Wow - this Picoult hit different! Rich in detail, deep in emotion, and twisty! I loved every minute and teared up at the conclusion. Now, I need to visit an art gallery and the Galapagos. Picoult continues to impress - weaving our shared COVID-19 experience into a moving, inspiring, heart-warming novel is no easy feat. Picoult turned an event/time that united the human experience in pain and sadness into a motivating story of resiliency. Brava, Jodi! I will be purchasing a hard copy upon release to add to my Picoult collection.

Thank you to NetGalley, Picoult, and publishers for early access to this title.

This book was a challenge. As only Jodi Picoult did she drew me in. Not immediately but halfway through this book, when I found out what it was really about, I was hooked. Two up-and-coming young people plan a much-needed vacation. She is on the fast track at Sotheby's and in fact, has been an insider in a major deal to auction a work of art from one of the world's most famous musician's widows. He is a surgery resident working hard in a New York City hospital. They live together and have planned life but are not yet engaged. The pandemic hits and he encourages her to go off on their planned vacation anyway. She does and has time to rethink her life, priorities, and loves. Enter the second half of the book. She begins another journey and it is life-altering as well. There will be a third journey. To say more would give away the imaginative, highly emotional, and almost otherworldly writing of Jodi Picoult. I enjoyed this book. However, if you read it be patient and be prepared for surprises. thanks to #WishYouWereHere#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Jodi Picoult does it again with a timely and well written book set in today's world. I think this book portrays a true view into the beginning of the pandemic in NYC. And as usual, Picoult adds a twist to the story that you just don't see coming.

Wish You Were Here is nothing short of a masterpiece. Full stop. If Jodi Picoult were to quit writing tomorrow, she will forever be known for Wish You Were Here. Yes, I know she's had many successes, but this is in another reality, another dimension, a new world.

I simply have no other words except read this. Do yourself a favor and read this. Buy this for a friend. Send it to your mother. Share it and soak it in.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of the incredibleness that is Wish You Were Here. I simply wish that this review that I have gladly and gratefully written would come somewhere within spitting distance of doing justice to this enormously moving and incredible book.

Wow. Just wow.

This is the first book I've read that held COVID-19 and the pandemic at its core. Picoult offers an unexpected view into the global "new normal" that was 2020 (and beyond) through her masterful storytelling. Alongside Diana, Finn, Rodney Gabriel, and Beatriz, we gain insight into self-realization and the myriad facets of human relationships, and how they are each affected by turmoil and chaos. Although Diana's experience is devastating, Picoult leaves the reader with a sense of hope and happiness, after all. Highly recommend!!

Picoult's Wish You Were Here provides a look at the Covid crisis and lockdowns featuring various angles from the ICU front lines to an isolated island. Typing more would give too many spoilers, but this story does pack an unexpected punch!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I finished an advanced readers copy of this book a week ago and I am still not sure how to write this review. I am vague so I don't mention any spoilers. It is a novel about the experiences of two people who live in New York at the beginning of the pandemic. Diana, an art seller for Sotheby's and her partner,Finn, a surgical resident. They had planned a trip to the Galapagos Island together when COVID hit New York City. Finn was required to work. They agree Diana should go without him. As a reader, I found myself enjoying the detailed beauty of the Galapagos as I followed Diane on the journey through the challenges of a life turned upside down. I highly recommend this book with so much to offer - a great novel that left me with much to think about.

Jodi Picoult's newest gut wrenching novel follows a young art dealer named Diana while she is far from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diana has her life under control, a fantastic job that she loves, a fiancé who is a DR in residency at a New York hospital and would do anything to keep her safe. They have a plan, get married, have kids, happy ever after. The duo have tickets to go on vacation to the Galapagos Islands, where Diana is sure that Finn will propose, but then the Pandemic grips the world in a vice. Unsure what to do and under the assumption that the Pandemic will be over by the time she gets back, Diana goes to the Islands by herself, leaving Finn behind fighting COVID.

I was wary of reading this book at first, because I didn't know if I was ready to relive the early days of the Pandemic, even through the eyes of a fictional character. It wasn't easy to read at first, but It blew my expectations away. I connected with Diana deeply and related to her fear, love and sense of loss. I felt for Finn as many of us felt for all the frontline care workers. It was moving, and heartfelt. Under the surface it was about finding yourself.

Jodi Picoult does it again - writes a book with a topic that you think you know so much about and then shows you new insights and information. I am always affected by Picoult's work, and what people learn about each other and themselves is the true genius of her writing.

I wanted to read it straight through but then I also wanted it to go on for much much longer.....

The characters were real and grounded to me, I thought the topic was relevant and I am grateful for the chance to read it early!

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine Books!

This is a winner. It tackles the pandemic the best and reminds you why she is a master writer at taking hard topics and making all perspectives relatable.
This one I loved . It’s a story. Of hope and redemption!

Having read Picoult's body of work, I understand how easily readers might anticipate the next ethical dilemma, but Jodi transcends genre. In her last outing, "The Book of Two Ways," she began to explore the fabled past of Egypt and tied it to the possibility that there are other possibilities, not always the sad or happy but logical ending.
In "Wish You Were Here," we meet a young art expert working at a storied auction house, and her physician significant other, Finn. They are on the cusp of the pandemic, unaware of the explosion about to disrupt their plans and lives. Diana decides to take their trip to the Galapagos, all the while conflicted about the guilt over leaving Finn, but wondering why he let her go.
Diana arrives on the islands to learn she is stranded due to the lockdowns, and is dependent upon the kindness of islanders. We read about her adjustment to living a spartan life, her constant frustration at being unable to communicate with Finn. Diana develops relationships with a troubled teen and a charismatic and mysterious father who shows her the natural wonders of the islands. Diana endures the frantic frustration of isolation, worry about her loved ones, and she also enjoys the slow process of self discovery. I won't conclude, no spoilers, but it is not the formulaic ending you're already imagining. Picoult gives us wonderful characters, (Diana has a fabulous best friend), There is incredible research into subjects like long haul Covid, the neurology of coma patients, the biodiversity of the Galapagos, the opulent starch of art auctions, forgiveness, and dementia. I am always profoundly affected by Picoult's work, and what people learn about each other and themselves is the true genius of her writing.

I have been a big Jodi Picoult fan for many years! This is novel 23 for me.
I know Ms. Picoult isn’t afraid to tackle tough controversial topics. She is a great storyteller and certainly does her research!

This story starts with Diane O’Toole, an associate specialist with one of the largest brokers of art collectibles and her boyfriend Finn Colson, a surgical resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Diane has her life planned, she will marry by thirty, have her family by thirty-five, additionally will be able to speak fluent French, traveled cross-country on Route 66 and she will be very successful in the art auction world.
She is near thirty now but is sure Finn will propose while vacationing in the Galapagos ~ yes the archipelago where Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed.

However, on the eve of their departure, Finn announces that with an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus he has to stay at the hospital ‘All hands on Deck’ as the hospital is fearful of more cases. He states she should go as they have saved four years for this vacation and they will lose their fees.
~ She reluctantly goes.
The virus has other ideas and the island is soon on quarantine. However, we follow Diana’s experience on the island.

I was nearly 2/3 into this story and thought hmm perhaps this isn’t going to work for me. These characters are not all that likeable. I was reluctant to read more about the traumas the coronavirus has caused. I am reading this story the summer of 2021 and I am definitely a changed person from the person I was prior to the summer of 2020. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read about Covid 19 especially since the ‘Delta Variant’ is causing problems this summer……. But figured since I have been a longtime fan, I may find this better than Egyptology (True Egyptology is interesting but wasn’t a fun story.)

I checked some of the reviews ~ all of which were awesome. Then I saw one mention sliding door type story. I have read several, parallel universe/ Groundhog Day type stories and have always found them very interesting.
So I hung in there.
I cannot say I enjoyed this. It is unique and definitely makes you think. I believe book clubs are going to have some very lively discussions.

I always read the “Author’s notes”. I knew Ms. Picoult would have some interesting things to say!
She didn’t disappoint!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 30, 2021

"Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow--I realize that viscerally now--but that doesn't keep us from feeling cheated when it's yanked away."

Per usual, Ms. Picoult writes with amazing symmetry, seamlessly weaving time hops and plot lines with ease.
I never know what plot twists will be coming my way when I read one of her novels and she has a way of writing that keeps my mind from wandering and trying to guess it before it happens.

Wish You Were Here, is, at its core, a novel of hope, redemption, change, and a praise for the human spirit. It is amazing to see in print and through someone else's eyes, what the world has gone through and witnessed in 2020 and 2021. But, despite the setting, you could literally insert another fictional name for this virus and it would still ring true.

Diana's trials and tribulations throughout the beginning of and the entirety of the pandemic, are heartbreaking and raw with emotion. You feel for her as much as you would a loved one which really hits a little too close to home. The realization that we are all, as a whole, experiencing the same pain leaves you feeling a bit drained.

All in all, Wish You Were Here hits it out of the park. And it may just be the novel we all need right now.

WISH YOU WERE HERE is a wildly inventive look at how COVID affects the inflicted and those around them. And there is a good dose of how the business of buying and selling valuable art is done. As usual, Picoult has created rich characters that you will care about and an unpredictable storyline. I have enjoyed all of Picoult's books but it is clear from THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS and WISH YOU WERE HERE that her writing has reached a new level, and it's thrilling! I will be buying many copies as holiday (or maybe just because) gifts.

Jodi never fails to impress me with her incredible writing on very real, very important topics.

I was a little bit nervous at first to read a book about Covid so soon after living through this nightmare pandemic but I’m so glad that I jumped in. Jodi explained so perfectly what it is like to be a doctor/nurse/anyone in the field during this awful time and at the same time did an amazing job at getting us inside the mind of someone who suffered from Covid. Additionally, the parts of the story set in the Galapagos were engaging, and really made me root for Diana.

The twist was unexpected and shocking but I loved where she took the story. Excellent excellent book that I’ll be sure to recommend to everyone I know.

Wow, this is a must read, Anyone who been living in the last year should pick this up and read maybe twice so you doing miss the important truths! live for today!

Jodi Picoult’s latest novel is born out of Covid-19. She wrote it during the pandemic, and it is set during the first few months of the shutdown. Diana is an associate at Sotheby’s and her live-in boyfriend, Finn, is a surgical resident. Just as they are about to take a dream vacation to the Galapagos Island (where Finn will no doubt pop the question), Covid breaks out in New York City. Finn, who must work extra shifts, encourages Diana to go without him. Perhaps she will escape the virus in the southern hemisphere. But no, just as she arrives at Isabela Island, the hotels and restaurants shut down. She is alone in a foreign country with a useless credit card and cell phone and without her lost luggage.

While Diana endeavors to navigate an exotic foreign land where she doesn’t speak the language and feels like “the last person on earth,” Finn composes emails -- that don’t reach her -- detailing life on the Covid front lines. (Today, as the tension and rhetoric increase in the US with yet another surge, Finn’s emails serve as a reminder of the toll taken on our health care professionals.)

While the two main characters struggle to survive their strange new worlds, Picoult offers poignant observations on art and isolation. For example, “A painting … is a partnership. The artist starts a dialogue, and you finish it.” The isolation theme reprises in absentee parents, in dementia, in misunderstandings, in the ICU experience. But isolation can also be a catalyst for change.

Picoult takes us on a thought-filled journey through the grim hallways of NYC hospitals during Covid, as well as the exquisite landscape and fauna of Galapagos. Who is the fittest? And what does survival look like?

Diana, a NYC art auctioneer, is ready to take the trip of a lifetime to the Galápagos Islands with her boyfriend Finn. The life she planned for herself is panning out perfectly: job, boyfriend, travels, and hopefully a proposal, suburban house, kids and a dog. But when the world shuts down due to coronavirus, she decides to head to the Galapagos without her boyfriend, who must stay behind as a surgeon in a NYC hospital. What she finds there is almost too good to be true, she becomes one of the locals, explores the sights she’s been longing to see, and befriends a family and helps them navigate their own problems. But what about the world she left behind? Is it still waiting for her, or has she moved on to a different plan? As the novel unfolds, Picoult explores the ways in which coronavirus has affected the world in so many ways, from ventilators to isolation to recovery and a return to normalcy. Diana’s story hits close to home, while exploring all the unknowns of coronavirus.

Jodi Picoult is a novelist known for tackling hot-button issues. Past novels have dealt with racism, abortion, organ donation, suicide, and more. Her latest book, "Wish You Were Here," tackles COVID-19 and features lockdowns, a nursing home, and even a character who is a medical resident treating ICU patients with the virus.

In the story, Diana and her boyfriend Finn are about to leave for their dream vacation in the Galapagos Islands. But right before they're supposed to leave, patients start showing up at the ER where Finn works in New York City. As a resident, he is told he cannot go on vacation - it's all-hands-on-deck to treat this new virus that is making people so ill. The trip is non-refundable, so Finn tells Diana to go anyway because rumor has it there will be a lockdown in the city anyway. Diana is reluctant (and surprised by Finn's decision to tell her to leave without him), but decides to go. As she arrives in the tropical paradise, the islands are put on lockdown and she's not able to get home. The story follows Diana's efforts to reach out to Finn in the US, but he's working nearly 24/7 and isn't answering his phone.

The story is interspersed with emails between the two, as well as postcards Diana is writing and sending back to the States. It's a beautiful story of loneliness, found family, and going from a traveler to a local. There's a twist that I didn't see coming at all, in true Jodi Picoult style.

I will admit it is strange to read a fictionalized account of the current global pandemic - it felt very real and included references to things that actually happened, like the PPE hospital workers had to wear, the nightly banging of pots and pans in appreciation of first responders, mentions of the US federal government's inaction in the early phases, and even a Dr. Fauci reference or two. For any reader willing to "lean in" to the pandemic and read a fictionalized account of it, I highly recommend this novel.

Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here is a must-read book that puts the pandemic in proper perspective. Certainly better than any other medium has been able to accomplish. It is a book of great maturity and depth; it is well-written. In this book, the focus is not just on the pandemic but on those who have made tremendous efforts to save lives in the face of it. My attention was captured by this book; wow, what an excellent way to view the pandemic in context.