and laugh and it also made me feel thankful as well. Also, that twist towards the end? Was not expecting that. However, I will say that if you lost someone to COVID-19 or had COVID, this story will definitely hit hard. There is also a warning for self-harm, it is talked about quite a bit. I would still recommend this book to everyone. It’s a beautiful story and I honestly fell in love with the main character by the end.

2.5 stars - Intrigue set in as soon as I started reading. I wondered what it would’ve been like stranded in the Galapagos during the beginning of COVID. Unfortunately, I had a hard time liking the protagonist Diana. Then the second half of the book takes us back to NYC and the awfulness of COVID. I live in NYC so I didn’t need to read a book about what was going on here during that time.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I loved this book! At first I wondered if it was too soon to read about Covid- after all, it’s still here. But I found it so moving. I loved the story arc, the settings, the characters- all of it! Another smash hit by Jodi Picoult.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wow.

It has been a while since I had that feeling. You turn the last page, and say "wow". And you feel hungover, and a little sad you are no longer in that world. And that ending - are you kidding me? I Loved it and I wanted to punch the author at the same time..

I've read many books by Jodi Picoult. I loved her earlier ones, and the recent ones, well, not so much. So when I received the opportunity for an ARC from #netgalley I went into it with high hopes, but low expectations. But I loved this book!

There is so much I want to say about this book, but I cannot. Because it will spoil so much. The surprises and twists are amazing, and the book is so much better if you don't realize what will happen.

I do want to give you a warning though. This takes place during the peak of Covid (before Delta) and there are some really sad, really stressful parts. If you had covid, had someone close who died from it, be aware that this could trigger you.

(Another warning - be careful of reviews - many people are giving some twists away)

Try this for yourself and enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed Picoult's novel, Wish You Were Here. It reminded me that not every story needs to be a happy one. The harsh look at these children's lives open your eyes, and minds, to the reality that this is not a fantasy. There are children everywhere for whom lives like these are a reality. It was though provoking and well told.

I am just blown away. This book is about the pandemic, it is intense, emotional, and very human. It is so well done. There was a mind blowing twist that just left me shook. This would be an excellent choice for a book club. It was well written and oh so relevant. Hands down my new favorite of Jodis!

Just a fantastic book!!!!
I thought it was great that the "covid" issue was brought in to this in a truly realistic and medically correct aspect.
I have always believed that things happen for a reason and even when something bad happens to you , it happened to bring you to where you needed to be. When you look back years later you know why it happened..to teach you or to bring you to a better place.
I started this book yesterday,,,I finished it today...because i stayed up the ENTIRE night reading it, not wanting to put it down.
There wasn't any "slow" parts to this read what so ever.
One of the very best books I have read in a very long time.
Thank you for allowing me to read this.

4.5 stars. I read this book in less than 48 hours. The subject matter is obviously very timely right now, and may not be the most ideal reading for some as it definitely invokes many feelings regarding the pandemic; but, the writing, medical details/knowledge, and character development are all excellent. The descriptions about the Galapagos and the "Yoko Ono" character were fascinating and clearly well-researched. Truthfully, I haven't loved many of Picoult's recent novels, but this one is a stand out and reminds me more of some of her earlier works. The twist was one that I never saw coming, which is generally the best kind. Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC!