This is a thought-provoking, compelling story with well-crafted characters and incredible emotional depth. It’s a moving exploration of loss, identity, and healing that will resonate with a lot of readers and make a great book club pick.

This is my first Nikki Erlick book but it won't be my last. The Poppy Fields is a facility, where the bereft can seek solace and healing but it's not without it's controversy. This story weaves together the journeys of 3 people who, for various reasons, are attempting to gain entry to the Poppy Fields and a teenage tag along who's ready to embark on the great, big adventure that is life.

Grief is subjective and that holds true for the characters. As their individual reasons for wanting to visit the Poppy Fields are revealed, we get a deeper understanding of the many and varied ways grief can touch a person. Each character's story is equal measures heartbreaking and inspiring and when the book was over, I wasn't ready to leave them.

The narration was fantastic and made the character's grief even more palpable and realistic.

i really enjoyed this!! i had no idea what this story was about and i went in blind - it really surprised me and the audio was very well done!

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel set in a near-future where grief has become something that can be paused—at a cost. The story centers around four strangers—Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a firefighter; Sky, a free spirit; and Sasha, an occupational therapist—who meet by chance after their flights are canceled. Each is traveling from the Midwest to the Poppy Fields, an experimental and controversial treatment center located in the California desert, where people can choose to sleep through their grief for a period of time. While the promise of temporary relief is tempting, the treatment comes with potential side effects that each character must weigh for themselves. Interwoven with their journeys is the story of Ellis, the enigmatic founder of the Poppy Fields, whose motivations and past add depth and intrigue to the narrative.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved The Measure, and once again, Nikki Erlick delivers a novel that makes us reflect on our humanity and the complex ways we process grief. The characters were relatable, interesting, and emotionally layered, each bringing their own perspective on love, loss, and healing. I received the audiobook version and found the narration engaging and well-suited to the tone of the story. The pacing was excellent, and the character development felt natural and satisfying. Overall, The Poppy Fields is a compelling, emotionally resonant story that I would absolutely recommend.

What if you could sleep away your grief?

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a haunting and hopeful speculative novel about four strangers who travel across the country to a mysterious desert clinic—where you can enter a long sleep to heal from loss.

Each character is broken in their own way—Ava, Ray, Sasha, and Sky—and as they head toward this strange place called The Poppy Fields, their lives slowly begin to intertwine.

It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and asks: what would you do to let go of pain?

If you loved The Measure or anything that mixes grief with a touch of the surreal—this is your next read.

Nikki Erlick knocks it out of the park again with a story full of unique characters, their struggles, and a question of moral dilemma as the theme. The concept of sleep to overcome grief is fascinating, and Erlick tackles this immense scientific hypothesis on a personal level. I was invested in all the characters' stories, and I liked seeing the different reactions to the sleep from a variety of people. The book is very realistic to how an experiment like this would play out in our world.

Nikki Erlick has a way with words. Another fantastic read that gets you thinking and feeling all the feels. The poppy fields a place where people go to deal with grief is controversial. As we know grief is very subjective for each person. Each person story is heartbreaking and wonderful all at once. It’s so beautifully written. Loved every minute. I received the audiobook and the narrator is awesome. I would highly suggest this book to anyone! Thanks to Nikki Erlick, the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

After reading the synopsis of The Poppy Fields, I was looking forward to a thought provoking book, akin to Nikki Erick's The Measure, and she delivered! I thought the narrators did an excellent job and I easily fell into the story.

The Poppy Fields takes the subject of grief, which makes many people uncomfortable or often seems taboo and faces it head on, making us look at the reasons why we can't sit with that emotion. I love how there are multiple characters going on their own personal journeys but find each other at just the right moment in time to provide solace and clarity to their situations.

People fear what we don't know or understand, and that is portrayed in this novel too, through protests and even physical violence. This is fiction and social commentary rolled into one.

The whole concept and plot of this story was so interesting! Nikki has such an unique way of storytelling and bringing stories that are really thought provoking. I loved how this book gave us an unique look at how we can approach grief and healing in a different way. In this story people are invited to come to “The Poppy Fields” to sleep for a month to find a new way to heal and overcome grief. In this story we meet Ava, Ray and Sasha as they are thrown together on a journey to get to the Poppy Fields. We slowly peel back their story and learn a little more about them as the story goes on. Such a compelling story of love, loss, grief and healing.

The audiobook is narrated with a full cast by Narrated by Marin Ireland, Dan Bittner, Stacey Glemboski,Graham Halstead, Mia Barron, Callie Dalton, Janina Edwards, Shawn K. Jain, Christian Barillas and Jason Culp. This full cast made the audiobook listen such a great experience. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to Harper Audio for the gifted ALC!

Title: The Poppy Fields
Author: Nikki Erlick
Pub Date: June 17,. 2025
Audiobook Length: 9hrs, 50mins
Audiobook Narrators: A full cast of TEN narrators

I love how original this idea was! A poppy field where those who are mourning the loss of a loved one can go and sleep for a month(ish) and wake up with less grief? How does she come up with these things? Truly amazing concept!

It wasn't just the concept that was unique, but all of the individual characters and their journeys as well! We watch as four people join together to take the long trip together to the poppy fields. Their reasons for wanting to visit the poppy fields are as different as can be, but they all have more in common than meets the eye.

The ending of this story really touched me. The way everything was tied together was impressive!

I think this is going to be a big hit for magical realism fans!

Having a full cast of narrators made this book even more enjoyable!

A book like no other!! Another solid read by Erlick! The characters - I simply did not want their stories to end! The thought provoking take on grief made me reflect and wonder in a different way than other books that tackle grief have. The concept was unique and the audio was delightful!

I read this book when I most needed it in my life. The decision to sleep away the soul-crushing pain from a loss is something I questioned throughout this reading. I'm still not sure what my decision would be but this book really made me think. I loved The Measure by Nikki Erlick and I believe she has done it again with The Poppy Fields.

ARC from NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This contemplative novel forces the reader to think about what they would do in the character's situation. Would you sleep for a month or two to wake up healed of your grief? Even if there is a chance of waking up with "the side effect"? I did find the middle to drag in the plotline, but it was well worth it to finish the audiobook. 4 out of 5 stars!

Nikki Erlick has such a way of writing about things that really make you think.

If you could be healed of heartbreak after the loss of a loved one would you do it? What about if there was a chance that you could experience horrible side effects from this treatment? Is it worth the gamble?

We follow a group of strangers that were thrown together because their flights couldn’t get them to California to the Poppy Furlds so they decide to rent a car and drive across country.

Ava is a book illustrator
Ray is a fireman
Sasha is an occupational therapist
Sky is an 18 year old free spirit
Pj is a friendly pup that Ava adopted


They have nothing in common but work together to get to the Poppy Fields. Through their trip we find out a bit of their back story and find out why it’s so important that they get to their destination.

I loved the characters, I loved the story. I really thought it would be hard for Erlick to write something better than The Measure but this one is a definite contender.

I would absolutely recommend listening to the audiobook because there are interviews and other things that are in the book and I feel like the audiobook did a great job with that.

Heartwarming. Contemplative. Like a beautiful meditation on surrendering to the universe and believing that the people you need most in your life will appear at the time you need them most.

I loved spending time with these characters as they went on an impromptu car trip and learned about each other and themselves. The author also does a phenomenal job capturing the essence of the landscape and sent me reminiscing about past driving trips and dreaming of future ones.

The concept of the poppy fields clinic was an interesting one - a place where you can go to be placed in a medically induced extended sleep in order to let yourself heal from emotional pain - was interesting, but did not take over the plot of the book. If you enjoy character-driven books that will stay with you long after reading, I’d highly recommend giving this book a try.

I listened to this on audio and there was a big wonderful cast that brought this story brilliantly to life.

The premise of this book is so interesting and I'd love to discuss it in a book club as it just brings up so many ethical - and emotional - questions. I loved the road trip setting with the flashbacks to flush out the more detailed narratives of the primary and secondary characters, and the characters and their stories of loss were so relatable.

I think for me it would have been 5 stars, but toward the end I felt like it got really preachy, in a way it absolutely didn't need to be as the book had already SHOWN the moral the reader was being presented with, and spelling it out annoys a reader (or, this reader!).

I have to thank NetGalley, William Morrow, and Harper Audio as I was granted access to both a digital ARC and the audiobook, and that is SO perfect for me as I love to go back and forth between the two (though so many reader friends are aghast at this method!). The narration was really great and switched between different voices, which I think worked well. I didn't love the voice for Sky as I don't think she was quite that vapid, but other than that, I enjoyed the audio narration and think they brought the story to life in a vivid way.

Thoughts in one sentence:

So much potential with a cool premise, but was let down with no connection to the characters and heavy on the character development.

Imagine a world where you could escape your grief of losing a loved one by visiting The Poppy Fields where you are put to sleep for a month. Upon awaking your deep sorrow is gone and moving on in life is more doable. That's the super cool and interesting science fiction premise of this book.

We then meet the characters and their journey to reach the poppy fields. We hear more an more of their background when all I really wanted to know was their future.

I was left pretty disappointed in a book that I felt had so much potential. It was definitely a character development/history book versus a plot based book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the gifted ALC of this book. I thought the audio was well done and easy to follow along on audio.

This book is an absolute treasure! I was enthralled with the plot as soon as I started. I grew to befriend the characters on a deep level. The way their lives intertwined and affected each other was masterfully crafted! I sped through this book even with the depth and heaviness some moments had. I finished the book with so much hope, so moved by how grief flows through us all. I can’t recommend this one enough!!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the gift that was this amazing book in exchange for my honest opinion. This one is an easy 5 star read!!

I thought I was going to love this because I really liked The Measure, but this one missed the mark.



Review copy provided by publisher.

This book is a deeper book overall, but I really enjoyed it. The book was based around the subject of grief. Grief is a super sensitive topic that is extremely personal and often can be a triggering subject. I really like how the author was able to bring about different aspects on how people deal with it. the book touches on the idea that if a person had the chance to sleep for one or two months in a specialized facility and upon waking, no longer felts crushed under the weight of your grief would you.

I felt that this book was very thought provoking and deeply moving on how different people would and will deal with grief. I thought that the characters of this book were well-developed and showed their emotional depth throughout the book. Definitely a good read for anyone who wants a deeper book, especially for the deeper subjects that deal with the struggle of moving forward and holding onto the past or grief.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.