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

This book caught me completely off-guard. Tears are still drying on my face as I type.

I don't know why, but I was expective sortof a medical thriller, and was absolutely bulldozed by the beautiful and thoughtful exploration of grief and loss and friendship. Ava, Ray, Sasha, Sky, and Ellis are all such beautiful representations of the different ways grief manifests, and this book was a delightful reminder of the healing power of leaning on other people.

The story started off a little bit slow, but the twists started coming at about 45% and I couldn't put the book down after that. Now that I'm finished, that first half abosultely felt like the beginning stages of loss - kindof just existing, observing, listening. And then the dots start connecting and the absolute GUT PUNCH of the way the stories intermingle swept me off my feet.

I was gifted a copy of this book by the author and HarperCollins through Netgalley, but will 100% be purchasing a copy of this book for my shelves. I can't wait to read it again.

From the author of The Measure, @nikkierlick has us face another unique question. Would you want to sleep through grief? This story follows three people who journey to the Poppy Fields in a desert in California along with the story of the the field’s creator. This is really a fascinating question to ponder. I enjoyed this book a lot just as I did the Measure. I think this will be a hit with book clubs. I *think* I ended it knowing what I would do in the face of immeasurable grief. Erlick does a good job of weaving these stories together. I received an ARC of this book from @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Nikki Erick is such a creative writer - her premise in both The Measure and now Poppy Fields are so thought provoking! This time we explore grief and a potential new treatment to help expedite the grieving process. I felt this book lands more in the science fiction genre more so than the magical realism of The Measure.

I enjoyed the premise and the exploration of the Poppy Fields treatment. I enjoyed the main 3 characters (Sasha, Ray, and Ava) and their stories. However, similarly to The Measure, there were just a few too many characters for me. I also found it somewhat difficult to be able to draw the connections between some of the characters mentioned by name but then referenced by their story in another part of the novel. I know there were some well thought out threads linking many people together but it was a tad hard to follow.

I thought the writing style was interesting the way from one paragraph to another we can go between different character POVs. However, I wish we didn’t do that with every character we meet (ex: Donna in the bar - do we really need her backstory?).

Overall, I would recommend this book! 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. I was so excited to get this book because of thoroughly enjoying her first book The Measure and this book did not disappoint. It did have a little Easter Egg from The Measure so that was fun. Her books have very interesting concepts and make you look at things in a whole new way. Good job. Looking forward to the next one!!!

I loved the premise of this novel, sleeping through the worst of your sorrow and waking up when it is not so sharp and debilitating. The beginning of the novel drew me in but the novel slowed down considerably halfway through. The main characters had good story lines but I felt that their inner monologues went on and on. I found myself skimming towards the end. I loved Erlick's novel The Measure - so maybe I am unfairly comparing the two, but I was not all in with this book.

Another thought provoking and poignant work of speculative fiction from Nikki Erlick. A Wizard of Oz inspired journey through grief in its many forms and facets. Anyone that has experienced loss will find something to relate to in this book. I know I highlighted so many passages that hit home personally. Grief can feel isolating but Erlick makes it approachable. Like she writes, “But grief was love in its second shape.” Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a moving work of fiction that explores grief and the many paths toward healing and hope.

The novel follows a road trip taken by three strangers who, unable to catch a flight to Poppy Fields—a revolutionary sleep center designed to help people process grief—decide to drive there instead. Along the way, their personal stories unfold, revealing how deeply grief shapes each of them and how connection can lead to unexpected healing.

I found the story engaging, and I appreciated how the characters’ lives were thoughtfully interwoven. It’s a great book for a book club or group discussion, as it touches on emotions and experiences many can relate to.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Piblishers for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own

An interesting and unique storyline. The writing was excellent and the characters were well developed. There were several unexpected reveals that made for an enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley an the publisher the digital ARC.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy. This book started with an Emily Dickinson quote, so right off the bat, I was paying attention. This book is literary fiction with scientific flair and dystopian vibes, and it dives deeply into the meaning of life, love, grief, and the journeys of many overlapping characters.

The main premise of the book involves a large treatment facility in California, in which thousands of "patients" are treated for the unbearable grief of losing a loved one, by being medicinally put to sleep for 1-2 months. The place is called The Poppy Fields. Potential applicants must be screened, interviewed, and approved by a board of scientists, and when they awake from the treatment, they are able to move on with their lives. Unsurprisingly, this treatment is viewed as strange and controversial, and an unexpected side effect causes additional opposition to the unconventional method.

"This sleep will not make things right, on that they can all agree. It will not give sense to the senseless; it will not fill the yawning hole. But maybe, just maybe, it will help. Because they have each been told, over and over, that the only way out of a hardship is through. But nobody ever told them that they had to stay awake."

The story begins by following several main characters: Ava (illustrator of children's books, pet owner of dog PJ), Ray (firefighter), Sasha (Korean-American occupational therapist), Sky (young woman who wants to travel the world), and Ellis Jones (founder of the Poppy Fields). Some of the characters are determined to get to The Poppy Fields, but their flight is cancelled due to a tornado. The group decides to rent a car and continue on to their destination, all of them travelling for different reasons. The story lines are brilliantly overlapped, with twists and turns being revealed throughout the story.

This was my first book by this author, and I am definitely interested in now reading her other bestselling novel, "The Measure." Her writing style is poised, philosophical, clever, and heartwarming. The characters are well-developed, and the setting descriptions placed the reader inside the lives of these people. This book explored the meaning of family, love, grief, adventure, regret, and so many other topics that we can all relate to in our lives.

By the end of the book, the reader is better able to understand the reason behind the actions of our main players. PJ, Ava's dog, was a wonderful side character, perhaps an emotional support animal (although not explicitly stated). I'm not sure if this was intentional, but this story felt like a modern-day reimagining of the Wizard of Oz. It included a "field of poppies," and four characters and a dog on a journey to a magical place where they would find the help/missing piece they were looking for. The person in charge of it all was assumed to be an all-powerful, career-driven figure, but we discover there is more to her character than what she seems. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of speculative fiction and would recommend it to everyone.

"Many former patients describe the feeling as 'having come out on the other side,' a bittersweet state of cherishing the past while being able to focus on the future once more."

Themes/Topics/Triggers
*Grief/loss
*Estranged family
*Controversial medical treatment
*Gun violence (mild)
*Physical altercation (mild)
*Death of a child

Speculative fiction can be hit or miss for me, but this was a definite hit.

I loved the sweet characters and their fun dynamic, and the exploration of grief, love, and how they intertwine that really touched my heart. The way all the characters connect, and the way the asides really add to the world building, was wonderfully done. This was a really wonderful book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick completely captured my heart. From the very beginning, I was drawn into the emotional depth and quiet beauty of the story. It’s one of those books that feels both intimate and sweeping, with characters that feel so real you can’t help but get attached. The writing is lyrical without being overdone, and the themes of memory, grief, and connection really hit home for me. I found myself pausing just to sit with certain lines because they were that powerful. If you’re looking for something heartfelt, reflective, and beautifully written, this one is absolutely worth reading.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick releases on June 25, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 💖

I was SO excited to get an advanced copy of the Poppy Fields after reading The Measure. In her true nature, this was another winner!! Nikki Erlick's brain is wild. Her creative process and the worlds she creates are scarily realistic and also out of this world. 🌎

The Poppy Fields brings us into a world where the broken-hearted and grief-filled are able to sleep through their pain, and wake up fully healed. Would you try it out? What if there were shadowy side effects? We follow four strangers en route to the Poppy Fields from the Midwest to the Poppy Fields, where they are on their way to find Ellis, the founder. 💔

Grief, trauma, healing, loss, recovery, suffering. This is a heavy one! Just like The Measure, The Poppy Fields is a book that you continue to spend your day thinking about when you're not reading it, and will be a book I think about long after! 🤔

This was a pleasure to listen to on audiobook - even more fun that June is audiobook (appreciation?) month!! The different formats that the story is told in (transcripts, media, interviews, etc.) made it even more entertaining to listen to. 🎧

There was even a mention of The Measure - so cool! 📏

I can't wait to see what Nikki Erlick comes up with next!! The Measure was published in 2022, and The Poppy Fields is releasing in 2025 — all I'm saying is that it was worth the wait!! 👏🏻

Really enjoyed this one! I loved the multiple viewpoints throughout the book and having them all connect in some way. I like trying to piece together how they all connect throughout the story by getting bits and pieces and their viewpoint on something. It felt like an easy read, a page-turner which is great. I love these ‘what-if’ books that Erlick writes and will definitely keep picking up her novels!

3.5⭐️ Nikki Erlick has once again written a book that has me thinking, “What would I do?” if this could happen in real life.

The premise of this book pulled me in immediately. We meet all four of the characters pretty early on, and I liked starting the story having some background on them. Grief is such a complicated topic, and I think it was explored here in really interesting and meaningful ways; there were several quotes that I had to read twice because they stood out to me so much.

While I did enjoy this book, I did wish I had loved it more. There were some sections that felt repetitive that I had to skim over, as well as places where the plot dragged a little. I love a road trip story with a found family aspect, but this found family didn’t feel as close/bonded as I was expecting - it felt a little “telling rather than showing” at times.

That said, I’m glad I read this book. There were a few reveals along the way that surprised me and really kept the momentum of the story going. I also thought the epistolary sections in between chapters was a fun addition, and gave more information on the Poppy Fields that we didn’t get in the regular plot.

I can see a lot of people enjoying this book, and I think it would create some great discussions.