I didn't think I would be ready for a Covid/pandemic book but it's Jodi Picoult, and I never turn down an opportunity to read her work.

This book will pull on your heart strings and then some. I was an emotional roller coaster while reading and some parts brought tears to my eyes because they hit close to home. They were emotions evoked by my own similar experiences during the last (almost) 2 years, especially when the pandemic first started.

The story follows Diana O'Toole and her boyfriend Finch, who is a resident doctor in NYC. It gave me total SLIDING DOORS vibes as it explored how we evolve and change in our decision-making following life-changing events. Through Diana's POV, we get the more emotional side of the pandemic with her struggle between what is right and what is best for her long term. Through Finch, we get the raw and gritty reality of the pandemic as he stands on the frontlines throughout the ordeal.

I really enjoyed the writing - obviously - it's Jodi Picoult, but this is definitely not going to be a story for everyone and might be too soon given current state but it is an important story as I think it really hits on the rainbow of emotions and decisions we have all faced during this unprecedented time. Some aspects of the story will really hit close to home and others will give you a different perspective on what has been a struggling time for everyone.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for this eARC in exchange for and honest review.
Wish You Were Here tells the story of Diana who embarks on a solo getaway at the beginning of COVID. This story takes some very interesting and surprising turns, which I did enjoy.
However, I feel that this story was very drawn out. I wanted to start skipping pages just to get to the point. I also did not like Diana for the last 25% of the book. Another con with this book is that there are a lot of Spanish phrases that are never explained. I just felt out of the loop.
This book is very heavy and gives the reader the feeling of reliving the beginning of the pandemic.
I wish I would’ve liked this book more, especially the ending.

Another great story from Jodi Picoult! As one of the first novels I've read that deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, I found this story to be uplifting, engaging, and unpredictable. Highly recommended!

I've never read anything by Picoult before, but I enjoyed the way she thrust us back to March 2020 with all the uncertainty of the pandemic in full force. Diana and her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident, were about to take off on a two-week vacation to the Galapagos Islands, but Finn was preoccupied at the hospital with incoming COVID-19 cases. After discussing and not wanting to lose out on all that money spent, Diana traveled to the Galapagos herself. And, as soon as she arrived, the island shut down.

Parts of this book felt slow and repetitive, but the plot moved in a completely different direction than I expected...which I think I liked. There was a mixture of heartwarming scenes and harrowing discussions of what COVID was like in a hospital setting. So overall, an enjoyable, timely read.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is a standalone novel. We meet our heroine, Diana O’Toole, who is an associate assistant at Sotheby’s, being an art specialist; who is hoping for a promotion if she can convince a legendary artist, to sell her masterpiece at Sotheby’s auction. When the artist decides to hold off, Diana is set to go on a vacation to Galapagos with her doctor boyfriend, Finn. The day before they leave, the hospital has declared an emergency, with all employees to be available, as the Covid virus is beginning to wreak havoc. Finn tells Diana to go anyway, since they cannot get their money back.

Reluctantly, Diana agrees to go, and when she arrives in Galapagos, everything starts to go bad, as she learns the country is going into a quarantine lockdown, and her baggage is missing. Things go from bad to worse, as the hotel she had reservations closes, a language barrier causes problems understanding those she goes to get help, leaving her isolated, and the internet/wifi is spotty. Finally, a local woman offers her a place to stay, and she meets some new people (Beatriz & Gabriel) who in a short time befriend her, and show her the island, and the wonderful sights and animals; she begins to enjoy as much as she can of the island, allowing her to see a different kind of life. Diana manages to send letters to Finn, since they had no other way of communication, and she reads about the heartbreak going on in the early stages of Covid.

Half way through the book, Picoult gives us a twist, bringing in the terrifying details of Covid. We get to see doctors and nurses doing all they can to try and save people’s lives, the suffering and loss of life. The heartbreaking losses, grief, pain, isolation, which shuts down most of the world. To say too much more would be spoilers, and ruin the book for you. You really need to read it all.

Wish You Were Here is an emotional story line that will pull on your emotions. Diana was a fantastic heroine, as we couldn’t help but care about her. Wish You Were Here was so very well written by Jodi Picoult, who takes us on a journey of life, changes, a beautiful island and horrible pandemic.

The first book of fiction I’ve read dealing with covid, having it, being ventilated and rehabbing, existing during quarantine, losing people, including ourselves and the normality of our lives, and re-examining whether our lives continue to suit us. It is a thoughtful contemplative examination despite the context of vivid hallucinations giving the main character an altered reality of existing in a different life. To some extent it reiterates the headlines and reality of year one as we enter an unanticipated third year of covid, but it also gives us what we see today, a world that has a different way of envisioning our former lives.

I think it’s safe to describe every Jodi Picoult novel I’ve ever read as gut-wrenching. Wish You Were Here by Picoult is no different. The minute I began reading, I was reminded of how Picoult creates this magic. It’s her beautiful writing style that easily helps the reader capture the setting and quickly places the reader in the story amongst deeply understandable characters. I found the Galapagos story and setting a fascinating escape, and was incredibly surprised by the twist. The protagonist’s emotions and story were so intricately woven that I know my book-hangover will stick around for a bit. .

Similar to other Picoult novels, Wish You Were Here comes with many TW’s including Covid. Make certain to review those before reading. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Posted on Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon as Lyrically Literary
Instagram handle: @lyrically.literary
The review will be posted on November 28th and November 30th (release day).

“…the world changes between heartbeats…”
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was a must-read for me. What an honor to have been able to receive an ARC from Random House!

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and in true Picoult fashion, this book didn’t let me down. Characteristic of a Picoult read, I learned a lot while reading this book! I love that she always makes readers think, often presents varying sides to difficult topics, and does impeccable research that results in a greater knowledge for the reader often on many different things! I learned things I didn’t know about COVID, the business of art, and other experienced phenomena I didn’t even know about until reading but can’t wait to discuss with others who have read this book too! The most important lesson I learned though is the importance of presence and prioritization in life. I really connected with the main character, Diana, as she experiences fears that many of us have had over the past year and ones many could only imagine.

This book may seem “too soon” for some as many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are explored, but I felt like it was extremely relatable most often as I was able to connect with the thoughts and emotions of uncertainty, confusion, worry, and growth that have characterized much of this past year for me. It was a bit surreal to see it in writing; kind of like listening to a sad song after a hard breakup and finding comfort in knowing others have felt the same way. I really enjoy that this book doesn’t fit into a trope and the unfolding of the story was completely unexpected but so meaningful! Enjoy this real, raw, and beautiful story about finding yourself, resiliency, and living in the moment.
Release day is November 30th! Preorder now!

Content Warning: This book discusses COVID-19 throughout, so if you aren’t ready for an exploration of this topic it may be best to wait to read.

4.5

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Ballantine Books for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took my breath away. It's probably one of my favorites of the year. This book felt so real and so close to home. We are all dealing with this pandemic and it's like we were following it all over again. The timeline of events, what the news was saying, how we can all look back and know where we were when the world shut down.

This is a story about a woman named Diana who worked for one of the leading auction houses in the world. When the pandemic hits her and her boyfriend Finn, (a surgeon in a New York hospital) are about to set off for the Galapagos Islands for a two week vacation. Finn is now unable to go and sends Diana off on her own for the vacation. Once she gets to the island she finds out that it is shutting down and she has a choice to make - stay on the island or go back. A quick decision, thinking she will be there just two weeks she stays only to find out that the hotel she was staying at is closed down and she has no where to go and her cell phone doesn't work. One of the hotel workers takes pity on Diana and lets her stay at an apartment in her home.

Diana befriends Gabriel and his daughter Beatrize and starts to make a life on the island and even has conflicting feeling for Gabriel. She is unable to get any calls or even mail to Finn but she does get his emails, telling her how bad New York has gotten and how he is afraid. She has guilt over being basically in a place that is Covid free, her death of her mother, leaving Finn at a time he needs her and the affair she has with Gabriel.

This is when the big twist comes in the book that I will let you discover. Like I said my mind was blown and it's not what I expected at all. It's hard to talk about this book without revealing spoilers and I really want to talk about this book!

What I really liked was the author's not at the end of the book. How she struggled to write for such a long time and how she was and is fearful of contracting Covid. I loved how personal she was in why she wrote this story and how she finally gained inspiration. This book would be perfect for a Book Club read!

Wow! I could not put this book down. I love the direction of this book. I also love the many perspectives it provides. A beautiful story covering Covid-19, love, adventure, and change.

Is it weird to fervently tell people to read a book that will absolutely wreck them? Because that is what I am about to do 📕😰

I haven’t read much Jodi Picoult, but I admire any author with her level of commercial success. So I was intrigued when Random House offered me a gifted eARC of “Wish You Were Here,” which comes out Nov. 30. I don’t say this lightly: pre-order now. It’s
that good (yet devastating).

“Wish You Were” begins at a time you likely remember very well: March 2020, when, for U.S. residents, the Covid-19 pandemic was still just a thing happening far, far away. But it very quickly gets very real for our main character: Diana O’Toole, an almost 30-year-old rising star at Sotheby’s who has her future perfectly mapped out. She’ll get engaged to her boyfriend, Finn, a medical resident; buy a house outside of NYC; have a baby; get a puppy. Diana and Finn are about to leave on a vacation for the Galápagos Islands when Covid hits NYC, and Finn must remain at the hospital while Diana takes off on the vacation where she thought she’d get engaged.

In the Galápagos Islands — set against the backdrop where Darwin studied natural selection — Diana starts to examine her life choices and relationships as Finn’s dispatches from the hospital become more and more gut wrenching.

This is a book about The Big Picture. The existential questions. It’s contemporary literary fiction at its absolute finest. There was a point, maybe around 35 percent, that I questioned where I should keep going. I think that was more reflective of me as a reader than this book — this is a book you really settle into and let unfold around you, and sometimes that’s hard for me.

This was a five star read for me, and I can’t wait to see more and more people talking about it as we get closer to its publication date.

I have firmly been of the opinion that it’s too soon for books about the pandemic, but I made an exception for Jodi Picoult! She wrote this in such a beautiful way that was a pleasant surprise. I ended up really liking it. The themes are complex and intriguing, and presented in a way that’s thought provoking. It felt like Picoult did her research and told the story in the times of COVID in a way that wasn’t “preachy”. It would be a great book to read with friends or part of a book club so you can talk through all the emotions. Because this book is definitely heavy at times. If it’s too soon for you to read about the pandemic then maybe skip for now but keep it in mind when you’re ready!

I have read many of Jodi Picoult's books and what stands out for me is the amount of research she puts into her writing and this book Wish You Were Here is no exception. Although fictional, she gets the reader up close to the COVID-19 pandemic in the early days in New York City and it's heartbreaking to read what is happening in the hospitals through the eyes of a doctor named Finn. Living in the Midwest I read the articles and watched the news but Jodi Picoult makes the early days of treating patients with the doctors not knowing how to treat it very real. The other part of the story, told from Finn's girlfriend Diana, has her traveling to the Galapagos Islands without Finn for a vacation just before everything locks down. As with all her books, there is a twist and when it come it is a jaw dropper. Will not say more but I highly recommend this book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

Somehow I managed until now to never read a single Jodi Picoult book...So... I have nothing to compare it to. I was super excited about my first Picoult book, especially because she is an "auto-buy author" for so many of you here, but alas...it was not for me.

I did not enjoy it for two reasons. First, the writing style. Sure, there were some gems, but unfortunately (for me), I found them to be greatly outnumbered by banal expressions, and obvious "truths". It is worth mentioning that the author clearly researched a lot of topics for this book. In addition to being an encyclopedia of knowledge on Galapagos flora and fauna, and a borderline medical manual on post ventilation patient care, Wish You Were Here is full of random tidbits of info on everything from art history to psychology that inevitably start with: "A man once told me...", or "I once read that...". I found a lot of it interesting, and googled quite a bit too to learn more. The question, however, remains whether all of this info makes for a flawless FICTION reading experience...

I also had some issues with the organization of this novel. If you read the author's note at the end of the book you will understand why she did it this way. Picoult really wanted to kill two birds with this one "COVID novel". She set out to describe what COVID induced isolation far away from home might feel like, and at the same time she wanted to commemorate in literature severe COVID cases. And she did. There is a "twist" in the middle of the novel. Literally 50% into the story it does 180. I think the author was going for the "WOW" factor. Unfortunately, for me it ended up being more of a "WTF?!" factor. I kind of felt treaked. But...but I was down for it IF it all came together nicely at the end. Which, at least in my opinion, it did not 💁 Not really. So, I was kind of left feeling that this could have been two decent novels about two different human experiences. Instead of one very cumbersome story.

So did I hate everything about this book? No. I actually had fun reading about Diana's time on Galapagos. I mean who would not?! Galapagos sounds like a dream! Especially now, considering the fact that we cannot really travel (safely) anywhere at all. I also think that this book could be quite useful in convincing those who are on the fence re vaccination. The description of the severe COVID cases and all the subsequent suffering (even if you recover!) is quite vivid.

In short, this book was not for me, but don't let my review preclude you from reading it. Especially if you enjoyed books such as In Five Years and The Midnight Library. It gave me major In Five Years vibes not because of all the friendship and cancer parts, but rather because Diana was also a "planner". That is she planned to live her life in a certain way because of something that had happened to her in her childhood, and granted, life just did not care for Diana's neat plans at all!...😂💁 Her relationship with Finn also seems very similar to the relationship in In Five Years. It reminded me of The Midnight Library because it's very "self-help"-y. Although, if you ask me, The Library did it better. By far.

So, yes, unfortunately, I had no luck with my first Jodi Picoult book, however, I am definitely down for trying this author again! If you are a Picoult fan, which one of her books would you recommend trying next?
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Thank you to the author, Ballantine Books , NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A book written during the 2020 Covid pandemic about the 2020 Covid pandemic? Too soon for some? Not for me. I was blown away by this book. What can I say without giving it away? Well, I won't say too much other than the writing was exceptional and the book was just fantastic. That twist had me saying "whoa!!" And the ending....well it leaves you thinking. Very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. While I enjoyed sections of this book, overall, I had difficulty becoming fully engaged with the characters. It felt like there were a lot of different topics crammed into one book, some of which felt unnecessary. The writing was well done as always however the story fell flat to me.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is a wonderful story that twists your thinking. I enjoy books written by Jodi Picoult. Her novels are always thought provoking and cause questions galore as it answers questions. This novel left me more questions than answers - unsurprisingly.

The novel focuses on Finn and Diana. Finn is an internist who works in a large hospital in New York City. Diana is an art historian who works for a large auction house. She is presently working her way to the next level. She has her life all planned out and is expecting Finn to propose to her when they go to the Galápagos Islands for vacation. And then COVID happened. Finn is unable to leave, so Diana goes off on her own.

On the island, she meets and stays with a local family and finds herself opening up to possibilities that she didn’t know. Being stranded and out of her normal zone encourages Diana to explore and question. Then it happens - well several things happen.

The novel, Wish You Were Here has made me question the stream of life. There are reminders about the need to take care of our environment and it is interesting that it happens on the Galápagos. I also liked how Diana’s eyes were opened up! Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was a great read.

Ready or not, pandemic novels are coming. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is just such a novel. I wasn't sure if I was ready to read a book set during a pandemic that won't go away but I actually found it really interesting. It was neat to read about the onset of the pandemic in NYC and to have hindsight about just how bad it would get. This book has Picoult's usual excellent twist that occurs just when you think you've got the whole book figured out. Read and enjoy!

I am going to have a book hangover for a while after this -it was so good! I'm not sure how to review this book without giving too much away. The writing was so good and so descriptive in the best possible way.

Diana, an art dealer, and her boyfriend, Finn, a NYC surgical resident have plans to take a once in a lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands when COVID hits. Finn, being a resident needs to stay and help out with the all hands on deck hospital staff. This book takes place in March 2020.

I wasn't sure I would be able to read a book on COVID but Picoult maneuvers it perfectly. She really describes the feelings and fears and unknowns so well, but it's not done in an overly depressing way. However, it is a HEAVY topic so if you are not ready to read about COVID, don't read this one yet. I did not know anything about this book when I picked it up so I did not know it dealt with COVID and I didn't think I'd be able to handle a book about it, but I actually loved this book. Besides, COVID there are other TW: dementia/Alzheimers, death, suicide, self-harm. So this is not a light book but despite the heaviness of it, there is a great message, a great story and a twist that I didn't see coming. I really loved this book and it will stick with me for a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

I have only read one of Jodi Picoult’s other books and I hated it, so I was a little nervous going into this one. The premise sounded so interesting, I’m ok reading about Covid. I know some people will not be, so if you are one of those then this won’t be for you.

I’m not really sure how to review this one without giving anything away. It takes some turns that completely shocked me and I appreciate any book that can make say “I did not see that coming!”. I had moments where I thought the story could have been edited down a little and there were a few things that bothered me in the story, but overall this was a unique story that I enjoyed. Maybe I’ll give Jodi’s backlist another try.