This book grabbed hold of me and sucked me in. Diana and her boyfriend, Finn, are planning a trip to the Galapagos and are set to leave NYC right as Covid hits. Finn tells her to go, which she does, and she finds herself stuck when the borders close.
Diana has to draw on physical, mental, and emotional strength she didn't know she had, as she tries to navigate getting her basic human needs met in a country that has shut down and where she doesn't speak the language. Add on her worries about her physician boyfriend toiling in a hotbed of a relatively unknown deadly virus, and her struggles with communicating with him. As time passes and she builds relationships, Diana starts to question her life circumstances and her future goals.
So many layers in this book and rich characters. I loved her explorations of the Galapagos, and seeing how she grew through her experiences.
The book is based in the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and includes some graphic discussion of this who contracted the virus.

I’ve been reading Jodi Picoult books for years & was was excited to dive into this story. This is the story of Diana that unfolds amidst the pandemic. It’s also a story about resilience, courage and perspective. As headlines again dominate with rising global rates and a new variant, this story and these themes ring true for many.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House for the advance reader copy.

3.5 stars

This is the story of how a girl who loves intense thriller and horror books ended up reading a romance novel…

Well, this book isn’t about that, but that’s my story. I read this synopsis and wanted to check it out for the pandemic lean, and for some reason I also thought it was a suspense novel about being trapped on an island. About a third of the way through, I double-checked and saw that this is listed under chick-lit and romance genres. I kept wondering where the suspense was, until I realized my mistake!

Still, I was already a third of the way through it, I’d committed to reviewing it for NetGalley, and it wasn’t bad, so I kept on going. I’m glad I did; this definitely isn’t a vapid, cutesy romance novel. There actually was some mystery, a little bit of philosophy, science and fantasy, and it was a frank recounting of the year 2020.

Diana and her resident doctor boyfriend, Finn, are about to head on a trip to the Galápagos Islands, where she envisions him proposing to her. March has just begun, and there are random reports about a new virus, but this was at the “wash your hands and don’t touch your face” phase of the pandemic.

Over 48 hours, that all changes as New York City is put on lockdown and her boyfriend is starting to see more Covid cases at the hospital. They’ve already paid for two weeks of paradise, she’s already taken time off work at her job with the auction house Sotheby’s, but Finn’s hospital needs him to help with the rising number of cases, so he tells her to go on without him.

Long story short, she ends up getting there right as the island closes - not just the borders, but the hotel they booked is closed, markets are closed, and the entire place is a ghost town. There is horrible WiFi, and Finn is the one who speaks Spanish, so she doesn’t have any way of communicating. Straight up, she’s pretty screwed and wishing she had stayed home.

When she can finally get her phone to connect, she gets emails from Finn that make her think maybe being stranded on a remote island was for the best. Those emails remind the reader, in chronological order, how the beginning of Covid in America panned out. It starts with a few patients, then how doctors have no PPE, then how they start throwing all kinds of drugs and treatments in but the refrigerated trucks are filling with bodies as people escape the city. It really takes you back to last year, and if you’re still reeling from that, it could be difficult or cathartic, depending on how you relate.

Then the entire book changes, personally I think for the better, when everything Diana knows changes. It’s a big twist that I wasn’t expecting, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. That’s when it gets more mysterious, and has the reader wondering what is real and what isn’t before the philosophically vague ending.

While I normally wouldn’t pick up a “chick-lit” or romance book, I’m glad that I misinterpreted the synopsis for this one and got to give it a chance. The only word I can think of for this book (aside from the pandemic bits) is pretty. It had pretty writing that takes you to a pretty place, with pretty-on-the-inside characters. It wasn’t gooey or cheesy - that’s how I like my pizza, not my books - it was just a nice read.

My big annoyance: don’t tell a story about John Lennon, The Beatles and Yoko Ono without using real names. That was odd, and perhaps will change before the book comes out this week (I’ve been holding onto this ARC for awhile). I’m giving this four stars because despite it being a book I wouldn’t normally read, I really enjoyed it and my brain probably enjoyed the break from darkness.

(Thank you to Random House - Ballentine, Jodi Picoult, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Diana and Finn have Big Plans. Then COVID changes everything. My mother used to cite an expression: “Man plans and God laughs.” Jodi Picoult has written perhaps the first novel to explore COVID and its impact on people’s lives (or certainly one of the first). It brought back vivid memories of those horrible early days when the world was just learning what COVID was and how to treat it, how overwhelmed health care professionals were and how confused everyone was - do we have to sanitize our grocery packages, do we have to quarantine our mail, etc. So for a lot of readers, this book may be “too much, too soon.” But there are other important themes here as well - love, family, how we spend our lives. I found the sections about the Galapagos Islands to be the most interesting sections of the book, but the main character, Diana, just didn’t resonate that much with me and I found it easy to put down the book - it wasn’t a “page turner” for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Jodi Picoult opens Wish You Were Here in mid-March 2020 New York City as her main character Diana travels to work and recalls her childhood experience painting a corner of the Grand Central Terminal ceiling her father was then restoring. It is Friday the thirteenth as she navigates the subway system to the famed Sotheby’s auction house, noticing how quiet the city is after announcement of the first nineteen cases of COVID-19 to have hit NYC.

When Diana’s boyfriend Finn, a resident physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, is required to attend COVID patients rather than go on the couple's planned trip to the Galapagos Islands where Diana is sure he intends to propose, he encourages her to go alone. They cannot change their reservations, so it only makes sense for her to be able to enjoy the trip she has been researching in travel guides. Upon her arrival on Isabela, the island shuts down, stranding Diana among strangers in a small town where businesses, including the hotel where she had a reservation, have just closed.

How will Diana manage alone where she does not speak the language? How will her experiences there change her life?

If you enjoy novels with sudden twists and turns, you will love the journey Jodi Picoult takes you on in Wish You Were Here. Do not miss the Author’s Note in the back of the book. In fact, you may want to read it first.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group for an advance reader copy of this recommended and timely new novel.

Mixed feelings for Wish You Were Here. I love Picoult’s books because she tackles a problem and shows different sides of the issue. The book opens in early March, 2020.. Diana O’Toole is an associate specialist at Sotheby’s and is working on obtaining a Toulouse-Lautrec painting from Kitomi Ito whose husband singer, Sam Pride, was shot down in front of their apartment building about thirty-five years ago (Yoko Ono and John Lennon).. Diana’s live-in boyfriend, Finn, is a surgical resident at New York Presbyterian.. They are scheduled to leave on a two week trip to Galapagos. Covid 19 messes with their plans. Finn is needed at the hospital and tells Diana to make the trip. Diana arrives and finds her luggage has been lost, and she proceeds to the island by ferry. On arrival, she finds out that the island is being locked down, her hotel is closed, she doesn’t speak Spanish, and virtually no WiFi. (I could relate to some of her feelings as I returned from a month in Natal, Brazil on March 10..) I thought the first 70% of the book was exciting, and I could definitely feel for Diana. From her couple of months on the island and finally able to return home to New York, Jodi definitely nails Covid 19 in New York City during the lock down. I did not see the twist coming. I felt the last 30% was very slow going at times, and I am not sure about the ending. My thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own. 3.5 stars raised to 4

Wish You Were Here is some COVID-fiction from Jodi Picoult.

"Diane and Finn have planned a trip to the Galapagos. Before they can leave, the emergency rooms are overrun with COVID patients. Finn is a surgical intern so he is pressed into duty caring for patients. He convinces Diane to go ahead and make the trip solo. Just as she gets to the island the world closes and she becomes stranded at a place disconnected from the rest of the world."

Picoult does a great job writing about the fear and panic during the beginning of the pandemic. Especially in NYC. The isolation that Diane feels is also pretty frightening. I like the little glimpses into the art auction world.
I like the choices that Diane makes at the end.
But - the book makes a big shift (no spoilers) and that's a trope I am just not a fan of.

If you're looking for a glimpse in the fear and panic from the begginning of the pandemic you might want to read this one.

BOOK REVIEW: Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

T.I.M.E. Favorite Books To Read
T.I.M.E. Best Book Club Books
Most Anticipated Books of 2021

Loved this book so much! Perfect balance of harsh reality cracking open a new understanding... A new world... A new hope... Stunning writing that locks me down as a new Jodi Picoult fan for life... ✨😎✨

Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Sub-Genre: Domestic Fiction | COVID
Time Period: Present Day
Location: NYC | Galápagos Islands

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce
Movie: Sliding Doors

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

It's been interesting to see how authors treat the pandemic. Many set their books in 2019, while others have bravely set theirs in 2021, referring to the pandemic as being over. Veteran novelist Jodi Picoult tackles it head-on, crafting what may become the defining novel of covid-19.

Diana O'Toole has her life planned out. She will marry by 30, have children by 35, and move to the suburbs. She is on track with her career at Sotheby's, and she's sure that her boyfriend, Finn, is going to propose on their planned trip to the Galapagos. Then coronavirus hits. Finn is a surgical resident, but can't leave the hospital. He convinces Diana to go without him, and she arrives on the remote island, Isabela, just as the world shuts down. Her luggage lost, with little cash and no ATM, and very limited wifi, Diana adapts, becoming part of the fabric of a family. She begins to wonder what will happen when she returns to Manhattan, when all the plans she made suddenly seem unimportant.

What does happen when she returns couldn't have been predicted. This novel is full of surprises, as well as very honest depictions of life in NYC in the first half of 2020. With this novel, Picoult proves why she has sold so many books. She is an excellent storyteller. Her characters are so fine-drawn and relatable. More than an excellent novel, this book is a reminder of the trauma we've all endured for nearly two years and offers a very basic reminder of what it means to be a caring human being. #WishYouWereHere #NetGalley

Jodi Picoult is an automatic read for me. I don’t bother with the description. I’ve only ever been disappointed once (*cough* Leaving Time *cough*) So when I was given the opportunity to read Wish You Were Here before it was released, I was ecstatic. Then I read the description. COVID.

I have always been a voracious reader, but I have been more so in the last two years. Previously, historical fiction has been my favorite, followed closely by thrillers/suspense. Since COVID began, I have found myself leaning much more on lighter reads. Rom-coms, especially, but also regular contemporary romance. I occasionally read something else, but my typical historical fiction felt too heavy to regularly read and I’ve been seriously underwhelmed by most of the thrillers I’ve read lately.

Basically, reading (and occasionally watching TV) have been an escape from the insanity that our world has become. I hated that some TV shows (This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, etc…) focused so heavily on COVID. I know it makes it "real", but we are living in it. I want to escape reality.

So, when I realized COVID was a major plot point in Wish You Were Here, I was disappointed and put off reading it. For months. Now that it is being released next week, I forced myself to tackle it.

In Part One, I loved the portions that happened in the Galapagos. The COVID aspect was not too overwhelming and I could get past it. I tore through that part of the book. Then I got to Part Two. COVID-lite no more. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, etc… Ugh. I found myself skimming a lot.

I get the purpose- both why the author chose to write about COVID (she spelled it out in the acknowledgments, but I basically assumed as much while reading) and I get how the experience changed people’s perceptions. I get it. But I guess I was just not ready to read about it for pleasure. Things are getting much worse here and I know several people who currently have it. It is still close to home for me.

I did enjoy the book, as I always enjoy Jodi Picoult's books (well, except Leaving Time……..). I just didn’t love it as much as I could have due to the subject matter. I’m also torn on the rating between 3 and 4 stars.

[ I hope Diana, Gabriel, and Beatriz all exist in "reality" and found each other. (hide spoiler)]

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wish You Were Here is a timely novel about one woman’s shift in priorities after the world changed in the face of Covid-19.

Diana O’Toole is an art expert with Sotheby’s and dealing with the biggest potential auction of her life (a Toulouse-Lautrec owned by a wealthy widow reminiscent of Yoko Ono) and juggling a serious relationship with her doctor boyfriend Finn when New York City is suddenly facing a health crisis called Covid-19. Unable to travel Finn can’t go on their planned trip to the Galápagos Islands but they both decide that Diana can. But, within minutes of her arrival the island closes and she finds herself stranded on Isabela Island with missing luggage, a closed hotel, no WiFi, dwindling cash and zero Spanish speaking skills. While her boyfriend is on the frontlines of the virus she will spend the next weeks exploring the island and connecting with a family that includes a kindly grandmother, a lonely troubled teenager and her father.

For many of us Covid is not a subject we are ready to explore in fiction but Jodi Picoult found a way to show a side of the crisis that many of us didn’t see through Finn’s struggle at a New York City hospital and the isolation of a small South American island. But it also explores the subject of Alzheimer’s, feeling alienated from a parent, finding purpose in a world that values being busy, the realistic dreams of patients under anesthesia and the behind the scenes of art auction houses. I really admire Picoult’s ability to pack a lot of detail into a 336 page book without making it feel too bogged down with different ideas.

Although entertaining for a large audience this novel presented some serious philosophical ideas about our perceptions of the world and how there is still so much more we don’t know beyond what we can see. I really enjoyed Wish You Were Here and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was absolutely floored by this book! I love how Jodi Picoult’s books delve into several topics that she beautifully weaves together, and this one did not disappoint. I felt she captured the feeling of panic, helplessness, and isolation we felt in the first year of the pandemic. Please be sure to read the author’s note at the end.

I can’t say say everything this book touches on, for the sake of no spoilers, but it does delve into COVID, Alzheimer’s, and self-harm. Please be advised if those are triggers for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the advance copy.

Best read yet this year! This phenomenal read reconfirmed that Jodi Picoult is one of my very favorite authors. It may well be my favorite of hers and that is saying a lot. She has created an extremely riveting story depicting the surreal time created by Covid. She wove so very many facets of the effects of Covid that will long serve as a glimpse into the horrors of the pandemic. The true dedication of health care providers, their angst, their frustration, their questions, their continuous struggles to help their patients survive, and their celebrations of the few that did survive were so heartbreakingly told through the eyes of Finn, a resident at a hospital in NYC.
His girlfriend, Diana, travels to the Galápagos Islands on their planned dream vacation, believing he will join her soon and he will propose, leaving him behind just as Covid 19 was rearing its ugly head. She works for Sotheby’s as an art specialist. I totally enjoyed the backstory of Toulouse-Lautrec and his one of a kind painting. Her arrival in Galapagos mirrored the experiences of thousands of people, stranded due to the total shutdown of the entire world. Her experiences there were magical as were the people she met. She was just beginning to be comfortable and happy with her life there when… Picoult had me laughing, crying, and feeling as though I could reach out and touch these very special characters. The twist in the storyline had me reeling, feeling so sad but also ambivalent.
Diana’s lens shares the horrors and frustrations of Covid, and the long uphill battle to fully recover, hopefully, from the devastating virus. The puzzles of the strange effects from Covid may never be solved and Picoult highlights this through Diana’s research into hallucinations. Her frustrations will resonate with other survivors.
The ending made me hopeful for Diana’s future.
I honestly appreciated the few political statements Picoult shared within this book as they are so aligned with my own. I can’t help but think, What if…
Many many thanks to Jodi Picoult, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the much appreciated opportunity to read an arc of this timely masterpiece, to be published on 11-30. Please keep writing Jodi Picoult.

Diana has had a horrible day. She’s an ambitious associate specialist at Sotheby’s and a rare painting she was supposed to finalize for auction was pulled back, her mother has dementia and doesn’t recognize her, and her doctor boyfriend, Finn, needs to back out of their long planned vacation to the Galapagos.
All those themes have the potential for an interesting novel. But the master storyteller, Jodi Picoult, throws the pandemic into the mix and takes the story of Diana and Finn in a very different direction. This is the first book I’ve read where the pandemic was a character. There are many sections that are hard to read, especially if you are from one of those areas where there was a severe impact. But, it was fascinating to read about COVID from the perspectives of people who are in the trenches (both as patients and medical professionals).
As always with a Jodi Picoult book, the author takes a deep dive into a variety of subjects and settings. In this book, the Galápagos Islands were the star of the first half. Her beautifully written descriptions of the island and island life makes me want to book a trip ASAP to Isabela. I also loved the sections about art and art history, with its focus on Toulouse-Lautrec. The Kitomi Ito character (aka Yoko Ono) was fascinating, as was Rodney, Diana’s BFF from Sotheby’s.
I was drained after the roller coaster ride that was Wish You Were Here. It’s a classic Jodi Picoult novel - interesting characters and storylines, and several thought provoking situations (and not only about the pandemic).
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Wish You Were Here in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw Jodi Picoult had a new book out I was excited! She’s a master of the trade for a reason, but then I saw that Wish You Were Here was set during COVID and pumped the brakes. She skillfully writes about it taking protagonist Diana to the Galápagos Islands for a non refundable vacation at the start of the pandemic.

I was nervous about if I could enjoy this book or not as someone whose anxiety increased during COVID. I did enjoy the book and wasn’t stressed because of it, but if you’re still struggling I’d suggest holding off on this one for a while.

Jodi Picoult always writes a winning story that stays with you. So in the realm of '5 stars...wish I could give 6,' this one is 'just a 5.' I know, it's unfair to hold a golden author up to such high standards, but honesty is the purpose here, and while I like the book very much, I just had a hard time connecting with the premise entirely until I spent time working to let it win me over. It's a worthy read, and there's definitely a place for it on your TBR and holiday gift lists. Picoult can do no wrong.

4.5 stars

Jodi Picoult is known for not being afraid to tackle difficult subject matter in her stories, which I definitely appreciate as a a reader who loves a good story that is well written and also teaches me something. As one of the first novels to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic head on, Picoult did an awesome job conveying so much of what many of us have been experiencing over the past 18 months (and counting). Of course, there’s no doubt that everyone’s reaction to this book will be different depending on each person’s comfort level and “readiness” to take on a story about a pandemic that we are all still living through. As some one who was severely impacted by COVID in very personal ways — both as a survivor when my entire family unfortunately got COVID back in late 2020 (we have all since recovered, but some “scars” still remain) as well as having lost loved ones to the disease (relatives and the parents of close friends) — I honestly wasn’t sure at first whether I wanted to read it at this moment. But I decided to give it a try and in the end, I’m glad I did, as it became a salve of sorts for me, especially knowing that I wasn’t alone in some of the things I experienced. With that said, there were also moments where the situation unfolding was “too close to home” to the point of feeling surreal — while I expected this given the book’s subject matter, it still jarred me a bit. That being said, the reading experience was still a good one.

For me, this book’s biggest draw was the subject matter, as it’s not often that we I am able to read a book where the fictional story mimics a reality that I (alongside so many others) am experiencing currently. Given how fresh and raw this subject is, I was curious how Picoult would tackle it — in the end, I definitely appreciated her approach. Having said that, this book actually isn’t just about COVID — at its core, it is also a story about a woman’s journey of self-reflection and an exploration of whether the life she has is what she truly wants. The woman at the heart of the story is Diana O’Toole, who is an art appraiser at one of New York’s premiere auction houses while her boyfriend Finn is a doctor-to-be currently doing his residency at a major hospital. Together, the couple have a dream trip planned to the Galápagos Islands, where Finn plans to propose to Diana and they can take the next step in the plan for their mutual future. The day before they are supposed to leave however, Finn is called back to the hospital where the situation is “all hands on deck” due to an influx of patients with COVID-19. Even though Finn now has to stay behind, he encourages Diana to still go on her own so as not to put their non-refundable trip to waste. Diana reluctantly agrees and heads off to Galapagos, however right after she gets there, the island is locked down and she becomes stranded, with no word of when things will re-open. On an island where WI-FI and a working internet connection are near nonexistent, Diana is completely isolated from the outside world — not only that, she also does not know the language and due to the required quarantine, there are very few people around for her to even ask for help. Diana ends up befriending a local family that takes her in and acquaints her with the beauty of the place they call home. Spending time with the family leads Diana to re-examine her relationships with both Finn and her own mother (who lives in a care facility for dementia patients) as well as reflect upon the choices she’s made in her life his far. I actually really liked all the characters in this story, whether major characters or minor ones. All of them were so well-developed and truly came alive for me, but if I had to choose a favorite, that character would absolutely be Rodney -- not only did I love him as a character, I also really enjoyed his chemistry with Diana...definitely made me wish I had a best friend like him!).

This is a book that I believe will be easy to like, as all aspects of it were so well done. Yes, there were some parts where the writing could've been a little tighter and I feel like there were some missed opportunities in some spots, but overall, I enjoyed this tremendously and wholeheartedly recommend it. Oh and I do want to mention that the "twist" in this book definitely made my jaw drop, as I totally was not expecting it (and that's all I'm going to say about it...you will have to pick this one up and read it for yourself if you want to find out more).

Picoult has said in interviews that this book was unplanned and she was inspired to write it about 8 months into the pandemic after reading an article about a man who got stuck in Machu Picchu because COVID had shut the entire place down (her editor didn't even know until she received the draft in her email). For a book that basically came about accidentally, this one turned out really well. Though this is definitely a worthwhile read, I do understand that not everyone may be ready for a book about the pandemic yet, so of course, do what works best for you.

Received ARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.

Wow….

I totally understand that some people might not want to read about Covid, but if that doesn’t bother you, I would definitely suggest this book. It’s so raw & real and describes the reality of Covid especially from a healthcare workers perspective (trust me, I’ve been there).

I enjoyed the journey this book took you on, but I still can’t decide if I liked the ending or not..

This just was not the book for me. The whole thing moved too slowly, and the first half didn’t even seem like there was a point to it. Somewhere in the far off future, this book will be more interesting to readers as it chronicles Covid and the pandemic; but right now, it’s portraying what we are currently living through. I didn’t need to read about it. Thanks to NetGalley for entrusting me with this book.

Diana O’Toole has her life perfectly mapped out and so far it is right on track. She is associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but if she can close a deal with a high-profile client, then that should help her up the ladder towards her dream job there. She plans to be married by thirty, and done having kids by thirty-five. Fortunately she is in love with a surgical resident who has the same life goals she does, and she accidentally discovered a ring box in his sock drawer one day when she was borrowing a pair of his socks, so that goal looks like it is in the bag as well. Right before they are about to leave for a romantic trip to the Galápagos (and suspected proposal), Diana's world tllt's on it's axis when Covid hits the U.S. The client she had been wooing backs out, Finn has to back out of their vacation because it is "all hands on deck", but he insists that Diana go on ahead as planned. However, nothing about the vacation goes as planned. Diana's luggage gets lost by the airport, the island shuts down as soon as she gets there, and she is stranded there not speaking a bit of Spanish with nowhere to stay and nothing more than a toothbrush, and the spotty wi-fi makes it impossible to communicate with home.
This book was so good. This was more in line with the earlier writings of this author, and let me tell you, it was a tear-jerker. It had a plot twist that completely smacked me upside the head. I read on the Net Galley page that the book rights have been sold to Netflix for a movie and I can not wait to see that. I just hope they make it true to the book. Oh, I will need to get more tissues for that. I can not say enough good things about this, but I don't want to ruin it for you by giving any spoilers. So I will just say this - read it. You won't regret it. I promise.