Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Wish You Were Here does an excellent job of encapsulating the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Picoult gives a voice the the exhausted medical teams, which is more necessary than ever. She also goes to great lengths to provide an in depth look at not only the monumental event of surviving the ventilator but also how extremely challenging it is to function normally again afterwards. Every feeling and fear that this virus has caused is spectacularly described within the pages of this novel.

However, the world that Diana’s brain builds and the realism if it all makes her waking up to find it wasn’t actually happening heart crushing. The “it was all a dream” trope is unfortunately not very enjoyable. The reader finds themselves hoping with bated breath that somehow Diana’s vacation does end up being real, after all.

I was a big fan of Jodi Picoult,with but this book and her previous one, I am losing interest in her writing. She has done her research into certain subjects (Eqyptiology, art restoration, and COVID) but I read fiction to escape. I was not impressed by a book about COVID. Please go back to your previous way of writing, it was so much better.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley!!! I had a totally different expectation about this book and after I finished reading it, I was very much surprised and fascinated but in a very good way!!!!

Too soon? Maybe. Especially with the resurgence..

While the ending was fairly predictable (as is with these personal journey stories), the way Picoult went about it was very unexpected. So most of the middle matter was surprising. Major points to the author! I usually pride myself (not really) on seeing/expecting what's going to happen..

Regardless how I feel about the very end (I like endings that are knotted and tied off in a pretty bow), I was strangely captivated by the whole book. The writing was accessible.

Wish You Were Here was an amazingly well written story about life during the current pandemic. When I started the book, I had to brace myself as I wasn’t sure if it was “too soon” to read about the chaotic world we’ve been living in. Perhaps when Picoult wrote it, she thought by November of 2021, we’d be rid of Covid. Who knew the battle would still be alive and well? I’ve been a fan of Jodi Picoult since her career started and this one, with a twist of creative brilliance, just blew me away.

As the blurb implies, we have a couple, Diana and Finn, about to embark on a dream vacation where they will get engaged. As the virus lands in NYC, and lockdown is imminent, Finn is ordered to stay at the hospital for an “all hands on deck” approach. After a quick conversation, Diana goes to the Galapagos on her own. Why stay at home alone, while Finn basically lives at the hospital?

The story is told from Diana’s POV with interspersed email communication from Finn. As she is creating a new life abroad, he’s in a living hell at the hospital. It’s an odd dynamic that only gets better as the book progresses. I must stop here so that no spoilers are divulged. Also, do not skip the author’s note; it’s quite interesting!!

March 2020 - Diana and her boyfriend Finn are about to leave on a trip to the Galapagos Islands when a strange sickness starts to spread across the world. Finn works at a hospital and is unable to make the trip, but he tells Diana she should go anyway. As she arrives on the island everyone else is fighting to leave since the island is closing and she soon finds herself stranded in paradise. Hotels and stores are closed, her luggage is lost, and she doesn't speak the language. Fortunately she finds a woman who takes her in and over the next few weeks she becomes more of a local and less of a tourist. The wi-fi connection is inconsistent and so she only occasionally receives updates from Finn about what is happening back home. It's a different world back in NY and Finn is exhausted and discouraged by what's happening around him. Diana knows there's nothing she can do other than try to send him emails which may not go through, and mail him postcards which will take weeks to get to him. They both feel helpless miles apart from each other and have no idea how long the separation will last. As Diana spends more time on the island she starts to question the life she has so perfectly planned out and her priorities start to shift. She worries that once she is allowed to go back home she won't be the same person she was when she left.

Who's ready for Covid books? It's weird to read about such a life changing event while still going through it. This book brought back all the memories from the very beginning of Covid. When we would wipe everything down that came into the house, when we would leave mail outside for a couple of days before touching it, when we would change our clothes and shower after being out in public. I loved this book and everything about it. Diana was so relatable and the people she met on the Galapagos were instantly likable. I didn't know if I'd be able to read a Covid book so soon, but Picoult did a great job of writing about it I couldn't put this one down.

As we as a nation have moved through living in a pandemic I have thought about chronicling the experience and the need for an expert writer to take on the project. At times I had wished to know more about the flu epidemic 100 years prior and mostly how life finally moved forward. Enter expert writer Jodi Picolt who has written about the pandemic in a creative and captivating style. This novel covers many spectra of the pandemic. From emergency medicine to relationships of many hues aspects of experiencing this pandemic are intrinsically explained. Many readers might think there is no need to read about a pandemic that you lived through and while or own experience with challenges put before us are valuable so are the experiences we can view through someone else's lens. This novel is creative and takes us through a time with varied experiences.

This new title by Jodi Picoult is so very, very good. Set it current times, during the pandemic we are all still living through, a young woman has her life and all of her plans for her future upended, and discovers herself for maybe the first time. But it is also so much more that can't be discussed in a review because it will ruin it for others. My sister is currently reading this, and I can't wait for her to finish so I can talk about it with someone! Because we are still living it, some may feel it is "too soon" for a Covid-19 book, but for me this hit home in so many ways.. I loved it. This will be published in late November, so put it on your Wishlist! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Jodi Picoult is a true story teller. This is extremely well written, but I just couldn’t lose myself like I normally do in her books. Perhaps because we are still in the pandemic, I couldn’t see this story as the escape I enjoy while reading her previous novels. However, her talent continues to astound me and I look forward to her next book.

I have read nearly all of Picoult’s books and I do believe that this one is my favorite of them all. The books was written during Covid and that is where the book is set. NYC, March 13, 2020. Diana and her boyfriend (who is a resident doctor) are on the eve of heading to Galápagos Islands for vacation. Finn comes homes and tells Diana there is no way he can leave when the Covid crashing down on the city. So Diana goes alone and gets stuck on the island. All that she knows to be real back home is called into question as she meets and connects with the locals on the island. I stayed up way to late most nights this week to finish this book. This is a must read when it comes out in the fall.

I'll admit I will read anything Jodi Picoult releases! She is one of my favorite authors and this book is a new classic. This book beautifully characterizes human resilience and I think many people will relate to it. I came to deeply care about these characters and this is a real page turner. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I've been looking forward to my first book about COVID-19. Jodi Picoult never disappoints and is able to capture emotion the way no one else can. I loved the two different storylines, and I found myself thinking both were real as well. While I was rooting for the main character and her signficant other to stay together, I knew there was a reason they had to part. I love love loved this book!

This book is sure to be a big hit! I've read almost 20 of Jodi Picoult's books and I can honestly say that this is one of my favorites. I really liked all the characters, the flow of the story, the descriptions of the COVID pandemic and the twist in the story that took me totally by surprise and kept me glued to the page. This book is one that you will definitely want to read and discuss with friends.

"When you find yourself utterly alone, the only place to find strength is in yourself." I've read quite a few books about resilience lately that demonstrate how people cope during rough times and this is one of them. The main character, Diana O'Toole, has an apartment in NY,, her dream job working at Sotheby's and the likelihood of becoming engaged before she is thirty. She has her whole life totally planned out. But, as in real life, and in a Jodi Picoult novel, that might not happen.

Diana's life is upended when the coronavirus hits. She finds herself going on her "perfect" vacation, by herself, to an island in the Galapagos that is suddenly shut down. Yes, the whole island! In the meantime, her boyfriend Finn, is on the frontline of fighting COVID as a surgical resident at a large NY hospital.

Picoult shows us that sometimes, "when you're stuck in heaven, it can feel like hell", Diana has no WiFi connection, no internet, no postal service, no cash, no ATMs, no way off the island and the airline lost her luggage. She sporadically receives emails from Finn letting her, and the reader, have a front row seat to a modern world catastrophe as it unfolds.

While Finn is fighting for the lives of patients, Diana is exploring Isabela Island, meeting the inhabitants, enjoying nature, and learning a lot about herself. She begins to question the things that are most important to her in her life and just may need to change her life plan.

My sincere thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this delightful ARC ebook. Publication date is November 30, 2021. #WishYouWereHere #NetGalley.

Inhale ↔️ exhale.

To be completely honest, I was nervous as hell, beginning this book. I love Jodi Picoult, but a book revolving around Covid…I wasn’t sure I could pull it off.🙈

Diana and Finn have planned the ultimate dream vacation. A once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galápagos Islands. But when New York is ravaged by Covid, it looks like their dream holiday will have to be shelved. Finn is a resident at a large New York Hospital and things are about to hit the fan. It’s all hands on deck!

Jodi Picoult brought the stark reality of the pandemics’ first wave to life. Capturing the consuming fear and exhausting moment of every healthcare worker called into the fight to deal with the nightmare crisis. No sensationalism here…just the brutal reality of it all.

The structure of the chapters midway had me subconsciously holding my breath! (You’ll understand once you read it). I was captivated, nearly frozen in place.

My emotions were raw as tears endlessly flowed down my cheeks for the final 20%. Even when simply trying to describe the book to a friend they start flowing again.😢

I’d love to go into more detail, but the less you know going in the better. A must-read for 2021!

A buddy read with Susanne

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine.

I can not recommend this book enough! I read Wish You Were Here in one day. This book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

I could not get into this book which saddened me because I love Picoult & her writing, but this one... I don't know if it's because it's about what's happening now with COVID or what but I did not finish this book. I started skimming it after about a quarter of the way through but had to finally give it up after I got half way through. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't say what finally made me stop reading it, but I will say this... I'm not a fan of this book. Maybe you will be so if you're interested check it out. Who knows maybe I'll try it another time & end up loving it but now is definitely not that time.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This book is beautiful, heartbreaking, frustrating, and so thought-provoking. I loved it, then hated it, then loved it again. The story and writing draws you right in. There is a twist that I absolutely wanted to remove but overall this is one of the best books I have read this year. It was brutal and beautiful, and I devoured it. A lovely ode to NYC and the Covid crisis.

Honestly, I would not have picked up this book knowing that it was about Covid. I requested based on the author alone and I am so glad I did. This was the first book I have read that was based on the events of 2020. It was heartbreaking, but beautifully written. Thank you for the opportunity to read! I cannot wait until it comes out so I can discuss it with others, looking forward to November.

My emotions were all over the place with this book ranging from fear and despair, sorrow and pain, to hope and joy. The book is certainly timely and delineates many facets of the COVID-19 pandemic through perfect characters. I couldn't put the book down and hated for it to end. Jodi Picoult's beautifully descriptive prose allows you to feel like you can see the surroundings and experience the feelings of the characters.

Diana and Finn are living together and getting ready to travel to one of their bucket-list destination, the Galapagos. Just before they leave Finn finds out he can't go because he will be needed at the hospital as they are dealing with an increasing number of patients with something unknown that leaves them struggling to breathe. They have a lot invested in this trip, so Finn insists that Diana go without him.

When Diana arrives she's on the last ferry to Galapagos and then it is shutdown due to the COVID pandemic. She is stranded. Her luggage was lost. The hotel is closed. The town is closed. The ferry has shut down. Very limited cell service. How in the world will she get back home?

Finn, even though he is a surgical resident, is doing his best taking care of COVID patients. We see through his eyes what the physicians were seeing in the New York City hospitals. Through his emails to Diana we get a feel for the heartbreak and devastation of the disease.

A poignant and relevant novel that captured me from the beginning to the end. Loved it!

Thanks to Jodi Picoult and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 30, 2021.

I’m a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, although I do have to say that her previous book “The Book of Two Ways” was one I abandoned part way. So I was the teeniest bit hesitant going into this, but this book proved me wrong! This is a beautiful and timely story that will take you along quite an emotional journey.
Jodi Picoult has a gift for reaching through the pages and placing you right into the story. Her lush descriptions of the Galapagos species and landscapes makes you feel as if you are seeing them in real time along with Diana. You also get a heightened sense of how isolated and scared Diana feels when she is first on the island and out of resources. Finn writes letters to Diana detailing the horrors of what he is seeing on the front lines, and the realization that these are based on real stories deepens their impact.
Yes, this book does mention Covid 19 and its effects, and it is sad to see some reviewers giving this book bad reviews solely based on that factor alone. I didn’t feel that the book was political at all, instead honestly depicting real world issues that occurred at the time; particularly when Diana chose to vacation when everyone else went on lockdown & the reactions of the Galapagos residents and Finn’s experience on the front lines and how that affects him. It’s plainly apparent that the author did her due diligence when researching, and the author’s note gives you insight into her motivations for writing this book.

A huge Thank You to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy of "Wish You Were Here" in exchange for my honest review.

Jodi Picoult does it again and make us ask. "Is there any situation this author can not master writing about.?"

I have read everything Jodi has written but this one has to be my favorite.
The main character Diana O'Toole has her life on schedule, a career, an upcoming trip with her surgical resident fiancé, and the sure idea of his marriage proposal just in time for her 30th birthday,

Things seem beyond perfect and then a virus hits. Diana takes her flight and lands in Galapagos but her fiancé has to stay back and help with the virus on the home front. Pandemic, lockdown and now on island where she doesn't speak the language her world has been turned upside down.

This brilliant writing shows so much of the vulnerability, we have all experienced and are still progressing through as we struggle with the constantly changing pandemic.

Once again Jodi. has done her research and written with passion and authenticity.

This book will resonate with many, as so many of us were forced to re examine what matters. It will stay with you long after the final sentence.