Arc Reader- Audio

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it wasn't what I expected. I think it was what I needed it to be though. This is a found family story about grief, the impact of a life lived, and how we can remember our loved ones without allowing their legacies to swallow us whole. I will admit that it did take me a little bit to get into the book, but once I did I was hooked. There was so much nuance and power in what was happening around these characters. I cried so many times that it was completely unfair. I was not aware of this author and her previous book, but based off of this book, I am interested in going back to read it.
I have struggled this last year with the death of my own mother and was listening this around the anniversary of that (poor timing probably) and I feel like that helped click some things in place for me. If you don't want to cry, don't read this book. But if you want to think about grief in a unique way, please do.

4.5 ⭐ rounded down

In a remote part of the California desert lies the Poppy Fields, a controversial treatment center offering a prolonged sleep cure for the broken-hearted, promises healing upon awakening, but an unpredictable side effect causes hesitancy for many. Four strangers—Ava, Ray, Sasha, and Sky—embark on a journey to reach the Poppy Fields, hoping to confront the enigmatic founder, Ellis. Along their way from the Midwest, their hidden pasts and secret motivations for making the trip are slowly revealed, and the trust they had built with each other begins to fade.

Nikki Erlick, once again, does speculative fiction brilliantly. She creates an absolutely fascinating concept, and takes the reader on an unpredictable journey of "what ifs". I'm not going to lie, I can see how the idea of prolonged sleep, similar to a hibernation, would be an appealing treatment for people experiencing deep trauma, and if this was real I can vividly imagine the loud controversy that this would lead to. Similar to her debut novel, The Measure, this book caused me to do a lot of self reflection and introspection. Additionally, the character back stories were expertly crafted and I cared deeply for them. What is keeping this from five stars for me personally is that the ending, while not bad, fell a little flat for me. I wanted to be really wowed, but ultimately I felt let down by the final moments of this novel. Regardless, this is a must read.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 star rating

To anyone who loved The Measure by this author, and/or anyone whose life has been touched by grief, get yourself in line for this one!

The Poppy Fields is a treatment center in the desert where individuals can go, at no cost, to sleep away their grief. The catch? 1/4 of those who undergo the treatment will wake up with no emotional attachment left to the person they are grieving. This can, for obvious reasons, create conflict with other friends and family members of the bereaved, and for this reason a large amount of controversy has developed around the center.

This novel is told in multiple perspectives, all with differing views of and plans surrounding the center. There is a bit of a road trip saga mixed into the plot, and the best part of the audiobook was getting to hear podcast transcripts and patient applications/interviews mixed in. Excellent narration by the cast! I will say, that this is a book I would still like to have the physical copy in front of me to keep track of the characters and highlight my favorite sections.

This is a book I will likely be buying and will want to share with anyone I know who is going through a time of grief in their lives. It offers many perspectives on grief and healing without feeling too heavy or sad.

My only critique is that it took a little bit of time for me to really feel engaged with the characters and the story, and it felt a little light on details. I would have liked to learn more about how the treatment worked and why.

Either way, I plan on picking this one up again in the future, and the book would make an excellent choice for book clubs.

Beautiful, thought provoking, and very insightful!

4.5⭐️

I'm pretty much strictly a mystery/thriller fan, so I think the fact that I love Nikki Erlick's books so much says a lot about her incredible talent. No matter what genre you prefer, you will be captivated by "The Poppy Fields" and Erlick's extraordinarily profound writing. After "The Measure," I had high hopes for this book, but I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was completely different, but it was also similar in how thought-provoking and compelling it was. I thought the book's main focus would be the treatment center, but much of the story is about the characters' journey from the Midwest to the Poppy Fields in California. Although I am not a sci-fi or fantasy reader, there were plenty of twists and emotional moments to keep me engaged and turning the pages. I loved the mystery element, of course, and I also enjoyed how character-driven this book was. This was such a beautiful story about love, loss, grief, and healing.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by a full cast, with the majority of the book being read by Marin Ireland. She did a fantastic job narrating the multiple POVs, and she has amazing versatility to voice a wide range of characters. I've listened to several of her audiobooks before, and she is such a delight. She brought a lot of heart, humor, and emotion to the story in all the right places.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

As was the case with Nikki Erlick's previous book, "The Measure," this book has an intriguing premise and is beautifully written. Four strangers are thrown together through different circumstances as they make they way to the Poppy Fields in the California desert, where they will undergo a controversial sleep cure to help them overcome grief. You get to know and feel invested in each character's backstory, and it's enjoyable to follow the growing friendships among the characters. I listened to the audiobook, which was performed beautifully by various narrators. Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow and Harper Audio for the e-ARC and audio e-ARC of this original and thought-provoking book.

Nikki Erlick’s The Poppy Fields explores grief and how people want to do with it; how people want to heal. Everything begins in an airport, where we meet Ray. Sasha, and Sky (and PJ). They are all looking to go to The Poppy Fields for different reasons. The Poppy Fields is an experimental treatment center where they work with specific patients, typically going through grief, to be put into a sleep state for 6-8 weeks to help mute and process their pain. Due to a freak weather event, their travel turns into a road trip adventure.

It reminded me a lot of the book Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 due to how slow I felt the book was. It was hard to stick with at the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy of The Poppy Fields!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the exploration of the themes of grief through the characters on a road trip. I also like books centered around questionable research and its ethics as it makes for great discussions.

I did think though that the book spent to much time with the characters backstories, and still reading about them past the halfway way point felt like the story lost momentum and I became less invested in them.

Overall I genuinely liked this book and the questions regarding the subject matter it explores. Would make a great book club book!

The Poppy Fields 🌸

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Pub Date: June 17, 2025

The Poppy Fields are in a secluded desert area where patients can go into a medically induced sleep to help them heal from a loss or heartbreak. Ava, Sasha, and Ray are all on their way to the Fields, each for their own reason. When their paths collide they find themselves traveling together to face what is drawing them to the fields.

I really enjoyed this one! I previously really liked The Measure by this same author, and was excited to see what new idea she has come up with this time. I really enjoyed all the characters. I really felt for each of them and loved when they each opened up about their own painful experiences. I loved the little reveals about them throughout the book as well.

I listened to this one via audiobook on my commute to work, and I definitely was getting in my emotions a few times and had to get it together. Overall I think this was a thoughtful story on grief and all the forms it can come in. If you liked The Measure, you should definitely check this one out!

3.5 This book took me a bit by surprise. At first I was really not enjoying it. Mainly because it was so different than what I expected. It is more character driven and speaks a lot on grief. When I expected to an extent , but was hoping for a bit more mystery or twists with the sleep/grief clinic. However it as well written and had some nice thoughts and things to say about grief and how we as humans experience life an death.

I'm going to start out with the obvious - this cover is BEAUTIFUL! It grabbed my attention immediately, and I want to add a trophy copy to my bookshelf asap. Secondly, what an interesting memorandum on grief and loss, the "ocean of overwhelm", and how different people cope with the pain in the aftermath.

The beginning is very descriptive and sets up the story well so you know exactly what is happening right away. I've read some other sci fi novels that are hard to follow and several chapters in, you still have no idea what they're talking about. This is not one of those. I think it would make a great gateway book into other sci fi or fantasy, and I'm always looking for book recs for those skeptical of these genres.

I enjoyed the contrast in perspective of those seeking out the healing of the Poppy Fields versus someone working at the Fields behind closed doors. The history and secrets of those seeking the Fields are varied, yet relatable, and I found their journey almost cathartic. The addition of news articles, social media posts, and transcripts from sleeper interviews help give a deeper understanding of why someone might go to seek the benefits of the sleep - enough to risk the side effect.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the audio ARC! I'm not sure that I could have picked a more perfect narrator, given the option of anyone currently available. I recommended this book to one of the sci fi/fantasy loving therapists I work with immediately, and will tell absolutely everyone I know to look for it when it releases!

"He'd blinked and he was 37".. same bro, same.

Ava, Sasha, Ray, and Skye are at the Kansas City airport when a tornado hits and their flights to LA are cancelled. Ray, Ava, and Sasha end up driving together to LA. It turns out they are all heading to The Poppy Fields, a place where people can go to sleep away their grief, and each character has a reason for wanting to get there. As they travel, they also pick up Skye, who has a story of her own.
This was such a well written novel and the audio narration was FANTASTIC. Marin Ireland was the main narrator and I always enjoy her narrations. The characters and character development was phenomenal. I was invested in each character and their reason for wanting to go to The Poppy Fields. Each character’s story was heartfelt and emotional. With themes of grief, love, and relationships, this is a book that makes the reader reflect. I would highly recommend this book to everyone! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advanced copy of this audio book!!

I really liked this novels concepts and enjoyed the twists and turns. I think the narrator did a great job.

I was sooooo lucky to get an audiobook ARC for Nikki’s newest novel. I was sooooo lucky excited to be selected for this book because after falling in love with The Measure as her debut novel, I HAD to see what she did with her next one. I never thought The Measure would’ve been able to be topped but The Poppy Fields has officially surpassed this.

Nikki does an absolutely amazing job of building a fictional but realistic world where it really takes your mind on a rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions in a great way. Both of her books made me want to live in the world that she has written.

The ideas covered in The Poppy Fields hit really close to home as I recently lost my best friend in a car crash and I am still going through the grieving process. She really talks about how intense the grief people feel over events in our life affect us immensely and it isn’t really something that is talked about in today’s world.

I love how you don’t only get to read a fiction novel that feels real, you also get to learn interesting and thought provoking facts about history and life she throws in there.

You did a fabulous job Nikki!! This will absolutely be a re read once I can get my hands on a physical copy of the book this June. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Grief is such a complex thing, impacting all of us in unique and profound ways. I found this book really had me thinking about the nature of grief, and moving through it. If you had the opportunity to sleep through the hardest moments of your grief, would you? What about if it potentially dampened the feelings of love you had toward the person? This book would be absolutely perfect for a book club.

I listened to an audio copy and the narration added to the story. Told in multiple perspectives, the multiple narrators manage to reflect the vulnerability and hurt of the characters.

The book follows four strangers who find themselves together in a car headed for the Poppy Fields, a medical facility enabling those with grief to sleep through the hardest time of grief. They are all headed there for different reasons, and not only to sleep.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and HarperAudio for the Advanced Review Copy.

I’ve never read about an experience I wished to live, until The Poppy Fields. If read in a book club, a question of “would you apply” would be a big conversation and for me it would be a big fat yes… until I heard about the side effect. Then I started to question the decision.
This story of many people and their journey in, or on the way to the fields was extremely captivating. While many characters popped up, a few remained constant.
I absolutely LOVE Nikki Erlick’s writing, and her dystopian type worlds. The Measure is still a book I think about, a year after reading, and I have a feeling The Poppy Fields will be as well. 4.5* Thank you NetGalley and Nikki Erlick for the opportunity to review this ALC.

I absolutely loved Erlick's first book, The Measure, so I was excited to read this. While I like The Measure more, I did enjoy this book. I appreciate how Erlick speculates on a topic and then investigates that topic from multiple perspectives. In The Measure, she looked at the question of time -- if we knew how long we had to live, and how long others had to live, how would that change our interpersonal relationships? And what are the societal ramifications of having this knowledge? In The Poppy Fields, she looks at grief and memory -- if you could ease your emotional pain, would you? That's not as straightforward a question as we think. Our gut reaction is: "of course, I'd choose to ease the heartache of loss." But Erlick shows us the nuances of this idea and how we all must find our way through various forms of grief. Coincidentally, while reading this book, I experienced the death of a mentor. This book made me reflect on my own grieving process and had me thinking about how his family and friends are all dealing with his loss in different ways, based on their relationships with him.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I highly recommend this audiobook! The entire cast of narrators has delivered an exceptional performance, bringing the story from diverse perspectives and characters. The narrative revolves around strangers who come together in a series of unfortunate circumstances, on a mission to reach The Poppy Field, seeking solace and relief from their very different griefs.

I really wanted to love this book but the multiple view points threw it off for me. However I did love the different take on grief and coping with it. It was definitely a unique book and I love the ending.

If you could sleep away your grief, would you? What if there was a 25% possibility of removing all emotions - positive and negative - related to your lost loved one?

I loved the idea of this! Nikki Erlick is great at coming up with really thought provoking concepts and bringing them to life wonderfully. Like The Measure, we’re following multiple POVs as well as hearing from applicants to the titular Poppy Fields. The applicant transcripts were probably my favorite parts of this book. I did find myself not as interested in some of the characters, but overall felt this was a well written enjoyable novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for access to this advanced copy. All opinions are my own

Really enjoyed this book. It’s my second by this author and I for sure will pick up her next book. I loved the characters and their journeys.