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 absolutely devoured this book. Like all Jodi Picoult books, the theme is taken right from current headlines. Having I Wish You Were Here centered on the COVID-19 pandemic as it was first unfolding in the United States really struck a nerve with me. It brought back the tension and uncertainty I felt as a tourist out of the country, my decision to return home early, and the strange new reality I found when I arrived home. I loved how Ms. Picoult managed to keep politics out of Wish You Were Here. Viewing the pandemic from the point of view of a doctor on the front lines, as well as a stranded tourist was fascinating. I am still wrapping my head around everything Diana went through. This is a book that begs to be discussed with others. I would love to see it made into a movie.

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.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is perhaps one of her best.
A young doctor and young woman just starting at Sotheby’s with perhaps the career making deal about to happen are confronted with the early days of COVID-19.
Dr. Finn and Diana O’Toole are scheduled to take a bucket list trip to the Galapagos when it appears Dr Finn needs to stay behind and work extra shifts at his NYC hospital to help with the mounting cases. He suggests that Diana go alone and not waste the prepaid tickets.
The author deals extremely well with the very human emotions of the relationship and of Covid with isolation necessitated by same.
You will not be disappointed and certainly will be entertained with this story. Perhaps some introspection might even occur.
My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy for review purposes. Nothing was provided or expected in return.

I'm gonna say I think it was a little too early in the pandemic for this book. Altho Jodi Picoult always writes amazingly emotional books about life,, love, and searching for answers, this pandemic backdrop was too distracting for me to really enjoyt it.

What a book! It was such an amazing and intriguing story, it did not go at all like I thought it would, unexpected and wonderful. This book really seems to capture a lot of the emotions we all experienced during the pandemic. There were so many feelings and emotions that these characters experienced I could relate to and the storyline was off the charts real and so lifelike.
There were two parts in this story that I noticed errors I have included them in this review since I didn’t know how else to let you know.
“At Sotheby’s, we know art. So naturally, we would we write up the history of the time of Lautrec’s life and pitch it to the top five Imp Mod collectors in the world, and we would give
If you notice we would we write it doesn’t make sense.
Secondly,
But no, we brushed out teeth together and climbed into bed. Frowning, I sit up and pad in the darkness to the living room, calling softly for him.
We brushed out teeth, think you mean our.
Thank you and this is awesome book that truly captures the feelings, emotions and level of fear many were feeling. Thank you for writing a story that captures the good, bad and crazy side of the pandemic.

Excellent book and LOVED it. It spoke to the age of Covid and all of the aspects surrounding it. I fell for the plot twists hook line and sinker. The imagery of NYC at the height of Covid and the Galapagos Islands and
the inhabitants was very believable. I would definitely recommend this book and think it will be one of the top reads of 2021.

I feel a bit cheated, but I should've known it was going along too much like a regular romance. Not very fun reading about Covid for entertainment, but this is what she does. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I loved this book so much. At first I was a little apprehensive, this is like the third book I’ve read this year with Covid as a topic and it seems a little soon. But of course Jodi Picoult ran with that like no other. As sad as this was this book covered so many topics. I’m a person for neat endings- nothing dramatic do I was hoping for something different with Finn and Diana, but still I couldn’t put this down. An incredible look at last year and our lives and the impact and it was so well researched. Can’t recommend this enough. I did get a copy from the Publisher.

Oh, you guys, this book!

I was a little hesitant to read this one after realizing it had anything to do with COVID-19. Ugghh, I have spent the last year diving deep into my to-be-read pile to escape and avoid this bummer subject altogether.

I should have known that Jodi would never let me down. Who else could find a way to explore life and its many complex layers of reality . . . to candidly look at animal-brained survival instincts, human connections, artistic adventurous spirits, romance with true meaning and depth, and the many evolving layers of reality . . . how we each create our own existence in this world. In sickness and in health. Just WOW!

I'd like to thank the author, NetGalley, and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Wish You Were Here for an honest review.

It’s March 2020 and Diana O’Toole and her boyfriend, Dr. Finn Colson, plan to travel to the Galápagos Islands for her 30th birthday (and maybe an engagement). At the last minute Finn decides that he cannot go, so Diana goes alone. When the Covid virus hits, the island of Isabela shuts down. Diana interacts with the locals and has little, if any, communication with Finn. Jodi Picoult delves into the “what really happened” question in Wish You Were Here.

Well what am I going to read now? Because I can’t recover from this. Wish You Were Here is storytelling at its finest.
Diana and Finn have a perfect life all planned out. Until Covid hits. And then, as we have all learned, nothing is as it was before.
A trip to the Galapagos is the turning point in Diana’s life, but that is as much as I am going to share, because there are major twists in Diana’s story.
Perfect in every way, and wrapped up so well….

Really enjoyed this - and it stayed with me for a long time after finishing. Thank you for the advance reader copy.

I was able to preview "Wish You Were Here" by Jodi Picoult on NetGalley. This book kept me engrossed the entire time. I was actually shocked when I started reading the book because it begins at the beginning of Covid. There were times when I cried because this book was so truthful and touching. The main character, Diana, was easy to love and her story was so believable. The story begins in New York, then follows Diana to the Galapagos Islands. Following Covid reactions in each of those vastly different places and how Diana's relationships were different in each location. I think this book is amazing!

Welcome back, Jodi!

I am a HUGE fan of Jodi Picoult's writing. She writes with depth and intelligence. She knows how to assemble the pieces of a great story in a way that is captivating.

That being said, I've been very disappointed in the last few offerings from Jodi. In my opinion, she has sacrificed "the story" to preach her societal and political views. Judging by the declining number of reviews her most recent books have received, I don't think I stand alone with this view.

Fortunately for her fans, that's changed with "Wish You Were Here". (Yes, there a couple random and needless digs at Donald Trump, but I'm sure she couldn't go completely cold turkey)

The story is the first COVID novel I've read. She portrays the illness as the horror show that it is, but weaves a departure and a love story into the tale. It's beautifully crafted with just enough surprises to keep the reader turning pages late into the night.

This is her best offering in years!!

This is quite simply a magnificent book. I really loved the beauty and the sensitivity of the first part. I empathized with Diana, exiled far from home, unable to travel. I feel like Finn’s messages reiterated everything we had gone through, especially those of us in NYC. I felt proud of the way she adapted to her exile in the Galapagos. I understood her isolation because I spent months isolated here in NYC. The descriptions of the enchanted island were captivating. The element of romance injected just made Diana’s world more enchanting.

Then, WHAM, Picoult takes the readers for a sudden, sharp turn which I will not spoil. All I can say is this book should not be missed. I know it is the first of the “Covid” books that will be written about this strange and frightening year, but it will be difficult for any novelist to surpass this intelligent and well written novel about 2020.

Thank you Netgalley for this experience. I urge book clubs to put this on their lists, it is worth reading and discussing.

Nothing excites me more than a new Jodi Picoult novel. This one did not disappoint!

Diane O'Toole and her fiance, Finn, have their lives planned from beginning to end. However, as we all know, all plans were pushed aside when COVID-19 forced life as we knew it to drastically change. For fictional characters, Finn and Diane, that statement rings extremely true because Finn is a surgeon in New York CIty, and the couple is expected to leave for an international vacation when the United States shuts down.

For some, this book centered around COVID may come too soon. Overall, I enjoyed it. The book does have two distinct paths. I would have preferred that it stick to the one instead of head down another. Regardless, if the theme does not upset you, I would definitely recommend it. I am happy that Jodi Picoult stayed away from the heavy scientific and political roads this book could have traveled and stuck to a good fiction book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc from one of my favorite authors.