DNF. I didn't like the characters and I was completely disinterested in this story. It was very slow and I was not looking forward to read it but I tried to push myself since other people left good reviews. I got to 40% and gave up. Then I decided to give it one more chance just because I wanted to see the twist. I got to the twist which was predictable and then the story got even more boring. Just not for me. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wish You Were Here is very timely, set during the current pandemic. While I have some minor quibbles with the book, the story and characters are so well written, the quibbles are easily forgotten. The novel will bring up some strong emotions for anyone who has been touched by the corona virus. I'm very glad I read the book.

Wow, I did myself a service and didn't read what this book was about before I read so I had no idea what was coming. As always Jodi Picoult has crafted a novel that truly makes you stop and think about your life. And to weave in relevant and cultural events made this book splendid. The repercussions surrounding COVID-19 are still unknown, but this story is completely believable in its possibilities. You're forced to stop and think about not only what's immediately occurring in this work, but what are long-term ramifications to what may happen in the future.

Your heart breaks for the lead character when she realizes what is reality. But part of you is envious because she has two such perfect worlds from which to choose. There is no right or wrong, but it's another way to think of the path not traveled.

Highly recommend this wonderful book.

This one is a fast read. It is a modern day story taking place in NYC. Our protagonist works in the art world while her boyfriend is a doctor. They plan to travel the world together with the first stop being the Galápagos Islands. Their world changes - the world changes - when COVID hits. If you are overwhelmed by all things Covid, this book may not be for you, however it is a read that you may want to pick up regardless. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

I've wondered how we would remember Covid, and Jodi Picoult brings back the early days in vivid detail. This story, about a young couple in New York City, demonstrates the toll of the disease on lives both at the early epicenter in New York and also far away where it is a barely a blip in daily life. Finn and Diana were supposed to go to the Galapagos where they would get engaged and move forward with their perfectly planned lives. However, once Covid hits, Finn, a doctor, can't leave the hospital, and Diana heads off by herself only to be trapped on an island once everything shuts down. Finn's messages to Diana about surviving the never ending challenges in a New York City hospital are heartbreaking, meanwhile Diana is experiencing the beauty of the Galapagos and getting involved in daily island life. It turns out the best laid plans mean nothing. This is a Jodi Picoult book, so there will be some twists that add to the story, but you won't find spoilers in this review. This was a page turner and brings back so many of the emotions of 2020 that we don't want to lock away. Jodi Picoult has set a high bar for authors that write fictional accounts of life during Covid. Read this story, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another incredible read by Jodi Picoult.

Diana has been dreaming of the vacation she's planned with her boyfriend Finn to the Galapagos islands for a while now, but when the pandemic breaks out, Finn, a doctor, has to stay behind. The trip isn't all the Diana hopes it would be. The day she arrives on the island, it shuts down due to covid. She has no place to stay and no way to get home.

This story was so sweet and wonderful to read. The people surrounding Diana on the island have stories of their own that really make for deep relatable characters and great connections between all the major players in the story.

I have to say, I didn't see the major twist at the end coming, and I'm not going to tell you anything about it because it will ruin the story, but you need to read this book. I'm a hard person to pull the wool over my eyes, but Picoult did it. She shocked me.

This really was a wonderful read that I enjoyed immensely. Great for a rainy afternoon.

My review will be live on my blog Book Confessions on 9-1-21.

This is an author I never hesitate to pick up. The author's attention to details along with her writing skills create stories that hard to put down and falling in love with. This book is no different. This is a well written story where the author used details that gave the story a realistic feel. I enjoyed what the characters brought to the story and how relateable they were . This is a story about Diana and how a trip she takes without her boyfriend makes her take a second look at her life. This is a story written with alot of heart and Diana is such a great character I fell in love with her. I enjoyed the growth throughout the story and what the characters brought to the story. I highly recommend this book and this author.

I am just at a loss for words about Jodi Picoult’s newest, not out until November 30 but one I had to read and received via Net Galley. This book is the reason Jodi Picoult is still my favorite author. While it may be too soon for some, Wish You Were Here is set in the early days of the Covid pandemic. It features Diana, who leaves to the Galapagos just as the world shuts down and ends up alone there while her boyfriend Finn is working as a doctor on the front lines. The feelings of isolation and uncertainty that we all felt are beautifully described. I really felt like I was there with Diana throughout the story. Besides Covid, other content warnings include self harm, dementia, and drowning. One thing this book talks about is how life has changed since the pandemic began. Masks, new vocabulary, a sense of fear, and of course all of the loss. It hasn’t been easy! I wish it was all behind us and we could call it over, but I don’t think we’re there yet.

This is one that will hit home hard. As a NYer experiencing the impact Covid had on the city, this one most accurately described what it was like to live through a pandemic. This book is based in NYC and the Galapagos, had just enough escapism to feel like you were transported to a private island swimming with the seals. However, its a heavy book that hits home regarding the isolation, death, sickness, scary and emotional toll that COVID has taken on the human race. It was a quick read despite the subject matter. Every one will be able to relate in some sense to what these characters are going through. The twist actually threw me for a loop - in typical Jodi Picoult fashion! Highly recommend the read - with the warning it will take you on an emotional deep rollercoaster that reminds you what is important in life. A must read for all.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jodi Picoult for the advanced copy.

I’m not the slightest bit surprised that I loved this book. Jodi Picoult is always an engaging and interesting author. Add in the current hot topic of covid-19, and this book was impossible to put down. I think she did a lovely job of presenting multiple sides without adding shame to any particular opinion. Well done!

What an amazing book! I loved it from cover to cover, having such a hard time putting it down in between. This is only the second book I've read with COVID 19 taking place in it, but this was so different than anything I've read. The raw details of COVID 19 in the hospitals and how it affects healthcare workers outside of that setting were so emotional. Diana was a character that I have a love=hate relationship with. Some of the decisions she made towards the end were questionable for me, but I love an author that can make me have such strong feelings about a character. That was definitely the case here with Diana and Finn. Their relationship surviving what it did was incredible, but the ending felt a bit rushed to me. I would have loved a little bit more at that point. Overall, I loved it and would highly recommend it.

As always, I post my reviews to my Instagram page @briannak_bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

As Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, I always look forward to her newest book, her newest shall we say "hot topic". One of the first books coming about with Covid at the center of the story this book did not disappoint. And I must say JP really threw me for a loop with, as I'll call it "the twist". I had so many questions and loop holes, I almost wasn't going for a 5 star rating. I won't disclose the secret here, because you must experience it for yourself, and anyone who tells you is a creepy spoil sport.
As expected Picoult is descriptive in her writings about our MC's travels and heartfelt and honest with her relationships. Many hot topics in this one and I was a bit worried it wouldn't necessarily come together in the end, but as usual it did. Obviously she covered the fears and devastation of the Covid pandemic, but also other issues such as Dementia and dealing with a dying parent, relationships and future plans, self assessment - as always doing what you feel and know in your heart is best for yourself.

As a hot topic and the disagreements about Covid , I feel this book was well presented with seeing it from different perspectives.
In the end... Read it! Especially if you are a fan of our beloved Jodi Picoult.

Diana has her perfect job, her man, and a ring hidden in his underwear drawer. Their upcoming trip to the Galapagos is the perfect place for him to propose. When he comes home from work and tells her this virus is more serious than they thought and that he will have to stay home, Diana is devastated, but when he tells her to go without him, she does. Too bad the entire island is under quarantine and she is stranded there. When she becomes friendly with a local family, she wonders if her life was what she wanted after all.

So I was hitting a bit of a book slump and decided to give this one a chance. Only Jodi Picoult could pull me out of a slump with a book about covid, while we are still very much dealing with covid. This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, anxiety inducing, and everything else we have dealt with in the past year and a half. I really thought this book was going to be a “too soon” situation, but honestly I could not have loved it more. I just adored Diana and the life she built in the Galapagos while she was stranded there. I don’t want to say much more, but this is the Picoult I have been waiting for.

<b>..."I learned that the world changes between heartbeats; that life is never an absolute, but always a wager."</b>

Jodi Picoult has once again reached into the hearts of her reader and not only gripped that heart, but also cradled it through <i>Wish You Were Here</i> in the way that only Picoult can. Similar to her previous novels, Picoult, takes us through the very real and very emotional novel set in New York City, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diana, an art specialist, is ready to take her bucket list trip to the Galapagos with her surgical resident boyfriend Finn. Living in New York City, Finn's hospital is just starting to get the first hit of COVID patients and he is told he can't leave the hospital. Instead, he suggests Diana take the trip without him - and reluctantly she does.

What follows is an intensely gripping and emotional novel - about both Diana and Finn's experiences on different ends of the earth. Finn - in the hospital, writing to Diana about his experiences with COVID-19 on the front lines. And Diana, stranded on a very deserted island, experiencing and remembering her past and wondering if her future is what she wants it to be.

The plot twist in this novel itself is worthy of five stars. But even without it, I would still find myself coming back and giving the novel five stars. Diana's memories of her family, her stories about art and the history of the Galapagos -- so much of Diana and Finn's experiences are molded into the novel and give it genius sparks of life that make the reader either turn the page at breakneck speed or slower in order to savor the experience.

<i>Wish You Were Here</i> is honestly one of my favorite Picoult works to date. The amount of research the author put into this novel is incredible. And as a person with a parent as a COVID ventilator survivor, I find this research incredibly important and poignant. Ultimately, this book may honestly make you feel all the feelings -- it's thought provoking, heartbreaking, heart<b>warming</b>, gripping, draining, thrilling, and will leave you guessing. There are so many more amazing things I could say, but I would absolutely spoil the book. You must read it for yourself. I promise. It's that amazing.

Diana O'Toole is very excited for a planned vacation with her boyfriend Finn. Diana lives life by rote and she thinks it is high time for Finn to propose. Galápagos is the destination and it should be utterly romantic. However, at the very last moment, due to the pandemic Finn tells Diana that he simply cannot get away. He is a surgical resident and is desperately needed as a front line doctor. Finn and Diana put a lot of money into the trip so he tells Diana that she should go anyway.

Despite her reservations, Diana goes on the getaway, only to find herself stranded. The borders are closed out of necessity and now Diana must stay away. Diana befriends a family, most notably a teen in need of a connection. All the while Diana is dealing with life's priorities, including her relationship with Finn.

Wish You Were Here is a stellar book. A book that made me think. Ms. Picoult has a twist that I was not expecting, thus making this book an utterly compelling read. In fact, due to the times that are still so uncertain, I was a bit worried about how I would handle this book. This thrilling book is completely thought-provoking and relatable, and most definitely impossble to put down.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book. It made me feel so many different emotions: sad, absolutely SHOCKED, and most importantly, grateful. I've been a fan of Jodi Picoult's writing for years, but this book really brings it altogether for me. I would highly recommend this read.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An artist visits the Galapagos Islands during the pandemic and the experience changes her life totally. She faces reality and the option of what might could be and makes hard choices.

I love the ending.

Diana has all of her ducks in a row: She’s working at a job she finds personally (and financially) fulfilling, she’s expecting a proposal from her very serious (and very good looking) surgeon boyfriend, and things are going well in the New York fast life. And then COVID happens. And just like in real life, it blows everything upside down. This was the first fiction I’ve read that incorporated COVID and I think Picoult got a lot of things right. She’s an excellent writer, although parts of the book moved much slower than I would’ve liked. For that reason, I’m rating it a solid 3.

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wish You Were Here is a novel that chronicles how the world, our lives, can change between heartbeats.

While some may not be ready for a story that plunges directly into Covid-19's heart of darkness yet, especially since this one exposes our shared sense of fear, isolation, grief, and heartache when people first started dying and we went into global lockdown in 2020, I knew I couldn't stay away. I wanted to read something that would resonate. Something that would frame this unprecedented moment, this nightmare experience, in a context that might make it a little easier to process. To understand.

I think a part of me has been searching for a literary excuse to ruminate over all that's transpired over the last year-and-a-half for a while now. I've been looking despite knowing that, once I stopped, I'd be smacked with echoes of pain from the moment I opened that Pandora's Box.

Still, I was ready for this. I needed it.

Like the characters in this book, I have been touched by this pandemic, too. I've experienced the surreality. I know people who have fallen gravely ill, others who have died. I have a brother who is a doctor treating patients in the ICU. I also understand there are those out there who still believe this virus is "no worse than the flu" even though the science says otherwise. I have had to make changes in my own life. I've listened, I've learned. I've adapted in order to survive the New Normal.

We all have.

To say that we haven't would be a lie.

The beauty of this book then, at least for me, was how Picoult was able to give voice - real voice - to all the people who have been existing behind the vague face of the pandemic since it first began.

What I liked about that is how it did away with all the numbing statistics that track down our news screens every day and instead created a visible pulse that could be touched. Believed. Humanized. It provided readers with a specific personhood they could envision. They were allowed to meet, to get to know, a few people who were actively being affected by this virus in early 2020. They got to see and experience what was happening to them, almost vicariously.

The characters in this story were all real flesh and blood people who were trying to cope with the sudden, unexpected changes Covid-19 brought to their lives.

For Diana, an art specialist who thought she knew exactly what she wanted personally and professionally, that meant getting stranded in the beautiful Galápagos Islands during lockdown. Though alone there and unable to speak the language, she forms a connection with a local family and begins to reevaluate her identity. She also must work through issues she has with her mother, who is in a nursing home suffering from dementia.

While there, she's separated from her boyfriend, Finn, whom she plans to marry. He's a surgical resident who is confronting the horrors and PTSD involved in being on the frontlines, at home, in New York City. His emails to her record the overwhelming burden medical professionals face in the fight to treat sick Covid patients. They also detail how hospital resources are running thin or have been stretched to crisis level.

The insight he provides as a physician, as someone whose job it is to save lives, is stirring in a way that makes readers think but also leaves them bleeding with compassion.

There's a Sliding Doors element that pops up part way through this book as well, so be aware of that. However, to say any more would be to spoil the overall effect...which, when it hit, sent a shock across my chest like a defibrillator because it was so heartbreakingly good! So, so good! I never saw it coming.

This was one of my favorite works from Picoult so far.

Though not for the faint of heart, it's certainly a timely story that keeps readers plugged into the characters and hooked into their emotions from the beginning as they struggle to make sense of Covid, as they try try to tether themselves to something steady. It's a riveting tale of people who are orienting about all lost and adrift amid a new - and shocking - global reality.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This is the first book I have read from this author in close to a decade and wasn't sure how to feel as I read it. I found that this is a book I have been waiting to read since the pandemic began. I think that this will resonate with so many people as a shared time, but I think the tie in works so well with this book. It did take me a while to get into this, but am so glad I kept reading. I felt so many things and appreciated so much of what was written although this was quite a departure for this author from past books I have read. I will definitely be recommending this to others. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.