The novel takes place in the year 2020 as the main character is living in the COVID impacted year. Diana has a plan for her life, but COVID derails what she thinks she knows and wants. I really enjoyed this novel, but I would like a true ending for the book. This is the second novel that I have read my Piccoult that doesn't have a true conclusion. If she continues this writing style, I won't be reading her work anymore.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. She's the reason why I wanted to become a writer and am one. Wish You Were Here is such an amazing book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and did not want it to end. I liked Diana... She had this feistiness to her that was entertaining at times. The way Jodi told the experience of the pandemic through Diana's perspective was so vivid and accurate. My parents had covid and both survived it. My dad has alzheimers and when he got covid, he was so out of it. It really hit home reading about Diana's mother because I know what it's like to have a parent who is sick with dementia. I highly recommend this book to everyone. This is now one of top favorite books by Jodi Picoult. Such an amazing read and never a dull moment.

No spoilers...

This novel focuses mainly on the experiences and thoughts of one particular woman, Diana O'Toole, during the surreal period of time surrounding the initial changes in the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the narrative didn't go anywhere that I had expected given the synopsis, I am sure that it will create an intense dialogue and would make an excellent choice for a book club. Finding myself unable to really give an analysis of the story because of possible spoilers, I do think that there were several truths that were articulated quite well by the author even though I'll admit that I really hated the ending. Isolation, quarantine, multiple losses, and the realization that most everything is not really under our control were universal experiences during the lockdowns. Changes happened. Are any of us the same person we were before this virus exploded?

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

More to come after publication.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
I did not realize before I started reading that this book dealt with the pandemic. I found it to be a hard read because pandemic events are way too close. But I kept going and found the underlying issues raised were some most of us are dealing with. Wonderful characters are beautifully developed and believable. Probably I would have handled it better a couple of years down the road.

Early access to the new Jodi Picoult book! I was delighted to read this one and did not see the twist coming. I enjoyed this one very much. Every time that there is a new book out by Jodi, I am also anxious to get them and see them. I enjoy that I learn new things while having a story woven in so perfectly. Thank you for the amazing opportunity to review this one.

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I saw it was Jodi Picoult and started reading. I wasn't prepared for it to be about Covid already, and it might be too soon for some readers. I think we all felt like we were on an island during some point in 2020. I wasn't prepared for there to be a twist. Ms. Picoult has done a wonderful job of once again giving several sides to a current and difficult topic.

Jodi Picoult is one of the most amazing authors of this generation. Initially, in the beginning of the book, I was disappointed in the story line Then she hits you with a punch that will knock you out. Have been telling everyone what a marvelous story and writer she is! Kudos Ms. Picoult!

I'm delighted that I was able to read an advance copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I requested it on the basis of Picoult's previous books and didn't know much about the plot. I think it was one of her most clever books to date; I was stunned by events in the book, and that doesn't happen often. She truly brought her characters to life. Had I realized so much of the book was about COVID, I might not have chosen to read it, but I'm very glad I did. There are things in the book that I normally would have found unbelievable, but they worked in this particular scenario. The book is very powerful and thought-provoking, and I think it would make an excellent choice for book discussion groups. I highly recommend it.

Another wonderful read by Jodi Picoult.
A novel that raises questions. Makes you think about how much time is truly left in your life and if you’re where you need to be. A fictionally real adaptation of the pandemic we all just lived through, I ended this book with a sigh, knowing that it’s time to fully start living this life. Because tomorrow is never promised.

When the COVID-19 virus erupted from Wuhan, China in early 2020, the entire world was affected. As the months wore on, various mandates were enacted in an effort to ameliorate the effects of the virus on the human race, I wondered how it would be chronicled by the artists of the world. Now in mid 2021; as we are finally seemingly on the back side of the pandemic, Wish You Were Here has appeared. The main character, Diana, is on a career track at Sotheby’s and has almost convinced “Yoko Ono” to allow Sotheby’s to auction a Toulouse Lautrec painting when the pandemic is starting. Her boyfriend Finn is a surgeon in NYC and is soon overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. They had planned an extensive trip to the Galápagos Islands for this exact time and Diana goes alone since Finn couldn’t get away. The author has crafted an imaginative story with well developed characters and a message basically to Carpe Diem. I’m not sure why she felt the need to change the names of the Beatles, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC due to be published in November 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of Wish You Were Here from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

My only lament: I wish there was more! Jodi Picoult sure knows how to tug at a reader’s emotions. I laughed, cringed, and commiserated with Diana, who gradually became a quasi-unreliable narrator. Her time on the Galapagos Island, Isabella, spent with Gabriel and his daughter, Beatriz, were my favorite parts of the novel. This author depicts the choreography of new (and existing)relationships in such a way that I feel like I am there with them. Fantastic novel!

I haven't read a book quite this before and I wasn't sure if I was ready for a book so realistically depicting the way the world changed in March 2020, but I am grateful that I read this new novel by Jodi Picoult. For me, this was the best book I have read by this author in a while and I think it was because of the way in which she wrote a realistic fiction book that was clearly accurate and vividly real regarding something that the entire world went through. The variety of characters in this book and their personal interactions with Covid, reminded me so much of different experiences that people I know personally had during this time, including myself. I think that relatability is what made this such a strong read for me. The author's note at the end had me teared up because one of the things that truly got many of us through this time period was reading and other artistic outlets and with this story, Picoult shows how she was able to deal with what she was feeling and experiencing. I do think that this book may be hard for some people to read due to the emotional impact of the pandemic, but I am glad I was given a chance to read it early by netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jodi Picoult has written another amazing novel. After her last, I was a bit apprehensive about this one, but put what I was reading aside to devour this one as soon as I received it. Wish You Were Here is well written and as is often the case with Picoult novels, takes on current events. I learned several things about the medical treatments and struggles the people in the medical field endured during the Covid pandemic. It was not an overwhelming amount of boring knowledge, but just enough to bring empathy to the story. The mention of the Galapagos islands in the description really grabbed my attention as it is a bucket list item for me and the parts about Diane's stay there was a nice "vacation" from the Covid struggles addressed within the novel. Picoult wowed me, educated me, and took me on an emotional rollercoaster with this one. I can't wait for it to be released so I can recommend it to my book club!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC - I was so elated when I got the copy of this book!!! I love all Jodi Picoult books so I put it to the top of my list and was NOT disappointed!!! The story starts March 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. Not to give any spoilers, but there is a huge twist I did not see coming. The characters evolved as I think we all did throughout this pandemic.
Definitely recommend!!!!

At first I was a bit disappointed as I didn't think this read like a Jodie Picoult book. My only advice; keep reading!! In classic Jodie style you'll enjoy the story and learn a lot along the way. As is her style this book is well researched and I enjoyed learning about art (especially The Girl with the Balloon piece) and about the Galapagos Islands. I'm guessing this is the first, of many books, that I will read that has Covid as a subplot. It may even become its own genre;)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In a twist on travel in time and space, Picoult uses the Covid epidemic as a jumping off place for Diana O'Toole to rethink her life. Stranded in the Galapagos at the start of the Covid epidemic, she worries about Finn, her fiancé who is a doctor on the front lines of the epidemic in New York City.

Diana ends up spending months in the islands, a vacation they had planned together. She meets someone else, and learns to cope with no communications with the outside world and living in a place where she doesn't speak the language.

Eventually reuniting with Finn, Diana is forced to question everything she knew, or thought she knew about her life. Her job at Sotheby's is gone, her best friend no longer understands her, and she's no longer sure she wants to spend her life with Finn.

Fans of Picoult's previous books will enjoy this one, especially the surprise she has in store for readers. This one is a good read.

I wish I could give this book 6 stars. I love Jodi Picoult and started reading synopsis unread. I read for escapism and I was shocked to read about the early months of Covid (who wants to read about that). I found the early chapters about Covid chilling and wished that I could share (possibly scream) the wisdom I’ve learned the last year with the characters on the front line. I found reading about the desperation and fear we felt was chilling to read and experience again. As Diana starts her travels, I wanted to scream into the story to go home to Finn, shelter in place- this will not end in 2 weeks! As Diana embarked on the islands, I found the budding relationship with the inhabitants endearing and the descriptions of the landscape intriguing. Then, the BIG TWIST occurs and I am shook! I questioned everything that I read! I was relieved, shocked and disturbed by the turn of events. The second half of the story is unexpected, but I could visualize the story play out if I was reading non fiction. I was gutted by the ending, but found peace in the charters choices. An incredible read that will touch you long after the end of the story. I also read the Authors note, which I found intriguing and worth the read.

Wow, I really enjoyed this one! This book was really relatable because I (and the rest of the world) have and are living during the pandemic in which this story takes place. Covid-19 has affected everyone, whether significantly or not. Diana thought she had it all...the great job, the loving boyfriend, and great apartment in Manhattan. And she did. Until Covid happened. It took her on a beautiful and painful journey in both the present and not so present while fighting for her life on a ventilator. It's amazing how our brains work. Diana truly thought her time in the Galapagos had really happened. And while she was there she realized that what she had back home may not really be what she needed or wanted for her life. Once she recovered she took time to reflect on what happened and made some really important and life changing decisions about her mother, her career, and her boyfriend. As much as I understood she did what she needed to do, I will admit, it made me a little disappointed that Diana and Finn didn't end up together in the long run. They both really loved each other and had hoped to plan a future together. Diana knew he was the perfect person, but just not for her. Tragedy can make you rethink life and what it really means to you. And as hard as it was, that's exactly what she did. Thank you Jodi for another great read! And thank you to Net Galley for sending this ARC to me, it was one of my favorites!

As a long-time Jodi Picoult fan, I was nervous about reading Wish You Were Here. At this moment, we are still in the end-stages of a pandemic, and I wasn't sure I was ready to read a fictionalized story about it. I should have trusted my favorite author more. She put heart and soul into telling a story around COVID-19 that will tug at your heartstrings today and keep others reading about this moment in time for decades to come.

The writing is beautiful, the story is unexpected, and the ending is unforgettable.