The Poppy Fields is a tender, lyrical novel that blends grief, memory, and healing with quiet power. Nikki Erlick’s storytelling is rich and introspective, centering on a woman navigating love and loss across generations. The imagery — especially around the poppy fields is haunting and symbolic, representing both remembrance and renewal.

This is not a fast-paced story, but it’s one that lingers. Erlick writes with emotional precision, capturing how the past echoes through the present and how love can endure even after great loss. It’s a book that invites reflection, especially about the legacies we carry and the stories we inherit.

Wow, wow, wow.

The Poppy Fields by New York Times bestselling author Nikki Erlick is a powerful and beautifully written speculative novel exploring grief, healing, and the often complex path to peace. Set against the surreal backdrop of a controversial desert treatment center where patients can sleep through their pain, the story follows four strangers (and one loyal dog) on a cross-country journey filled with secrets, emotional reckonings, and hope. With its blend of poignant themes and imaginative premise, this novel invites deep reflection on how we navigate loss and what it truly means to heal.

This was my first book by Erlick, and I was blown away. She pushes the boundaries of genre with a story that is both emotionally resonant and ethically thought-provoking, making it a perfect pick for book clubs looking for rich discussion material.

The audiobook is a standout production, featuring an exceptional cast of narrators: Marin Ireland, Dan Bittner, Stacey Blemboski, Graham Halstead, Mia Barron, Callie Dalton, Janina Edwards, Shawn K. Jain, Christian Barillas, and Jason Culp. Marin Ireland, a personal favorite of mine, leads a stellar ensemble. Despite the large cast, each transition was seamless, and the narration added depth and clarity to the story without ever feeling disjointed. It was a thoroughly immersive and emotionally rewarding listening experience.

I gave this book a full 5 out of 5 stars. It resonated deeply, especially as I read it while working through personal grief. The best stories often mirror our emotions, and The Poppy Fields did just that. While the audiobook was superb, I also have to mention the stunning special edition in print, which would make a truly beautiful addition to any home library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advance audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook - 4 Stars
Multiple narrators

“If we sleep, if we suffer the side effect, if we are no longer shaped by the people we love, who are we?”

The Poppy Fields is a place where you can go to sleep through the stages of grief. But there’s a cost: one in four people wake up with their memories of loved ones dulled—no longer feeling the same intensity of love or loss. Is it worth the risk?
Told through alternating perspectives, we follow four individuals, each drawn to the Poppy Fields for their own reasons, all seeking an audience with its enigmatic founder, Ellis. There’s Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a firefighter; Sasha, an occupational therapist; and Sky, a recent graduate stepping into the world. Each character brings a unique lens to this emotional journey.
A fresh and thought-provoking take on grief and healing, The Poppy Fields is a compelling listen that asks: what would you sacrifice to ease your pain? If you could bypass the stages of grief and allow your heart to heal faster—would you?
I thoroughly enjoyed the narration. The use of multiple narrators enhanced the listening experience and made the shifts between perspectives easy to follow. Marin Ireland, in particular, was outstanding.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that I loved "The Measure," and really expected to love this book. I enjoyed it, but just felt a little something was missing. that said, I'm not sure what. I just didn't have as much engagement with the characters. I feel as if this would make a great movie or TV show.

When I first started The Poppy Fields, I anticipated a more sci-fi or sciencey narrative. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a poignant road trip story that delves into the complexities of human emotions such as loss, grief, guilt, and forgiveness.

The Poppy Fields is a treatment center where people are put into a deep, coma-like sleep to let them heal from their pain and grief. It sounds wonderful (I could just use the sleep), but it has some controversial side effects.

Our travelers, who are all strangers, each have their own reason for heading to the Poppy Fields. As they serendipitously find themselves on a road trip together after a tornado delays all flights, we hear their stories along the way.

While the central themes of grief, healing, and forgiveness are indeed thought-provoking, what truly captivated me were the characters and their heartwarming interactions, including the little dog. Their unique personalities and stories are what brought charm and emotion to this story.

I’m sure I’m not the first to point out all the little nods to 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑧, which was fun to try to pick out along the way.


🎧I loved the audiobook! The full cast of narrators — Marin Ireland, Dan Bittner, Stacey Glemboski, Graham Halstead, Mia Barron, Callie Dalton, Janina Edwards, Shawn K. Jain, Christian Barillas, and Jason Culp — made this feel rich, vibrant, and immersive. I flew through it in a day.

Thank you #partner @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted ebook. #epictastemakers
Thank you @harperaudio for the gifted audiobook via NetGalley.

The Measure has been one of my favorite books, so I was very much anticipating this one! I liked it, but didn't love it. I hoped for more of a storyline at the facility, not necessarily leading up to their time there. It did love the format with multiple stories/narratives going on and how it all came together in the end. I would definitely recommend this one!

I don't feel the story flows very well it tell the same story one right after the other to tell the reader what the poppy fields are.

I really wanted to like this book after loving The Measure, and the premise sounded interesting. But it just didn’t work for me. The story needed being more about a road trip than what I expected, the whole concept of sleeping your grief away. It was slow and unfortunately a little boring, and I really didn’t connect with any of the characters.

The narration was ok. But I think it was more the story than the narrators’s fault., they were all fine and I like a multi cast audiobook.

I still think it was an original idea and would read a future book from this author.

DNF @ 58%

It’s always a difficult choice not to continue with a book that you are both loving and bored to tears by. This hit the mark on both accounts. Nikki’s writing voice is profound, it pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading. Unfortunately, it seems to cover the incredibly sloth-like plot and require the reader more patience than is warranted. At 58%, I know a little about the characters, of which are plentiful, what events are taking place, and not much else.

Needless to say, we didn’t jive this time, but I’ll for sure be checking out more from Nikki Erlick, as I did love her writing.

I just finished The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick and here are my thoughts. This audio was full cast so it already had a leg up!

Controversial is the name of the game but can sleep heal a broken heart? 3 strangers all heading in the same direction but for very different reasons. The Poppy fields are a place where one goes to ease the pain of loss but not everyone comes out unscathed.

In great Stacey fashion, I assumed from the title that it was a world war ½ novel… historical fiction for the win… I was so surprised to find out it was so much better than that!! It’s a sci-fi fantasy book… I also enjoyed that the audio was full cast and it really rounded out this story for me.

I found the whole book fascinating. A treatment for the pain of losing someone and all you have to do is go to sleep? So cool but it was kinda heavily character driven so I was really intrigued. A storm brings three people together all heading to the same place but all for very different reasons and they all seem like they have nothing in common but a lot of their healing happens on the road which was really nice.

It wasn’t a shocking plot. It wasn’t twisty or overly sciency. It was a rather gentle and sincere story about grief and loss and how everyone deals with it in their own way but some people.. Can’t get out from under it. It was thought provoking in an easy way. It wasn’t overly wordy but it did resonate with me in a more meaningful way.

I really enjoyed it.

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @harperaudio for my gifted ALC.

I wanted more from this book! I loved The Measure by the same author, but this one was disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook for The Poppy Fields in exchange for my honest review.

The Poppy Fields is my first book from author Nikki Erlick. It is a speculative fiction book about grief. I found the premise interesting and the characters to be engaging. I loved the first seventy- five percent of the book, but the last part didn't captivate me.

Marin Ireland did a wonderful job of narrating the book.

Synopsis:
Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.

On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way west to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook.

This was fine? The audiobook production was great (Marin Ireland is always so good), but I don’t know that I’d have enjoyed reading it as much as listening to it bc it was kind of slow and meandering and got a little boring? I think I maybe had too high of expectations for this after loving The Measure so much - I wasn’t expecting (and didn’t want) the same book, but I didn’t quite connect to this one the same way and was hoping for more to happen. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to read/listen to it, but I didn’t love-love it like I wanted to. Still very excited to read whatever Erlick writes next because she has such interesting ideas!

Unfortunately, I did not finish this title. The storyline was too slow for me and I continually found myself uninterested and bored after multiple attempts.

I really enjoyed The Measure when I read it a while ago, and Poppy Fields delivers a similar blend of emotional introspection and high-concept premise that kept me turning pages. This time, the focus is on memory (what we carry, what we choose to forget, and how forgetting can both heal and harm).

Erlick's writing is clean and accessible, but what stood out most was the emotional weight behind the characters' decisions. There's a subtle quiet to the prose that lets the ethical and personal dilemmas breathe without being heavy-handed. The speculative element (a pill that erases traumatic memories) is handled thoughtfully, and while the story explores big questions, it stays grounded in individual lives and relationships.

If you liked The Measure, this feels like a natural next step. It doesn’t rely on shock or twisty plot mechanics. Instead, it offers a reflective, gently provocative experience. Not overly literary or stylized, but emotionally sincere and resonant.

I couldn't recommend this more! Truly a book for readers who enjoy pondering the choices we make...and the ones we might erase if given the chance.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick blows open the grief genre with a high‑concept “sleep-your-way-through-heartache” treatment center planted in the California desert. Imagine a road trip that pairs botanical hallucinations with emotional catharsis. We follow four very different strangers—and one pup—on their quest to reach the Poppy Fields treatment center.

Their shared road trip—flight canceled, car rented, ride shared—becomes a cozy confessional booth on wheels, with each stop unearthing raw backstories and tender moments that build a bond.

Meanwhile, founder Ellis Jones and her mystical center offer miraculous healing, but with a flip side: one in four patients lose more than just sorrow—they lose all emotions, including love.

This road trip tale is more cozy than shocking, and some might find the speculative edge a tad underplayed compared to expectations of thriller-level stakes. But that’s fine—it’s a thoughtful meditation disguised as a sweet road trip.

I was a little nervous picking this one up because her last book, The Measure was so middle of the road for me. However, I loved the premise of this story so I wanted to give it a go. Again, just another middle of the road book for me. I actually enjoyed this less than I did the Measure. I just didn't connect with the characters. I thought that there were too many characters to follow, actually. I just couldn't get invested in this.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

What an amazing story. So unique and sad. Grief is so diverse. Everyone is dealing with it differently

couldn't stop listening to the audio. The voices made the story real

What a thought provoking read. We don't think of the grief process until we are in the midst of it, but what a way to consider things. I love Erlick and can't wait for her next title.

3.75 stars I did love how thought provoking this was. It would be a good book club pick.
Grief is such a beast in and of itself, it comes and takes over, sometimes leaving slowly. And other time it feels like it may never leave at all.
What would you do if you could sleep through the grief of someone you love most?
And what is left after the grief is gone? Is it ever really gone or is it just easier to deal with?
Part of thinks on times in my life that I would have jumped on the chance to sleep through two months of time and wake up with the ability to have passed through the pain without physically and mentally feeling it, but then I wonder if the growth would be there. Or would I be one of the unlucky few that got the terrible side effect? I don’t think I could risk it. But I definitely understand why some would take the chance. And we should have greater sympathy and grace for those of us who would make that choice.