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.

To classify this book as science fiction, might be somewhat off base.. .However, that being said... have you ever been so sad/desprssed/lonley that you just wanted to sleep it away? Then maybe a visit to Poppy Fields is for you! Follow along as 3 strangers meet during a storm at the airport and what how thier lives are changed, mostly for the better. I really enjoyed this story line, and it might not be too off base of what could happen in the future. A must read for sure!

I loved The Measure, so I was really excited for this book, and it did not disappoint! Nikki writes such thought provoking books…would you choose to go into a deep sleep for 1-2 months if at the end of that time you would wake up and have processed your grief? Would you still choose to sleep if there was a chance of a side effect that would cause you emotional apathy towards the loved one you were grieving? The Poppy Fields is such a beautifully written story, discussing the different types of loss and grief we experience over our lifetime and how we all process grief in our own way. I loved the use of different character viewpoints and discovering piece by piece how their stories all intertwine together.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓸𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓕𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓭𝓼 explores the profound question: What if you had the chance to sleep for one or two months in a specialized facility and, upon waking, no longer felt crushed under the weight of your grief?

There are many characters introduced in the beginning of the book -- each on their own journey with their own issue they are grappling with. The novel has a more philosophical feeling to it than emotional (for me personally). Although there are so many deep and heartbreaking issues that each of the characters are dealing with, to me, these feelings are still suspended a bit at arms length.

The last third of the book was especially strong - and I think there are so many interesting questions and angles that grief is explored. How do we honor our loved-one's memories? How do we hold on to the past while still moving forward? How does our loved-one's memory become a part of our future?

Overall, this is a thought-provoking, moving, and philosophical journey.

Wow - Nikki Erlick at it again with another book that’ll make you contemplate life and choices. Set in The Poppy Fields, people attend this free treatment clinic when they need a break and some time to heal; by sleeping for a period of weeks, most patients will wake up restored, and feel less of the pressure and pain that grief has caused them. While most are success stories, some struggle in their recovery, due to a rare side effect.

The novel begs the question - what would you do to escape your grief? Would you try a month long nap to help your mind heal, if all of your other needs were taken care of?

Highly recommend. The storytelling and concept is top-notch and I really enjoyed getting to know these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Harper Audio for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

From the author of The Measure, this is another speculative fiction book that asks the question: can you sleep grief away? In California, Ellis has started a phenomenon called The Poppy Fields, where those accepted into the free program can sleep for 1-2 months and wake up without the grief they came with. Three people stranded at a Kansas airport are all trying to get there, and they decide to rent a car and road trip there together, sharing their stories along the way.

I really wanted this to be a 5-star book like The Measure! That book was so incredible and I still think about it all the time. This book was more slow moving, and while the concept was a good one, the execution fell flat for me. This read more like a road trip novel than speculative fiction.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy of, The Poppy Fields, by Nikki Erlick, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In California their is a treatment center, like no other, people can sleep their way through grief, with side affects of course. I think one of the problems of the world today, is people want the easy way, grief is a process, different for everybody. but losing somebody we love is the price we pay for love. I would not go to this center, I have a very fresh grief, an unexpected death of a very close loved one, and I still would not go. grief and healing is part of lifes journey.

The Poppy Fields presents an intriguing premise: what if there was a place where you could sleep away the pain of losing someone, but with the risk of waking up feeling nothing for them at all? It's a thought-provoking concept that tackles the universal experience of grief and the lengths we might go to escape it.

The author's writing is undeniably excellent. The prose flows beautifully, and the characters of Ava, Ray, and Sasha are well-developed, each dealing with their own distinct grief and backstory. The book succeeds in making readers feel seen in their own experiences with loss.
However, The Poppy Fields feels more like an extended meditation on grief than a fully realized novel. The pacing drags considerably, with roughly three-quarters of the book devoted to the journey to the fields rather than exploring the fascinating premise itself. There is a lack of forward momentum that makes the reading experience feel static at times. The inclusion of Sky as a fourth character feels unnecessary and somewhat disconnected from the story, diluting focus from the stronger characters.

Despite my issues with it, the novel succeeds in exploring how different people process trauma and loss. It's deeply emotional, even if it doesn't quite deliver on its narrative potential.

I loooooove how nikki erlick’s subgenre rn is “what if” books. For THE MEASURE — what if everyone knew how long their lives would be. For THE POPPY FIELDS — what if there was a way to sleep away your grief.

The concept is simple. How much better are things the next day — just one night’s sleep helps, but what if you could sleep for two months? That’s what The Poppy Fields lets its patients do.

Now, the book is kind of tangentially about the fields, but it’s more about a handful of characters and their connection to them. It’s a journey story, not about the destination. I love this type of story but I did feel like nothing was really happening for a while. Short chapters def moved it along!

This book comes out June 17! Thank you to william morrow and Nikki for the advance copy! And if you haven’t read THE MEASURE yet… pick it up IMMEDIATELY!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC!

I enjoyed this book so much! The storyline was intriguing, but I think my favorite part was the discussion and exploration of grief. It was this exploration that pushed this book into the 5-star category for me - it has so many intriguing thoughts about grief - I already foresee myself rereading this ready to glean even more about grief.
The characters are interesting, and I liked the balance between the current storyline and flashbacks. I also really enjoyed the nods to the Wizard of Oz (there aren't a ton, but there are some fun ones).
And I loved how we watched the characters grow and interact. And grow their thoughts about the Poppy Fields.
I'd absolutely pick up another Nikki Erlick book - she's a fantastic writer with really intriguing ideas.

Q. Why have 100,000 People Chosen to Sleep for a Month?”
A. To try and heal their broken hearts. 💔

In a remote part of the California desert, lies a therapeutic center called “The Poppy Fields”. It is both experimental and controversial and free to those who are accepted, after applying. Thousands of people are currently lying in unfamiliar beds, side by side, wearing identical crisp red pajamas, the sight reminiscent of the field of flowers.🌺

Most are grieving the loss of someone, some through death-some through betrayal-and most will sleep for a month. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, similar to a medically induced Coma, the majority of them will wake up feeling like the pain is finally no longer “all consuming”.

But a full 25% of all patients will suffer an irreversible side effect-the inability to ever again feel emotions toward their lost loved ones. Is not feeling the “pain” worth not remembering the “love”?

Three strangers are on their way to the “Poppy Fields” -all for different reasons. Ava, and her friendly dog P.J., a fireman named Ray, and Sasha, an occupational therapist. Along the way, they will also meet a free spirit named “Sky”.

Each believes that the “Poppy Fields” will be able to give them the closure they need-but they might only need this shared journey to give them the answers that they seek.

3.5 ⭐️

Nikki Erlick’s “The Measure” was my favorite book of 2022 so to say that I was dying to get my hands on an early copy of this book would be an understatement. It was definitely one of my MOST ANTICIPATED reads for 2025.

PERHAPS my expectations were too high after reading the many rave reviews for this book, but I found the PREMISE far more compelling than the execution. There is a LOT of thought provoking reflection on the topic of grieving (great for book club discussion) but I wasn’t connecting emotionally with these characters or their journey.

PERHAPS, it was because I recently read another work of SPECULATIVE FICTION, which also dealt with grief and it did so with a more engaging story which I preferred to this one.

I’m rounding up for the original premise and because I didn’t feel the desire to skim, which are two factors which usually convince me to round down-even though I wasn’t as enamored with this story as many other early readers.

Publication date: June 17, 2025

Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.

An exploration of grief, love, loss, hope, healing, given and found family.

“Grief was love in it’s second shape”

The Poppy Fields is an experimental treatment center where those who have experienced life-altering loss can go to sleep through some of the darkest depths of their grief and awaken, 4 to 8 weeks later, with the burden lightered and more tolerable.

4 people (and a pup), carrying vastly different kinds of pain, end up traveling together to the Poppy Fields. Each characters internal dialogue and contemplation of their circumstances is thought-provoking.

The story explores the deep wells of the human experience and demonstrates how much each person can be holding under the surface.

If you could sleep through the worst portion of your grief, but you risk losing how you felt about the person you lost… would you do it?

This one is thought provoking and deep. It will shake you to your core and make you question yourself on what it means to grieve and live. Really it is – how far are you willing to go to relieve yourself from heartbreak? In my opinion, it is really a book with a whole lot of low – and no relief for light, joy, or hope. Needless to say, I need to go read something happy now.
That being said - I really enjoyed the narration and prose of this one. It has 10 narrators, and I loved the jumping in and out of the story and talking about what the public thinks about the facility. I like how everything is set-up for the story, apart from character development. I feel like I never really get to know (or become attached to) any of the characters. It doesn’t really take away from the story, but I usually have at least one character I like. I really was ambivalent about all of them.

What a wonderful book on the human experience and how grief changes and molds us and how each of us deals in a different way.

I was drawn in to each persons story and their character development was wonderful to see. The concept of a place to go that is specifically designed to help deal with the overwhelming feel of grief whether it’s for someone we knew, a job we love but takes over our lives in unexpected ways.

This book was a heart wrenching and heartwarming.

If you loved the 2004 movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” this should be your next read. Somewhere in the California desert, a treatment center called the Poppy Fields will put you to sleep to cure your heartache. There may be side effects, but how could they be worse than the pain of lost love? (Recommendation will be sent to readers of WordSmarts.com email newsletter)

Wow is all I have to say. The Poppy Fields is such a thought provoking read. The big question, if you were able to sleep for a month to lessen the pain of losing someone, would you do it? Even if that meant when you woke up there was a chance you would have no emotion towards that person? In this book 4 strangers end up coming together to embark on a journey to The Poppy Fields, but all for different reasons. Talks of life and love and loss. Lessons to be learned and shared. This would make a great book club read, as there are lots of elements to discuss! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc!