Jodi Picoult is Back!! At first I was a little unsure I wanted to read this book... just a little spoiler it has a COVID-19 theme... But MAN!! I am so glad that I read this one. I read through this books quickly. You will love the twist and turns that Jodi takes the reader on. You will think back to what you were doing the same times the characters were experiencing the same events.

The characters are loveable, and relatable. The reader will sympathize with the main character Diana, and understand the twists and turns in her life. This is a quick read, but one I did not want to put down. Totally relatable for today's times and enjoyable.

Diana's life is almost perfect. She is about to make an art acquisition that will earn her a promotion at Sotheby's. And on a planned trip to the Galapagos Islands, she expects her boyfriend Finn to propose. But then, there are rumors of a new novel virus starting to hit the US and Finn, as a surgical resident, is needed in his NY hospital. He urges Diana to go anyway... she'll be safe from the virus on an island. But she arrives on the island as everything is shutting down, and she becomes dependent on complete strangers for her very survival. Meanwhile the messages from home become more desperate and grim as Finn is on the frontlines working directly with covid patients.
I was so excited when I was invited to review this book from one of my favorite authors! A lot of this book hit close to home for me. As a CNA on the rehab unit in a nursing home, I was there when everything started to shut down. We kept Covid at bay for months but then the inevitable cases started to show up. I remember the terror of bringing this deadly virus home to my loved ones, so I was isolated and stressed for months. I worked directly with the covid patients with limited PPE. When I caught Covid, I remember even walking from the chair to the bathroom was exhausting and took my breath away. I was off work for 7 weeks trying to recover. This book covers the most terrifying and depressing details of the pandemic, but also the moments of hope and triumph.
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Jodi Picoult's newest release is a refreshing but real culmination of the COVID-19 pandemic. I did not think that I wanted to read a book about a pandemic I am still experiencing but Wish You Were Here offered an excellent outsider's perspective. Lots of twists and turns to keep it exciting while still reminiscing over the first few months in quarantine. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but I finished it a few hours because I just needed to know the ending.

I liked the author's note better than the book. I skimmed over all the emails in the first part and felt a bit cheated by the reveal/twist. Maybe in 10 years - but I couldn't appreciate this, not now. Too soon, too fresh, too we're-still-living-it.

At first I wasn’t sure how I felt, reading a book about a deadly virus. I mean, we’ve basically been living that story for over a year. But it’s Jodi Picoult so of course I gave it a try. And I gotta admit, I wasn’t impressed at first. It starts off okay, but then just stays there for a good while. Good enough characters, great setting, but it just didn't seem to be really going anywhere. I’m glad I stuck with it, though. It turned out to be pretty darn good. It’s a story of love, and a story about following your dreams. Whenever and wherever they may lead you.

I wasn't prepared for this book. I mean, I've read lots of this author's books so I should have known better, but I just wasn't prepared for the raw emotion and the complex feelings this book brought out. Picoult creates characters that make you feel like you have known them forever and places them in situations that are so compelling that you just can't stop reading. The fact that she does all this while offering up valuable insight and memorable perspectives is nothing short of incredible and turns this book into one of her most memorable.

For those who think that maybe it's just too soon for a book like this, I say this book arrives just in time to remind us all of the lessons we hopefully learned at the height of this tragedy.

Jodi Picoult does not disappoint. She is a masterful writer. I could not put this novel down until I finished it. Just when I thought I knew what would happen, the ending was unexpected and I was so wrong. Covid-19 has had devastating, life altering effects. It is a testament to our will to survive and the spirit of courage in the face of unbelievable adversity. The vivid description of both events are a result of the author's thorough and complete research. Include an appreciation of art and a nod to the heroes of the pandemic and you have a winner of a novel.

I can't say enough good things about this title and I read it in one sitting. The author uses the Covid-19 pandemic as a backdrop and incorporates it into the story in a creative way. What if you were on vacation on a remote island when the world stopped and couldn't get back to your loved ones? That's the premise of this brilliant story that had be riveted and turning the page until the end. I was sobbing at the end of this book and I have a few questions to ask Ms. Picoult if our paths ever cross.

Follow Diana through her journey at the beginning of Covid-19 in NYC. Except she leaves behind her boyfriend Finn, a doctor doing his residency and unable to take their previously scheduled vacation to the Galapagos. But of course, Covid-19 is everywhere which Diana soon learns. She can't escape it, she just escaped Finn and wound up in a weird weird place.

How could you not love the exploration of Isabela Island with the locals? I'll say that this book takes some turns that I didn't love, that made me wonder if this will stand any test of time. But I believe it was the book Picoult needed to write to get through this pandemic and I think it may be the book some people need to read to help process it.

Jodi Picoult sure does her research! Every single time I have ever read a book from her I have learned a great deal. While this book was a bit scary to read so soon during our current Covid situation, I also believe it is a must for future generations to see what exactly we went through/are going through. Definitely eye opening to truly see how Covid is affecting everyone, even those that did not come down with the sickness themselves. I appreciate the stories and the time Jodi Picoult put into making sure this book was extremely accurate!

Jodi Picoult is undoubtedly a master storyteller, and this tale taking place during the COVID days resonated with me, as it would with every other reader these days. A young woman follows her fiancé on his medical quest and witnesses unbearable difficulties as a result. A beautiful and harrowing story!

Jodi Picoult delivers another timely, thoughtful book. This one may be more controversial than others given the topic is Covid 19, and so many people don't want to hear that it's more than just the flu and killing a lot of people. Ms. Picoult does a good job of telling the stories of the victims and the medical staff while serving up a big twist.

I am truly at a loss for words about this novel. The novel starts when the world changed for everyone - the coronavirus .. the pandemic. But the story is just not about the pandemic it about the human spirit and our instinct of survival. It is about courage, love and resilience. All the characters in this story, flaws and all are perfect examples of this spirt. It also is a wonderful tribute all the front-line workers, the people that suffered and lived through covid and a tribute to those of us that believed.

At the age of 29 Diana O’Toole has planned out her life and it looks like things are heading in the right direction - married by 30, kids by 35, living in the suburbs of NYC and climbing the ladder at the prestige auction house Sotheby. Living with boyfriend and soon to be fiancé, Finn, a surgical resident at a NYC hospital is about to head off Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, for a romantic vacation.

But March 2020 happens with a deadly virus making NYC the epicenter and Finn must stay behind. Not wanting to let the non-fundable trip go to waste Finn encourages Diana to go on the trip without him. This trip does not go as planned - her luggage is lost, Isla Isabella shuts down along with all the businesses and hotels, WIFI is virtual non-existent, stranded plus Diana doesn’t speak the language. What was she thinking?

Isolation forces Diana out of her comfort zone and she is befriended by a local family; Abuela, Gabriel and Beatriz. I have always said things happen for a reason. This unexpected turn of events gets Diana to re-examine her life, her relationships, choices, life direction and what will she be like when she returns home. There are moments when Diana unexpectantly receives emails from Finn who is on the front line fighting this deadly disease - these emails are absolutely frightening, sad and gives you the reader an understanding as to what the front-line workers endured every single day.

In true Picoult fashion WISH YOU WERE HERE has quite the twist, one I was not expecting. There is a reason why Jodi Picoult is one my all-time favorite authors - she has such a gift of pulling you into a story that when that unexpected thing happens your mouth drops open, she makes you want to turn the next page, she makes you want to stay up all hours of the night reading because you just can’t seem to close the book until you find how it ends.

With every book I have read (22 out of now 27 novels) that Jodi Picoult has written I always learn something through her amazing storytelling and WISH YOU WERE HERE is no exception. From delving into the art world, Toulouse-Lautrec, to exploring the Isla Isabella with its amazing habitat, to the Covid wards in NYC and the struggles that all health care workers and covid patience experience are told through Diana, Finn and Diana’s Galápagos friends.


Jodi you get all the stars and more

I havent read a Picoult book in a while. The last one I read just didnt do it for me. But #Netgalley answered my request for this one and I must admit, it was a page-turner. Simple story - Diana O'Toole had her life all planned out. From her dream job to marrying her surgeon boyfriend.

But then the pandemic hit and life changed. She and Finn were planning on going on vacation in the Galapagos and being a surgeon, Finn had to remain behind to take care of the many cases flooding the hospital. But not being able to get a refund, Finn encourages her to go by herself....and she decides to, and in doing so changes her life forever.

By then I am thinking she meets someone on the island and questions her life in NY - but Picoult takes us in an entirely different direction with this one. One you will be turning the pages to find out what happens, questioning what you think you know about life and realize how blessed you really are. I loved this story and you will too. Place on your TBR list for it is to be released November 30, 2021 #Netgalley #WishYouWereHere #Picoult #fourstars

Is it possible to live in an alternate universe and not know it? To have a whole complete other life so real and vivid you can reach out and touch it whenever you want, you only need stretch your finger one more inch and there you are touching it? If that is possible then could it also be said that that universe has an alternate and that one and that one, etc..

Diane O'Toole is a associate specialist in the cutthroat art auction world for Sotheby’s.. She is a shoe in to being the top associate. but first she has to go on vacation with her boyfriend. That's when the Covid-19 virus hits. He is a doctor so he stays behind but since it is a nonrefundable ticket she goes on ahead to the Galapagos. That is whee things get interesting, where you wonder if whether she will stay true to her boyfriend, whether she will betray her new young friend..

But is this the real reality or the alternate one

You have got to get this book to find out;. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Mind blown! I don’t even really know what to say because I don’t want to give any of the amazing plot away. I love Picoult but was a little let down by her previous book. She is totally redeemed in my mind. I could not put this book down. I finished it in 24 hours. Initially I thought that I may not be ready to read this book. With so much of it revolving around Covid- it felt too soon. And it may be too soon for some people. However, I kept reading and am blown away. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of I Wish You Were Here.

Absolutely stunning novel! Diana had her life all planned out. Her boyfriend, Finn, a resident at the hospital, was going to propose to her while on vacation in the Galapagos and all their plans would fall into place after that. But just days before they were due to leave the pandemic hit and Finn could not leave, so Diana went alone. On the island everything was on lockdown and her communication with Finn was sporadic. Finn would send her emails filled with the hardships of the covid patients and his own difficulties dealing with dying patients every day. Amazing story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jodi Picoult is back in the game with this touching and emotional novel set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diana is nearly 30, about to make a major sale in her art auction job, and is happily in a relationship with surgical resident Finn. They are about to take a two week vacation to the Galápagos, and Diana just knows Finn is going to propose to her there.

Life is perfect.

Until the very real COVID-19 pandemic hits NYC.

It’s all hands on deck at the hospital where Finn works, and there’s no way he can leave for vacation. He convinces Diana to go without him so that the money they spent isn’t completely wasted.

Reluctantly, she goes on the trip, but it’s not the luxurious dream vacation she had in mind. The island has shut down and everyone is in lockdown. There are no ferries to get to the airport, and no flights to get her back home. The hotel she was supposed to stay at is closed.

Luckily, she meets a local woman who lets her stay at the empty apartment attached to her house. Feeling isolated and completely alone, Diana meets a local family who help her out and start to embrace her.

The longer she’s on the island and the more she starts to enjoy it, Diana will question many things about her life - what she wants out of it and who she wants in it.

While some readers may not be ready to embrace a story set during COVID times, I couldn’t help myself. Picoult writes a gripping story that is largely unputdownable. As usual, it’s immediate how much research she put into it. We learn about the world of art (and art auctions), the culture of the Galápagos, and of course...the pandemic.

What I really appreciated was learning about the emergency healthcare workers on the frontline in the early days of lockdown when there were so many unanswered questions. Of course, I’ve read and seen stories on the news, but Picoult personally interviewed so many of them and used their experiences in the story. She’s right when she says we can never thank them enough for all that they do.

I wish I could go into more detail with my thoughts, but I’m not able to do so without giving spoilers. I can imagine that what happens in this book might not sit well with ALL readers, but ultimately it worked for me and made me think. Again, the research Picoult did is astounding...but it’s not information overload (unlike her last book which shoved Egypt down my throat).

The author’s note is a must-read as Picoult goes into detail about the writing and research for the book, and how it came to fruition. I absolutely loved reading about her writing journey.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 11/30/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

This book is SO intense. Jodi Picoult takes on COVID, and delivers a raw, beautiful story. This book is a rollercoaster so I'd recommend going in without any information. I appreciate Picoult's ability to take on hard topics, and would highly recommend this! A quick warning it is INTENSE and really dives into the early days of covid. It felt *very* heavy to read this book especially since we are still in this.

4.5 rounded up

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing an early copy to review!

I was beyond thrilled to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Jodi Picoult is one of my absolute favorite authors and was so excited to read this. This book is the first I've really read that is based on COVID. LOVED IT! This book is amazing as are all of her earlier books. READ IT ASAP!