I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! I'm always excited for another Jodi Picoult book but this one was so timely. It brought back so many feelings from the early days of Covid and the shut down and how there were so many things we just didn't know. It was a scary time. This book was so good and left me with so many feelings that It took over 2 weeks before I could write this review. If you had or lost someone to Covid this book may be hard for you to read.

Diana is in her late 20's and her life is moving in the right direction. Her boyfriend, Finn, is a surgical resident. They are scheduled to go on vacation to the Galapagos Islands where he will propose. Covid is heating up in New York and Finn tells her to go on vacation without him. So she does. I won't go past this point to avoid any spoilers.

As always, Jodi's novels have a twist and this one is no different. I unfortunately read another review that had a spoiler in it that wasn't disclosed so I had an idea of the twist.

I give this 5/5 stars. I only wish it was coming out sooner than Nov.

Given that we are still in the middle of a pandemic, there were parts of the book that were hard to read. Still, the book was a tremendous story that captures how quickly our world changed as a result of COVID. And the storyline was captivating. I wanted to see the Galapagos for myself after reading the book. And I wanted to read more about how everyone’s lives turned out! A book I will recommend to everyone! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the book. This is my honest review.

Thank you Random House publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. This is not your typical JP book with a moral dilemma. There is quite a twist in this novel, that focuses on what lives have been like for medical personnel and covid patients over the past year and a half. The twist made the book more enjoyable, but I think for me it is a bit too soon to be reading about covid “historical fiction” novels.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book that was centered on COVID. Would this just be a rehash of what we have lived for the past 1+ year? Ugh

It didn’t take long to get caught up in the story. This was a book I couldn’t read fast enough but kept slowing down because I didn’t want it to end. There’s was a plot twist that caught me totally off guard and made the story more intriguing. All I can say is - wow!

"How are we going to chronicle this pandemic?" Jodi Piccoult asked this and then did it, with her usual skill. I was, again, up all night to read a Piccoult book in one sitting. It was so real, each character being fully developed and the scenes being full of life (and death). The Covid pandemic begins at the same time as the book, and is told in first person with emails telling another side of the pandemic. It is about so much more than just surviving, it is about truly living.

Jodi Picoult writes an informative novel about a young, driven, female New Yorker who contracts Covid 19 and winds up on a ventilator and lives to tell the tale. Her in depth research reveals a fascinating novel about what it is like to come back from almost dying, Dreams and hallucinations seem to be a common denominator among those who have been on ventilators during the pandemic and Picoult’s heroine is no exception. But more importantly, they all realized what is really important in life. I think the pandemic has changed us all and our worlds will never be the same...hopefully a lot for the better as our heroine finds out! This is a really quick read; I couldn’t put it down.

I LOVED this book! This is the first book I’ve really read that had the COVID-19 plot line and it was so relatable it was scary. The plot kept me engaged and had the typical themes and twists I would expect from Picoult. Such a great read for hopefully the end of COVID-19.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review!

Wow, what a book! I cannot imagine how Picoult put together a book like this in such a short time.

Using one primary character, Diana, and a cast of those around her in her life, Picoult has managed to put together a relatable, highly readable book with scores of issues we all relate to, around the pandemic. This is a love story, not just between people, but with life. Priorities - what really matters in life - compared to the maps we've drawn, are analyzed and refined (just as COVID has done for most of us) without being preachy. One person's fictional experiences help the reader understand their own experiences in this unusual time.

But beyond all that - beyond the emotional and the lessons learned, this is a beautiful book with gorgeous descriptions of the Galapagos Islands; a love story; and some side stories about parent/child relationships. Naturally, there's an exquisite twist. I wish I had the words to review this book as beautifully as it deserves.

Picoult's latest, Wish You Were Here, is beyond timely; it's set in New York City and Isabela (a Galapagos island), in March of 2020. Unlike a number of novels and television shows and films coming out in these next months, Picoult has tackled the coronavirus pandemic head on. Diana and Finn seem like the perfect Manhattan couple; goal-oriented people with solid careers and a relationship to match. Diana works for Sotheby's, an upscale art auction house and Finn is a surgical resident at a hospital nearby. They were supposed to leave for vacation in the Galapagos, but as the threat of COVID-19 was getting closer to their beloved city, they have to decide -- will Diana go on this non-refundable vacation alone? Maybe ride out this infectious storm somewhere safer and warmer? As Jodi Picoult's books often do, they delve into separate storylines that reconnect flawlessly. Without spoilers, be prepared for intense, life-altering scenarios coming out of the beaches and Isabela, as well as the hallways where the masked, gloved, and shielded healthcare communities essentially reside. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this novel is one future students read to better understand the coronavirus pandemic. Definitely a must read for now and the future.

A timely piece about having a plan for your life and realizing it is no longer the plan you want. Living through a near death experience that seems more real than her actual life, Diana has a choice to make. Stay in her comfortable, predictable life, or change it completely. A quick read full of emotional ups and downs.

I absolutely loved this book. A true testament to the health care workers, and an enlightening novel all around.

Jodi Picoult is one of the few authors whose books I will read no matter what the subject matter. She is never afraid to tackle tough and timely topics, and this novel is no different. Somehow she found a way to write another masterpiece of a story during the COVID pandemic and lockdown. As with many of her novels, you'll get about halfway through and have the rug pulled out from under you in a magnificent way; don't think anyone will see the twist coming in this book. I know that some may not want to read a COVID themed book because it hits too close to home, but I guarantee you'll enjoy this book and relate to a lot of the revelations by the protagonist. I HIGHLY recommend this book - thank you so much to NetGalley and to Ballantine Books for the advance e-copy.

Consistent with Picoult's usual M.O. a social issue is tackled in Wish You Were Here. This time it is COVID-19 and alternate realities. I really enjoyed the first 1/2 of the book taking place on the Galapagos Islands. The 2nd 1/2 of the story chronicles COVID-19 in New York and a surgeon and the protagonist's experiences with COVID 19. As a healthcare provider, I just wasn't ready to read this in a novel. If the novel stayed in the Galapagos, I'd have given it a 4.

Five stars for Wish You Were Here, Jodi PIcoult's latest thought provoking novel. Diana O'Toole has the perfect life and it's perfectly on track just as she's planned: a job she loves at Sotheby's, an amazing boyfriend Finn, the perfect wedding in the future...and then the pandemic hits. Finn, a resident in the surgery department finds himself working endless hours in the ER with Covid patients, a key client for Diana doesn't come through, and the long awaited vacation for Diana and Finn in the Galapagos is clearly not going to happen. Finn urges Diana to take the time and go anyway, and she does. But she arrives at island Isabela as all the other tourists are going home, and ends up stranded with no internet, no cell service and no place open for her to stay. Her experience on the island is the catalyst for an intense period of self exploration, at the same time she explores the island and inhabitants who are now her temporary home.

Wish You Were explores the effect of dramatic, unexpected change and how it impacts our lives in so many different and interconnected ways. Provocative, intense, engaging, Wish You Were Here is one of those books you just can't put down. Both timely and topical, it takes you inside the pandemic in a human and impactful way. Don't miss this book!

I read every book Jodi Picoult writes, sight unseen.

You can only tell how far you've come is to know where you started

Travel to Galapagos on an adventure trip!
Find you are alone on Isabela Island, as your boyfriend is in NY doctoring CoVID patients.
The descriptions were so real, I felt I was with both of them, definitely was feeling this book!
This book is another witness for our nurses were the heroes!!

This book is a book of contrasting sides -
Beauty of Galapagos to the desperation of NY ER as CoVID hits with so much unknown for treatments.

Sailors chart their path by looking at a map of the past (stars happened thousands years ago).

This is another incredible, marvelous book that everyone will want to read!!

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published November 30, 2021.

NO SPOILERS in my review but be careful in reading other reviews. Something big happens halfway through the book and you don’t want to know ahead of time.

I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult’s books for a long time. She is definitely on my short list of favorite authors. Each of her books is well-researched and vastly different from one another.

This book focuses on a perfect young couple who have their future mapped out. But then Covid happens. Finn is a resident in NYC so we hear first hand about his experiences on the front line. Diana works in art auctions at Sotheby’s and her mom is a famous photographer. She ends up going on their dream vacation to the Galápagos Islands by herself and learns a lot about herself and her life choices.

Another great book!
#wishyouwerehere
#jodipicoult
#netgalley

Review also posted on GoodReads

I am a huge Picoult fan, and am thrilled every year for a new book. Was really thrilled to get this one, as I have been to the Galapagos……but I must admit, something missed fir me here. I felt like the characters were t real, they all seemed cliched, and I also felt like it was to early to read a Covid novel. I appreciate the risk, but I much prefer her usual ethical dilemmas.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an advanced copy of this new novel.

Wish You Were Here, the new novel by Jodi Picoult has nothing to do with the Pink Floyd album of the same name, but more to do with COVID, love and what we want for our lives, and what live and reality can do to change those dreams. Like the last year, it is a lot to take in.

A book written by an author in self-isolation, about a woman with high expectations for her life, being forced to change those expectations, her occupation put on hold, possible marriage in doubt. This is a book that speaks to many about the things that were faced, and that continue to resonate around the world.

There is of course a twist. As it is a Jodi Picoult novel I am not spoiling any plot lines. How we get there is an interesting journey. Ms. Picoult as usual has done the research, on infectious diseases, medicine and even the Galapagos islands which feature in the plot. I won't say why.

Isolation is the theme of this story. Diane, our character, finds the things she thought she knew would be forever are not permanent. Well maybe hope. This is one of the first of the pandemic books to be released. It is very goods and raises many questions, some answered, many not. All we can do is to live life like another Pink Floyd song title, "Shine on You Crazy Diamond".

The first (of likely MANY!) books where the Covid-19 pandemic plays a significant role in the plot. Finn & Diana have their lives all planned out. Work in the city (NYC) for a few years, get timely promotions, marry, move to the 'burbs, have kids. Diana suspects Fill will finally propose on their trip to the Galapagos, but everything changes once the pandemic hits. Dr. Finn is slammed, Diana's job has a hiccup, and the trip is postponed for Finn, but Diana goes on alone, only to be trapped on the island.

There's a LOT of medical detail about coronavirus, a LOT of information about the Galapagos, and frankly I got a bit bored for a while. THEN (at about halfway in) everything changed. I'm glad I didn't give up since this turned into the novel I expected from Jodi Picoult -- situations ripped from the headlines, believable characters, moments of joy and heartbreak. I did not enjoy the last two books of hers I read because so much of them were just "data dumps" -- way too much information about elephants (Leaving Time) and archeology (Book of Two ways). I was afraid this one might be the same. Yes, there's a lot of medical information and jargon, but most of the book is about how Finn and Diana react to the pandemic. It's the human aspect that makes this book special. It might be too soon for some who are still suffering from the effects of Covid, but this is definitely a timely book and is a must read for those of us who are Picoult fans.

Jodi Picoult does not disappoint! She was bold and brave in tackling the themes in this book as they deal with controversial topics in our current events today. Here is a quick overview of some of these items she weaves into this story: COVID-19 & the 2020 pandemic, LGBTQ issues, mental health issues (suicide, cutting, abandonment), aging & dementia, interactions with other cultures (language barriers), losing loved ones (grief), DMT & near death experiences.

I know we’re all tired and exhausted from the pandemic and thinking of reading a book about it might not be of interest for many, BUT Jodi addresses this topic in a way that is necessary, needed, and interesting. Without giving too much of the story line away, I’ll just say that she focuses on giving a voice and viewpoint to the storyline of the Covid patient, which we don’t often hear about. There are very interesting twists and turns in this book that will make you stop and go “Wow!” It made me re-evaluate the way I thought about life and how Covid really does change things more than we realize.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.