
Member Reviews

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio copy of “The Poppy Fields” in exchange for a review.
This was on my list of most anticipated releases of 2025, and I’m happy to report that I enjoyed it! It was a bit slower paced than I’d have liked, but I understand that happens in character driven novels like this. The theme of love and loss and grief was beautiful and so well written. I loved our unique band of characters and how they all wove together to grow.
Overall, I’d say go in with the expectation of atmosphere and beautiful prose over an action packed storyline.

Another beautiful story from Nikki Erlick! I loved these characters and their own journeys with grief. This book had so many beautiful quotes about grief and how it affects us. Ultimately, it's about love! Nikki's writing is so beautiful and had me in tears multiple times. It felt transformative in my own experiences with grief and helped me in a way to be able to see others who are grieving in a different light. This was just a really, really good book! Probably one of my favorites of the year!
The audiobook performance was so well done! I loved the multiple narrators throughout the story.

This is a book about grief. It’s about how we all deal with grief differently and how that can impact others around us and our own futures. There is a center called The Poppy Fields where people can go sleep off their grief. Some for only a week or two, others for up to 2 months. The problem is, while the treatment does take away everyone’s grief for some there is a very unfortunate side effect. The question is- is it worth the risk? In the story we follow 4 people (3 of whom are on their way to The Poppy Fields for various reasons) and we get to know their grief and how they’ve dealt with losses in their lives. This book is thought-provoking, intriguing, and heartfelt. I truly loved every minute of it. I know I will reread this again in the future, it’s going to be a lifelong favorite. The parallels to The Wizard of Oz made this book really fun too. I 100 percent recommend reading this book. Thank you Netgalley for my advance audiobook!

I received an audiobook ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely love this book! You need to pick it up when it comes out. It is guaranteed to be a best seller.
The way that Erlick describes grief and sorrow is poetic. The characters are believable and diverse. I found myself relating to each of them in some way.
I have been interested in reading The Measure for a while, and I'm definitely going to pick it up sooner rather than later.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. The Measure is one of my all time favorite books. The Poppy Fields is completely different, but I couldn't put I down. It was so interesting and great.

Sleeping through the grief sounds like such a good idea, but are the ways to healing are already within us? I love the way human connections are woven throughout this story.

Nikki Erlick delivers again with The Poppy Fields! The way the characters of the story weave together creates a beautiful experience for the reader. This book deals with overcoming grief. If you could go into a medical sleep until your grief has passed, would you do it? This story asks that question and looks at the answers from different points of view. This book was amazing and very thought provoking. The Poppy Fields would make an excellent book club book and I highly recommend this book!

I had high hopes for this one, and it didn’t disappoint.
I love when a story makes you think and reflect on your own life, and The Poppy Fields did even more than that.
It’s compelling, thought-provoking, and full of heart. A beautiful journey of self-discovery and healing that truly touched me.

Wow, imagine you lose someone and your grief becomes too much would you go to sleep for a month to heal? The world would keep spinning, life would keep going but you would be healing. What a fascinating concept for a book. I couldn’t put this one down once I got into it.

As I didn’t enjoy The Measure by this author at all, I was hesitant to read this one but sure glad I did!
Such a masterful tender telling of grief, loss, how overcoming is different for all and friendship along the journey.
At first I was put off my the 4 point of views but that quickly went away and feel like I know each character very well and to be honest wasn’t quite ready to have the story end.
“Isn’t that maybe what everyone wants, to just feel a little bit less lonely.”
Such a deep understanding on numerous emotions and how the response can vary.
Excellent narration as well!!!
Thanks to netgalley for my audio advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!! All opinions are my own!
#NetGalley #thepoppyfields

A beautiful and unique story of loss and grief . It took me a while to get into this story tbh , but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down . I loved the way in which the author introduced us to the characters and told their stories, as well as the interviews with those who went to sleep in the Poppy Fields and the media and social media responses to it
My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Audio rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to publisher William Morrow and Net Galley for both the written and audio version of this book in early galley. I’ve just finished this book. I actually went back-and-forth between the written book and the audio for some clarification and I’m trying to get my thoughts altogether on how I feel. First of all, I found the story of the Poppy Firlds compelling. the three main the most compelling were Ava, Sasha and Ray and then also Ava‘s sister Ellis. Ava, Sasha and Ray are all on a cross country journey to the Poppy Fields very different reasons for going there. Elis is the founder of this company. This concept shall we say of the poppy fields a place where people go to sleep away their grief. This concept of something not real is not my usual genre, but I was so taken by this author‘s first book the measure that I knew I had to read it.
There were some parts of this book where I felt like it slogged a little bit. Some pieces of the road trip didn’t seem necessary. Some of the timelines were hard to keep up, with point of view and time line changes. There are many points of view and voices in this book . The audio was handled very well with various narrators.
In all, I think that this book is so thought-provoking I’m looking forward to discussing it with an online book group there our cultural and ethical questions asked and somewhat answered in the book, but certainly thought provoking. Well done to author, Nikki, Ehrlich, and I give this a solid four stars, maybe 4.5.

The Poppy Fields is a layered, emotional novel told through multiple perspectives—and the audiobook brings that structure to life with a full cast of narrators. Each voice is distinct, which helps listeners stay grounded as the story shifts between characters and timelines.
The production is smooth and immersive, using subtle changes in tone and pacing to reflect the characters’ emotional journeys. The full-cast format adds realism to interview-style segments and news excerpts, making the audiobook feel more like a cinematic experience than a traditional narration.
That said, while the audio experience is strong, the story itself sometimes feels emotionally surface-level. The themes are compelling, but certain character arcs and relationships could have used more depth and nuance to make a lasting impact

What an interesting idea, to be able to sleep away your worries and grief. I’m not sure if this would be something I would want to do.
A company created the Poppy Fields to aide in the healing of people suffering from grief. Just apply to sleep there and if accepted you sleep for weeks expecting to wake up feeling fine. Some wake up feeling different though.
Listening to the way people deal with grief and their stories was interesting. Would you be in favor or against this idea?
Publish June 17, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for a copy of this ARC/audiobook for an honest review.

Absolutely loved The Poppy Fields! The audiobook was such an emotional, immersive experience. I was hooked from the start, and the multiple POVs made the story feel so layered and real. Each narrator brought something special, and it all flowed beautifully. Definitely one of my favorite audiobooks of the year.

Nikki Erilick did it again with a thought-provoking novel about life/death and human emotion. Would you sleep for an extended time to alleviate your grief at the potential expense of severing an emotional attachment to the person you once loved? Erlick covers this these through the story of 5 main characters and their connection to the Poppy Fields or their view on living life in general. It makes you question who are/would you be most like and what would you really choose? If you enjoy stories that make you reflect about life, I highly recommend this one!

Another beautiful book from Nikki Erlick!
The Poppy Fields explores the impact of grief on the individual, as well as on those around them, by creating a technology that allows people to go to sleep for 1-2 months and wake up feeling like their grief has changed into something more manageable. With this creation comes a lot of fear and concern, especially as the possible "side effect" of the treatment has become more well known - The Poppy Fields warns its customers before they sleep tat they risk waking up and having no emotional connection to the memories of those they grieve.
The characters that drive this story are twofold: Ava, Ray, and Sasha are traveling to the Poppy Fields for answers. Ray has lost a brother, Sasha has lost a fiancé, and Ava has lost both a grandmother and a sister; on the other hand, Ellis is the creator of the Poppy Fields, and she is dealing with her creation becoming bigger than she imagined and the backlash that comes along with that.
One of the best parts of this book for me were the excerpts of interviews, articles, podcasts and more that helped the reader understand people's mindsets going into the Poppy Fields. The emotions and stories that these characters had make the grief come to life, so be prepared!

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.

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.
I listened to the audio version of the book, performed by several narrators and each one did an excellent job of portraying the emotions with appropriate dramatic effect.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Harper Audio Adult for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

4.5
This was so good and so thought provoking. I loved the style of writing, and I loved the "interviews" in between chapters too. Having different voices for the characters made it so immersive and It really digs into the concept of grief and what crazy things people would do to make it go away. I definitely recommend reading this book and now I need to go read The Measure!