I hope you are ready to read a book about Covid! At times some of the parts of this book were hard to read so this is a warning for any who may be sensitive to this.
Overall this book was very well written. There is a twist in the book that momentarily made me dislike but ultimately I think it came together nicely.

Disclaimer: Do not read this book if you are not ready for all things COVID-19.

Wow this book is so interesting and beautiful. It explores the importance of following what you want, not just what you think you had planned. Jodi Picoult is an author that always touches on hard topics with great care. I would not recommend this to everyone.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book.

It took me a while to get through this, but that is a reflection on myself and not the book itself. I thought I was ready for pandemic fiction, and I wasn't. That aside, Wish You Were Here is one of Jodi Picoult's best books yet. Somehow she manages to artfully weave together an engrossing story & characters while holding respect for a challenging part of our more current history. If you are a fan of her writing, I'd recommend this book. That being said, it is intense regarding Covid, and I would advise caution to those with traumatic experiences.

Thanks for the early access NetGalley -

Unfortunately when I started to read this last year the pandemic was too fresh in my mind, and I had to put it down. I tackled it again this weekend and was able to read the whole book in one day, a testament to Picoult's writing. It is still a hard book to read, it brings back that time period when everything shut down and there was so much uncertainty and death and suffering. Some of it brought on when a public health issue became political, which is evident even in reviews of this book. But it's an important story to tell, people who made it through severe COVID had a rough time, and it's important for us to hear those stories and understand how awful this really was for some people.

Beyond that I loved the storyline, the message of deciding what is most important in life, and making sure you are making the most of that life. The pandemic changed how many of live, and this illustrates this perfectly. Some things will simply never go back to the way they were before, many of us have fundamentally changed.

Thank you for this story!

I will forever love Jodi Picoult - and what a fantastic addition to her already amazing career.

I was nervous to read a book that centers around the pandemic - but Jodi Picoult handled it with care and an eye to educate her readers. It was clear she did her research on the healthcare professional experience during the height of the pandemic. Additionally, I thought it was a thoughtful exploration of how something like the pandemic, and so much loss, truly encourages us to reflect and make choices that furthers are true goals and desires.

Picoult is always a fantastic writer that educates, provides grace, and entertains.

What a story that pulled out all of the emotions! I definitely teared up more than once while reading. I recommend a box of tissues near by.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I liked a lot of things about this book, but the alternate reality was a little much for me. That being said I was totally shocked by the twist, just didn't like how it played out

As usual I love anything Jodi Picoult writes. This topic was a bit hard to read at times considering covid was very much something still affecting my world as I was reading. The story stuck with me for a long time after I'd finished reading and I tabbed a lot of memorable quotes as I read. I really think the story ended in a way that seemed like there never could have been a different ending. Jodi's books always make me think of real like...the messy...the beautiful...the complicated.

A real look into the pandemic and how it affected so many people and their families. A somber read but I really enjoyed the twist at the end.

I have always loved Jodi Picoult's books! This one was totally not at all what I expected, though! Talk about being surprised! Wish You Were Here was the first book I read about the CoVid and it was very interesting to read so early on during the pandemic, and I love the fact that this book completely shocked me so much! Great job, as usual, Jodi!

This book was completely unexpected and shattered my heart. The first half of this book was so well written and made me fall in love with the characters, and then there was a huge plot twist that I never saw coming. The second half was heartbreaking, but I enjoyed it as well. This will definitely not be my last Jodi Picoult book.

Picoult knows how to write y’all. I thought if anyone could write a pandemic-themed book when we were all still in the midst of it, it would be her. And she blew me away.

This story is centered around Diana, living a lovely life in NY with her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident, who has just been asked to stay at work to help with the new Covid-19 virus. Diana and Finn were about to attend an amazing romantic birthday trip to the Galapagos… but despite him not being able to go, he insists she still take advantage of the nonrefundable ticket and enjoy it herself. But soon, the world shuts down and she’s stuck and not able to return. I couldn’t help but be amazed and think “what would I do” in her situation, so it became quite the page-turner at that point.

Be warned that this book will take you through a whirlwind of emotions. Paired with the current fears and anxiety of a pandemic world, it was definitely tough reading about a fictional pandemic world, but Picoult executes it so gracefully. Not once did I find anything to be too sensitive, in fact it was relatable in every way possible. She truly knows how to write about raw human emotions in a way that resonates with her readers, even if her characters’ experiences are nothing you’ve ever personally been through, you will still somehow feel deeply affected by what they feel.

You may wonder why anyone would want to immerse themselves in a story like this one, but let me tell you that when I reached part 2, I audibly gasped! It’ll go down as one of the most shocking moments I’ve ever encountered in a book. Picoult is a genius!

Lastly, I really appreciated the author’s note at the end. While this review is challenging to write without spoiling anything, my review can be summed up easily into two words, “Mind blown!”

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @RandomHouse for my advanced e-galley in exchange for an honest review

I was hesitant to read this because of the COVID theme, but I surprised. The writing was strong, the plot was different, unusual, and interesting, and I could not stop reading it. It was definitely a nice change after her previous book.

I honestly wish I had known more about the plot of this one before requesting it, but since Jodi Picoult was a tried and true author for me I didn't even think about it before hitting that request button.

I tried to get into it but have decided that I'm just not ready for such a COVID focused book. It brings up way too many emotions from those early days and it's not something I can continue reading any time soon.

Wish you Were Here by Jodi Picoult is what you would expect from Picoult. She does a great job with this story. One of her best yet.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Beautifully written as most of Jodi Picoult's books are I enjoyed it but at the same time it brought up so many feelings for me about the pandemic. I absolutely loved the twist.

I'm a longtime fan of Jodi Picoult, but I was a little leery about this novel because I'm not sure that I'm ready to read books about COVID-19 yet. It still feels like it had taken over our lives not long ago and I wasn't far enough remove, but I decided to go ahead with this because the premise was intriguing.

There is a huge twist in the middle of the book that I won't spoil, but I literally exclaimed out loud. That's how surprised I was. It ended up being borderline trippy and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it still.

I'll say this: this is a unique take on the COVID-19 pandemic that covers the reality of those working on the frontline, those who have been hospitalized with severe and life-threatening symptoms, and how all that affects the brain and memory.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult was a difficult one for me to start, just because of the timing of the pandemic. I received it as an ARC, but given everything else going on, couldn't bring myself to start, so my review is coming late.

Jodi Picoult always manages to take difficult situations and put you in the middle, fiction and reality intertwining in an enthralling way. I wondered what happened to people who were on vacation or otherwise away from home, someplace where you were separated from your loved ones. Diana is stranded on an island until the borders reopen. As much as many of us felt isolated during the pandemic, this felt like a worst-case situation for me... a place where you don't know people, have no way to get home, and are away from those you love.

Wish You Were Here is a story of self-discovery, of love, of horrible choices, of hope. Jodi Picoult has always done an amazing job with uncomfortable subjects, and this just happens to be one that we were all dealing with. For those who didn't like what they considered politics in it, I'm not sure why they were surprised
As difficult as it was to read as we were living it, I recommend it as a thought-provoking read.

I started reading this as a sort of test to see if Jodi Picoult could still hold my attention. I read her books as a young teenager, buying and reading everything she released. In recent years, I sort of viewed her work as something meant for the masses, something I was now beyond. I am not beyond it.

I read Wish You Were Here in about three sittings , which is fewer sittings than I usually need because I don’t like to read for more than about half an hour at a time. I didn’t think I would enjoy the book very much, because of the whole COVID thing but I read it anyway because it’s on my backlog of ARCs from last year. I’m glad I did.

Picoult paints an utterly compelling story from the start. I was surprised not to see multiple POVs, something I’m used to from Picoult’s other writing. Her work follows a formula, mixing flashbacks with present day, presenting the flashbacks as relevant to the present.

The twist in the middle was completely unexpected, something I never saw coming, and that contributes to my high star rating. Picoult always holds on to that shocking twist and has honed the ability to reveal it at the perfect moment.

I skimmed a lot of Finn’s emails, to be honest. They’re too tied to what happened in real life that it felt unnecessary. I suppose if someone who didn’t live through COVID were reading this book, context would be needed. I skimmed a lot of the COVID content, really. It felt too close to life, and was something I knew a lot about already. That was definitely not the point, but I still enjoyed the novel all the same.

If COVID is a triggering subject, as it is for many people, I would not recommend this book. Picoult writes about triggering subjects all the time but this is one that a majority of people alive will have experienced. Perhaps not to the same degree as described in the book, but I feel like more readers have the potential to be negatively affected by events and happenings in this book than many of Picoult’s other novels.

Jodi Picoult always writes about some sort of current issue, and what could be more current than the CoVid pandemic. Diana has her life mapped out and is happy with the way she sees it, but when a decision affects multiple people, it isn't always going to be what you thought. I loved learning about the Galapagos since it is on my bucket list. I liked the second half of the book more than the first, if I read it again, it would be in a few years when CoVid is further behind us. Don't give up after the first half, you will be glad you read it all.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. This is an honest review.