You know Nikki will always leave you with a book that makes you think outside the box. This one did not disappoint.

Absolutely loved the audio, multiple narrators. Beautiful!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Measure was such a though-provoking book that stuck with me. I had high hopes for anything else by Erlick. Although I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did The Measure, it is nevertheless a wonderful, though-provoking story about navigating grief. All of the characters are multilayered (aren't all people?!) and the timeline was easy to follow. As the drama unfolds, a little more explanation comes for each character, and the reader understands very little is as black and white as we might hope.

Add this to your TBR this year!

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

"The Poppy Fields" unpacks and makes you sit with grief, stages of grief, and the love that surrounds us when we have lose in our life. Nikki Erlick intertwined the loss and resiliency with a new-age and scientific and mild dystopian approach to how others can deal with grief. Through screening, entering a program patients who are admitted to the Poppy Fields sleep program for 1-2 months and rejuvenate their senses to cope with significant loss and trauma in life.

I think that this is the piece that will resound most with readers- loss and dealing with the loss of those we love, hold dear, and learning to cope with putting pieces together in our own lives afterwards. The Poppy Fields was filled with sad, yet moments of happy and still joy evoking in road tripping across America, hot air ballooning, falling in love, and how each character has a different life walked and love that surrounds them.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Nikki Erlick, and William Morrow for granting my ARC wish!

First, what I did like: Nikki Erlick writes beautifully about grief and the lasting nature of love. There are several beautiful passages that I highlighted and read several times. In addition, the book’s premise is fascinating: a facility that allows thousands of people to sleep for several weeks while working through the worst of their grief? This excited me with its sci-fi possibilities: it sounded like there would be plenty of creepy things that could go wrong. However, the story itself didn’t pull me in whatsoever.

I had a difficult time keeping the characters straight, and unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of them. There was such a big cast that once their connections began popping up, I had to go back to check names and stories. And none of the connections really hit me in the heart, the way they did in The Measure.

If this had not been an ARC, I would likely have DNFed THE POPPY FIELDS. I kept going, however, because I wanted to give it a chance and I remembered that the best part of Erlick’s debut novel, The Measure, came at the end. Unfortunately, there was no redeeming ending for this one.

I will definitely still check out anything Erlick writes in the future based on the strength of The Measure but this was a miss for me. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an early digital ARC of THE POPPY FIELDS in exchange for my honest feedback.

Another winner from Nikki Erlick! Her debut novel, The Measure, is the first book I recommend to others. I’m so happy that she delivered another well written, thought-provoking book with The Poppy Fields. That said, this book is completely different than her first. The focus is more on the characters and their journey, with the controversy of the Poppy Fields being a supporting plot line. Be ready for great twists and fun nods to Wizard of Oz throughout.

Book clubs will want to keep this on their radars. Out in June!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to @netgalley, @harperaudio and @nikkierlick for the opportunity to read and listen to this ARC for an honest review.

The Poppy Fields had narrators that definitely developed the characters appropriately, making you feel like you are with them, the author's writing does that too, it's a beautiful marrying of the two.

Grief is a road trip.

From the author of the wild hit The Measure, comes a new book with the main topic of grief and how we deal with it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy. All opinions here expressed are my own.
The Poppy Field is not something out of the Wizard of Oz, but there is a nod to this classic, as it is where people go to receive “treatment” for their grief: a two month sleep-off where they arise with their grief gone. The caveat is there is a chance of a side effect.
The story focuses on multiple characters dealing with their grief and how they will choose to deal with it, but on the way they go through some self discovery.
It’s well crafted and there is surely a lot to discuss in a book club.
I would recommend it to patrons and I am sure everyone who read the Measure will gobble this whole.
3*

4 stars

From the author of The Measure comes a new story of grief, loss, and found family. Three people are brought together after a huge storm damages the airport they were in, waiting for flights to the same California location. Three strangers end up sharing the last available rental car to get to their destinations. While it's not immediately clear, they are all headed to the same mysterious clinic in the California desert called The Poppy Fields. This clinic claims that it's sleep treatment can get you through the worst of the grief process, where you sleep for up to two months and awake to emotional healing. Each of the three travelers has their own reason for going to The Poppy Fields. As they travel, they become closer and closer, sharing their stories of family, love, and loss, revealing secrets and vulnerabilities, and ultimately..... well, no spoilers.

I was so excited to read this book after having loved The Measure. This story contains similar themes of loss and grief involving loss by death as well as by abandonment. The side characters were my favorites, including 18 year-old free spirit Sky and Ava's little dog PJ, however I didn't end up feeling attached to anyone. For me, this felt very on-the-nose and quite heavy handed when it came to the way grief is perceived and the messages to appreciate life and love while you have it and the healing power of time. This wasn't a book for me, however I can see this being very popular with readers that are looking for this type of uplifting messaging.

The chapters were short which kept the pace moving, the characters were well written, and the messaging was clear.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If given the opportunity would you go to The Poppy Fields?

I think the idea behind this treatment is the most interesting part of the book. The concept of “sleeping away” your grief is one that makes you really think. Especially when you throw in the potential “side effect”. Ultimately I don’t think I would but then again I haven’t had very many monumental losses in my life which I’m very grateful for.

The characters and their arc honestly fell a little flat for me. I don’t feel like I ever really connected with any of them, maybe because the POV rotated too much or quickly? Or I didn’t feel enough depth behind them?

I think this book is a great one for a book club not exactly for the characters or the story but for the concept. It was a good book for sure but I think what it brings most is conversation.

Thank you NetGalley and Williams Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy.

3.5 stars

Nikki Erlich likes to ask big questions in her novels. After reading THE MEASURE (Would you want to know when you were going to die?), I was intrigued to read THE POPPY FIELDS. Three strangers find themselves roadtripping to California to get to the poppy fields, an experimental treatment where patients suffering through grief can sleep away the worst of the pain. Along the way, each person in the car--Ray, Ava, and Sasha--must confront their own losses and decide whether the poppy fields is the place they will actually find what they need to move forward.

If I hadn't known, I would've thought THE POPPY FIELDS was Erlick's debut novel. THE MEASURE felt very assured and nuanced in the ways that each character approached the idea of whether they wanted to know when they would die. This novel felt less solidly put together. The question of what someone might do to move through grief is an interesting one and each of the characters brought a different perspective, but the plot elements of the book felt softer in their construction. Still a good read and worth picking up.

The Poppy Fields is out June 17, 2025

I really really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of THE MEASURE, this will be a win for you! The audio was well-done with beloved Marin Ireland and other narrators sprinkled in.

This will be a perfect option for book clubs with a lot to discuss and ruminate on. Similarly to THE MEASURE it will leave you with a question of what you'd choose if you were in this *semi* dystopian novel.

Part of me wishes we got even deeper with each character but there were too many to get too deep. I liked how they all connected and enjoyed the fast pace. I think this will be well liked!

I enjoyed this one. The story was engaging- though not what I was expecting. Most of the story is about their journey TO the Poppy Fields and not as much about their particular experiences at the Poppy Fields. I loved reading about each characters journey and how they grew through it. Wish it was a bit longer though!

Having loved Nikki Erlick’s first book The Measure, I was so excited to learn that she wrote a new one. The Poppy Fields is a controversial treatment center in California, where people with intense grief can apply to be put to sleep for a month or more, while their bodies supposedly process their grief while unconscious.

Obviously this brings up a lot of issues for everyone involved, and while it seems to work for most people, some wake up with unexpected side effects.

The story follows a few characters, seemingly with nothing in common, who are headed to the center, either for themselves or for a loved one. It’s a touching story of our shared humanity - no matter who we are, we will all have to deal with grieving at some point.

The Poppy Fields is obviously a reference to a scene in the Wizard of Oz and there are a few more nods to the story throughout, which I loved.

I still think about The Measure sometimes and I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. The Poppy Fields published on June 17th.

5 Stars | Thought-Provoking & Heartfelt

If you loved The Measure, don’t miss The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick. It’s a beautifully told speculative novel about four unlikely and diverse strangers (plus a dog!) who embark on a road trip to a place where grief might be eased through a monitored “sleep.” Would you do it—even with the possibility of side effects?

Told through multiple POVs with a stellar full-cast audio and equally impactful print experience, this book is rich with reflection, emotional depth, and human connection. I felt like I knew these characters by the end. Absolutely unforgettable.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

William Morrow
Pub Date: 6-17-25

Thank you @netgalley, @williammorrowbooks, and @nikkierlick for the opportunity to read this eARC.

"This sleep will not make things right, on that they can all agree. It will not give sense to the senseless; it will not fill the yawning hole. But maybe, just maybe, it will help. Because they have each been told, over and over, that the only way out of a hardship is through. But nobody ever told them that they had to stay awake."

Three strangers stranded at an airport decide to travel west together. Each is heading to The Poppy Fields. Each for a different reason.

Along the way, they are joined by Sky, a teenage hitchhiker. As they journey together, Ava, Sasha, Ray, and Sky share their stories, forming deep connections.

Nikki Erlick does it again! The Measure had me asking . . . Would I want to know? The Poppy Fields has me asking . . . Would I make this same choice in the face of unimaginable loss?

"She saw the potential in this treatment she had somehow stumbled onto. She felt that people would not only be willing to sleep through a challenging time in their lives, but that they might even want to. That this sleep, as bizarre as it sounded, might actually offer two benefits: the joy of being healed upon waking, and the relief of fast-forwarding through the pain while asleep, oblivious and unfeeling. Anesthesia for life’s fathomless heartbreaks."

"Poppies are a ruderal species, which means that they grow from the rubble. If something so spectacular can still blossom in even the most disturbed earth, then doesn’t that mean there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal?"

I really loved 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 and I’m so sad that I didn’t love this one.

Like The Measure, there is what can be considered a controversial topic that a group of people are grappling with. The idea is that when someone is suffering from devastating grief, they can go to The Poppy Fields, a treatment center where people can sleep away the pain.

However, despite the provocative topic, the book is a bit boring. Grief is a deep and complicated subject where there is so much potential for an emotional connection - but I felt nothing for any of the characters. The topic had the possibility to be interesting but it didn't happen.

The second this was announced it became of my most anticipated books of the year. I adored the Measure and all the thoughts and feelings it brought. I went into this one blind and was immediately hooked by the premise. The writing style is fascinating as the pov isn't always clear cut, which took a second to adjust to but didn't bother me. As the story went on, I started to lose steam with the point of the story and its direction. I really enjoyed pieces of it, especially the stories of the patients that went to the poppy fields, but overall the story just fell so flat to me. I think I needed the story to pick one Avenue and pursue it rather than bouncing back and forth (it's hard to give detail here without spoilers). Great premise, but overall I was underwhelmed. I enjoy Erlick's writing and unique stories so I'm excited to read her work in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access.

The Poppy Fields explores a way to cope with grief, a very sensitive subject. Everyone deals with grief differently. If given the option would you go to sleep for a month with the hope when you wake your grief will no longer be all consuming?

I love how we get to see the different perspectives of four different people as they make their way to the poppy filed. They are all on their way for different reasons and have very different opinions on the clinical trial. It is great to see how they are each dealing with grief and how their views change on their journey.

Nikki Erlick is officially 2 for 2! It’s impossible to mention Erlick without bringing up the brilliance of The Measure and I am delighted to discover that The Poppy Fields holds the same amount of substance and dare I say, an even better addition to her works. Erlick is a master of coming up with unique, well rounded, and substantial stories while executing the idea with precision.

We follow multiple characters who all have some sort of relation to a new treatment at The Poppy Fields and we get the pleasure of fleshing out their individual responses, behaviours, and points of view. But don’t worry, this isn’t philosophizing the moral ambiguity of a treatment as radical as The Poppy Fields, but it does hit on the reasons as to why people would want to risk something so monumental. We see the calamities of human failure and our society as a whole and how it could push one already teetering on the edge.

I was so pleasantly surprised by so many aspects of this book from the little Wizard of Oz nods to the interweaving of multifaceted characters of all ages and genders. So many characters were linked in ways I had never expected and the poignant nature of Erlick’s honed talent and skill really pushed a brilliant idea to a genius piece of work. It’s safe to say that I was interested in Erlick before, but I also think she outdid herself from The Measure and I am now truly enamored.

Four strangers (and a small dog named PJ) come together in the Kansas City airport during a tornado which renders all the flights canceled. And so begins their shared road trip in a rental car nicknamed “ the canary”. As they travel together they discover that for 3 of them, their destination is not simply California, but a specific place in California: The Poppy Fields. The Poppy Fields is an experimental treatment clinic that allows the grieving to sleep for one or two months and when awakened, their grief has become manageable. Sadly a small minority may suffer an unhappy side effect (lack of emotional feeling)…. “Love and loss, joy and pain are two sides of the same coin. How could we ever banish one without endangering the other? Love changes us, dents us, lifts us, guides us. If we sleep, if we suffer the side effect, if we are no longer shaped by the people we love…who are we?”

I found this novel to be a relatable, thoughtful, and moving treatise on death, grief and memory. Who among us hasn’t wished for sleep to numb our pain as we hope for dreams where our dead visit? I enjoyed The Poppy Fields much more than Erlick’s first novel “The Measure.”