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.

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of The Poppy Fields in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't read anything from this author before but heard good things about The Measure so thought I would request this one. I enjoyed the premise of this book and felt that it had a lot of interesting commentary on grief and what people would do to get over that grief. While I enjoyed the concepts and some of the ideas inside this novel, I feel like it was pretty uneventful. We don't get much information on the actual scientific process of how the fields works and I wish we would have. We get a lot of character stories of why they want to go to the fields, but we don't spend a lot of time actually there. Some of the individual stories are fine but at no particular time I was dying to find out what happens next. There is a lot of filler chapters in the middle in my opinion, which makes me think this would have made a better novella.

THE POPPY FIELDS by Nikki Erlick
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@nikkierlick has such a talent in developing the characters and interweaving such a beautiful storyline while still addressing such emotional and thought-provoking questions. This book dealt with a lot of genres. There was a bit of sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, a touch of romance and a twist or two but the common theme was grief. As in her first book she makes you stop and think about what you would do in a similar situation. Of course, there are no right or wrong answers just different perspectives. I also enjoyed that Erlick included a subtle nod to her first book when there is a mention of a universe where life is presented as a piece of rope.

Favorite quotes:

"The moment when you realize that YOUR world and THE world are entirely separate. When YOUR world has come to a grinding halt, when you're drowning and flailing about, and THE world just rolls on without you."

"Isn't that what everybody wants, in the end? Just to feel a little less lonely."

"Our love is ours alone to give and ours to mourn."

I absolutely loved The Measure by Erlick and was so excited to get an early copy of her much anticipated second novel The Poppy Fields. Thank you to Nikki Erlick, NetGalley, William Morrow and Harper Audio for the ARC in exchange for my review. The narration was done well, and I would recommend you listen to it if you get the chance. Pub day is in June and you'll definitely want to add it to your TBR list.

Another beautifully written Nikki Erlick book! There is just something about her voice and writing style that I cannot get enough of.
The story was complex and intriguing, I finished this in just over a day- I truly could not put it down.
Like most stories with multiple POVs, it got a bit confusing at times keeping track of all of the characters, but all of their stories came together nicely in the end.

Speculative fiction about an experimental treatment center where people who have suffered a loss can go to “sleep away” their grief. The book follows four people headed there for various reasons as well as the woman behind the project. It covers a lot of big, philosophical topics in an easy to digest format. I like what it had to say, less so the way it was said if that makes sense?

I enjoyed this audio book. (Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!)
It was an interesting concept so it made a good story line. It did feel a bit drawn-out and repetitive.
The narrator was great and I appreciated the change of cast.

The Poppy Fields is where broken hearts go to heal. In a remote part of California there is an experimental treatment centers that allows patients suffering from grief and heartbreak to sleep through their pain. When they wake up they feel more healed and are able to move on from their grief. This book follows four strangers who meet and are attempting to get from the midwest to the Poppy fields. Each of them has their own motivations for getting there.

This book made me cry multiple times and was written exceptionally well. It was a beautiful way to talk about grief and how it affects everyone. I loved following each of the different storylines and getting a look into each of their heads. This is a book about grief, healing and how sometimes the journey can be just as important as the destination.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own. The narration was done well and I highly recommend you listen to the audiobook if you get the chance.

This is the first book I’ve read by Erlick. Somehow, I’ve never read The Measure. The premise is interesting. It’s about a company that allows people who have lost someone important to them to sleep through the grieving process.

This is such an emotional read. It’s heart-wrenching at times. It was hard to get invested at first, and I almost DNFd it. There are many characters who at first are hard to keep straight, but the audiobook made it so much easier. I became much more invested with the audiobook and I was able to do an immersive read which changed my whole reading experience. I’m glad I continued through the end because it was a bittersweet and beautiful book.

The writing was hard for me to follow visually, but the audiobook was so much better. It helped me differentiate the different characters so I could get more invested in their stories. The story was thought-provoking and it made the reader seriously consider what they would do in this situation.

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it more. The short chapters helped keep me motivated to continue reading. I flew through this in about 2 days. I highly recommend this book.