Thank you to the publisher (HarperCollins) and the author for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy!

I thought this was such an interesting take on grief. It was a relief to read a book with characters grieving that didn't trigger. I understood and felt their pain, but could keep reading the book.

There were a couple of characters that felt extraneous at first, but then I realized that they made sense in the end - just maybe took a little longer to get there.

This is my first Nikki Erlick book, and the story and the way it was written did not disappoint. I will be picking up her first book, The Measure, soon and waiting to see what else she writes!

This book was very intriguing! Although I don't think it will live in my memory the way that The Measure has, The Poppy Fields has interesting characters all attempting to confront their grief in different ways. I'll certainly be recommending this one to my friends who read!

This was a really unique idea and different from anything I have read in a long time. The plot was one that was very thought provoking. What if you could go to The Poppy Fields and "sleep" for a month or two under supervision to help you get through trauma or grief? When you wake up, the memories are still there, but the emotions surrounding the memory have been weakened. But be aware, there is a 1 in 4 chance of having the "side effect." The story follows the lives of 4 strangers and their cross country journey to The Poppy Fields, each for their own reasons. Through sharing their stories, the group of strangers find family, hope, and healing among each other, despite the secrets they are carrying. I was able to read and also listen to the audio. The full cast really brought the story to life!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Audio and William Morrow for the ARC and ALC!

There is only one reason anyone would sleep at the Poppy Fields. Love.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Definitely unique and a different take on overcoming grief.
I know for some grief is a sensitive and triggering subject. And sometimes hard to read. So keep your mental health in mind.

Nikki did a fantastic job when writing this story.
And the idea for the Poppy Fields was very interesting.

The Poppy Fields is a treatment facility when you can go to heal yourself from grief. All you do is sleep for 4-8 weeks. While under medical supervision.
We follow four characters who are on their own journey to the Poppy Fields. Ray, Sky, Sasha, Ava and her little dog too.

I definitely enjoyed the Wizard of Oz vibes. It made the story so enjoyable.

And we get a little mention from The Measure.

This would be a great book club choice! Just like the author's book, The Measure, Poppy Fields explores a controversial topic that will elicit strong feelings on both sides. I love how this book really made me think and process to form an opinion. There were some really powerful arguments for all sides of discussion, and some really great quotes pertaining to grief.
I really enjoyed the narration on the audio as well. Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

I had a hard time getting into this book, but the topic was definitely unique. I am sure a lot of people have wished that they could forget about a hard time in their life.

Crying so much! I adore the way Nikki writes books and showcases human connection. If loved her book The Measure definitely check out The Poppy Fields as well.

The premise offers a lot of intrigue. The Poppy Fields offers hope for the grieving person of the recently deceased. The applicant/sleeper goes to the desert to sleep for 1-2 months in an effort to return to life after the despair of death. I was hoping to know more about Ellis' science beyond the experiment, but it is not discussed. The multiple POVs made the first third of the book incredibly long.
It was hard to gain momentum in the storyline when it changed every other chapter. I don't believe Sky added much to the story. Sasha's character added a lot of insight to the depths and personalization of grief. Ava and Ray were equally as interesting. Ellis was introspective and strong, which is to be expected in her role.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC!

3.5 rounded up. This would be a great book club/discussion type book. I didn’t really get pulled in to the book until the final few chapters. Loved the last line of the book. The audiobook was fine. This is a book with a smattering of interviews, news articles, etc. For an audiobook with 10 narrators, I found it odd the interview transcripts weren’t read in interview style and instead were primarily read by men, even though most of the interview subjects were female. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

5 stars and honestly so excited about it!

This book had high expectations, after loving the measure so much. I love how this author plays with some sci-fi elements in her books. In this book, we are following multiple POV's as these people explore what the Poppy Fields look like. Each person wants to go/has gone for different reasons. The Fields are said to be able to cure your heartbreak, but you must first apply and go through quite the process to be accepted into this program.

I really love how the author explores all possible scenarios of how a place like this could impact people around them and even the individuals themselves. As always, her work is filled with gorgeous quotes and while I love most of what she has to say, I found the topics surrounding grief to be heart wrenching and thought provoking throughout the story. I highly recommend reading this when it comes out!

Erlick’s latest novel did not work for me like The Measure, which was one of my favorite books of 2022. In The Measure, the characters were engaging, the story compelling and discussion topics were plentiful. Those three aspects were missing for me in her latest. The characters felt flat and their relationships with one another were not convincing. The story itself felt disjointed and confusing. I wanted a deeper examination of “why” and the purpose behind The Poppy Fields. I never felt fully invested in the story or the outcomes of these characters.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐒 (Pub 06.17) is contemplative, introspective, speculative and highly discussable. No sophomore slump from author Nicole Erlick. Add it to your TBR for a great summer read.

The Poppy Fields, is a controversial treatment center in the middle of the California desert where people suffering from unbearable grief can sleep away the heartache. But there is a 1-in-4 chance of an irreversible side effect. Plus- there is a road trip aspect when people with different opinions/connections about the Poppy Fields are thrown together.

I finished this over a week ago and I'm still thinking about the characters and the overall concept. The whole concept is provocative yet believable- I loved that.

READ CONCURRENTLY in audio and print. Thank you @netgalley and @harperaudio for the copies. The audio is full cast featuring Marin Ireland. I relished having both formats at my disposal so I could keep reading no matter where I was.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Trigger warning: Grief, Trauma, Pain

What if you had the chance to sleep for a few months in a specialized facility, upon waking, no longer felt crushed under the weight of your grief?

This story makes you stop and think, it's thought provoking and in depth storyline makes you question would you take the chance in The Poppy Fields?

The character development is strong and fierce. The reading pace is medium to fast. The plot is character driven and includes themes of grief, pain, and trauma used in a sci-fi, mystery, and romance setting.

#NetGalley #MyHonestReview

I loved this almost as much as The Measure! What if you could sleep instead of dealing with your grief? Such an interesting book- pick this one up for sure!

I really liked the concept of this book. A few strangers meeting up at an airport trying to get to Poppy Fields all for different reasons. Poppy Fields is where people go when they want to sleep away a tragedy and wake up refreshed. But I found this book to be so slow. Like, at the end, I really didn't even care anymore. It was just too much setting the scene and not enough action. I really liked Erlick's first book "The Measure" a lot better and was hoping for more with this one.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

A truly emotional and moving read. 4 stars!
The Poppy Fields took me by surprise! I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of themes and plot. Of course, I was expecting Erlick’s concise writing style but I was pleasantly surprised by the found family, the emotions surrounding grief, and The Wizard of Oz symbolism!
It dragged a bit for me in the middle (mainly because I wanted to get to the end and figure out the plot points). But I loved the twists and turns we took throughout. And I would recommend this book to other readers looking for a light sci-fi book. I love Nikki Erlick’s writing and can’t wait for her next book release!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

It’s confirmed - if Nikki Erlick writes it, I’ll read it! Another fantastic concept that had me engrossed the full time. While the book heavily deals with grief, its undertones are truly hopeful. Highly recommend!

Short Synopsis:
THE POPPY FIELDS is where you can go get treatment for grief or heartache. Patients sleep for one to two months and when sleepers wake up they’ll be through the hardest part of their grief. And be able to move on with their lives.

In THE POPPY FIELDS we follow along four travelers trying their best to get to the center - all for different reasons.

My Thoughts:
I read and fell in love with THE MEASURE in 2022 and have been impatiently waiting to see Nikki’s next move. And man was THE POPPY FIELDS worth the wait.

What a unique and interesting concept for a novel. Nikki is just so good and dropping hints and knowing the perfect time to to reveal information. I really loved the flow of the story, and the short chapters make it very easily digestible. The found friendships were absolutely a delight. (The secrets + comic relief were amazing.) The subtle nods to the Wizard of Oz were masterfully done and so much fun to find.

Definitely one to add your TBR. Highly recommend and a great book club read.

What You’ll Find:
Speculative Fiction with a dash of science fiction
Short chapters
Character driven
Page turner
Thought provoking

4 ⭐️ I enjoyed this story of love and loss and the people in search of relief from the pain of grief. Whether it be from death, loss of a relationship, or trauma, the Poppy Fields center for sleep offers a quicker solution. Sleep for a month or two and wake up with the severe pain gone. What if you could sleep through your grief?

Sisters Ellis “Emmy” and Ava, orphaned and raised by their grandmother Mae were close as could be. Ellis went off to college and developed the concept of going to sleep for a period of time to relieve grief. Ellis’ Poppy Fields center is the focus of the story. Over time the sister’s bond was lost. After the death of grandma Mae, Ava is left alone without Emmy.

Firefighter Ray is grieving the loss of his firefighter brother after Johnny slept at the Poppy Fields and died a few days later.

Sasha is grieving the sudden loss of her fiancé just before her wedding. Along for the ride her cute dog PJ.

Ava, Ray, and Sasha are brought together at the airport trying to reach LA and The Poppy Fields after a tornado grounds their flight. They rent a car together and head off on an adventure that ends up with some interesting results. On the way they pick up young free spirited Sky. The friendships that emerge from the four strangers are sweet and what they, each in their own way, needed.

I was drawn into the intriguing prospect of sleeping away grief. I felt the story was original and well written. I loved the strong bond developed by the four traveling strangers over the course of a few days on the road. Interesting characters and a slow developing story led up to a satisfying but predictable ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a beautifully imaginative and emotional story set in the heart of the California desert, where a controversial treatment center offers an escape for those grieving deep loss. Known as the Poppy Fields, this center promises patients the ability to sleep through their heartache—literally—and wake up healed, though not without risk. On their way to this mysterious place are four strangers—Ava, Ray, Sasha, and Sky—each carrying their own baggage, secrets, and hopes, along with a lovable dog named PJ. As their paths converge, their emotional journeys unfold in a moving exploration of grief, healing, and what it really means to let go.

I was so excited to get my hands on a new book from Nikki Erlick—The Measure was my favorite read of 2023—and The Poppy Fields absolutely lived up to the hype. This story was so beautifully written and really captured how grief touches everyone in a different way. I loved the road trip aspect and how the characters’ stories slowly unraveled through different POVs and timelines. Each one felt real and relatable, and it made the emotional impact that much stronger. This is definitely one of those books I’ll be recommending to everyone—it’s heartfelt, thought-provoking, and just so human.

Thank you to William Morrow, Nikki Erlick for an ALC and ARC of this amazing book in exchange for an honest review!

This book comes out on June 17, 2025!