Finally. The newest book by one of my favorite authors, and I am dying to talk about! Wish You Were Here takes place in the early days of the Covid pandemic began…. and when I saw that I immediately did not want to read it.

But I’m glad I did because it wasn’t what I expected at all. I can’t say too much without spoiling, but I highly recommend giving this a chance. To escape NY on the day the pandemic began to be stranded on a tropical island in the Galapagos... be still my heart. Thank you @netgalley for the advance copy.

I finished reading Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult a few days ago and needed to take some time to wrap my head around all that happens in the novel and let it settle. This is a fascinating novel, taking you down one road and then abruptly shifting from what you believed was happening to something completely different.

Diana O'Toole is happily living her life according to her master plan and is ready for the next step. She and her partner Finn, a surgical resident are preparing to take a trip to the Galapagos Islands, one they had planned and saved for that was special to them. Just before they were preparing to leave, Covid hits and Finn can't leave the hospital but asks that Diana go by herself and she takes off without him.

The first half of the book details her wonderful trip, the people she meets, the rythym of life on the island and how happy she is...which is making her question her entire life plan and her life in New York. But when she can finally return from Galapagos, she returns to a far different reality.

This novel will make you see a different side of the Covid virus and pandemic, how it affects the health care workers, the patients and how it continues to affect them. I was fortunate not to get the virus, but I watched my daughter and two young granddaughters suffer with it. My heart goes out to those who suffered and to those who lost family members, friends and neighbors to this insidious disease. Wish You Were Here is the second Covid novel I've read and it's most likely the best one I'll ever read. Jodi Picoult has done a marvelous job of portraying the feelings of those who treat patients and of the patients themselves. She is a master at portraying people as they really are and has done an incredible job with this novel.

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a lot of Ms. Picoult's work, with "Leaving Time" being my favorite... when I saw that her newest is set during the Pandemic, I was very interested & so pleased to get a chance to read it. It's almost still "too much" but a very needed story. Staring in March 2020, we have Diana & Finn, who are New Yorker's about to go on a dream vacay to the Galapagos... but then Finn, who's an MD can't go (cuz ya know) and Diana goes w/o him... to a remote island where she is trapped. Both the story and research done will take the reader on a trip through what we have all collectively experienced, would like to forget, and never will. Moving and so important, it's my first "COVID book", and I am so pleased to have taken the journey with Jodi Picoult! ALL THE STARS & highly recommend. My thanks to the author, publisher & Net Galley for the ARC.

In 2016, 2018, and 2020 I read and reviewed Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, Spark of Light, and The Book of Two Ways, with each earning five stars (and two of the three getting my “You HAVE to read this book”). I also noted that “when a friend and former library co-worker basically sniffed her disapproval when I told her I liked Jodi Picoult’s books, our friendship was changed forever.” I worked for several years in public libraries and tried not to be judgmental of people’s reading preferences, or to let the fact that someone thought Danielle Steel wrote great literature to negatively impact my opinion of them. But really, I don’t get it. I know JP is writing for a mass market – and sometimes her resolutions might be just a bit too neat for snooty readers. But I’ll admit right up front, I am a sucker for a well-plotted story that makes me think about a social issue or two along the way. So, here we are, a year early for her biannual novel release...and what other issue could she tackle if not the pandemic and COVID-19? Wish You Were Here is Picoult’s latest, and it’s...complicated.

The topic might turn some people off, as in “I am living this nightmare, I want to escape COVID when I read.” Better look elsewhere then, because this story captures both the pure terror of the medical issues as well as the resulting emotional toll on individuals and relationships. The story begins on March 12, 2020, the day after Broadway theaters shut down. Diana O’Toole and her ER doctor boyfriend are just about to leave on their dream trip to The Galapagos...what could possibly go wrong? Of course he can’t go, he’s a freaking ER doc! Diana is devastated, so when he tells her to go ahead and go without him, she does...and she is dumped right into a completely new way of being, immersed in life with a family that causes her to reevaluate everything.

Of course, there is a twist. And this one is huge! I so hope reviewers are careful about spoilers, because I think the experience of reading this book would be completely different for a reader who knows what’s coming.

I have found myself recently thinking about the written history of this pandemic, and whether people will get the way EVERYTHING changed in 2020. Ms. Picoult has done an amazing job capturing the horror, confusion, and shared experience of millions of people, when she notes “There is a profound difference between knowing your situation is temporary and not knowing what’s coming next.” I’m not sure whether the fact that the release of this is not until November 2021 will have an impact, given that it seems so many people are so over the whole thing, and are claiming “it’s over! Take off your masks!” etc. (for the record, I don’t think it is over and I’m still wearing a mask in Summer 2021, despite the “opening up” of things in California.

Impossible to avoid spoilers if I get into any details, so I will just say it has the excellent character development Picoult fans expect. It’s also emotionally wrenching and, although I wasn’t wild about the ending, I am not sure how she might have done it differently and still have us care so much about the people we met along the way. Diana learns that “...trying to figure out what happened to me isn’t important. It’s what I do with what I’ve learned that counts.”

Picoult does a great job presenting the daily reality of living through this past pandemic year. I recommend this book highly, and look forward to re-reading it in a year or so when (I hope) the pandemic truly is under control. Thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for this honest review. Five stars.

This is far from the first time I thought this, but: how smart, how wise, how talented, is Jodi Picoult?

I’m excited if I wear shoes during the pandemic; she writes a novel that brings so much of the pandemic in focus.

I found the book really hard to read, and am so glad I read it. As JP often does, she writes about thoughts and experiences I don’t even know are mine until she describes them.

The book is painful, fearful, joyful, uplifting and occasionally hilarious. (Could Rodney get his own book?)

What if what’s perfect and what’s planned isn’t a perfect plan for you? How do you know?

What if our loved ones are more complicated than we know?

This is a perfect book club book. To vastly understate, it is quite a read.

“Just” the author’s note made me cry.

#WishYouWereHere #NetGalley

I love a Jodi Picoult book. And this is the first book I have read that was around the pandemic. I thought it was one of the best books she has written. It grabbed me from the beginning. A solid five stars for this wonderful novel.

An amazing book to encapsulate the feelings and thoughts of the people who have experience COVID in one way or another. The peak of the book was unexpected for me and I couldn’t believe what happened. Definitely a worthy read in my opinion.

Until today, I would have told anyone that SMALL GREAT THINGS was the best book by Jodi Picoult. Today I finished reading WISH YOU WERE HERE and now this is my favorite Picoult book. What an amazing read. I literally could not put this down and read it in one sitting. The "twist" in the middle was amazing (no spoilers) and I loved how the novel began on March 13, 2020. I also vividly remember that day. I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for publishing Jodi Picoult's "surprise" novel. 10 stars!!

I received a free advanced ebook of <i>Wish You Were Here</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Picoult's latest is certainly unexpected. Diana has an exciting and PLANNED life - she works for Sotheby's in NYC with a clear upward path; she's almost engaged to Finn, a medical resident who shares her goals; and she had an absent mother who traveled the world as a photographer but now has early onset Alzheimer's. Finn and Diana's expected trip to the Galapagos is now uncertain as the world shuts down and Covid counts take over the evening news.

At first when I realized that Covid was a dominant thread through this novel I almost set it aside. My world may be opening but the threat continues. In the hands of a lesser writer the pandemic could be used too fleetingly or too oppressively. Here Picoult stresses the overwhelming uncertainty but with a foundation of the human need to connect to others. That humanity is the core of this novel.

Diana visits the Galapagos but without the amenities, including her suitcase. Here Diana is suddenly adrift as covid quarantine shuts everything down and she has no place to stay, no cell phone signal, and no ability to speak Spanish. Meanwhile Finn is overwhelmed working in a NYC hospital as shortages and patient death count increase while treatments and hope are severely limited. So much for a PLANNED life.

#WishYouWereHere #NetGalley

Was lucky enough to be given an ARC of this book ! Love when I get to read my favorite author's early ! This is probably one of the best books by her in a few years, in my opinion ! Timely as it discusses the pandemic, but it touches on so many other issues and emotions ! It's a real tug on the heart strings ! It is really hard to say what the book is about without giving too much away so I am not going to do that ! This is the kind of book you need to read without really knowing what it is about so you get the full effect and weight of the story ! Enjoyed this very much !

Worthy of dropping everything I was doing when I received notification that Jodi Picoult has a new ARC title on Net Galley!. This is a beautifully written story about Diana, a Sotheby’s employee, who has a dream vacation coming up with her boyfriend, Finn when COVID hits NYC..
Did I feel like reading a book about Covid?Heck no. Was it amazing? YES!! Typical for Jodi Picoult, Wish you Were Here is an absolute winner! All the feels that come along with this one will have you flipping through the pages at lightning speed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC. I have been a long time fan of Jodi Picoult and have never missed a book, so imagine my excitement at being given an advance copy of her latest novel, Wish You Were Here. I literally dropped everything I was doing to read this, and found I couldn't put it down...yes, takeout for dinner, no time to cook. I love the depth of research she does when focusing on a particular subject and she does this in a timely manner to write about the COVID 19 Pandemic. Providing the doctor's perspective on how difficult and traumatizing it is to treat patients undergoing treatment is by itself worthy. She then combines that with the equally descriptive storyline of someone who has undergone intubation and induced coma and the difficult road to recovery. As usual, Picoult finds a way to thread the important information that is the focus of the book, in this case, the pandemic, along with her ability to tell a story that is deeply touching. Highly recommend reading this new Picoult novel.

If this book is any indication, Jodi Picoult made excellent use of her 2020 COVID lockdown! The book isn't like anything the author has written before. There appears to be no really controversial subject, and no multiple points of view or rotating chapter voices. In fact, the story begins in a normal fashion - Diana O'Toole and her doctor beau are planning a getaway to the Galapagos Islands, where she believes he will propose. Just as they are ready to depart, COVID hits New York City and he cannot go. He convinces Diana to go without him, as the trip is nonrefundable. She reluctantly agrees, and travels to the place where Darwin's theory of natural selection began. So begins this fascinating, surprising, unique, and somewhat mystical story. The writing is strong and the characters vivid and believable. I highly recommend this unusual book. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for providing an ARC.

Loved it. Each half of the book was beautifully and thoughtfully done, and the twist in the middle was unexpected. I didn’t want it to end. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Company for sending me an early copy.

Jodi Picoult has done it again! This story is so well written, characters so well developed and will keep you turning page after page until the end. Mirroring the last year, the details about the pandemic and quarantine are very well written and will still be relevant many years from now. Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this wonderful title. It’s fresh poignant and so important to remember this time. Jodi Picoult’s fiction is a wonderful vessel for this - loved it.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - You can never fail picking up a Jodi Picoult book to read - they are always great!
This was so about today and what the world has been going through with COVID
Diane, and an art auction person and Flint her boyfriend plan a trip to go to the islands. Then Flint's job as a surgical resident says he cannot take the time off - he is needed at work - he tells her to go as they already have the tickets.
She goes alone, her luggage is lost, wi-fi is bad - the island shuts down and she has to adapt to a totally different vacation. She meets a man and his daughter and as the relationship begins to progress she wonders about her relationship with Flint.
With a world shut down, life has changed and so has Diane. Will her relationship with Flint be the same when she returns? Will life ever go back to normal? Grab this book to find the answers!

As an art associate specialist prepares for a vacation she has saved for nears, Covid 19 begins in the United States. Her boyfriend, a doctor, won’t be able to make the trip. He urges her to use her ticket so that she will be away from the virus and safe. Diana arrives at the island only to find that it is closing for two weeks. She must decide to stay or return home. She decides to stay not realizing that everything on the island will be closed. She has no place to stay and no food until a kindly lady takes her in and has her stay in the unused apartment below hers.

Diana establishes a routine and befriends several of the people living on the island. One of her new friends is a young girl that shows her some of the hidden beauty on the island. She discovers that she has developed feelings for one of her new friends. Does this attraction signify a change in her feelings for her boyfriend?

Jodi Picoult has created an emotionally raw look at the effects of COVID-19 on our lives. Diana’s boyfriend, Finn, works 36 hour shifts in the Covid ward. He is sad, scared, tired and frustrated. Diana gets Covid and recuperates. Picoult takes the reader by the hand and leads us through Diana’s recuperation. The daily frustration and fear is evident. We have all been through this mess and with a gentle hand, Jodi Picoult shows us that we can emerge from the darkness and carry on.

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Fascinating book about a woman who gets COVID and is unconscious for ten days. During that time she experiences a whole other life where she lives and meets people (and coincidentally is stranded because of the pandemic.) - when she wakes up she can’t believe it wasn’t real. In true JP fashion, she has interviewed and researched doctors and covid survivors and long haulers and a large percentage report having incredibly vivid dreams and parallel lives.

Powerful. As usual Jodi Picoult will have you hooked with this novel. Dianna and Finn have planned a trip to the Galápagos Islands and it’s finally time to go. But then COVID hits and Finn suggests she go by herself since he can’t leave. Through this novel experience the beginning of the pandemic from Finn and Diana’s viewpoint and see how they cope, how it affects them and the choices they make and be reminded of where you were and how you felt at the very beginning.

Thank you NetGalley, Jodi Picoult and Ballantine Books for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner