This book had one my favorite things, strangers that come together and are actually connected. The found family in this book was everything. I also really enjoyed the themes of love and loss. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m very glad that I was given the opportunity to read this book. The Poppy Fields was a step outside of my usual comfort zone, but lately I’ve been reading a lot of fantastic books about characters dealing with grief, and I thought that this concept sounded so unique and interesting.

The Poppy Fields is a treatment facility where, rather than having to go through the stages of the grieving process, the patients are offered the chance to sleep through it all, and wake up healed. However, according to a small percentage of former patients, they also run the risk of losing more than just their grief. Whether or not the risk is worth taking is a question that both the characters and the reader have to grapple with throughout the course of the book.

I thought that the story was really unique and thought provoking. I was constantly questioning myself and my own decisions right along with the characters - which, for me, made the reading experience feel so much more emotional. I enjoyed the way each character’s story developed individually, as well as how they were interwoven with each other. There were times, especially in the beginning, when I thought it was a little slow, but the payoff was worth pushing through the slower parts.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and will certainly recommend it to friends who enjoy emotional, speculative, thought provoking stories. Personally, I am now excited to go read The Measure for more Nikki Erlick!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Williams Morrow, for allowing me to read this arc!

The premise of this book was fascinating! Be able to sleep off grief in a controlled environment? I wanted to see where this story would go but the ending fell flat for me.
Readers follow along on several character’s storylines on why they are going to The Poppy Fields. Some are going to sleep, some are seeking answers, and some are seeking people.
This book can be as “entertainment-only” reading or thought-provoking as you make it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick was one of my top reads last year, so I was SO excited to get a chance to read the Poppy Fields!

The Poppy Fields are a scientific center where those dealing with grief after a loss can go for treatment. They are placed in a medically induced sleep and by the end of a month or two of treatment, their grief should be much more manageable. It’s controversial to say the least, especially because there is a potentially devastating side effect that could make you apathetic towards the person you were grieving to begin with. The book follows multiple people associated with the Poppy Fields, including the scientist that created the treatment, her sister, a person hoping to sleep at the Poppy Fields, and a person who knows someone who received the treatment.

I think my favorite part of this book was the way it was written. I loved all the separate stories and perspectives and how each different side story ended up being related in some way. I thought the way it all came together in the end was really satisfying! And it made me think deeply about life, grief, and the human condition, just like The Measure did. The story was very character-driven (which I love), but I just never quite connected to the characters in the same way I did with the characters in Erlick’s last book. For that reason, I thought the first half of The Poppy Fields showed a lot of promise because of the interesting premise, but the second half lost a little momentum for me.

I was completely enraptured by this story and the way it made me really question and consider what I would do I were suffering from debilitating grief. I love how all the plot lines seamlessly wove together! This was such a win of a book for me

Nikki Erlick is still going strong writing the most creative concepts! I don't know how she does it. The Measure was one of the most interesting premises I read last year and The Poppy Fields holds that spot this year as well. This book asks the question: What if there was a cure for the broken hearted? If you could rid yourself of your grief at the cost of sleeping through 1-2 months of your life and a 25% chance at having a horrible side effect, would you do it?

Based on this concept, you can imagine it centers around some very heavy topics like grief and heartbreak, all of which was handled with such care. If I was rating this book on standout quotes alone, it would be 5 stars. There were so many quotes on grief and the meaning of life and love in here that I can guarantee I'll be returning to time and time again. I think this would be such a healing read if you are currently experiencing a season of grief and could see myself returning to this book for that reason alone.

One of my favorite things about The Measure was the way that the stars seemingly aligned to bring unrelated characters together, or everyone had a singular connection tying them together. (Alexa, play Invisible String by Taylor Swift.) This story still did that and I ate it up once again.

The story itself wasn't exactly what I expected or wanted at points, however. I knew going in that this was categorized as general fiction/sci-fi, however the entire time I was reading it I couldn't help but hope for a more sinister or horror twist than this book provided which ultimately left me a bit dissatisfied with the ending. I felt that everything was too tied up in a neat little bow for it to make sense in my head. I also feel that this dragged a lot at points. Despite the whacky concept, this is a road trip story at its core and I spent a great deal of time wondering what the purpose of all of these characters and conversations were and wishing we could just get to the "good part" (putting this in quotes because obviously that will be different for everyone. But I cared far more about the sci-fi elements than the road trip).

If you loved The Measure or generally are curious about this author's storytelling, definitely give this a try! The story was excellent--I just wish it took a slightly different turn than it did in the end. 3.5 stars rounded down!

Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is somewhere between a 3.5 - 4⭐️, but a novel that focuses on how different people process grief over - no matter the circumstance - is hard to rate. I read The Measure and this author has such a particular way of writing a specific circumstance (grief in this instance) and relating it back to multiple characters and viewpoints (same as The Measure). So you either wholeheartedly resonate with a character or two… or you don’t. Because there are so many POVs, I struggle to connect to a specific character or two. But Nikki does a PHENOMENAL job of making the reader think “what if…?”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I thought this was such an interesting take on grief. There were a couple of characters that felt extraneous at first, but then I realized that they made sense in the end - just maybe took a little longer to get there.

Thanks to William Morrow for the gifted copy of this book!

While I loved THE MEASURE, I loved THE POPPY FIELDS even more. (I think it might be my scientific background and love for all things psychology.) I really love that we got unique perspectives from individuals that were connected to the Poppy Fields in different ways, but that their stories wove together in a heartwarming in one sense, healing and impactful. Nikki is so good at knowing when to reveal information, and making the reader question all of the conclusions that they’ve made so far while reading. This is such a unique concept for a book, and I really appreciated exploring it through people who seem so real. I truly believe that everyone will be able to take something from this story, and it would also be so good for a book club discussion! Highly, highly recommend reading this one. It’s more speculative fiction than sci-fi, and the science is very basic (basically sleep to heal grief), so don’t let that scare you off!

This ended more around 3.5 ⭐️ What a unique idea, sleep therapy for processing grief, I love the way Nikki thinks! However the pacing for this one didn't work for me. It had a lot of shining moments and the ending was great but it was very easy to put down most of the time. Also following the brilliance that was The Measure couldn't have been easy! Out June 17 be sure to check this out.

The Poppy Fields really made me reflect on the way we process grief. The idea of a facility where you can sleep through your pain felt both surreal and strangely comforting—and it made me ask myself: if I could skip the worst of it, would I?

The story follows four strangers, each carrying their own kind of loss, on a road trip to this facility in the California desert. As they travel, their stories slowly unfold, and I found myself getting more and more attached to them. It’s not a fast-paced read, but the emotional weight of it hits in quiet, unexpected ways.

Having experienced personal loss myself, parts of this book hit close to home. I appreciated how it didn’t offer easy answers, but instead explored what healing might actually look like.

If you’re looking for something reflective and character-driven, this is a book that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for an early E-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A thought provoking, deep story that presents a question and follows several characters through the answer. At it's core, The Poppy Fields is about grief, and about how everyone experiences grief differently, even when grieving the same person.

Somewhere off the grid is a treatment facility called The Poppy Fields. It is for those going through a grieving process, mostly those who have lost a loved one. There are also those that now have a disability- a skilled surgeon who can no longer perform surgery, and more than one person who has been betrayed and divorce. But the vast majority are those that go through a screening process only to be put into a deep sleep that lasts a month or two.

When the sleepers awake, they feel different- usually better- they have lived through and skipped through the gut wrenching part of the grieving process.

They are not without their detractors- there are people who protest their choice.

We follow several characters- Sasha, who lost her fiance and was rejected by The Poppy Fields, Ray, a firefighter whose brother chose the treatment after mourning a boy on his shift as an EMT. Also we meet Ada, who is traveling there to find her sister, and her dog PJ. It is great there is a dog in this because it can be heavy and depressing at times, and honestly the book just needs a dog.

I was fortunate enough to be able to read an E-ARC of this title at the same time as the audiobook. I like to use audio and then go back to the text and scan through to see if there are any important plot points I missed while listening to audio (there always are, no matter how attentive I am to audiobooks!)

What I liked- this is a deep and moving story, I liked every single one of the characters. I love that with Nikki Erilick's stories, you learn things as time goes by, there are plot elements revealed every so often and short chapters that will have your pages turning. I loved this, even more than her first novel, The Measure.

This book is great for book clubs, if your book club is good about being personal and transparent, because at its core, this is about how people grieve differently. Some people want to numb out the grief, others need to sit in it. Some people use unhealthy coping strategies. There is no "one size fits all," and the treatment center is not portrayed as perfect nor as evil. It is a choice some people make, and that has repercussions in their lives. There is also a "side effect" that affects 25% of the sleepers, which I won't reveal, but it adds an element to people's choice to enter The Poppy Fields.

This book can be heavy at times, and you may not be up for a book about grief, so bear this in mind. But I found the book to be extremely readable, accessible and has extraordinary pacing. It is a road trip that occurs when strangers are brought together by a travel disruption and is a journey for each of them within their cross country journey.

The Poppy Fields is going to be one of the best Speculative Fiction books of 2025.

Audiobook review- this book has a lot of characters and also many narrators. I found the performances to be top-notch. On audio it can be difficult to follow so many characters as well as time jumps and interspersed with interview transcripts and magazine article clips. It can be a bit confusing to follow on audio, I would suggest a piece of scratch paper with character names. As mentioned I was able to read along with audio which is a luxury for those with ADHD or other learning challenges. I did enjoy the audio and would highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Audio and William Morrow for the E-ARC and ALC. Book will be published June 17, 2025.

After loving The Measure, I was hoping to love this too. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed and did not vibe with this one.

The plot revolves around an experimental health center called The Poppy Fields – a place where grieving people can go to sleep away their pain. In the beginning, we meet three characters who are making their way to the Poppy Fields for different reasons. They are supposed to be on the same flight, and when the flight gets cancelled, they decide to take a multi-day roadtrip there together rather than just booking a new flight (???)

The book starts slow and I was hoping it would get better, but it didn’t. This story is more about the journey (the roadtrip) than the destination (the Poppy Fields). I thought we were going to learn more about the facility and the science of the sleep, and I wasn’t satisfied by the information that I did get. The characters were not compelling, and I wasn’t drawn in by any of their stories. All of the ruminations about the past were repetitive and boring. The character’s decisions didn't make sense either.

Another issue is, I think this concept is a little limited in its discussion – people either love or hate the idea of the Poppy Fields and that’s kind of all you can say about it. Very different from The Measure, where one societal change had so many potential impacts both on a global scale and a personal one.

This book taught me that although I do like sad stories, reading about someone’s grief for 300 pages is maybe not something I am interested in!

The Poppy Fields is a speculative fiction novel about a treatment center that puts patients to sleep for a month as a cure for grief. Erlick’s sophomore novel follows Amy, Ray, and Sasha as they roadtrip from Kansas to California after a tornado cancels their flights. With all three strangers heading for the Poppy Fields, they decide to carpool, although each has their own reason for pursuing the fields. Along the way they pick up Sky, a recent high school graduate looking to see the world. Crossing multiple states and several days, the group finds family, hope, and healing among each other, despite the secrets they may be harboring.

In California is Ellis, the founder of the Poppy Fields. Her treatment is incredibly successful, but there is an unfortunate side effect that has the public and the news media concerned with her methods.

As the groups travel and converge Erlick tells a beautiful story of grief in all forms, and the different paths to healing. As she did in The Measure, Erlick does a brilliant job examining the ethical implications of the subject matter, and intricately weaves multiple narrative forms to create a breathtaking novel and a compelling follow up to her critically acclaimed debut, The Measure.

The Poppy Fields is definitely one of my favorite new books I’ve read this year, and I can’t wait to recommend it in June. Fans of Neal Shusterman, Jinwoo Chong’s Flux, and Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea will love Nikki Erlick’s new novel.

Same author as THE MEASURE which I really enjoyed because the concept was so interesting and thought provoking. I was super excited for this, but think it didn't quite meet my expectations and fell short for me.

The idea behind it was again unique! A new treatment center where patients "sleep" (are comatose) for a month or two in end to help with grief. There are a few main characters we follow all with different journeys dealing with loss in their own ways. It definitely makes you think some, however I just found it not to be too gripping. And while the topic of grief is heavy and there were some lighter, more hopeful moments, I still found the focus on grief to be so much it kind of felt a little depressing. Still will make you question a lot though!

Absolutely incredible. The way erlick captures the mindset of people grieving was so real and human. I thought the story was so intriguing and also something I've never seen done in a book or movie. Another emotional 5 star read so I will be reading from this author again. I switched between audio and ebook and both were great.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC of The Poppy Fields. I was a huge fan of The Measure and was excited to read this second book from the author. I loved the complex and slow reveal of the characters and how the main relationships explored weren’t always just romantic loves. The ideas explored in The Poppy Fields are complex and intriguing, just like The Measure. Keep writing, Nikki! I’ll read them all!

A heart shattering loss can feel as though the world has moved on, and you haven't moved in months. What if the way we processed our grief could be changed by medically inducing a healing sleep for a period of four to eight weeks? Upon waking a person would no longer be emotionally crippled by feelings of loss. Although there is a chance a "sleeper" will awaken feeling indifferent towards the person's memory they were previously grieving.

The story unfolds beautifully from all directions introducing us to four characters, plus a cute dog who are traveling from the Midwest to California where the Poppy Fields is located. I'm purposely leaving the characters vague here because I found each of their journeys fascinating and think it's better to meet them in the book. Their chapters explore the past, present and the controversy surrounding the Poppy Fields.

The author did a great job of providing balance throughout the narrative. There's grief, but by including a myriad of emotions, a free-spirited character, and P.J. the dog the novel feels lighter. The science is present, but not "in your face". Including the interviews was a great tool to provide a more complete idea of the application process which I found riveting. The brevity of these sections worked in their favor because I was left wanting more every time.

The direction the author took this in had me elated! I loved the ending.

All the Stars!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to William Morrow for providing an Advanced Readers Copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

As a first-time reader of Nikki Erlick, I wasn't sure what to expect going into The Poppy Fields—but I was quickly drawn in by the beauty of her prose and the emotional depth she brings to a subject I don’t typically explore in fiction. Grief, in all its complex forms, is at the heart of this novel, and Erlick handles it with incredible sensitivity and nuance.

What struck me most was how she portrayed the different ways people navigate loss. There’s no one-size-fits-all reaction to grief, and this book honors that truth with compassion. The characters feel real and layered, each carrying their own pain in such different—yet deeply human—ways.

While the topic was heavier than my usual reads, I found it moving and thought-provoking, rather than overwhelming. Erlick has a gift for balancing sorrow with hope, and for finding small, poetic moments even in the midst of heartbreak.

Overall, The Poppy Fields is a beautifully written exploration of love, memory, and healing. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this one, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nikki Erlick and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Poppy Fields is a story of love, loss, and road trips. I really loved this one! Its short chapters made it easily bingeable. From the start, I didn’t know what to expect. You get to know the characters as they go along at the same time they’re getting to know each other. Sky was a favorite of mine. At first she seemed young and naive but is actually wise. I wish I had that wisdom when I was her age!

There’s a few little twists here and there-or maybe I would just call them realizations. Each of these characters is connected to the poppy fields in some way, and each has experienced loss in some way. The exploration of grief is poignant. If you could forget, just for a time, or sleep away the sadness, would you choose to do that? Or is the point of life and relationships that we can go through hard things and make of out the other side in a way honoring those we’ve lost? There’s no clear answer except that it looks different for everyone.

I recommend this one!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC