The Poppy Fields is a thought provoking story that leaves readers asking: would I be willing to risk remembering to get over my grief?

We follow unlikely travel companions on their quest to the Poppy Fields. Each with their own reasons for visiting, and each will learn along the way a little more about themselves.

I loved this story. The found friendships and self discovery made this whole story both thought provoking and moving.

AudioRead - Full Cast - Well Done!!

This book is shelved as a "Sci-Fi/Fantasy" story category. This is not your typical Sci Fi in my mind.

This is the story of the Poppy Fields, an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows people dealing with the loss of a loved one to sleep through their pain in a prolonged slumber. When they awaken from this sleep they will be healed. But there are some potentially shadowy side effects. The story follows 4 strangers who travel to make their way to the Poppy Fields. This was such a beautiful tale of love, loss and moving on in the most unexpected way.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is so unique and heartbreaking. Everyone deals with grief differently.

Nikki Erlick’s novel The Measure was one of my favorite’s and I couldn’t wait to read her newest release, The Poppy Fields.

In an isolated area of California, an experimental treatment center offers patients the opportunity to escape their grief through sleep and hopefully process the pain on an excelerated timeline. But only, if they are willing to accept the side effects. The story follows four characters as they travel from the Midwest to this location, each for their own reasons and each with their own secrets.

Erlick’s portrayal of grief and loss and how technology could address this human phenomena is a fascinating premise. I loved the way the characters connect and grow throughout the story. While the subject is heavy, the overall feeling of hope gives the novel an optimistic and upbeat feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader’s copy.

Such a unique concept and wonderful look on how non linear grief is. Overall, it was a little slow and boring, but the larger themes were intriguing.

hanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
This along with the Measure are thought-provoking, honest, and touching. I appreciated the gentle touch she uses to handle such heavy material.
Solid 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed thinking about the what ifs and hows in the experiment of “sleeping” to grieve. I think the characters in the book felt a little one dimensional but I appreciated the different world views and experiences of each of them.
Overall a good quick read - great for discussion or a book club.

🎁 📚 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓸𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓕𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓭𝓼 📚🎁
3.75/5 🌟

Nikki Erlick’s debut, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞, was a fascinating 5⭐ read for me, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her follow-up, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬.

This novel centers on a controversial retreat in California where those burdened by immense grief can undergo a deep, restorative sleep—and awaken with the jagged edges of their sorrow blunted. The center, the brainchild of Ellis (imagine Elizabeth Holmes with integrity), has drawn global attention for its promise of healing as well as the unintended side effects it produces.

The story begins when three strangers—Ava, Sasha, and Ray—are forced into a road trip from the Kansas City airport due to a storm. Each is traveling to The Poppy Fields for very different reasons. Later, they’re joined by Sky, a free-spirited 18-year-old striking out on her own. I loved watching the bonds form between Ray, Sasha, and Ava as they revealed the truths that brought them west; Sky felt somewhat extraneous to the narrative.

The novel explores themes of loss, love, family, grief, and forgiveness, with touches of the same magical realism I so enjoyed in The Measure. While the concept and characters didn’t resonate with me quite as strongly this time, Erlick excels at speculative fiction—offering bold, thought-provoking “what ifs” that linger long after the final page. Here, she asks: What price would you pay to ease excruciating grief?

With its intriguing premise, emotional core, and a few well-placed twists, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬 was an engaging read and Look forward to Erlick’s next endeavor.

Huge thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the opportunity to read this ARC! 🌺

#biblophile #stephsalwaysreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreviews #arcbookreview #tbrlist #whatshouldireadnext #5🌟reads #netgalley

Nikki Erlick has such a beautiful way with words. This, along with her other book, left me thinking. I LOVE when books make me think.

I can't say I liked this as much as The Measure, but, it was still utterly amazing. I felt attached to all the characters (except Ellis maybe) and I absolutely loved the road trip vibes. I will continue to read works from this author.

I loved the questions of grief & exploring of what matters most in this speculative fiction. I enjoyed seeing so many different responses to the option to sleep through the worst of your grief. While the different perspectives were interesting, I did struggle to feel connected to the characters as much as I think I might have if we'd been going deeper with fewer points of view. It made the twists a little less exciting, as I didn't feel as connected to the characters they were happening to. Even so, I still enjoyed this book and found it thought provoking.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚Rating*ੈ✩‧₊˚
DNF 10%

💭 Thoughts-

-ˋˏ✄┈┈Honestly, I was just confused and could not get into this. It has been sitting on my Kindle shelf for so long that I just can’t with it anymore because I do not think I will ever be able to get into this. So, I’m just going to give it a nice little soft dnf.

Let me start by saying The Measure is one of my all time favorite books so it was going to be tough to go into this one without expectations. I really tried but in the end I've just truly read too many books about grief this year. I think when I need this story it will be there waiting for me but right not it's just a not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a well written and thought provoking book. I loved the unique premise and how the story was told through several people. I enjoyed the road trip theme and how we were able to get to know and understand everyone better. Grief touched them all in different ways and yet they all had the same goal in mind.

The interviews and articles were a nice touch and a fun way to get more info on the Poppy Fields themselves.

It's definitely a character driven book, which isn't my go to but the intriguing plot held everything together nicely.

Overall such a unique and enjoyable read.

The Poppy Fields is an incredible book about love,loss,and finding your self among grief. If you love a book about found family that also includes a good roadtrip the book hits all the marks.

Completely fascinating premise. I was so hooked on the idea of this book before I even started. It told a great story but was pretty slow all throughout. There are a bunch of characters and I never felt like we really got to the meat of any of their stories. The journey was long and slow and the pay off didn’t make up for it. The plot was intriguing and had some beautiful moments. Definitely a book that would garner much conversation.

I received an advance copy of this book. All thoughts are mine alone.

3.5 stars- I started out reading this book with an open mind. I read The Measure by Nikki Erlick last year and it was really eye opening and a book that was out of my comfort zone. The Poppy Fields felt this way too. It was eye opening and made me question what choice I would make for sleeping in the Poppy Fields. I enjoyed the storyline but I didn't get into the characters much. I felt like we didn't get to know enough about them and I didn't love how their stories ended. I just couldn't buy into their friendship. Ellis was an interesting character and I enjoyed the plot twists especially with her. I didn't like Sky's character and honestly felt like she was irrelevant to the story. Overall, this was an eye opening read but fell flat for me in execution. I am interested to read more from this author in the future.

If you were experiencing overwhelming grief, would you consider a treatment where you slept for a month to wake up more able to deal with that grief? Even at the risk that you would wake feeling apathy towards the person who you have lost? That is the premise of the book and the treatment offered at the "Poppy Fields" treatment center. While on their way to the center for different reasons, 3 individuals grounded in Kansas as a result of tornado decide to make the journey together by car. Along the way we learn the reasons behind each's choice or need to reach the center and different aspects of the grief all people eventually deal with. This is thought provoking and heartfelt and made me look within myself and the losses I experienced and what choices I might make given the option.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick is one of my favorite books of recent years, so I was very much looking forward to reading her newest, The Poppy Fields. While I loved the connections to the Wizard of Oz and found the premise of the poppy fields thought provoking, overall I found the book to be very slow. I was expecting more of the plot to revolve around the poppy fields, when in reality it was more of a road trip book about characters that I wasn't able to connect with. A major theme of this book was grief and I wonder if someone who had more recently dealt with grief personally may have connected more with the story. While this wasn't my favorite of the author, there is no doubt that she comes up with unique and imaginative plots and I can't wait to see what she writes in the future!

I enjoyed The Measure, so I went into The Poppy Fields with high hopes. The premise is intriguing — a future where we might ease our suffering and grief with a long, restorative sleep. But by the halfway point, I found myself wanting more. The plot and characters didn’t deepen in the way I’d hoped, and the arc felt predictable.

An interesting concept, but one I couldn’t fully engage with.

What an interesting book about grief and how we all deal with it differently and how if we could help ourselves deal with the grief-would we?! Such an interesting thought.
I thought this book was really well done and thought the characters were all so likable and each so unique in their experiences. And of course I loved the dog.
Definitely a book you need to discuss after and if you’d want to do it.

This is a road trip novel to The Poppy Fields, a place where those go to sleep away their grief. I loved Erlick’s first novel, The Measure, and was expecting more from this. The friendships made throughout this book were fairly bland. I expected more from the actual poppy fields, and not just the trip there.