I was initially drawn to this novel based on its premise - the ability to fall into a medically induced coma for 1-2 months and come out emotionally healed from grief sounds, on the surface, to be an amazing breakthrough in medical technology. The ethical and moral questions that may arise from "skipping" the hard part of grief is where a lot of the intrigue comes from. The additional complication that 25% of people who undergo the procedure effectively losing their emotional connection with the person whom they are grieving adds an additional wrinkle to an already complicated situation.

I find explorations of grief interesting, and I think Nikki Erlick does a good job exploring both ends of the moral spectrum, The bouncing PoVs, intercut interviews and relatively short chapters kept me from being outright bored, but I also felt like there were multiple times where I was starting to disconnect from the story. As interesting as the premise was, I felt like there were large sections where nothing was happening. I can't pinpoint any sections of dialogue which stuck out to me as being particularly profound, and maybe it's an extension of the idea of showing not telling, but I feel like this could have benefitted from the characters sitting down and effectively debating their positions.

Still, for the premise alone, I'd recommend this book to anybody who wants to sit and consider how they personally deal with grief. 3.5 stars.

This book rather shot itself in the foot in its quest to make me like it. If you know me, you know I viscerally dislike omniscient POV with its head hopping ways. If you use omniscient, you better have a funny, snappy unifying Lemony Narrator voice to make up for it. Unfortunately, The Poppy Fields does not. Instead, it goes out of its way to commit Capital Crime #2: telling rather than showing, particularly when it comes to character traits. Especially when it comes to <I>positive</I> character traits.

To wit, if the narrative had shown me Sasha being empathetic and self-sacrificing, I’d be drawn to her as a character. When it bluntly tells me she’s kind and altruistic before I have a chance to properly meet her, my somewhat paradoxical but honestly extremely reasonable reaction is “ugh, I hate her.” In part because, since we’re in Sasha’s own POV, however briefly and putatively, it unintentionally comes across as Sasha self-aggrandizing and thus reeks of narcissism. At least this first impression ultimately proved harsher than Sasha deserved. While I never really got evidence of her supposed Mother Theresa-ness, neither did she turn out to be the Purity Sue I feared from her description.

Another character hit by the Telling Curse is Sky. The narrative practically falls over itself telling me how free-spirited and speshul she is. I roll my eyes and go ‘yep, that sure is an annoying Manic Pixie Dream Girl.’ And unfortunately, unlike Sasha, my first impression is accurate. Sky grated on me for her entire page time and contributed little to the story. Her one major contribution is actually a gross boundary violation. One she faces no consequences for. Instead, she is lauded. I would have decked her, personally.

While my dislike/disinterest toward the characters played a part in my lukewarm response to this book, I will say I liked Ellis and Donna a great deal. Unlike the others, they had depth and nuance to them. And honestly? Ellis, with the way she remembered not only every single patient but all their lost loved ones, came across as far more genuinely caring and empathetic than most of her counterparts. I found myself caring about Ellis and wishing the book focused on her more.

In fact, I wish the book focused on the Fields themselves more. Everyone kept talking about it, but I wish we had more visceral on-page portrayal of the sleepers. Perhaps an inner landscape story; something along the lines of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Some dreamscapes. Some psychological horror mixed with solace. I liked the interviews, transcripts, and other snippets of the facility’s patients. More would have been nice.

Lastly, I want to talk about this book’s Wizard of Oz motif. Which is to say, there <I>is</I> one. The twister. Ava’s little dog. The poppy fields themselves. The symbols are <I>there</I>. But what do they <I>mean</I>? What do they add? What layers is Erlick trying to sneak under the radar by implying that Ava is the Cowardly Lion (despite the dog being hers,) or Sasha is the Tin Man (I think?) What does it all add up to? Or is it all noise instead of signal, Erlick trying to make her writing deeper than it is?

I don’t know. I thought the premise was cool, but the writing style and characters alike left me cold instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ray is a firefighter. Ava is an artist. Sasha is an occupational therapist. The three of these strangers cross paths at the Kansas airport when their flight is delayed several days due to a tornado. Coincidentally, all three of them are headed to the same place — The Poppy Fields, which is located in California. Together, they make the cross-country drive, and slowly reveal their reasons for seeking out the notoriously controversial sleep clinic famous for grief treatment. They bond through their losses, and form a friendship along the way.

I ended up loving this novel more than I thought I would. When I read Nikki Erlick’s first novel, The Measure, I found the prose to be a bit shallow. It told the reader what to feel rather than allow catharsis to be natural, which was extremely frustrating because the premise of the book was so cool. When I started The Poppy Fields, I worried the same thing would happen. However, this book was written much stronger! Where The Measure dealt with how long one’s life was, The Poppy Fields tackles what comes after — loss. Even though these two works are not connected, I like how they compliment each other.

Everyone experiences loss to some degree — be that a loved one, or career, or pet — and everyone has wanted that loss to stop hurting, if only for a moment. The Poppy Fields explores the fantasy of stopping pain at its peak, which is something I have definitely wished for in my own life. After I lost my father, I would have gone to the Poppy Fields without a question. I would have loved to sleep through the pain, and come out the other side a bit healed. A bit lighter.

I think this novel was beautifully done. All the characters come from different parts of the country, lead different lives, and have experienced different losses, but they enter the rental car unified by those losses. Loss is an equalizer. They don’t judge, ask, or force anyone to tell their painful story, but they quietly understand that the people around them are hurting. That quiet empathy was so special in this book. It was written so well that I wished I had people like Ava, Ray, and Sasha in my own life.

Also I loved Emmy/Ellis. Maybe she has tunnel vision, or is emotionally colder than stereotypical women, but I found her side of the story to be just as interesting. The twist with her is one I did not see coming, and yet I still enjoyed how it unfolded.

The Measure is one of my all-time favorite books, so the minute I saw Nikki Erlick was releasing another speculative novel, I immediately planned to read it.

In The Poppy Fields, four strangers (plus one very good dog) embark on a road trip to a controversial grief treatment center in the California desert where patients sleep through their pain in hopes of waking up healed. Each character brings their own heartache, secrets, and reasons for making the journey, and the story gently explores how grief is never one-size-fits-all.

The emotional layers in this book really hit. Some moments were quietly devastating, and others were filled with hope. The characters felt real, flawed, and human, and while the twists weren’t shocking, they were purposeful and well-executed.

If you love quiet, character-driven books that make you think, definitely add this one to your TBR. However, if you are in the middle of your own grief journey, I may wait on this one for a bit and pick it up at a later time.

I really enjoyed this story, especially the juxtaposition of Sky's story with those traveling to the Poppy Fields. They represented such opposites view of life. It was a great quest / road trip story with some speculative fiction thrown in. Still, I'm not entirely sure what Erlick was trying to say here, other than the obvious: grief is hard and different for everyone.

This was a bit of a scary book to go into, because The Measure by this author is probably my favorite book of all time. I was so excited to finally get her follow-up novel, but also cautious to not put too much unfair pressure on The Poppy Fields. I was so happy to get into this book and be immediately comforted by Nikki's writing centering interesting characters and an extremely thought-provoking plot and premise. I absolutely love how she chooses a variety of characters to follow that give a range of perspectives, priorities, and reactions. Not only are they interesting to read, but they challenge my own viewpoints on the ethical dilemma presented through the speculative element. This book also has the same emotional quality that I loved about the Measure, and it's probably even more present since it covers the difficult topic of grief. I'll admit this is not a deeply personal topic for me, which is probably why this book didn't hit me quite as hard as The Measure did, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who does enjoy reading about grief (as long as it's not too fresh and the topic won't trigger you). Lastly I'll say I got to attend an event with Nikki Erlick speaking about this book, and seeing her personality in person just strengthened my love of her books and my intention to follow her career and read every single book she decides to put out in the future :)

In a remote stretch of the California desert lies an experimental and controversial treatment center called the Poppy Fields. This treatment center allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain. Over 100,000 patients have undergone this prolonged state of slumber and have experienced the Poppy Fields' healing effects; however, a small percentage of people experience a shadowy side-effect. This story follows four strangers (and one dog) as they make their way from the Midwest all the way west to the Poppy Fields.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion. I also want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio for the opportunity to listen to an Advanced Listener's Copy (ALC) simultaneously. I purchased a physical book upon release to display on my shelves.

I enjoyed this story overall - 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4 stars). The writing was very good but the pacing was quite slow and felt more like a "road trip" book rather than about the actual poppy fields themselves. In the synopsis, it talks about 5 characters (4 human and 1 dog) but two of them were not super important to the story in my opinion. I was hoping to learn more about the fields themselves and the emotional effect that patients experienced after their sleep. While I did enjoy learning how some of these characters were connected, I felt like there was something missing that didn't quite give me a 5-star feeling, despite this being a 5-star prediction.

I was able to read this book physically/digitally alongside the audiobook, which enhanced my experience. I would say the audiobook narration was a 4.5 star. There was a full cast of narrators that brough each character to life, which allowed me to draw in the book's rich narrative and elevated its emotional depth and vivid moments. I always find that when books have mixed media elements (e.g., news articles or transcripts), they are best done with a full case to provide you a greater listening experience. I think I "felt" the emotions (this book heavily explores themes of grief and loss) of this book more than if I had read it solely with my eyes.

What if there was a cure for the broken-hearted? Even if the there were potential side effects?

The Poppy Fields offer people suffering from heartbreak a respite from their pain. You sleep it away...but then there is a possible price.

This novel was intriguing. It kept my attention from the start, and that's my kind of book. It follows four strangers that are thrown together to go see The Poppy Fields. The characters were well-developed. It had a satisfying ending.

This is a must read.

Wow. This book was such an emotional ride, but in the best way. The Poppy Fields is one of those books that sticks with you. It’s raw, emotional, and quietly powerful. The concept is super unique, and the way it explores grief, healing, and connection through multiple POVs really hit me. It’s a beautifully layered story that makes you think, feel, and maybe even cry a little.

We follow four strangers, each carrying their own heavy emotional baggage, as they make their way to this mysterious place in the desert. I loved how their stories slowly unraveled through different POVs and timelines. Each character felt so raw and real, like you could meet them in real life. And of course, the dog PJ was an adorable bonus.

What really hit me was how the book explored grief from so many angles. What it does to you, what it asks of you, and how different people carry it. There’s also a layer of sci-fi-ish "what if" that makes it feel a little speculative, but it’s always grounded in very real emotion. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet, thought-provoking read that I’ll be recommending to everyone who’s ever felt the weight of loss.

3.5 stars. The Poppy Fields gets high marks for originality of concept, and I really enjoyed the characters she chose to feature along with their road trip of self discovery. My primary issue was that it reads a bit too much like a mystery when it really is not. Grief is a unique and personal journey, and I just found myself completely detached from the many versions of loss depicted in this book…almost as if I have the side effect. Definitely still thought this was worth the read. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for my ARC.

Another creative and thought provoking novel by Nikki Erlick! I liked this one even more than The Measure. So many concepts and ideas are explored in this book. By chance, four travelers are stranded in the Kansas City airport and set off west by car. Three of these people are headed to the Poppy Fields for very different reasons. The Poppy Fields is located in the California desert and administers a controversial treatment for grief. Along the way, they catch back up with Sky, a free spirit who left the airport on her own by finding people to give her rides with no particular destination in mind. The story alternates between the four travelers and Ellis, the woman who designed the treatment and is struggling with the controversy.
The characters in this book are well developed, diverse and likable. The friendships that they develop are unique and special. Along the way, they gradually reveal their very different reasons for going to the Poppy Fields and the unexpected twists make the circumstances even more interesting. I really enjoyed the author’s exploration of friendship as well as the many different forms that grief can take. The controversies are thought provoking - is sleeping for a month the best way to grieve or is this something that needs to be actively worked through? And are the potential side effects worth the risk? This book is well written, entertaining and will leave the reader pondering the unique concepts.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

I genuinely wanted to love this book more than I did. While the premise had potential, something didn’t quite land for me. The idea of three complete strangers conveniently heading to the same destination and spontaneously deciding to embark on a road trip together felt a bit too far-fetched. From there, the story dives deep into each character’s background, which was interesting in parts, but the journey to the conclusion felt overly long and drawn out. I found myself waiting for something more impactful to happen.

There is a new treatment center that allows you to sleep and wake up with your grief gone and healed. You must apply to the program and be approved. Four strangers meet and make the journey to the treatment center together. Meanwhile, the founder struggles with wanting to open another facility and losing control of the whole operation.
This book just did nothing for me. I liked the premise, but it was a miss for me. I didn't care about the characters. After a short while, I didn't care what happened. I read Erlick's previous work, The Measure but this one just didn't live up to that. #ThePoppyFieldsDeluxeLimitedEdition #NetGalley

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a high concept speculative fiction novel about heartache, hope and healing. Some readers are comparing The Poppy Fields to a retelling of The Wizard of Oz.

Isolated in the California desert, The Poppy Fields is an experimental and very controversial treatment center that helps patients that are suffering grief or heartache to bypass the stages of grief. A patient is put into slumber for 1 to 2 months and when they wake they are able to remember their loved ones but without the grief attached. But just like with any experiment there are some side effects. Meanwhile, an eclectic group of strangers and one dog are on their own journey to seek out the Poppy Fields and the founder, a woman named Ellis. Each one of these people have their own reasons and motivations for wanting to visit the center. Will they find the closure they need or will the side effects take away their ability to feel emotions.

This is a very thought-provoking novel that is definitely different than the genres I usually read. The exploration of grieving is definitely something that I kept thinking about afterwards. Usually I have to be really craving a science fiction read but the different approach to grief, healing and found family really drew me in. This is more of a slow burn than an in your face action on every page type of read, but I think that it is necessary to get to know the individual stories and motivations of the characters. This is one that I would recommend for a book club or anyone that is looking for a story that will have you thinking!

Thank you to Netgalley, Nikki Erlick, and William Morrow for this ARC! Publication date was June 17th 2025.

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for my gifted copy of this book!

Nikki Erlick truly comes up with the coolest concepts for her books! I loved the concept at the center of her book The Measure, and I was very much looking forward to this one as well.

I liked a few things: the relationships that formed between the characters who start as strangers, the presentation of the different sides people took on the Poppy Fields as an experimental treatment, and the potential side effect of undergoing the treatment to name a few. There were also some twists throughout, which was a pleasant surprise.

Ultimately, there’s nothing really wrong with this book. It has a great concept, which great execution and beautiful writing. I even highlighted a part and read it out loud to my husband because it was such a beautiful analogy of grief that really resonated with me.

…however. This book just about bored me to death. It took me a long time to finish it, and I had to force myself to pick it up and read it instead of something else. This story is incredibly character-driven, which isn’t necessarily inherently bad, but, just…nothing really happens. I had a very difficult time getting into it and caring much about it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve seen amazing reviews for this one, so take my opinion with a grain of salt; it’s probably just a me thing. But I was sadly left disappointed because this one had so much potential to be a 5 star read for me.

4.5⭐️ rounded to 4

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Poppy Fields, the latest from Nikki Erlick!

Once again, Erlick has written a novel that will make you really sit back and think when you finish. A great choice for a book club, The Poppy Fields is a controversial clinic where the grieving can enter a monthlong sleep to bypass the hardest parts of mourning. We join several characters grappling with grief as they decide what they want to do to cope. If you enjoyed The Measure, you will like The Poppy Fields.

I wanted to love this book just like I did with the measure. But unfortunately, this book is really just a road trip about people finding themselves. I wanted more inside into the poppy fields and sleeping and the side effects and everything. But it’s really just about people in relationships. So my issue with this book is probably self-made. But it is what it is.

This is a very unique, special book shining a light and inviting the conversation about how each person experiences and manages their grief. I also appreciated how grief was looked at as more than just the death of a person but grief can also occur about the loss of a relationship or a life that you knew previously. I enjoyed and related to the characters and the banter around the subject of the Poppy Fields.

Some might say this was an emotional rollercoaster. I would call it a soulful one.

The Poppy Fields opens with the most eloquently beautiful prologue I have ever read.

I chose to review this book in the beginning for research, despite it being unquestionably a work of fiction, and also in what others might deem strange—a healing resource for my own grief and trauma over the death of my partner, six years ago November 16,2025.

Unlike other reviews I have done in the past, I am treading hesitantly, cautiously, with admiration and respect. We all have trauma that we are enduring, so I’m reviewing this wholeheartedly with an open-mind and open to its journey into a place I have feared since that day he passed…living!

What Nikki Erlick has done with this book, no doctors, therapists, or medicine has been able to do with my own grief, grieving process, or the ultimate healing journey that I had hoped they would.

Erlick’s various characters take you through their own personal grief trauma, and the elegant way that she uses six degrees of separation to weave together this heartfelt story. While there are numerous characters, the ones I think stand out the most are Emmy aka Ellis, Ava, Ray, Sky, and of course the oftentimes sidekick PJ. These characters are ones that have been created with such deep thought paired with the author’s powerful abilities of compassion, empathy, and love.

Oftentimes as I was reading, I quite literally had to stop reading to regain my own emotional composure. Erlick’s “power of the pen” (keyboard, typewriter, whatever!) is so intense that her words helped me to unlock my own memories that were locked away due to my own grief. Many of them I was shocked to recall, and ever so grateful that I had the help to unlock those hidden away deep in my subconscious. As the chapters flew by, the journey of these beloved characters own healing also helped heal my own in some small way.

Without a doubt, The Poppy Fields deserves a 5* review, and a strong recommendation to purchase your own copy asap!

Thank you to Nikki for her exceptionally well written novel, and for encouraging to go down a rabbit hole in search of Pelorus Jack. For the kind words she shared with me privately, and to NetGalley for my ARC.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So, honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read the synopsis and started this book, but it blew me away in a very pleasant way! Yes, the Poppy Fields revolves around the same titled place where people go to sleep for an extended period of time to recover from loses, but what the synopsis is doesn’t share is that this is an amazing story about three main characters, Ray, Ava, and Sasha who all find themselves heading to the Poppy Field for three very different reasons and how their lives all come together and heal in vastly different, yet very entangled ways. How they are still very connected by the end of the book and have such an intricate and amazingly interwoven character development happening along the way. I really enjoyed this read and would highly recommend for someone looking for a solid fictional story read to pick it up!