Three years after reading The Measure, I still think about the book often and regularly recommend it to others. So it’s no surprise I eagerly anticipated Nikki Erlick’s next release. Posing another esoteric question—this time about grief—I was eager to drop everything to read it.

In THE POPPY FIELDS, Erlick takes us to the Californian desert where scientists found a way for people to deal with grief through sleep. The distraught and broken-hearted flock to this new science that promises to lessen their pain. But, like anything touted as a miracle cure, there are questions, doubters, and potential negative side effects.

We accompany three individuals who find themselves stranded after weather disrupts their travel plans. As fate would have it, all three are headed to the Poppy Fields and each has a deeply personal reason for doing so. As they road trip together across the country, we learn more about their stories and motivation.

What Erlick does well is craft a story that explores tough questions while highlighting the interconnectedness of her characters. The character development here is quite good - to a point. The philosophical question of the merits of mitigating grief through science is a deep one. I applaud her for illustrating that grief is highly personal and manifests differently for everyone. Her point that grief is not limited exclusively to death is meaningful.

My issues with this book have everything to do with missed opportunities. While I found the reasons for each character’s pilgrimage to the Poppy Fields compelling, I felt their issues were resolved a bit too easily considering the depth of their grief. I also felt that ultimately the stakes were too low resulting in an absence of tension propelling the story forward. The ending seemed too simple for such a complex question.

I tandem read both the audio and print versions of this book. The full cast narration by Marin Ireland, Dan Bittner, Stacey Glemboski, Graham Halstead Mia Barron, Callie Dalton, Janina Edwards, Shawn K. Jain, Christian Barillas, and Jason Culp kept me listening when the story lagged. The news clips and documentary style segments were nice additions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and William Morrow for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

Nikki Erlick has a true talent for making the hard to believe and "futuristic" into something truly believable. Although I enjoyed "The Measure" much more than this novel, I can still see the value in this story. Not only are the characters expertly interwoven, but the story is a truly genuine page-turner. Thank you to @WmMorrowBooks for the advanced readers' edition of this novel.

Powerful and thought provoking about life, love and loss, and how we grieve and carry on. “Isn’t that what everyone wants, in the end? Just to feel a little less lonely!”- Poppy Fields applicant 784-551

Nikki Erlick did an exceptional job at simultaneously developing the 5 main characters, giving each their own journey, and developing the story itself, also while showing how we all are connected.

Unlike my experience with reading The Measure, for me, this was not a story in which I found myself asking would I or wouldn’t I. Instead, I found myself taking note of the very profound ways in which the author uses this fictional place and these characters to take you on a journey through the stages of grief and the many ways in which people can heal. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m quickly becoming a fan of Nikki Erlick.
Thank you William Morrow for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Poppy Fields is a heartfelt and thought-provoking story that explores love, family, loss, grief, and the consequences of our choices. Like *The Measure*, it encourages deep reflection on what truly matters in life. Through emotional and honest writing, Erlick captures how grief shapes us and how our decisions can leave lasting impacts. A moving and powerful read.

One of my favorite things about The Poppy Fields author Nikki Erlick is that she writes about such interesting CONCEPTS. As soon as I read about The Measure, I knew I needed to read the book. The same exact thing happened as soon as I read the premise of The Poppy Fields.

There are so many ways to experience loss, hurt and grief. Our culture has such a lack of understanding for these emotions, and a lack of language and training around them as well. That is perhaps one reason of many that some people might choose to go and sleep their pain away for a bit.. a bit being a month, or two! But will they have the same memories and feelings for their loved one when they awaken? Who goes to the Poppy Fields, and why? Who will get approved, and what might one learn on their way there?

All this and more was revealed. To risk love is to have such reward, and also to be open to such pain.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. There was much to think about reading this book. I recommend it!

Thank you to netgally and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book focuses on grief and how people navigate loss and trauma. We get multiple points of view in this book, all unique and interesting. The pace of this book was perfect! I will definitely pick up Nikki's previous work and any she creates in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nikki Erlick, and William Morrow for the advanced copy of this beautiful story.
Publication Date: June 17, 2025

This was my very first read by Nikki Erlick, and what a powerful introduction. I went into The Poppy Fields curious about the idea of healing—and came out feeling deeply moved. This book feels like a gentle hand on the shoulder, a quiet reminder that we’re never alone in our grief.

The premise is quietly magical: there’s a place where broken hearts go to rest. A mysterious field where, after a long sleep, healing is promised. It sounds like something out of a dream—and maybe, it is. Four strangers, each carrying deep emotional wounds, set out on a journey to find this place. Alongside them? A dog that, like the humans, has its own silent sorrow.

Grief shows up differently for each of them, but their ache is familiar. And honest. This isn’t the kind of story that gives you quick fixes or perfect answers. It asks big questions instead:
Can we ever truly recover from loss? And what are we willing to risk for the chance to feel whole again?

One line in particular felt like a whisper straight to the heart:
“Poppies are a ruderal species, which means that they grow from the rubble. If something so spectacular can still blossom in even the most disturbed earth, then doesn’t that mean there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal?”
It’s breathtaking. And it captures the soul of the book in just a few words.

I loved every character and the stories they carried. Some parts were soft and comforting, others cracked me open in quiet ways. Erlick writes with empathy and grace—never rushing the pain, but always making room for the possibility of light.

The Poppy Fields isn’t just about grief. It’s about resilience, connection, and how healing is rarely a straight line—but it is possible. And we don’t have to do it alone.

I truly loved this book. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

This was a unique and intriguing read. It examines some very heavy topics like death and grief, but it's also quite hopeful and healing. Like Erlick's previous book, The Measure, the story is woven together through various characters and POV's. I loved seeing all the different moving pieces slowly combine to create this larger picture and story. All these strangers invisibly tied together, in small and big ways, creating this wonderfully wonky and beautiful found family. Things wrap up quickly at the end, but this is definitely a story that celebrates the journey rather than the destination.

I mainly listened to the audiobook and the narration by Marin Ireland was fantastic. She gave such an emotional performance and voiced each character wonderfully. There are other various narrators (like Callie Dalton and Dan Bittner etc) who lend their talents to the book in small snippets throughout, but it's Marin Ireland who narrates the majority of the novel. Definitely recommend experiencing this one on audio if possible!

While I didn't end up loving this one as much as The Measure, I continue to be impressed by Erlick's writing and creativity. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

4.25 grief stars

There’s a saying that time heals all wounds. Could the same be said of grief? Can you sleep away the pain of grief?

Ellis is a scientist who has established a center to support individuals struggling with grief. Through a deep sleep of a month or more, the dark feelings of grief are moderated. There’s just one catch: about a quarter of people have a side effect. Would you apply if you are struggling with grief?

Everyone has to go through an application process, but there’s a massive demand for this facility, where everyone wears red pajamas while undergoing therapy. For now, it’s free for those who qualify.

We meet an odd group heading to the Poppy Fields in California, escaping a tornado in Kansas City. Ray has the last rental car, and he agrees to take Ava and Sasha along with him.

Each person is grappling with loss and hoping to find answers at the center. They bond over the journey and even befriend another traveler. We get to know them and the various reasons they seek out the center. There are some surprises along the way, and the journey takes longer than they thought. Even more twists await them at the center.

This one made me think about grief and how everyone copes differently. I would love to think there would be a treatment like this that would work.

I really enjoyed this author’s first book (“The Measure”), and while that one is still a favorite, I enjoyed the premise of this one.

I really enjoyed The Measure by this author so I had high expectations for this story, but I unfortunately didn’t like this one as much. I appreciated the focus on grief and how it explored different ways people cope and find community. The journey to the poppy fields and the characters’ connections were interesting, but I never felt emotionally connected to the main characters and one of them felt unnecessary. The pacing was slow and the personal backstories lacked impact. I did like the poppy field concept and the scattered articles/interviews throughout that gave more insight into the fields. While this wasn’t my favorite, I’m still excited to read more from the author.

A great follow up for this author - I liked The Measure a lot more, but this was still very good. I'd say not much happens in this more, it's more about the character as opposed to the plot, but would make for great discussion. An extremely inventive and interesting concept.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishing and Nikki Erlick for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of The Poppu Fields.
I could not stop reading this amazing story! This is a speculative novel of forgiveness, healing, self-discovery and new found friendships. The Poppy Fields is s place hope for the broken hearted. Patients sleep through their heartbreak and when they awake they are healed. Sounds like a done deal to me but, of course, not everything goes as planned.
This story really made me think of my own heartaches. How do we move on? Will these awful feelings ever go away? I could identify with all the characters and was deeply immersed in each one’s story. I loved how each character developed new attachments which helped them make decisions for their future. The story is mostly linear which helped me be a part of the story too.
There are many inspiring quotes that tugged at my heartstrings. I’m going to think about them often and apply them to my life. I highly recommend this book. No doubt it is my favorite so far for 2025.

If you could sleep for a month or two after a devastating loss, and wake up able to cope with your grief, would you do it?

This novel raises the question, as people apply to the Poppy Fields, an facility in California that allows you to sleep away your grief under supervision and medication. For a percentage of the patients however, they wake up with an emotional numbness, no longer feeling any emotions about the person they had lost. Is the time at the Poppy fields worth that risk, to be able to get on with your life after grief?

We follow Ava, Sasha, Ray and dog PJ who are making their way to the Poppy fields each for very different reasons. When a travel issue upsets their plans, they decide to road trip to California, and along the way they pick up free spirit Sky who decides to journey with them.

A reflective and philosophical novel, these travelers explore their grief, sharing their individual stories and discussing their feelings about the facility, and its creator.

I thought that the characters were all really well drawn, and the author did a great job of showing all the different aspects of loss and grief. The story is told in multiple POVs in this novel - from patient interview notes to articles about the facility.

I will have to try another of Nikki Erlick's novels.

No words can do this book justice. Trust me, just read it. It gave me goose bumps and made me smile and want to cry, sometimes all in the same chapter.

This book has so many of the things I love - a speculative element, found family, emotional depth and coming of age. So many of the musings on grief resonated with me. I think my biggest issue with the book was the pacing. Still, I recommend this book.

Arc courtesy of NetGalley

I devoured this book! The Poppy Fields is a story of love, loss, and friendship that keeps the reader pondering what they would do if faced with grief and the choice to stay at The Poppy Fields. Is the known side effect worth it? Are you willing to sacrifice certain feelings to free yourself from grief? I felt most moved by Sasha's story and the complex feelings of grief and blame that she grappled with throughout. I could not help but notice the parallels in Ava and Emmy's story with the sister story arc in Frozen, the least of which being the similar names; but I must say I enjoyed it! I thoroughly enjoyed the lasting friendship built amongst the four travelers and learning more about the grief, unanswered questions, and circumstances that brought them together and how they impacted each other's future. The pacing of this story was excellent and really kept me engaged. Thank you to William Morrow Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my review. Publication date: June 17, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Just like The Measure, we’re following several characters with a third person narrator. I really liked the way the author wrote about grief and the subtle differences in the way each character felt their loss. I also liked the different interview transcripts and articles that broke up each chapter. The premise is definitely intriguing and it would make for a good book club discussion. But I had the same struggles with this one as I did in The Measure so maybe Erlich’s writing is t for me. I felt like there were too many character perspectives and some chapters I skimmed just so I could get to my favorite character. The book dragged in the middle for me too and I think some chapters could have been cut out completely.

In "The Poppy Fields", author Nikki Erlick sets up a novel to tackle a difficult and complex subject - loss and grief - in an intriguing plot with a diverse set of characters.

Set in a remote desert in California, The Poppy Fields is a sprawling lab offering a controversial treatment for those suffering a significant loss and are grieving: a prolonged period of sleep, usually lasting 1-2 months, where patients are carefully monitored and awake with their pain mostly, if not completely, mitigated. The center receives thousands of applications but chooses a select number of patients, also called sleepers, that are approved to participate, and all costs and expenses are covered. But the sleep also has a side effect present in 3 out of 4 cases - a complete emotional detachment from the person that the patient was grieving.

It's in the context of this that four unlikely individuals meet in the midst of a hurricane at the Kanses City International Airport: Ava, an illustrator from Boston who's determined to meet her sister who works at The Poppy Fields; Ray, a firefighter trying to come to terms with the passing of his brother who was a former patient; Sasha, an occupational therapist still reeling from the unexpected passing of her fiance; and Sky, the final traveler whose brief appearance has a lasting impact on her companions. As the four band together to make the journey to California, they grow closer and each of their pasts are slowly revealed.

I found the premise of this novel intriguing and the underlying themes and questions it raised important ones: Is there a right way to grieve? Is it better to continue with the emotional repercussions of loss or to remove it completely? And is loss just as valid when it isn't a family member or loved one? The novel started off strong, introducing us to the main characters as well as Ellis, the founder of The Poppy Fields, but I found that the pacing and plot slowed as the story went on. I struggled with the writing as well, especially as I didn't get the sense that we got to know any of the characters well; I think there were too many "main" characters whose perspectives we rotated across, and a number of passages felt redundant and overly wordy. The ending of the novel didn't seem conclusive as well, as I didn't necessarily understand or agree with some of the final decisions made.

I think overall this was a fascinating plot and set up, but the overall writing and execution left something to be desired.

Nikki Erlick’s The Measure was one of my favorite books of 2022. I was excited to get a copy of her latest: The Poppy Fields.


What if there was a cure for the broken-hearted? Enter The Poppy Fields, an experimental and controversial facility that hopes to relieve you of your grief. They put you to sleep for 4-8 weeks and when you wake, you’ll feel relieved of your grief, as long as you’re wiling to understand the side effect affecting 1 in 4 who go in. On this journey, we meet three people forced to travel west together to go to The Poppy Fields…and one adorable dog. Each of their past secrets and motivations threaten to derail their journey, and their reasons for going might be faulty at best.

I love the concept of this book. The idea is your grief being relieved by sleeping it off fascinated me. This story is more about the journey of these characters getting to the facility and truly considering their reasoning for wanting to go there in the first place. Our three main characters Ava, an illustrator whose sister is at the facility, Ray, a fireman looking for clues about his brother’s visit to the fields and Sasha, an occupational therapist grieving the death of her fiancée, are people who wouldn’t normally be around each other, but an event forced them together. The way their stories unravel as the story goes along was a mystery in itself. There are some fun side characters along the way as well, like Sky, a free spirit who brings a fresh perspective to their situation.

I also liked all the mystery surrounding The Poppy Fields itself and the little bits we find out about it as the story unfolds. It was a great way to understand the selection process and way the bits of reporting on what the world thinks of the facility. This story felt more contained than Erlick’s previous novel was, but I didn’t mind that.

This speculative fiction novel will be a fantastic summer read when it comes out later this month.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 6/17

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I did not expect, when going into this book, to feel so heavily the grief that Nikki Erlick so lovingly and masterfully wove into her words. Grief is a terrifying burden and that is the crux of the existential question in this book: if there was a safe and effective treatment, would you willingly erase your grief? In this scenario, a new type of treatment at a clinic called The Poppy Fields involves a person sleeping for a period of 1-2 months, monitored closely by medical staff, all bodily functions take care of, and nutrients provided to keep their body healthy. At the end of the sleep treatment, the person wakes up and, emotionally, will no longer experience the devastating pain from their previous loss. They will have moved beyond the grief and all that will remain is fondness and love for what they lost. This raises an ethical/moral conundrum for many: how could someone do this? How could a person willingly forget their pain? Wouldn't that mean that they forget the person they loved and lost?

Our cast of characters consists of Ava, an artist with her dog PJ who is looking for her sister Emmy. Ray, a firefighter who lost his brother, Johnny; it is unclear to the reader how he lost his brother. Sasha, recently separated from her fiance, reason unknown. Sky, a teenager traveling cross country solo. Ellis, the Poppy Fields CEO and founder/creator of the controversial sleep treatment for grief; she cares deeply for her patients and truly believes in the therapeutic benefits of The Sleep. Ellis worries that her creation will outgrow her and her immediate supervision. She feels stuck between wanting to help as many people as possible and wanting to keep it contained to her oversight. She fears that expanding will mean the appropriate care will be harder to control. I appreciated the backstory of the history of The Poppy Fields, its inception and development. I liked witnessing Ellis's mentality while she juggled her desire to help people who are in pain and also troubled by an unexpected side effect.

I think Erlick handles the balance between the ethics of this argument so well. With an array of perspectives, we are provided both sides of this conundrum and how heartbreaking the grief is that each person feels. I truly felt stunned at how much my heart hurt reading this.

Over the span of a few days, we find our cast of characters (save Ellis, who is at The Poppy Fields) traveling cross-country with their own reasons for trying to reach the West Coast. I became so attached to this small band of strangers. The importance of the openness among strangers is strong in this story, not just among our main characters, but also in the brief encounters they share with strangers along the way. The fragile possibility of friendship and connection blossoming between people newly met was beautiful. Ava, Ray, Sasha, and Sky found in each other a home for their broken hearts, completely by accident.

Erlick does a great job blending the story lines together. Her artistic control over her writing is handled so well. The small moments of foreshadowing laced my heart with dread. It made me anxious to read on, to know the outcome, where these people I've come to care for end up. Because in a way, I grieved with them. I traveled with them, hurt with them. Nikki Erlick's writing is superb. While I really enjoyed The Measure, Erlick's sophomore novel is a wonderful testament to her talent and growth as a writer. I enjoyed this book and the characters so much. I will reread this and recommend to my friends.

5/5