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

Nikki Erlick has become one of my favorite authors with such thought-provoking books.

This one is about a new scientific treatment available where anyone experiencing deep grief from loss can be put to sleep for 1-2 months and wake up not feeling the pain anymore. There is a side effect that occurs in a small percentage of people where they wake up with zero feelings toward the love one they lost, and it is like thinking about a stranger who died. The treatment is wildly controversial across the nation, with some protesters who don't believe the treatment should be available anyone.

I loved how this tied into the today's political climate. You had all these people protesting a treatment that didn't necessarily affect them at all. No one was being forced into this treatment. The concept of "I don't like this, so I don't think it should be available to anyone" was prevalent throughout.

It was a book that will leave you with a lot of thoughts and feelings while you try to work through where you fall in your opinion of it all.

I preordered this book and then was lucky enough to receive an ARC—and I’m so glad I did. This story was incredible and will likely be my favorite book of the year.

If you enjoyed The Measure or Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People, I think you’ll find similar emotional depth and a unique narrative voice here.

This book explores grief from beginning to end. If you're in the midst of grief, it may be triggering—but for me, it was deeply cathartic. I cried a lot while reading, in the best possible way.

We primarily follow four characters on a road trip to the poppy fields, each traveling for their own reasons. Alternating chapters introduce Ellis, who works at the poppy fields, and there are also a few chapters of audition tapes from poppy field contestants. Watching each character’s journey through their grief was moving and powerful.

I’m usually intimidated by books with multiple POVs, but that wasn’t the case here. Each character was distinct and memorable—I never felt confused or lost in the narrative.


Pros:
The writing is beautiful. The premise is unlike anything I’ve read before. It hooked me from the very first page, and the ending was absolutely perfect.

📚 The Poppy Fields
✍ Nikki Erlick
📖 Speculative Fiction
⭐4.25/5

➡ In a remote stretch of California desert lie The Poppy Fields, an innovative treatment center designed for those dealing with unimaginable grief. The fields allow their patients to engage in a restorative sleep that can bring them peace in 4-8 weeks if they're willing to risk life-altering side-effects.

Four strangers, all on a journey to the fields, meet in a chance encounter and together, discover that the grief they thought they could never push through may be the gift that holds them all together.
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🙏 Thank you to William Morrow, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of The Poppy Fields. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 as The Measure is one of my all-time favorite books and this did not disappoint! While I don't think it quite measured up to The Measure, it was beautifully crafted, had memorable characters and packed a powerful message about the ways that grief is deeply tied to love. Where The Measure had a group of characters that didn't always interact with each other, The Poppy Fields had characters whose stories came together much earlier and impacted each other in unforeseen ways. This was a slow build but I pulled so many quotes out of this that I connected with on a deep level and I loved the characters and way this left me reconsidering things on a deep level.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: This book was so good and so interesting so I think this is absolutely a subconscious reaction but....all the talk about restorative sleep made me fall asleep while reading it multiple times. I wasn't bored at all but it ended up taking me a long time to finish because of those little sleepy interludes.
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Read if you love:
*multiple stories that wind into one narrative
*speculative fiction take on grief
*road trip stories where each stop is meaningful
*
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See also: No Two Persons, The Measure, The One

I realized early on that I might need a notepad to keep the characters straight. Unfortunately because there was so many different character POVs I didn't really have a strong attachment to any single one of them. I felt with the constant switch between characters, that I didn't really fall in love with any of them.
The concept of the poppy fields is absolutely amazing. I think the book addressed the subject of grief and heartache very well and delicately. With that said, it took a while for me to get into this book. I reread the first half a few times before finishing it. I think if there had been less character POV's it would've helped my rating.

I absolutely loved the concept and idea of "the Poppy Fields" being a place that people can book to go to in an effort to help combat extreme grief from the loss of a loved one. At the Poppy Fields, they put you to sleep for one whole month and you wake up practically cured of grief. Cool right? Think how much you can do with this storyline.

What we end up doing is following a small group of people all headed for the Poppy Fields that end up traversing the country together to get there. We learn about their past and the reasons why they are seeking out the fields. This book ended up being way more character development heavy than plot based, which was fine, but I really ended up trudging through.

By the end, I felt no connection to any of the characters or emotion towards the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the gifted e-copy of this book.

“It's been said, many times, that we all die twice. The first, the actual moment of passing, and the second, the last time someone living says our name aloud.”

Nikki Erlick is a must read for me after The Measure. I love that she explores the speculative side of grief and death in her writing. The Poppy Fields claims to be a place where you can sleep away the grief that you are unable to cope with. BUT - you must be accepted in order to participate.

The book follows three main characters making their way to California to visit the Fields for their own closure-seeking reasons and form a friendship along the way. It’s just as much about the journey as it is the destination. Would you apply for a sleep at The Poppy Fields?!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 - very interesting concept! I was really interested in the story at the beginning and end, but the middle seemed to drag a bit.

After loving Nikki Erlick’s debut novel, The Measure I had absolutely no doubt that I will want to read her sophomore one. So I was thrilled to receive an early copy!!

THE POPPY FIELDS is set deep in California desert in the facility that provides grief stricken people with sleep therapy to process their pain.

This thought provoking novel ultimately explores the many aspects of love. Although I didn’t particularly connect with any of the characters individually I was invested in the overall journey of grief, loss, love and healing. Similarly to The Measure it was so interesting to see how interconnected everything and everyone is. While I felt like it took a while to get to the point where I was invested in the story and the back half of it is definitely stronger, I still enjoyed the book. It would make a great book club read!!

The Poppy Fields
By Nikki Erlick
Release Date: 6/17/25

Thank you HarperAudio and William Morrow Books for an e-ARC and Audio ARC of Nikki Erlick's new novel, The Poppy Fields.

This is a speculative fiction novel, following multiple people as they travel to the infamous Poppy Fields and one that works inside of the Poppy Fields. Everyone has a different story and reasons as to what brought them there and why they decided to come to the fields to sleep their grief away. Similar to Erlick's other novel, the Measure, we have many opinions being shared throughout by journalists and such stating what they think of the fields. Along with that people don't hesitate to judge those that chose to sleep to better process their grief instead of facing it head on risking the potential side effects of erasing the memories all together. I applaud Erlick for challenging our thinking on fictitious topics while applying very realistic bias.

I don't feel as though I was drawn into this one as deeply as I was with the Measure, but still another great read by Nikki Erlick. I'm excited to meet her at an author event this summer and can't wait to see what unique storyline she comes up with next!

Nikki Erlick did not disappoint in her sophomore novel. All the thought-provoking, mind blowing membrane that she brought to us are back. I love when I read a story that makes me continue to think long after I turn the last page and The Poppy Fields will do so. Exploring grief, guilt, and forgiveness with a twist, this is one not to miss.

Wonder, worthy, and willingness.

It all started at the Kansas City airport, as a tornado warning goes off and the flights are cancelled. It turns out that three strangers are headed to the desert to the Poppy Fields.
Quite controversial, the Poppy Fields are where grieving people are able to go and sleep for 4/6 weeks to help with devastating losses in their lives. This comes with many questions, support, and backlash from the public.
As we proceed through this very uniquely written story of these strangers, (and their stories), you get to know them well. Why would they be seeking this period of sleep? Relief from unimaginable grief is something everyone would want to obtain. Is time of sadness/hopelessness in our world healed by sleep? Is it worth missing a period of your life, to feel more complete again?
The four day journey that these strangers take, turns into a beautiful story that is one worth every minute of time you spend in this story.

The author of The Measure has come through again, with another incredible thought provoking novel. Thank you, NetGalley for this special opportunity.

What if you could sleep away your grief? In Nikki Erlich’s sophomore novel, a therapy center in California desert called The Poppy Fields admits patients struggling to overcome the loss of a loved one by giving them a medically safe environment to sleep for 4-8 weeks. In their journey to reach The Fields, four strangers grounded at an airport in the Midwest decide to carpool across the country to reach their destination. Along the way, they learn about what brought each of them to the Fields, what they’re looking to find there, and how they hope to heal the losses in their own lives.

While I was extremely interested in the overall concept of this book and enjoyed the reveal that becomes apparent half way through, I found the relationships formed by our main characters in this situation of extremely coincidental circumstance to be a bit forced, and it made the nature of their bond feel a bit trite. There were moments of tenderness and emotional depth as each character share their trauma, and I was invested enough in the storyline to see how it ended despite my hang ups with their development.

Many thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you so, so incredibly much for the advanced copy of The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick. I was a fan of her novel, The Measure, and was excited for an opportunity to experience her next work early.

Erlick has done another phenomenal job with this book. Just… wow. It was creative, thoughtful, and profound. The Poppy Fields has a unique approach to grief and healing, and the concept is executed in a way that’s easy on the page and heavy on the heart.

The reader meets a group of characters through multiple POVs that intersect throughout the novel. Four of them (and a pup) find themselves making their way from the Midwest to California, and another main character is already on-site in California. Per the title, their destination is The Poppy Fields - a controversial but successful experimental facility where approved applicants are put to sleep for 1-2 months with an intent on overcoming grief. The majority of applicants are grieving the loss of a loved one, although Erlick does a wonderful and organic job of incorporating other means of grief and pain that could “benefit” from a prolonged sleep period. There is a 25% chance that patients will wake up with a more intense side effect - one that means they are not less aggrieved but rather indifferent towards the loss.

The writing is poetic. The concept is thought-provoking. The characters each have their own meaning and delivery. The corresponding interviews offer an additional perspective to the topic. I also appreciated the red-string nod to The Measure.

Overall, The Poppy Fields is an easy 5-star review that I hope many readers choose to experience. I’d recommend this to fans of The Measure of course, but honestly to anyone interested in high-concept, meaningful storytelling that offers a different lens on loss, healing, and our limited time here.

Nikki Elick’s The Poppy Fields is a masterful blend of raw emotion, sharp wit, and unexpected beauty, woven into a story that lingers long after the final page. With a title as bold as its narrative, this book challenges readers to find meaning in the messy, the imperfect, and the overlooked.

Elick’s prose is both lyrical and unflinching, painting vivid landscapes of resilience, humor, and transformation. Whether exploring the struggles of identity, the weight of loss, or the strange poetry hidden in the everyday, The Poppy Fields invites readers to embrace life’s contradictions. The characters are achingly real—flawed, fierce, and unforgettable—pulling us into a journey that is as heart-wrenching as it is uplifting.

What makes The Poppy Fields extraordinary is its refusal to shy away from the rawness of existence. It does not romanticize pain, nor does it sanitize joy. Instead, it reminds us that growth often comes from the most unexpected places. Elick proves herself to be a fearless storyteller, unafraid to dig deep and unearth truths that are both uncomfortable and necessary.

With its balance of humor and heartbreak, light and shadow, The Poppy Fields is a triumph—one that will leave readers reflecting on the beauty of imperfection and the power of embracing the messiness of life.

A must-read for those who appreciate storytelling that is both profound and wildly original.

4.5 stars

Erlick has a way of writing about grief/loss/death that is so unique. Similar to The Measure, The Poppy Fields starts with an idea around death. People who have experienced a big loss can go to the poppy fields and sleep off their grief. However, a quarter of them wake up with side effects. Is it worth it? Would you want to sleep for a month or two and wake up with the worst of your grief over?

Thought-provoking and entertaining through and through.

This one started super strong for me then fell a little flat around the 50% mark. I still really enjoyed the concept and the story telling. I love the way all the characters were wrapped up by the end. Sasha’s final chapter had me tearing up. I genuinely feel like I learned so much through these characters and how grief affects everyone so different.
Thank you thank you for the Arc of this beautiful thought provoking book!!