I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and it just had you trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

I have loved reading Picoult books since I was first introduced to her writing. She we never disappoints. Her books all seem to go in a straight line so you are completely wrapped in the story and the characters and then she makes a turn that spins your head!

WISH YOU WERE HERE does just that. You are reading about a young woman and her fiancé in the very early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the world seem to just stop, for some.

The readers is invested in Diana, the main character from the first sentence. The places have been extensively researched beautifully described. I was so intrigued by the opening chapter, I went to Google to see pictures and read more about the Grand Central Terminal. (No spoilers. This is stated in the second sentence of the book.)

I highly recommend this book.

I almost always love Jodi Picoult books: so well researched, beautifully written, and with so much food for thought. This one is no different. Reading it now, while we're in the midst of the pandemic with a still uncertain resolution, was fascinating and heartbreaking; good to see how far we've come, but scary to think what we could return to. I imagine rereading this book again many years hence, with the perspective of that future time, and finding it equally compelling.

The first half of the book was full of wonderful descriptions of the Galapagos Islands and the people that Diana, the narrator, encountered there. The relationships were well developed and I felt quite invested in them. It was interesting to think how one would feel to find oneself unexpectedly stranded in such a remote place, with barely any contact to the outside world, and having to make do with the scarce accommodations Diana encountered there in paradise while feeling guilty about all she escaped from back home.

The twist that came at the end of part one of the book was perhaps the most surprising one I've ever read. Those last pages of the first part were SO well done; I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I keep wanting other people to read the book so I can see if they were equally shocked, and even if I suspect they won't read it, I don't want to tell them anything on the off chance they do, because they should be as floored as I was. I actually enjoyed the second half of the book even more than the first--just really compelling. It covers so many different aspects of the COVID experiences of different people and how it has changed all of us, probably in ways we don't even know yet.

I didn't love the final sentence of the book--seemed a bit too gimmicky to me. On the other hand, I can't really come up with a better ending, Don't miss the Author's Note, though. I once heard her speak at Book Expo around the time "Small Great Things" came out and I loved hearing how thoughtful she is about her choice of topic, how she researches, and the questions she asks herself. It makes me love her books even more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an e-ARC of this wonderful book.

There are some readers who might think that it's too soon to read books about the pandemic 2020. It was difficult to be reminded of what went in the world after March, 2020, and it did bring back some bad memories. This book is much more than a novel about how the world changed. It's a reminder of how wonderful the front line workers - doctors and nurses -worked in conditions dangerous to their health and were committed to keeping the Covid patients alive when possible. Primarily this is a book about bravery, love and resilience.

Diana is in her late 20s and so far her life has followed the path that she has planned. she wants to be married by 30, have her kids by 35 and move out of NYC to the suburbs. while she moves up the cooperate ladder. Her boyfriend, Finn, is a resident at a NYC hospital and they are planning a trip to the Galápagos to celebrate her birthday. It was early March and people weren't worried about Covid and believed that it would be gone by Easter. Finn comes home from the hospital and his comments make it all very real. His caseload is growing by the day and he expects the country to shut down soon from what he's seeing. Diana is a bit of a skeptic and decides to the Galápagos by herself. Her trip goes well until she gets to the island and finds out that there will be no ferry back to the mainland for at least two weeks, the hotel she was planning to stay at has shut down and her luggage was lost on the trip and there is very poor wifi and she can't communicate with Finn daily as they'd planned. The longer she stays on the island, the calmer she gets about life and her bucket plans for her future. When she does hear from Finn, he gives her information about shutdowns and how many people are dying. His emails to her really bring back the memories of what life was like in 2020 and at times, they were difficult to read. Diana's two weeks on the island becomes longer as the island stays closed down. She meets a local woman who helps her and provides a room for her as well as a man and his daughter. Since she has more free time than she's ever had, she begins to think about her life and the things that she wants to accomplish, she begins to wonder about the changes this trip will make on her life. Will her life change when she gets back to New York City?

As with all Jodi Picoult's books, it's apparent that she has done a lot of research --this time on medical issues and the beauty of the Galapagos. Her characters are very well written and they reflect how all of were dealing with the changes in our lives last year. Have tissue close at hand and get ready to read a fantastic book. Yes, parts of it are painful reminders but at the end of the book the overall feeling is one of hope and love and finding new happiness.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Jodi strikes again and presents a well-thought-out, developed and researched oasis. This one hit close to home, though, with us still in the pandemic while also trying to slowly transition out of the pandemic. As with all of Jodi’s novels, Wish a You Were Here is very thought provoking. It had me thinking how I would get along stranded on an island as well as realizing what kind of soul searching I myself have been doing over the last year and a half. Thank you, Jodi, for all of your hard work in consistently presenting your fans with such a complete package of a story; you never stop short.

I received an advance copy of Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Piccoult. I usually love Jodie Piccoult books, but not this one. Diane is a very selfish and self centered woman. Her boyfriend is a doctor in the covid era, yet she leaves him to go on vacation, and ends up sleeping with another man. I could not finish the book.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

Thank you NetGalley and Jodi Picoult for this eARC.

Jodi, Jodi, Jodi how you love to break my heart! No spoilers. I will say that reading about Covid and reliving March 2020 was both sad and interesting. I remember what I was doing the day the world stopped turning and how the next several months changed all of us. I loved the descriptive story telling and main character Diana so much! Fantastic story and characters. This is a must read for any Jodi fan!

A book set during COVID-19 written as only Jodi Picoult writes.I was so drawn in by the characters the story and as with all her books there is a twist one that I never saw coming.No spoilers just grab this book.#netgalley#randomhouse

This is the Jodi Picoult that I love.! An engaging and thought provoking novel centered around the Covid outbreak in New York City. However, there is such a good twist with a dual timeline in the Galapagos Islands. A gem of a novel that I devoured in two days.

A beautiful story about the tragedy and romance of life. Set during the covid-19 pandemic, it captures the experience through the eyes of an artist as she and her doctor boyfriend navigate the traumas and triumphs of the quarantine in New York City.

I won't rehash what the book is about, most reviewers already do. I didn't like Jodi's last book, The Book of Two Ways so I was a little skeptical doing into this one. I picked getting this book even though I wanted to stay away from the Covid thing, I didn't want my fiction to really blend with real life. That being said I could NOT put this book down. I got hooked very early on in it and loved the characters. I was completely shocked by the twist that Jodi usually does in her book. I never saw it coming. I thought it would be a certain thing but I never saw this one. The ending made me curious as to what would have happened if the story kept going. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC!!

** spoiler alert ** Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC. Well, I did not see that one coming. Without giving too much away, Jodi Picoult's books often have an unexpected twist. ( I remember throwing the book across the room when I was reading My Sister's Keeper.) This book deals with the Covid epidemic and how our outlook on life bas changed in so many ways.

Hitting too close to home with this pandemic. I can’t come up with 100 characters.disappointedin this book. Usually love this author works.

Full disclosure. I finished this book 3 days ago and have yet to figure out a way to discuss it without spoilers. So, rather than detailing the story, I'll talk around it. I, like many other people am suffering from pandemic fatigue. I hesitated to even pick up this book knowing that it took place in the midst of Covid-19. However, I absolutely love Jodi Picoult's books so I took a deep breath and dove in. I'm glad that I did. While the story does indeed take place during the pandemic, it is not about the pandemic. Rather it is a rich, beautiful story about love and loss, hope and despair, and figuring out how to love ourselves through it all. Picoult has crafted a book that teaches us that things don't have to be real to have a real impact on our lives. It is beautifully written with descriptions so detailed that you will feel the salt on your skin and the breeze in your hair. If you only read one book this year, read this one.

I wanted a story of hope and love and got so much more from Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here. Picoult masterfully weaves a story that happens to written during Covid-times, but it is about discovering who you were meant to be, surviving isolation, and love.

Wish You Were Here begins with Diana literally painting stars in the sky with her father in Grand Central Station. We learn that Diana has an estranged relationship with her Pulitzer Prize winning photographer mother, works in the private collection department of Christie's, and lives with her medical resident boyfriend. Her life is right on track according to her "list," that is until the pandemic hits. Diana and her boyfriend were supposed to go on a trip to the Galapagos (where Diana hopes he will propose!), but the hospital cannot allow him to leave. He encourages Diana to still go to keep her safe from Covid.

Diana reluctantly agrees, but she becomes trapped on the island when it shuts down to contain the pandemic. For the first time, Diana is alone. She has no place to stay when the hotel closes and doesn't know a soul on the island. (This was definitely not on her "list.") She is forced to figure out what she really needs to survive and who she truly is.

Everything changes when Diana finally gets home, because she doesn't want the same things as before. As expected, Picoult has created a meticulously researched story with such real characters. Wish You Were Here had me holding my breath, wiping away tears, and laughing out loud.

This is this book I needed to read right now, and I thank Jodi Picoult for writing it (and NetGalley for the arc!). I can only hope that I can do this book justice with my review. It gave me hope and the promise of joy.

I will be encouraging everyone I know to READ THIS BOOK!

Wish You Were Here takes place during the Covid 19 Pandemic. Diana O'Toole is a successful professional in the art auction world. She is an associate specialist at Sotheby's and is in line for a promotion if she closes a particular deal with a high profile client. Her boyfriend is a surgical resident that is about to propose to her on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos. The Covid Virus has reached New York City and the night before they leave on vacation, Finn finds out that his vacation is cancelled and he has to head to the hospital. He persuades Diana to go on the trip as it is non refundable. Reluctantly she goes alone. A soon as she arrives on the Island, everything goes wrong. Her luggage is lost, the WI-Fi is nonexistent and their hotel is shut down due to the Pandemic. The entire island is under quarantine. An employee of the hotel takes her to her home and lets her stay in a basement apartment. She is completely alone as she wanders out to explore the island. She encounters a local man who happens to be the son of the woman she is staying with. The connection with them helps her survive the quarantine. During this time, she finds herself examining herself, her choices and her relationships. She wonders if she will be the same person once she returns home. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend.

Jodi Picoult writes with richly detailed prose that make her books so believable. It's easy to picture the lives of her characters. This book was special for me because part of it occurs on one of the Galapagos Islands that I visited. Heartache, life changes and self discovery are perfectly described. I loved everything about Wish You Were Here.
I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
#WishYouWereHere #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. I thought it was a very accurate portrayal of NYC during the start/height of the pandemic and it also takes place in the Galapagos Islands which I visited a couple of years ago. Diana, working for Sotheby's, and Finn, a surgical resident, live in NYC and are on the cusp of getting married. They have planned a vacation to the Galapagos where Diana is sure Finn plans to propose to her. Then Covid happens and everything goes wrong. Diana goes to the Galapagos on her own while Finn stays behind to deal with the increasing number of Covid patients at the hospital... To avoid any spoilers I won't say anymore about the plot. A person not familiar with Covid (if that is even possible) might think they were reading a horror story. Have to give this 5 stars!

As always, Jodi Picoult proves herself a fantastic storyteller in her new book, Wish You Were Here. Diana and Finn, a budding art specialist and a medial resident living in New York City, have their lives mapped out... until the COVID-19 pandemic strikes right before their trip to the Galapagos. While Finn is forced to remain in NYC working around the clock at the hospital, Diana ventures on vacation alone, where she is stuck quaratining on the small, shut down Isabela Island. The isolation forces DIana to grow, as she discovers the island and more about her true self she's been hiding amid the hustle and bustle of a planned out, busy city life. While the story was enjoyable, it might be too soon for many to enjoy something so COVID-centric, as we're still inundated daily with news of the pandemic and growing cases around the world. Hopefully by the time this book is published we'll be in a better place!

Jodi Picoult has been a favorite author of mine for many years. I have struggled with the last few, but this one is Jodi at her best! I love how she juxtaposed the beauty of Galapagos with the horror unfolding in New York City. It was how Covid lockdown was for me, full of beautiful family moments and anxiety ridden hours. I even had the troubled teen to cope with too!
If I had to pick something that jarred it would be the need to educate the reader with every piece of research, although I liked how she varied it through dialogue and POV.
I won't talk about the story because it needs to be read with no spoilers. Let's just say, I was totally blown away by it all and have been talking to all my friends about the need to read this when it comes out.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.