Overall, 4 stars. Intriguing and different approach to grief and good character development. Ava, Ray, and Sasha were brought together by unfortunate circumstances. I enjoyed watching their journeys unfold and seeing how each character opened up about their past. The part I liked most about this book was the different ways people dealt with grief and hearing stories that were for and against the Poppy Fields.

I loved The Measure by Nikki Erlick and was so excited to read this book. While I didn't love it as much, it was very enjoyable and still made me think about the different approaches to grief.

I would not apply to be a patient at the Poppy Fields, would you? Why or why not?

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the advanced audiobook!!

Spoilers, you have been warned!
The whole book was leading up to the moment that Ava confronted Ellis and once I learned about Ellis's "secret", I found myself underwhelmed and disappointed. Sky, I'm not sure what her purpose was in this story, I liked her, but her story didn't seem to fit in with the others.

Ava - going to the Poppy Fields to find her sister Emmy who is asleep
Ray - firefighter, lost his brother who was a paramedic
Sasha - Korean American, rejected from Poppy Fields application, should have been on her way to her honeymoon
Ellis - doc who started the Poppy Fields
Sky - 18 yr old traveling before college

I really loved 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 and I’m so sad that I didn’t love this one.

Like The Measure, there is what can be considered a controversial topic that a group of people are grappling with. The idea is that when someone is suffering from devastating grief, they can go to The Poppy Fields, a treatment center where people can sleep away the pain.

However, despite the provocative topic, the book isn't very exciting. Grief is a deep and complicated subject where there is so much potential for an emotional connection - but I felt nothing for any of the characters.

I read a few really fantastic reviews of this book prior to requesting an advance listen of the audiobook. I didn't realize when I made that request that this is the same author of The Measure. Similar to the that book, The Poppy Fields ponders an interesting question of "what would you do?" The parallels both of these books carry within the plot are multiple characters facing this same question. I wasn't sure how I felt about Erlick's other book when I read it but I did think the concept was ingenious and original so I applauded the probing questions it presented. When I read, I want to find a person/people to root for or enjoy following their journey throughout the story. This is what was missing for me. I didn't feel like Ava/Ellis were particularly interesting or had really much depth within their motivation. I did think Ray/Johnny story felt stronger in their connection but his reason for going to the Poppy Field felt a little... light in meaning. Sasha really felt pathetic to me. It also reminded me of a story I just read where the main character lost a boyfriend to an accident and had tremendous depths of grief. I almost with that character in Passion Project could have submitted herself to this experiment as her grief was written with such depth and exhaustion it felt like a weight within the book. That is missing within this book. The reason that someone needed this project didn't feel as compelling as I think it needed to be.

So with that said, it's a decent book and written well but didn't go deep enough with the "feelings" that I think would have made it a moving story. I really didn't care about any of them enough to do much more than look forward to the next character study to be discussed. Specific notes about the audiobook; There are 10 narrators but oddly there are really only 1 main narrator (Marin Ireland) and the other's are there for clips between the stories which read the patient applications or a podcast. I found it odd in one of those "side stories" that a female narrator is voicing a male character when we had so many other "male" narrators listed. Odd choice.

I think the rambling thoughts written to be meandering is what takes the reader out of the story at times. It just feels often like I'm sitting with a person that is telling a story without knowing where the story is going.. wandering around trying to figure out the plot points. That's what the "road trip" felt like when the characters encounter a weather event at the airport and they need to hit the road to get to their destination... there's so much "nothing" happening that I just didn't really tune in. The concept of the "what-if" is so interesting that it pulls the reader in to discover if there's going to be some profound revelation at the end but for me it just felt like what was the point?

I really really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of THE MEASURE, this will be a win for you! The audio was well-done with beloved Marin Ireland and other narrators sprinkled in.

This will be a perfect option for book clubs with a lot to discuss and ruminate on. Similarly to THE MEASURE it will leave you with a question of what you'd choose if you were in this *semi* dystopian novel.

Part of me wishes we got even deeper with each character but there were too many to get too deep. I liked how they all connected and enjoyed the fast pace. I think this will be well liked!

The audiobook was excellent! Loved the multiple narrators. Story was engaging- though not what I was expecting. Most of the story is about their journey TO the Poppy Fields and not as much about their particular experiences at the Poppy Fields. I loved reading about each characters journey and how they grew through it. Wish it was a bit longer though!

I was a little bit worried to see if Erlick would be able to follow up her smash hit The Measure- but my worry was for nothing. Erlich penned another thought-provoking, beautifully-set novel, with a cast of characters that I adored. ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR ASAP.

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

5 Stars | Thought-Provoking & Heartfelt

If you loved The Measure, don’t miss The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick. It’s a beautifully told speculative novel about four unlikely and diverse strangers (plus a dog!) who embark on a road trip to a place where grief might be eased through a monitored “sleep.” Would you do it—even with the possibility of side effects?

Told through multiple POVs with a stellar full-cast audio and equally impactful print experience, this book is rich with reflection, emotional depth, and human connection. I felt like I knew these characters by the end. Absolutely unforgettable.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, but opinions are my own.

I was very excited to read this book as Nikki Erlick’s first novel, The Measure, was one of my favorite books I’ve read recently. Like The Measure, this book is deeply thought provoking and discusses the incredibly complex and individual topic of grief.

I LOVED the metaphor for Poppies in comparison to the sleepers and always appreciate when authors add in extra details like that.

I did find parts of this book a little boring, but the lovely metaphors and overall message of the book made up for it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The poppy fields is about grief and how we deal with it. If you erase the grief will you erase the love that goes with it. It was a different take on grief and love. The poppy fields even add a slight sci fi element to me. I liked the audio version

Once I started listening, I couldn’t stop. Another memorable read by Nikki Erlick.

The way this author just rips emotion out of me, needs to be studied. I’m not one who feels strong during books often. I remember reading the Measure and being torn on how to rate it. I laughed, cried , got angry.. All of it… but the journey was too slow and I remember not loving it for that reason. I didn’t feel that as much here so maybe my patience has change but it was indeed another slow read. However, the author really knows how to flesh out characters - they were so relatable and I loved reading about their journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange of a review. The audio narrator was great 🖤

The second this was announced it became of my most anticipated books of the year. I adored the Measure and all the thoughts and feelings it brought. I went into this one blind and was immediately hooked by the premise. The writing style is fascinating as the pov isn't always clear cut, which took a second to adjust to but didn't bother me. As the story went on, I started to lose steam with the point of the story and its direction. I really enjoyed pieces of it, especially the stories of the patients that went to the poppy fields, but overall the story just fell so flat to me. I think I needed the story to pick one Avenue and pursue it rather than bouncing back and forth (it's hard to give detail here without spoilers). Great premise, but overall I was underwhelmed. I enjoy Erlick's writing and unique stories so I'm excited to read her work in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access.

The Poppy Fields explores a way to cope with grief, a very sensitive subject. Everyone deals with grief differently. If given the option would you go to sleep for a month with the hope when you wake your grief will no longer be all consuming?

I love how we get to see the different perspectives of four different people as they make their way to the poppy filed. They are all on their way for different reasons and have very different opinions on the clinical trial. It is great to see how they are each dealing with grief and how their views change on their journey.

Cracked my heart wide open!

Would you choose to sleep away your grief if it meant forgetting the depth of the love that caused it? Is the pain of heartbreak worth enduring the chance of losing the love you felt? The Poppy Fields doesn’t offer easy answers—but it gives you a story full of characters so vivid and lovable, they make you want to hold your people a little tighter. This book will stick with me for a long time.

Sigh. Nikki Erlick is such a gifted storyteller. Once again, she builds a world that lingers long after the final page—one that challenges how we think about love, loss, memory, and healing. Her character work is immersive and emotionally rich, making every chapter feel like a quiet revelation.

I was lucky enough to receive both the ALC and ARC and they were both amazing. There are multiple POVs and but it was all mostly one narrator for the story. The narrator was so easy to listen to and really kept me engaged and wanting to come back for more. The author really knows how to write to get your brain and emotions moving. The way she connects the characters together is one of my favorite things. Everything flows together so well but it also gets you thinking. I loved the grief storyline and how it focused on how everyone grieves differently and for different things. If you could sleep for a month or two and no longer feel has heart stricken...would you? What if 1 in 4 people who sleep get a side effect where they no longer feel any emotion towards the person they were grieving....would you still do it? The Poppy Fields were such an interesting scientific concept and I enjoyed getting to know more about that process and the whys behind it. I can not wait to read what she writes next!

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

Four strangers (and a small dog named PJ) come together in the Kansas City airport during a tornado which renders all the flights canceled. And so begins their shared road trip in a rental car nicknamed “ the canary”. As they travel together they discover that for 3 of them, their destination is not simply California, but a specific place in California: The Poppy Fields. The Poppy Fields is an experimental treatment clinic that allows the grieving to sleep for one or two months and when awakened, their grief has become manageable. Sadly a small minority may suffer an unhappy side effect (lack of emotional feeling)…. “Love and loss, joy and pain are two sides of the same coin. How could we ever banish one without endangering the other? Love changes us, dents us, lifts us, guides us. If we sleep, if we suffer the side effect, if we are no longer shaped by the people we love…who are we?”

I found this novel to be a relatable, thoughtful, and moving treatise on death, grief and memory. Who among us hasn’t wished for sleep to numb our pain as we hope for dreams where our dead visit? I enjoyed The Poppy Fields much more than Erlick’s first novel “The Measure.”

Who wouldn’t want to cure a broken heart. The Poppy Fields seem like a place anyone would want to go to. After a prolonged period of sleep, you will be healed. Four strangers and a dog decide to make a trip to the Poppy Fields. Everyone is on a path of grief and healing. Is it possible to heal from loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?

“Poppies are a ruderal species, which means that they grow from the rubble. If something so spectacular can still blossom in even the most disturbed earth, then doesn’t that mean there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal?”

What about a beautifully written story! I enjoyed all the characters and their stories. I really enjoyed this book! Grief isn’t easy, that’s for sure. It’s a long healing journey. But it’s a journey we aren’t on alone.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Nikki and William Marrow for the ALC!

Publication Date: June 17 2025
Rating:🌸🌸🌸🌸


#ThePoppyFieldsDeluxeLimitedEdition #NetGalley

I requested the ARC of this book because I thoroughly enjoyed her first novel, The Measure, and the way it made me think, reflect, and consider. I was also excited for the audio version because it had multiple narrators. The storyline was interesting, and the writing flowed smoothly. The pace meandered along, which felt appropriate for the topic and the road-trip vibe. I enjoyed getting to know the characters along the way and learning each of their perspectives on the topic of processing grief. The narrators of the audio version did an excellent job, but rather than a "full cast" feel, it seemed to me it was mostly one narrator with a chapter here and there read by a different person.

If you could sleep away the pain and grief of loss, would you? The Poppy Fields offers a unique opportunity to those suffering from a great loss to heal from their tragedy, but is it worth the potential risk? Following a ragtag group of pilgrims seeking healing and answers, the Poppy Fields makes the reader wonder if the risk is worth the rewards.

Absolutely beautiful. A must read for anyone who has experienced loss. As someone who has experienced tremendous loss—multiple deaths of close loved ones, divorce, job loss—this book hit hard.

If you haven’t been through something similar, the premise might sound bizarre: a speculative fiction novel about a treatment center where people sleep for two months to be healed from grief. Weird, right? But if you have known deep loss, then you get it. You understand why someone would do anything to escape the pain, the numbness, the sheer exhaustion of simply existing.

The story follows four strangers, each seeking their own version of healing at the Poppy Fields. Their journeys are beautifully written, unfolding in a way that reminded me of a Fredrik Backman novel—layered, introspective, full of small but profound truths.

I couldn’t stop listening. The narration was superb. Highly recommend.

Not what I was expecting, but good nonetheless. This road trip novel with sci-fi elements explores grief and the role of medical and technological interventions in coping with it. This story would make for a great book club discussion.