Thank you to the publisher for this egalley - I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review it early.

I love Jodi Picoult as an author - she does her research well but also knows how to tug on the heart strings a bit. Wish You Were Here was no exception. I loved the descriptions of the Galapagos; as a scientist, I know about the Darwin piece but never really considered that there are locals there protecting nature. The other side of the novel, the Covid piece, was much harder for me. This isn't the first Covid/pandemic novel I've read but this was the most intense on the hospital end. I'm not one for trigger warnings but I would give one for this book. If you've lost a loved one to Covid, this might be hard for you. I recently lost my adult nephew in September and the hospital descriptions were a little too close to home (but good research). I did finish the book and ended up skimming the hospital description parts so it is possible.

Despite the trigger warning, this was a 4 star read for me. It moves fast and I read it in 2 sittings.

Jodi Picoult does it again! It took a couple of attempts to engage because my own reading habits declined during the pandemic. The story takes place during the pandemic so I was a little unsure. Once I started, I could not put it down! At one point, I thought I knew exactly where the story was going. Jodi is a master at throwing those twists in her stories and this story is no exception! I absolutely loved it and could relate to so many parts of each of the characters. So real and relatable on so many levels. She captured moments of time during the pandemic and creatively crafted stories much like some of us actually experienced. I am not sure about the ending though...I was not disappointed but I feel as if the ending could lead to another story she might be able to tell! I am hoping that will be coming in the future!

Thank you to the publisher for sharing an advance digital copy on NetGalley as part of a ticketed author event I attended during the summer.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced reader copy of this book. I was so excited for this book but after reading it am deeply disappointed and troubled by it. The book needs to have a trigger warning about the pandemic that is covered in depth. I wish the author had kept political views and stereotypes out of the fiction. While I enjoyed the first 30-40% of the book, the rest left a bad taste in my mouth. Way too soon and definitely not the author’s best work.

I received an advanced read copy from NetGalley.

Reading this book puts you right back when the world shut down due to the COVID pandemic. It seems like we’ve been through so much since March 2020 and yet here we are, still fighting this virus.

But this book isn’t just about COVID. It’s about how isolation may affect us. It’s about how we may change based on the trauma we’ve been through. It’s about moving forward and finding what’s really important.

I love Jodi Picoult’s writing. Five stars for me.

I want to start by thanking Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my opinions.

To be honest, I was disappointed by this Picoult book. It might be the fact that it was all about the coronavirus pandemic which we are still in the midst of or maybe the book was just too real for me. Pandemic aside, I’ve read books by authors where the protagonist is an unreliable narrator before, but there is a difference between authors creating unreliable characters and manipulating the reader. You read 60% of the book to find out the first part of the story didn’t happen. Between that and having the whole plot based upon escaping to an exotic island during a pandemic, the whole story just didn’t sit right with me.

WOW- Jodi Picoult has written another blockbuster novel with “Wish You Were Here”. A well written and realistic story that takes place during the COVID pandemic. Her characters were well developed and engaging and the descriptions during the pandemic were vividly accurate. I have always been a Jodi Picoult fan, but “Wish You Were Here” has moved to the top of the favorites list.

I just finished this book and have one word, WOW. I haven't read a Jodi Picoult novel in a long time as gripping as this one.

Wish You Were Here chronicles the COVID 19 crisis from the front lines. Diana and her boyfriend, Finn, are living in New York and planning the trip of a lifetime. When COVID 19 strikes, Finn, a doctor has his feet pulled out from him. He sends Diana on their dream trip to the Galapagos Islands, where her life takes a drastic change.

All I can say is you MUST read this book. The characters are so multi-dimensional, their story so intriguing, I couldn't put this one done. A 5 star read in my book, and one of my favorites of 2021.

I'm a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, and this book does not disappoint. Diana and Finn are happy together and planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands, where she thinks he will be proposing. But then this unknown covid virus hits New York, and as a doctor, Finn needs to stay behind and work in the hospital. Diana makes the decision to move ahead with the trip, and unfortunately, gets stuck on the island during their lockdown. Jodi provides such a rich description of the island, and the people that Diana meets, that it makes you want to book a trip there. You feel for Diana as everything closes around her, her luggage is lost, cell service is poor, and she doesn't speak the language. Jodi's description of Finn fighting the covid virus through the emails he writes to Diana are also rich with details, and brings back memories from the start of the pandemic.

This lockdown gives Diana time to analyze her life, as it did for many people who shared a similar experience during the pandemic. While I wasn't sure how I'd feel reading a book about covid while still being in the midst of the pandemic, Jodi delivers a strong, thoughtful story. She easily balances data and research while also including feelings and emotions during this stressful period of our history. I'd highly recommend reading this.

Jodi Piccoult's best yet! Loved the honesty of this book. So few contemporary writers are facing Covid 19 and she does it with honesty and compassion. I loved the settings of this book and the couples' journeys - both metaphorical and real. A beautiful and unforgettable tale.

A topical and timely story by one of my favorite authors. The book begins during early pandemic days. Diana O’Toole is a frustrated Sotheby’s art specialist and her boyfriend Finn, a resident doctor dealing with the early rise and uncertainty of covid in NYC. The two have planned a trip to the Galapagos but Finn is required to stay at the hospital so encourages Diana to go alone for some much needed relaxation. Diana does go and arrives on the last boat before the islands shut down.

One of my favorite things about this book is that it incorporates these Galapagos Islands. I was transported to one of my favorite travel destinations, a truly magical place. Secondly I enjoyed the postcard/email exchanges between Finn and Diana. I am a sucker for well written letters in novels. There is an evolution of Diana’s daily postcards to Finn as she simultaneously embraces her new Galapagos family (all of whom I love!), causing conflicting emotions.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.
I am a fan of Jodi Picoult, and have read many of her books. I was excited about a new book by her and jumped in without knowing much about the book. The book is a very real account of the past year's pandemic, focusing on the situation in New York City. The content and topic is just still too real for me, and I didn't enjoy reading about events that I am living through. Picoult sticks to facts and is very descriptive about details. This book will be a great historical fiction account for future generations, but too much for me right now.

I've had this book sitting on my "shelf" for months. I was putting it off because I wasn't sure I was ready to read about COVID just yet. I mean, we're still in it. Sure, things aren't be as bad as they were back in March 2020, but that's all the more reason I didn't want to re-live that time period.

And then I started reading. And I devoured this book.

Diana O'Toole is a 29-year-old New Yorker. She is on the verge of a promotion at Sotheby's and is pretty sure her boyfriend is going to propose to her on their upcoming trip to the Galapagos. Everything in her life is going according to plan.

Then COVID hits New York City, and her surgical resident boyfriend tells her he's needed at the hospital and can't go on their trip, but she should still go. So she does... and as soon as she arrives, the island goes into lockdown. On her own on an unfamiliar island, Diana starts to build a relationship with a local family and begins questioning everything about her life in NYC.

And that's where I'll stop because you really just need to read this book.

"When you're in the thick of living your life, you don't often get to push pause and reflect on it."

The one thing that bothered me while reading was the inclusion of Kotomi Ito, aka Yoko Ono. I couldn't wrap my head around why Picoult changed almost no details about her and Sam Pride, aka John Lennon, and their life together. I kept waiting for it to make sense, but that explanation never really came.

Living on an island during a pandemic is a weird thing and it was really weird to see those sentiments on the pages of this book. I've gotten through this wild time relatively unscathed. Thankfully I haven't been hit with huge fear or loss but I definitely feel that my anxiety and the way I interact with the world has changed. For me, this book was cathartic and I might actually reread it in a few years.

At about 25% in, I was thinking it's way too soon for this book because it's so detailed there's no way people could handle it. But the further I got, I began to think it's perfectly fine and probably *needed* to help some people heal. And a beautiful way to memorialize this awful situation.

And then I read the authors note at the end and learned this was her intention and now I feel like a genius 🤪

(If it's still be too soon for you to read this book, that's ok. Acknowledge that, heal on your own time, and get help if you need it ❤)

I had so many feelings while reading this. I was glued to the story and wowed by the tropical imagery. I cried a few times over joy and loss. It brought back vivid memories of working with some awesome healthcare providers at the job I had before all this happened. The physical therapists, nurses, and CNAs I knew there were freaking golden humans and I can't imagine the pain they've been through.

Believe me, I totally understand the appeal of this book. The Cov!d references are great…and as a practicing Emergency Medicine physician, I found Finn’s experience to be particularly accurate. I was thrown by the “surprise” as I wasn’t expecting that twist and turn…and the aftermath was interesting to examine. This was very well written, and like her previous books, you can tell the research that went into this Piccoult novel. Also like previous, there was an underlying political “agenda” which tends to be a turn off for me.

There is a twist in this book that is still leaving me breathless! I have been talking about this book to so many people. Loved it! Imagine taking a vacation that changes your life…just keep imagining! The beginning of this story is set in COVID-19 days, and is all-too familiar. The panic, the steps we’ve taken to protect ourselves….what an accurate portrayal of these days! This story is one that will stay with me!

Loved this new book by Picoult! About halfway through she hit me with that killer twist and I spent the rest of the book devastated! Then I never recovered... A great book with a great premise!

Diana and her boyfriend, Finn, are about to check another item off their bucket list. They are days away from leaving for their dream vacation to the Galapagos Islands...when COVID hits. Finn, a surgical resident at a NYC hospital, knows that he can’t take a vacation - even if it was safe to do so. Not wanting to waste their trip, he urges Diana to go without him. Rationalizing her decision with the fact that she would mostly be at home by herself while Finn’s working, Diana decides to continue on with their plans - alone.

Except things don’t go anything like they had planned. Not only is she alone, Diana is stuck on the island of Isabel when the ferry shuts down. Her luggage is lost, her hotel is closed, and her phone barely works. When a kind old lady, Abuela, takes pity on her and gives her a place to stay, Diana finds herself connecting to the island - and its residents - in a way she never anticipated.

I really liked this book, even when I didn’t. Diana is a beautiful character. While she is likeable throughout the novel, she becomes even more so as it progresses. She develops a depth, a maturity, that isn’t there at the beginning. Picoult, as always, puts so much thought into her characters that they are hard not to love. Even the most minor characters are crafted very well. My favorite thing about Picoult’s novels is the way she weaves her words around very real, and often controversial, issues. She isn’t shy and her books are so much better for it.

This one comes out on November 30, 2021 and I highly recommend picking it up. It’s a tear jerker, so be prepared. COVID has been tough on almost everyone, but definitely on some more than others. Be kind to yourself. If it’s too soon, it’s too soon.

Thanks to the ever amazing Jodi Picoult, Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Wish You Were Here gave me all the feels. Diana is a very sympathetic main character dealing with life during the Covid pandemic. Although she spends part of her time in the Galapagos she still feels the isolation we all felt. Her fiancé, a medical resident, let us see some of the stress our hospitals were under. On top of all of this we get educated in art selling, dealing with teenagers who cut themselves and parents with dementia. Normally that would be a dark, depressing book but somehow Piccoult manages to keep it hopeful and find spots of humor. In other words, this is life. I loved it.

Loved this book....I flew right through it. It's very current as it dealt with the pandemic along with back stories and a plot twist which really caught me off guard. It's one of Picoult's best!

This book was unexpected. I received an advanced reader copy of it, and due to the subject matter I probably wouldn't have picked this up otherwise. But, I'm glad I did!

This is a COVID pandemic book, and let's be honest, I was worried that it would feel "too soon," since we are still very much in the middle of it all. But, somehow it wasn't. The set-up and plot were unique and interesting in a way that allowed me to disassociate my pandemic experience with the character's experience in a book.

But, holy cow! I was not expecting the twist and direction this book took, and I have mixed feelings about it.

Overall I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did, and I would recommend it if you're in a headspace where you can read fiction about a situation that is still very real, and very much still happening. But take care...this may very well be "too soon" for some readers.