While I typically LOVE everything that Jodi Piccoult writes, I had a hard time with this book.

It is VERY Covid/Pandemic heavy and maybe for me it was just too soon to read about something that we have all been living with.

I look forward to more book by this author, but for me this one didn't work.

This was a tough one for me to get in to... maybe because I was reading while home with my children who were quarantined due to COVID - I wasn't in the best mind frame to read a book about it. I had not heard much about this book and went into it with a completely open mind, so I was taken by surprise by the first half as well as really shocked by the turn it took halfway through.

Diana has her life figured out - the perfect plan to follow and she's been checking off items left and right. Her boyfriend (and soon to be fiancé according to the ring she just found) is right there with her. They share a life plan and work together to achieve the goals they've created.
Diana and Finn (her surgical resident boyfriend) have a dream vacation planned to the Galápagos. They are set to leave town on March 13, 2020... right before the world shuts down. Finn can't leave due to his front line job, but he tells Diana to go on without him. Get away, stay safe, and come back when things have "Settled down."
Diana reluctantly agrees, but her vacation quickly goes off course and her plans fly out the window. The entire island is now under quarantine and she couldn't get back to NYC even if she tried.

As she deals with lost luggage, no wifi, zero contact with Finn, she begins to step out of her comfort zone. She meets a teenager in need of help and her father. She befriends a grandmother and other locals. And all the while, she wonders if the world is changing as much as she is. Everything she thought she knew has been questioned and she has to dig deep to find the answers that she's been too scared to look for.

A very thought provoking book (as most Jodi Picoult novels are!) and one that had to keep reading. In some ways it hit too close to home with all of the pandemic stats and death tolls and sickness, but in other ways it offered hope for a time that seemed so dark. A reminder in these unexpected and unparalleled times, we can still find anchors to hold on to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was a very moving and timely novel. I had read some advanced reviews about what this book was about but they were not able to prepare me for how reading Wish You Were Here was going to affect me. Jodi Picoult was able to capture all the underlying fears, warnings, precautions, attitudes, compliance and non-compliance to the threat of Covid-19 as it overtook and cast its ugly face upon the world. Her extensive research was masterful. She captured the essence of the bewilderment, terror, stress, pure exhaustion and the determination to not let the virus win that the members of the health care community faced. The challenges of living in quarantine, excessive hand washing, securing time slots for food delivery, the process of wiping down and washing everything that would be touched, gathering mail and delaying its opening, mask wearing, overcrowded hospitals and the exorbitant amount of patients put on ventilators only to die were all present throughout. All those things and more was what made this book so believable. Jodi Picoult captured those moments of crisis so many of us faced and also the resilience that so many exhibited to be able to navigate their way through the pandemic. Wish You Were Here was well written and so memorable.

Diana O’Toole was an almost thirty year old woman that was living her life according to her plan. She was an associate specialist at the well known and renowned Sotherby’s. Diana had high aspirations to climb the corporate ladder in the art field at Sotherby’s and secure a prominent position. Her private life was equally satisfying. Her long term boyfriend, Finn, was a surgical resident at a prominent New York hospital. Their futures were promising and together they contemplated an engagement and eventually marriage and a home in nearby Westchester County. Diana and Finn had saved for and meticulously planned a vacation to the Galapoaos Islands that would occur just before Diana’s thirty birthday. Diana even suspected that Finn would finally propose to her there and of course she would say yes. Just at that time, Covid-19 had made its way to New York City. Diana noticed how empty the streets were and how few people were out and about. As Diana traveled around the city by subway, the day before her and Finn’s vacation, she noticed how deserted the subway stations and cars were. When Diana got home, she was not prepared for what Finn was about to tell her. Finn’s role at the hospital had been redefined. All doctors, residents and medical staff were required to be available to treat the onslaught of patients that arrived at the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19. Finn would not be able to go to the Galápagos Islands but insisted that Diana go by herself. He wanted her to be out of the city and somewhere safe where she would not get the virus. Reluctantly, Diana finally gave in and traveled to Galapagos alone.

As soon as Diana arrived at the airport on Galapagos, she was greeted with the information that her luggage was lost. She decided to take the ferry to Isabela where she and Finn had booked a room at one of the hotels. Just as the ferry docked, Diana was given the choice to return to the mainland. Isabela was under quarantine and almost everything was shut down. For some unknown reason, Diana decided to stay. She was about to find out that the hotel where she had a reservation was shut down. Diana had no luggage and nowhere to stay. Abuela, one of the women that cleaned the hotel took pity on her. Through hand gestures and the little bit of Spanish Diana could muster, she asked Abuela if she knew anyplace where she could stay. Abuela took Diana under her wing and offered her a place to stay. It was also almost impossible to get a message to Finn. The Wi-Fi on the island was almost nonexistent. As time passed on the island, Diana discovered its hidden treasures and beauty and was trusted with Beatriz’s secret and the special bond she formed with Gabriel. Diana began to wonder if this was the life she was meant to live rather than the one that waited for her back home in New York.

Then suddenly, Diana woke up. She had been on a ventilator for the past five days. Diana had COVID-19 and had nearly died or had she? Diana believed she had been in Isabela with Abuela, Beatriz and Gabriel. Diana says, “ I think I was in two places at one time.” “In the hospital, on a ventilator. And in my head, somewhere completely different.” Was that even possible? Her road ahead of her was long and hard. Diana survived Covid-19 but had to learn how to get her body healthy again and how to navigate this pandemic. Had she ever gone to Galapagos? How could she have imagined everything though?

In Jodi Picoult’s author’s note, she conveyed the idea where she got the idea for writing this book. “Several months into the pandemic I stumbled across an article about a Japanese man who got stranded in Machu Picchu during COVID. He was trapped there due to travel restrictions and, out of necessity, stopped being a tourist and became a resident of the community. That was Jodi Picoult’s spring board for writing Wish You Were Here. In my opinion, I believe that this was one of her best novels to date if not her absolute best one. She gathered her research by interviewing medical professionals and survivors who had been on ventilators. Even though I lived through and am still living through the consequences, precautions and challenges of COVID-19 I was reminded of how this virus has changed our life as it was once was. Having two daughters and a son-in-law in the medical field, I was extremely cautious and still am as I always worried for their safety and health and mine. I devoured Wish You Were Here. The characters were so believable and memorable. I felt like I really knew them by the end of the book. It made me smile and even shed a few tears at parts of the story. I highly recommend this book. Publication is set for November 30, 2021.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Wish We Were Here by Jodi Picoult through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Review posted to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Cue the tears.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult: A novel I thought I was prepared for.. and it kicked me in the gut anyways.

In ways I never imagined possible.

Covid. This novel centers around Covid and it’s as real as it gets. If this book is on your to-be-read shelf, prepare yourself...it’s gonna be a tough one. In addition, prepare yourself for the fact that it's also NOTHING like you think it’s going to be.

Emotional Heartbreak. Devastation. Shock and Awe. Self-Discovery. Introspection. Love.

When Covid strikes, Diana and her boyfriend Finn are preparing for a trip to the Galápagos. Finn is a physician at a hospital and given the situation, needs to stay. Not having any idea how bad it’s going to get, Finn urges Diana to go on her own, and so she does. It’s a world away. Lockdown and quarantine occur. Upon her arrival in the Galápagos, Diana is isolated, without internet and the ability to go anywhere, while Finn is facing Covid every day and trying to keep patients alive. He emails her often, and though she receives them, she is unable to reply due to spotty internet. His haunting portrayal of life, treating patients is heartbreaking and so very realistic. Tears filled my eyes and streamed down my face, knowing everything he was writing happened in real life all across the world and continues to do so. Diana, on the other hand, lives a very different life, on an island knowing hardly any Spanish, having access to very little, and meeting only a handful of people, some of whom have a major impact on her.

Diana and Finn’s lives couldn’t be more different and yet each one is compelling, moving, and stirring in their own right.

It is here that my heart was torn asunder in more ways than one. I have no words for it and cannot say more without giving away spoilers.

Shock, Bewilderment, Heartbreak.

This novel is raw, honest, heart-wrenching and so brilliantly done. Through many tears, I read this and at times felt wholly shattered and can only applaud Jodi Picoult for what she accomplished here.

This was a buddy read with Ms. Kaceey and it impacted both of us greatly. Kaceey - thank you for reading this with me. Let me just say that I know how hard this was for you to read. I can’t thank you enough for everything you do each day. You are my hero.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine Publishing Group, and Jodi Picoult for this incredible read.

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jodi Picoult is an auto-buy author for me. I was very fortunate to be given an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley, which I greatly appreciate.

I've read many of Picoult's books and other than The Book Of Lost Ways (which just didn't work for me), I have liked most of Picoult's other books.

This book is hard to talk about without spoilers, so I will just note that this is the first fiction book I've seen that addresses COVID-19. Given the wide spectrum of opinions on this global pandemic, I think many authors would consider it too risky a move to include this subject matter in their next novel, but not Picoult. I greatly respect her for this reason.

I liked the second half of this book more than the first. I liked most of the characters, but just couldn't find a positive connection to the protagonist.

I felt the book was a little long, but chalk that up to a lot of descriptors for different locations. Some people like this, so this a personal preference.

All in all, if I'm comparing this to the other books I've read by Jodi Picoult, I would put this one somewhere in the middle. Not my favorite, but I still liked it.

⭐⭐⭐

Wow - this Picoult hit different! Rich in detail, deep in emotion, and twisty! I loved every minute and teared up at the conclusion. Now, I need to visit an art gallery and the Galapagos. Picoult continues to impress - weaving our shared COVID-19 experience into a moving, inspiring, heart-warming novel is no easy feat. Picoult turned an event/time that united the human experience in pain and sadness into a motivating story of resiliency. Brava, Jodi! I will be purchasing a hard copy upon release to add to my Picoult collection.

Thank you to NetGalley, Picoult, and publishers for early access to this title.

This book was a challenge. As only Jodi Picoult did she drew me in. Not immediately but halfway through this book, when I found out what it was really about, I was hooked. Two up-and-coming young people plan a much-needed vacation. She is on the fast track at Sotheby's and in fact, has been an insider in a major deal to auction a work of art from one of the world's most famous musician's widows. He is a surgery resident working hard in a New York City hospital. They live together and have planned life but are not yet engaged. The pandemic hits and he encourages her to go off on their planned vacation anyway. She does and has time to rethink her life, priorities, and loves. Enter the second half of the book. She begins another journey and it is life-altering as well. There will be a third journey. To say more would give away the imaginative, highly emotional, and almost otherworldly writing of Jodi Picoult. I enjoyed this book. However, if you read it be patient and be prepared for surprises. thanks to #WishYouWereHere#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Jodi Picoult does it again with a timely and well written book set in today's world. I think this book portrays a true view into the beginning of the pandemic in NYC. And as usual, Picoult adds a twist to the story that you just don't see coming.

Wish You Were Here is nothing short of a masterpiece. Full stop. If Jodi Picoult were to quit writing tomorrow, she will forever be known for Wish You Were Here. Yes, I know she's had many successes, but this is in another reality, another dimension, a new world.

I simply have no other words except read this. Do yourself a favor and read this. Buy this for a friend. Send it to your mother. Share it and soak it in.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of the incredibleness that is Wish You Were Here. I simply wish that this review that I have gladly and gratefully written would come somewhere within spitting distance of doing justice to this enormously moving and incredible book.

Wow. Just wow.

This is the first book I've read that held COVID-19 and the pandemic at its core. Picoult offers an unexpected view into the global "new normal" that was 2020 (and beyond) through her masterful storytelling. Alongside Diana, Finn, Rodney Gabriel, and Beatriz, we gain insight into self-realization and the myriad facets of human relationships, and how they are each affected by turmoil and chaos. Although Diana's experience is devastating, Picoult leaves the reader with a sense of hope and happiness, after all. Highly recommend!!

Picoult's Wish You Were Here provides a look at the Covid crisis and lockdowns featuring various angles from the ICU front lines to an isolated island. Typing more would give too many spoilers, but this story does pack an unexpected punch!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I finished an advanced readers copy of this book a week ago and I am still not sure how to write this review. I am vague so I don't mention any spoilers. It is a novel about the experiences of two people who live in New York at the beginning of the pandemic. Diana, an art seller for Sotheby's and her partner,Finn, a surgical resident. They had planned a trip to the Galapagos Island together when COVID hit New York City. Finn was required to work. They agree Diana should go without him. As a reader, I found myself enjoying the detailed beauty of the Galapagos as I followed Diane on the journey through the challenges of a life turned upside down. I highly recommend this book with so much to offer - a great novel that left me with much to think about.

Jodi Picoult's newest gut wrenching novel follows a young art dealer named Diana while she is far from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diana has her life under control, a fantastic job that she loves, a fiancé who is a DR in residency at a New York hospital and would do anything to keep her safe. They have a plan, get married, have kids, happy ever after. The duo have tickets to go on vacation to the Galapagos Islands, where Diana is sure that Finn will propose, but then the Pandemic grips the world in a vice. Unsure what to do and under the assumption that the Pandemic will be over by the time she gets back, Diana goes to the Islands by herself, leaving Finn behind fighting COVID.

I was wary of reading this book at first, because I didn't know if I was ready to relive the early days of the Pandemic, even through the eyes of a fictional character. It wasn't easy to read at first, but It blew my expectations away. I connected with Diana deeply and related to her fear, love and sense of loss. I felt for Finn as many of us felt for all the frontline care workers. It was moving, and heartfelt. Under the surface it was about finding yourself.

Jodi Picoult does it again - writes a book with a topic that you think you know so much about and then shows you new insights and information. I am always affected by Picoult's work, and what people learn about each other and themselves is the true genius of her writing.

I wanted to read it straight through but then I also wanted it to go on for much much longer.....

The characters were real and grounded to me, I thought the topic was relevant and I am grateful for the chance to read it early!

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine Books!

This is a winner. It tackles the pandemic the best and reminds you why she is a master writer at taking hard topics and making all perspectives relatable.
This one I loved . It’s a story. Of hope and redemption!

Having read Picoult's body of work, I understand how easily readers might anticipate the next ethical dilemma, but Jodi transcends genre. In her last outing, "The Book of Two Ways," she began to explore the fabled past of Egypt and tied it to the possibility that there are other possibilities, not always the sad or happy but logical ending.
In "Wish You Were Here," we meet a young art expert working at a storied auction house, and her physician significant other, Finn. They are on the cusp of the pandemic, unaware of the explosion about to disrupt their plans and lives. Diana decides to take their trip to the Galapagos, all the while conflicted about the guilt over leaving Finn, but wondering why he let her go.
Diana arrives on the islands to learn she is stranded due to the lockdowns, and is dependent upon the kindness of islanders. We read about her adjustment to living a spartan life, her constant frustration at being unable to communicate with Finn. Diana develops relationships with a troubled teen and a charismatic and mysterious father who shows her the natural wonders of the islands. Diana endures the frantic frustration of isolation, worry about her loved ones, and she also enjoys the slow process of self discovery. I won't conclude, no spoilers, but it is not the formulaic ending you're already imagining. Picoult gives us wonderful characters, (Diana has a fabulous best friend), There is incredible research into subjects like long haul Covid, the neurology of coma patients, the biodiversity of the Galapagos, the opulent starch of art auctions, forgiveness, and dementia. I am always profoundly affected by Picoult's work, and what people learn about each other and themselves is the true genius of her writing.

I have been a big Jodi Picoult fan for many years! This is novel 23 for me.
I know Ms. Picoult isn’t afraid to tackle tough controversial topics. She is a great storyteller and certainly does her research!

This story starts with Diane O’Toole, an associate specialist with one of the largest brokers of art collectibles and her boyfriend Finn Colson, a surgical resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Diane has her life planned, she will marry by thirty, have her family by thirty-five, additionally will be able to speak fluent French, traveled cross-country on Route 66 and she will be very successful in the art auction world.
She is near thirty now but is sure Finn will propose while vacationing in the Galapagos ~ yes the archipelago where Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed.

However, on the eve of their departure, Finn announces that with an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus he has to stay at the hospital ‘All hands on Deck’ as the hospital is fearful of more cases. He states she should go as they have saved four years for this vacation and they will lose their fees.
~ She reluctantly goes.
The virus has other ideas and the island is soon on quarantine. However, we follow Diana’s experience on the island.

I was nearly 2/3 into this story and thought hmm perhaps this isn’t going to work for me. These characters are not all that likeable. I was reluctant to read more about the traumas the coronavirus has caused. I am reading this story the summer of 2021 and I am definitely a changed person from the person I was prior to the summer of 2020. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read about Covid 19 especially since the ‘Delta Variant’ is causing problems this summer……. But figured since I have been a longtime fan, I may find this better than Egyptology (True Egyptology is interesting but wasn’t a fun story.)

I checked some of the reviews ~ all of which were awesome. Then I saw one mention sliding door type story. I have read several, parallel universe/ Groundhog Day type stories and have always found them very interesting.
So I hung in there.
I cannot say I enjoyed this. It is unique and definitely makes you think. I believe book clubs are going to have some very lively discussions.

I always read the “Author’s notes”. I knew Ms. Picoult would have some interesting things to say!
She didn’t disappoint!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 30, 2021

"Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow--I realize that viscerally now--but that doesn't keep us from feeling cheated when it's yanked away."

Per usual, Ms. Picoult writes with amazing symmetry, seamlessly weaving time hops and plot lines with ease.
I never know what plot twists will be coming my way when I read one of her novels and she has a way of writing that keeps my mind from wandering and trying to guess it before it happens.

Wish You Were Here, is, at its core, a novel of hope, redemption, change, and a praise for the human spirit. It is amazing to see in print and through someone else's eyes, what the world has gone through and witnessed in 2020 and 2021. But, despite the setting, you could literally insert another fictional name for this virus and it would still ring true.

Diana's trials and tribulations throughout the beginning of and the entirety of the pandemic, are heartbreaking and raw with emotion. You feel for her as much as you would a loved one which really hits a little too close to home. The realization that we are all, as a whole, experiencing the same pain leaves you feeling a bit drained.

All in all, Wish You Were Here hits it out of the park. And it may just be the novel we all need right now.

WISH YOU WERE HERE is a wildly inventive look at how COVID affects the inflicted and those around them. And there is a good dose of how the business of buying and selling valuable art is done. As usual, Picoult has created rich characters that you will care about and an unpredictable storyline. I have enjoyed all of Picoult's books but it is clear from THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS and WISH YOU WERE HERE that her writing has reached a new level, and it's thrilling! I will be buying many copies as holiday (or maybe just because) gifts.

Jodi never fails to impress me with her incredible writing on very real, very important topics.

I was a little bit nervous at first to read a book about Covid so soon after living through this nightmare pandemic but I’m so glad that I jumped in. Jodi explained so perfectly what it is like to be a doctor/nurse/anyone in the field during this awful time and at the same time did an amazing job at getting us inside the mind of someone who suffered from Covid. Additionally, the parts of the story set in the Galapagos were engaging, and really made me root for Diana.

The twist was unexpected and shocking but I loved where she took the story. Excellent excellent book that I’ll be sure to recommend to everyone I know.