I was a huge fan of Nikki Erlick's "The Measure," and while I enjoyed "The Poppy Fields," it didn't hit me with the same punch as her earlier work. I like how the characters were tied in together and how each brought a unique perspective to the overall conflict. This is definitely an emotional one and will get you thinking about mental health and the way it's talked about and treated.
The narrators did a great job. It wasn't what I expected with a multi-narrator book; I figured each character would have their own voice. However, there is one prime narrator telling the story with the characters and the other narrators do other snippets (interviews and such) between chapters. I think this helps to break up the heaviness of the main story.
I'd recommend for those who are fans of Nikki Erlick and enjoy a good emotional read.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Audio for an ARC of the audiobook for The Poppy Fields. This story was incredibly sweet, interesting, and really opened my mind up to the way I think of grief and healing. Are we doing our lost loved ones a disservice if we do not feel the pain of their loss in full? Would escaping the initial shock of their loss in a sleep somehow be cheating ourselves and those around us ? Or should everyone be allowed their own path through grief regardless of what it looks like ? These are just a couple of the questions Nikki Erlick poses throughout the novel. While the concept is big, the story itself is a simple tale of people who are a little bit lost and wondering what their next step should be - and the way the people we meet along the journey can change us.

I initially found the story a little bit slow to get into but once I did I couldn't stop. I cried once or twice and really enjoyed the ride.

Narrators- 10/10

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Another great one from Nikki Erlick- If you haven't read The Measure- stop reading tis review right now and go read The Measure.

This was quite an interesting concept. How to deal with grief..... sleep your way "healed"? Awesome. great characters!


What if there were a cure for the broken-hearted?

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.

On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?

In the desert of California, there is a medical facility that helps people heal from the loss of a loved one. The cure is simple enough, sleep for 4-8 weeks at The Poppy Fields. After all, studies have shown the power of sleep and its effects on the brain. This treatment sounds amazing, however, there is one side effect. One in four patients wake up with a sort of apathy toward the person they lost. The Poppy Fields focuses on intersection of the lives of three people and those they meet as they make their way toward the facility. Each has their own reason for traveling to the center and as their truths begin to come, they begin to change in unexpected ways.

This book absolutely blew me away! The Poppy Fields speaks about grief and loss in a way that no other novel I have read does. Grief is such a personal experience and Erlick acknowledges this through her characters. It is the sort of novel that makes the reader think about and reflect on their own relationships and thoughts regarding grief and death. This book is part science fiction and part literary fiction. The concept that we could actually take a long nap to be able to deal with our grief is not that far off. The Poppy Fields is not only entertaining but makes the reader think, something that not all stories can do.

I need this book to release and I need others to read it so that I can talk about it with others!

I'm not even sure how to start with this review. This book was a lot to digest right from the start. The concept alone of the Poppy Fields could fill a book itself without the additional journey of the main characters. As someone who has grieved deeply, the prospect of being able to fast track through the processing and accepting of the grief is thought provoking. Grief does seem like one of those universal afflictions that nothing can even begin to touch except time.

I thought the three main characters had very interesting back stories and motivations and interactions. There was just enough back story that each one was relatable and I felt like I was right there on the trip with them. Every little interaction with each other and with the world around them felt purposeful. The addition of the patient applications and media interviews really added to the vibe of the world and how it viewed the Poppy Fields and the people who felt they needed the sleep.

I really enjoyed this book and the thoughts and questions it pushed me to consider. I would love to read from this author again.

Thank you HarperAudio and NetGalley for an ALC (Advanced Listening Copy) of The Poppy Fields.

I was so excited to be able to preview this book by the author of The Measure, a 5 star read for me. This had a similar vibe with an interesting concept and warm characters intricately woven together throughout the book. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, it wasn’t quite compelling enough to grant 5 stars. I would still definitely recommend giving it a listen or a read! If I could, I think I would sleep at The Poppy Fields (though I think my therapist would say it’s cheating to fast forward through grief).

Marin Ireland does a wonderful job narrating, I’m a fan of her work from the Beartown series especially.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way the characters stories were all separate but intertwined. The idea of going somewhere to to sleep off a hurt/trauma was intriguing. And it was interesting to see how pure intentions can be turned around or misunderstood when outcomes are not what they were meant to be.

I loved this book! How it looks at and acknowledges grief was beautiful and poignant. The characters had such great stories and personality, I adored them. Especially Sky!

Ellis is a scientist who created a revolutionary new health treatment for grief. Targeting people who are experiencing the grief of a loved one, she has created the Poppy Fields, a center where people are temporarily put to sleep to heal their grief. This technology is starting to take off and Ellis has to decide what the expansion of the Poppy Fields will look like.
Meanwhile, across the county three strangers who meet at a car rental facility, embark together on a road trip to California to visit the Poppy Fields. As they travel, they learn they each have different reasons for going, but are unified in their desire to get there.

A fun concept that was well written and interesting. Both narratives were intriguing and fully thought through, especially with how they wind together.
The narrator had great pace and intonation.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for this ARC!

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.

4.5- Nikki Erlick has become an auto read author for me. Her books, including this one, make me think so much, and they are always written so well. I loved this one! I listened to it, so did listen in bits and pieces, and wish I had access to a print copy so I could enjoy it faster. Other than that, I loved it!

Thank you for the advanced copy!

I am waffling between 3.5 stars and four stars for this book. There were not an overwhelming amount of characters, so I feel I got to really know the likeable main players and care about their stories and opinions. This book dealt with how people handle grief and I was honestly fascinated by many of the thoughts put forward. It dove into the various options and potential dilemmas in how people handle loss and grief, and whether or not there is a medical/interventional coping mechanism of sorts to help the process along.

Nikki Erlick writes in an incredibly relatable way, and I did catch and appreciate the “Easter egg” she popped into the book. I appreciated that the author never got preachy about grief, nor did she offer any one-size-fits-all solutions… the story just felt very honest and approachable and realistic.

The reason for only 3.5/4 stars is that there was never a real big peak point of drama in the storyline, and there were never any concrete outcomes offered. But maybe that was kind of the whole point of the book and this subject matter.

Much like Erlick’s previous book The Measure, I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about this one for many weeks to come.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Audio ARC of The Poppy Fields!

Starting off with the narration - I was expecting this to be a full production with each character having a different narrator due to the amount of narrators listed, but Marin Ireland is the main narrator with the others narrator news stories, podcast snippets, etc in between chapters. Marin did a great job with all of the characters and with the addition of the other narrators, I think this is a book you’ll definitely want to listen to versus physically read.

The Poppy Fields is a place that conducts a controversial medical procedure to help grieving patients. Patients sleep for a month and when they wake up, their grief has seemingly lifted. The story follows 3 individuals as they attempt to travel to the poppy fields, all for different reasons. Their travel plans are ruined by a tornado and they are brought together to roadtrip from KC to California. This story explores many different types of grief and the ways that individual attempt to cope, move on from, or live with grief. I thought this was beautiful, heart wrenching, and thought provoking. There is no one size fits all method for experiencing grief and it is truly a journey for all of us to find our way through. This is my first Nikki Erlick book and I will definitely be picking up The Measure soon!

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.

The audio book was done beautifully. I felt fully engaged the whole time and would definitely read more by this narrator.
I recommend this one!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

With a full cast of narrators, this is one that will leave you with chills.

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.

Nikki Erick’s The Poppy Fields offers a place for grieving individuals to heal through sleep. This captivating, emotionally evocative book, narrated by multiple voices, is a must-read. The audiobook’s cast of narrators did an amazing job.

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.

A very thought provoking book on grief and how each of us processes through it or unfortunately gets overwhelmed and incapacitated by it. Personally it lead to discussions with family and friends as to how they would view sleep as a treatment or an escape from a natural process that they everyone deals with at some point in their lives. Great book club recommendation.

As a person who thinks the word "journey" is overused, I keep mentally describing this novel as a journey, both metaphorically and literally. I read it via audio narrated by a full cast of people: Marin Ireland; Dan Bittner; Stacey Glemboski; Graham Halstead; Mia Barron; Callie Dalton; Janina Edwards; Shawn K. Jain; Christian Barillas; Jason Culp,

For several years, Ellis, a scientist working out of California has served as the director of The Poppy Fields, a treatment center for people who are experiencing grief in a way that has them stuck. Those who are accepted into the program will sleep for one to two months, with what sounds like some kind of prescription drug treatment as well. 75% of them will come out of this "journey" with a sense of peace, loving memories of the person who passed or of the incident that caused deep despair, an ordinary level of sorrow at the loss and the ability to move on. However, a side-effect that 25% of the patients experience is the complete loss of caring that their loved one died or they experienced deep grief over a devastating situation. They remember the person/incident and what happened to them, but attach no particular meaning or sensibilities to the loss or incident.

The Poppy Fields is controversial for a variety of reasons. One is the side-effect situation, but people also question whether it is appropriate not to experience grief, no matter how one's particular experience manifests itself, i.e., whether medicine is messing too much with a part of life everyone must learn to deal with.

Early in The Poppy Fields bad weather leads several people and a dog to rent a car in Kansas and drive together. Ray, a firefighter has a brother who was a patient at the Poppy Fields. Ava is heading there to see her sister who is at the Poppy Fields. Sasha's application was rejected when she sought to sleep in connection with her fiancé's death. The rental car is bright yellow and is promptly dubbed, "The Canary." Ava's dog, P.J. is along for the ride. At the airport and later in the trip, they also interact with Skye who is working her way to The Poppy Fields. As the characters interspersed stories are shared, including those of Elis, who move through each person's experiences of loss and reasons why they are drawn to The Poppy Fields. The Three who are driving together are in this intimate space and each is someone you care about, but they share little of their personal reasons for this "journey" as they take this unplanned extra time to think more about their choices, their own losses, relationships, friendships and family and romantic. In this case, one could potentially be extremely stressed out, heading to a place like The Poppy Fields with a couple of strangers and a dog. However, Ray, Ava, Sasha and eventually Skye instead become close friends.

It's frustrating to write about this novel because you have to do it by talking about feelings, but the road trip itself and the groups interactions with one another and those they meet along the way is also very entertaining. It is never boring. It is an adventure. It is not some long drawn out "journey" of the mind but yes, it is about grief, about processing grief, about family pain, about hope and about despair. I enjoyed it and the audio version was excellent.

Hearing the audio list so many narrators I was a bit intimidated right from the start. 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.