I will preface this that I LOVED The Measure and am still thinking about it months later. The Measure and The Poppy Fields are similar structure-wise but I think that The Measure was more successful. I loved how in The Measure there was a giant shared event and then the ripple effects that secretly overlapped and connected characters. The Poppy Fields focused on grief, which is an inherently an individual experience, so it felt like all characters were on their own parallel journeys that all happened next to someone else's.

My biggest gripe was that this book was a road trip story up until the 85% mark, and all the life stories were told in flashbacks - nothing really happened in the present to propel the plot along. Also, a flow complaint is that Erlick so slyly transitioned between POVs in the same chapter and even in the same paragraph, that even though it wasn't awkward, it was confusing at times.

Erlick is clearly a very talented writer and I will continue to pursue her books, as I find her prose to be ultra smooth and she creates psychologically conflicts that my Ethics degree brain finds so appealing.

P.S. While this book wasn't a knockout for me, the audiobook quality was top tier! Full cast!

A unique and well written novel with a full cast narration. Reading the digital ARC and listening to the audiobook made for a wonderful reading experience.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick releases on June 25, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 💖

I was SO excited to get an advanced copy of the Poppy Fields after reading The Measure. In her true nature, this was another winner!! Nikki Erlick's brain is wild. Her creative process and the worlds she creates are scarily realistic and also out of this world. 🌎

The Poppy Fields brings us into a world where the broken-hearted and grief-filled are able to sleep through their pain, and wake up fully healed. Would you try it out? What if there were shadowy side effects? We follow four strangers en route to the Poppy Fields from the Midwest to the Poppy Fields, where they are on their way to find Ellis, the founder. 💔

Grief, trauma, healing, loss, recovery, suffering. This is a heavy one! Just like The Measure, The Poppy Fields is a book that you continue to spend your day thinking about when you're not reading it, and will be a book I think about long after! 🤔

This was a pleasure to listen to on audiobook - even more fun that June is audiobook (appreciation?) month!! The different formats that the story is told in (transcripts, media, interviews, etc.) made it even more entertaining to listen to. 🎧

There was even a mention of The Measure - so cool! 📏

I can't wait to see what Nikki Erlick comes up with next!! The Measure was published in 2022, and The Poppy Fields is releasing in 2025 — all I'm saying is that it was worth the wait!! 👏🏻

4+ stars! I started this read on audio because of the interesting concept, but flew through it because of its varied viewpoints and meditations on grief. Honestly I was a little bit skeptical when I picked this one up -- I thought the concept of The Measure was intriguing as well, but it ended up falling flat for me -- but I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

This felt like a very personal subject matter for the author, and the variety of losses and reactions that are weaved throughout the story build something really special. I actually found myself more moved by the intermittent chapters of side characters' applications to sleep at the Fields than some of the main storyline -- there was something so raw and honest about them. The primary storyline of strangers making their way to the Fields after canceled flights was a good vehicle for them to slowly unravel their stories, but I definitely enjoyed the sections of personal reflections more.

Definitely give this one a try!

Loved this book! It’s such an interesting premise and like The Measure it makes you think and question how you would react. Her writing pulls you in and the characters were relatable. She tackles a tough subject in grief, but she did it in a way that I think will really resonate with readers. I recently lost my aunt and I was struck by how Nikki talked about grief in such a poignant way. Highly recommend this book! 4.5 stars!!

This concept completely hooked me: a facility called The Poppy Fields where people can take a medication that puts them into a deep, restorative sleep for a month to help ease the weight of their grief. As someone who has experienced many forms of grief and loss, I found this idea both fascinating and deeply meaningful. I really appreciated how the book explored the ethical and emotional complexities of the treatment. Strangely, it didn’t make me cry but maybe that’s not a bad thing. It wasn’t overly emotional or triggering, just thought-provoking and quietly powerful. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone curious about the many shapes grief can take.

A big thank you to Netgalley, Harper Audio, and Nikki Erlick for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a highly anticipated read for me. The Measure is one of my all-time favorite books! I really liked that the writing style was similar to that book (short chapters, different perspectives and characters). I did find the premise interesting, although it didn’t grab me quite as much as The Measure. I enjoyed the characters and found the ending to be satisfying.

A solid sophomore novel that was fast paced and entertaining. I look forward to what’s next from this talented writer.

The Poppy Fields is Nikki Erlick’s sophomore novel after The Measure (which I loved!)

This book was solid. I enjoyed the alternating POV and how they all intersected. I found the concept of sleeping away grief for a month straight interesting. Especially when you consider some people wake from their sleep and have no feelings about those they were grieving at all. It definitely makes you think about what would you do and whether it is worth it or not. I loved how the different POV in this book explored that topic.

The author writes speculative fiction in a way that feels like it is based in the real world which I really enjoy! I really enjoy her writing and found it pretty easy to get invested.

I think people who enjoyed the Measure will find this one great as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Although I didn’t love The Poppy Fields quite as much as Nikki Erlick’s debut The Measure, it was still a 5-star read for me. Erlick's novels remind me exactly why I love to read. They're the kind of books that sneak up on you emotionally; they make you think deeply about what it is to be human. Erlick is the kind of writer that makes you grateful to be able to feel emotional pain.

In The Poppy Fields, what starts as a surreal, speculative road trip slowly turns into a real gut punch of a story about grief, forgiveness, and finding your way back to yourself. The concept is brilliant (a treatment center where you can literally sleep through heartbreak??) but it’s the characters that make this shine. They are all flawed, tender, and deeply human. I cared about each of them more than I expected to, and their arcs felt both quietly magical and painfully real. The ending did feel a bit abrupt for me—I would’ve loved just a little more time with the resolution—but even so, this was a beautifully told, bittersweet journey. Erlick is officially an auto-read author for me.

Wow - Nikki Erlick at it again with another book that’ll make you contemplate life and choices. Set in The Poppy Fields, people attend this free treatment clinic when they need a break and some time to heal; by sleeping for a period of weeks, most patients will wake up restored, and feel less of the pressure and pain that grief has caused them. While most are success stories, some struggle in their recovery, due to a rare side effect.

The novel begs the question - what would you do to escape your grief? Would you try a month long nap to help your mind heal, if all of your other needs were taken care of?

Highly recommend. The storytelling and concept is top-notch and I really enjoyed getting to know these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Harper Audio for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

A journey of grief and love. Be prepared to cry! The Poppy Fields follows five people as they process loss. One of the main characters is a firefighter and that hit close to home since my husband is a firefighter. The grief processed alone or in community is difficult and different for everyone. I highly recommend for anyone, but, although I’ve not experienced great loss in my life, I do believe this book would be very emotional for anyone who has. I’m extremely empathetic, so the tears flowed freely for me, but expect triggers especially for those who have endured tragedy.

I’m typically one who likes happy stories, but I wouldn’t classify this as happy or sad. I’d call it real and hopeful.


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

i’m obsessed with Nikki Erlick’s creativity and mind 👏🏼💭✨ she is so creative and THE POPPY FIELDS was another book that will make ya think, feel and just sit with the story

4.5 rounded to 5 for GR! i’d change a few things but overall, this was such a goodie.

THE MEASURE is one of my all-time fave books and THE POPPY FIELDS was one of my most anticipated 2025 releases. it’s just so creative—what if you could go into an induced sleep (think: a coma) and when you wake up, your grief is gone? you’re no longer hurting and you feel so much better. would you do it? what if you learned 25% of people wake up and feel nothing at all—not even happy, peaceful nostalgic memories of the person you lost? would you still do it?

THE POPPY FIELDS covers this topic and let me just say it’s fascinating. THE MEASURE was another book written in a similar fashion that makes you take the book chapter by chapter and really sit and think. as someone who reads ALOT, these are the books i’m loving more and more.

i didn’t expect this book to go where it did (the road trip of it all), but found that to be a fun way to explore the story and see how so many different people experience and cope with grief. there were a fun few twists along the way and i loved how the author weaved so many characters together.

🎧 the audiobook of this is a must—it’s not technically a full cast, but it has multiple narrators and formats (think: newspaper articles, interviews, etc) that give a different perspective of the treatment and i thought that was super creative. the main narrator is Marin Ireland who is fab!

*this will make for a GREAT book club pick! so much to discuss and debate and see what others would do if given the same situation.

one note—this is much more lit fic and almost science fiction vs magical realism like THE MEASURE. not bad but just interesting to note the differences. the one thing is change is following a character or two after the treatment vs the road trip before the treatment. i also didn’t really get the point of Sky 🤔

also THE MEASURE crossover!!!!!!!!!! did ya catch it?!

i’ll always read whatever she writes! her sophomore novel was worth the wait 🌸

thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the gifted ARC & ALC! this is out 6/17

one of my fave quotes:

“If we sleep, if we suffer the side effect, if we are no longer shaped by the people we love, who are we?“

The Poppy Fields, Nikki Erlick’s most recent release draws readers into a world where human desire and choice are front and center. If grief is overwhelming and you could sleep it away, would you? Would you still, even if there was a chance to lose all the love that accompanied the person you are grieving?

Following five individuals on their own journeys with The Poppy Fields, readers are given different backstories and scenarios as to why people choose “the sleep.”

As with her previous release; The Measure, Erlick’s writing is beautiful and has a way of giving the reader an opportunity to look within themselves to ask the hard questions about life, live, and grief. Is grieving the loss of a job, passion, mobility, functionality the same as the grief of a loved one? There are so many deep questions posed within this novel.

The character development was not as well executed as I would have hoped. Sacha’s character seemed the most well rounded while others seemed like cardboard cutouts of generic people. There was an attempt to tie in some minor characters which just didn’t seem needed. And while the “reveal” made sense, it could be seen from the beginning of the chapter. It made sense at the end to give that character an ARC in the book, but again, it seems like a lazy way to end the book but also give hope (if that is the right word?!).

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel and paused my reading several times to ponder the questions being asked within the story. If you enjoyed “The Measure”, this will also be a winner!

Thank you to the author, Harper Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy to listen to and share my humble thoughts and opinions.

She's done it again! What a beautiful speculative fiction with sci-fi elements (also known as my perfect cup of tea). When a treatment that utilizes prolonged sleep as a form of grief and pain management becomes available, its side effects begin to unfold in a myriad of ways. Told from multiple perspectives, with characters that have a direct or indirect connection to the treatment. Their journeys lead them towards discovery and understanding, uncovering the motivation behind why they and others would consider such a controversial treatment. This book tackled familial dynamics, grief, trauma and self-discovery in such a unique and thought-provoking way. I loved the formatting, which felt anthropological and experimental, and the inclusion of the societal impact and response told through news alerts and updates. There's also a found family and mystery element that layered into the story beautifully. I’m very honored to have this as my first ARC read. It was excellent! (4.5 Stars)

This one is thought provoking and deep. It will shake you to your core and make you question yourself on what it means to grieve and live. Really it is – how far are you willing to go to relieve yourself from heartbreak? In my opinion, it is really a book with a whole lot of low – and no relief for light, joy, or hope. Needless to say, I need to go read something happy now.
​As for the narration, I absolutely LOVE full casts. That being said - I really enjoyed the narration and prose of this one. It has 10 narrators, and I loved the jumping in and out of the story and talking about what the public thinks about the facility. I like how everything is set-up for the story, apart from character development. I feel like I never really get to know (or become attached to) any of the characters. It doesn’t really take away from the story, but I usually have at least one character I like. I really was ambivalent about all of them.
​There is no true climactic moment or real ending for this one. With the slowness of the pacing, I had hoped for some BANG climax. Something to make me go “WHAT?” or jump out of my seat. There wasn’t any of that.

A beautifully speculative novel about grief, healing, and the lengths we’ll go to find peace. Set in a surreal desert clinic where the broken-hearted can literally sleep through their pain, five unlikely companions (plus a loyal dog) embark on a soul-searching journey that blurs the line between science and hope. If you loved The Measure, prepare to be swept away again—this time through a hauntingly imaginative take on recovery, forgiveness, and the human spirit.

An exploration of grief, love, loss, hope, healing, given and found family.

“Grief was love in it’s second shape”

The Poppy Fields is an experimental treatment center where those who have experienced life-altering loss can go to sleep through some of the darkest depths of their grief and awaken, 4 to 8 weeks later, with the burden lightered and more tolerable.

4 people (and a pup), carrying vastly different kinds of pain, end up traveling together to the Poppy Fields. Each characters internal dialogue and contemplation of their circumstances is thought-provoking.

The story explores the deep wells of the human experience and demonstrates how much each person can be holding under the surface.

If you could sleep through the worst portion of your grief, but you risk losing how you felt about the person you lost… would you do it?

Audio: the narrator was wonderful. I felt the timidly voiced Ava moments in my soul. The vocals for Sky were absolute perfection.

4.5 Stars
Audiobook

Several people head to a Kansas airport for different reasons, but a tornado brings them together to embark on a shared journey—a road trip to The Poppy Fields, a medical center to sleep away your grief.

This beautiful story hit me on a personal level. At first, I expected this to skew more towards science fiction, but instead, it was a lovely tale of grief, healing, and found family. I lost my fiancé to a car crash when I was in my twenties. Had an option like The Poppy Fields been an option, I can see the appeal as someone suffering from traumatic grief. Each main character experienced a unique form of grief, but they formed a found family and healed in their way.

An advanced reader copy provided by William Morrow Books and Harper Audio. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this this book. As someone who has experienced plenty of grief in my life, this speculative exploration of grief felt very poignant to me.

I also REALLY appreciated how despite all of these characters having lots of sadness, loss, and trauma, the author didn't really show any of it firsthand on the page allowing her to explore grief without having to traipse through a bunch of potentially triggering moments first. I'm not usually easily triggered in book, but it's still really nice to see a thoughtful and genuine take on themes of grief that starts out after the events being grieved. There is a lot of death in this book, but all of it happens before the first page so the characters spend most of the time discussing how they're coping or not coping, how they're affected, rather than discussing what happened in excruciating details. Sometimes showing excruciating details in your narrative can be powerful, but I'm so impressed with Elrick for just showing us how powerful the aftermath alone can be without having to retraumatize anyone first. That being said, there are some brief/minor mentions, descriptions, or explanations of tragic events, but nothing at all graphic.

This book definitely has some twists in it, bur still managed to feel like of cozy. Is cozy nearly Sci-fi a genre, because if so, this is probably that. Based on the premise of this book, I was expecting some kind of insidious hidden conflict to come out at some point, but there wasn't really any. There's nothing specific that led me to think that beyond just the vibes of the cover and description.

And ai enjoyed all the characters quite a bit. There are interviews throughout the book of various people seeking treatment for grief and those were also fascinating. If ai had any critiques on the characters in this book, it would be that I wish the different POVs were a bit more distinct from one another. And in fact, the narrative style sometimes felt like third person omniscient and sometimes felt like third person limited. The times it felt like 3PL, the characters did feel a little distinct, but I would have liked that to be a little moreso the case.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a gentle exploration of grief in a narrative format.

This speculative yet emotionally grounded novel follows several characters most notably Ray, Amy, and Sasha on a road trip to the Poppy Fields, a retreat designed to help the grieving heal through sleep. The concept, introduced by Ellis, who created the fields, is both fascinating and haunting.

While I expected more of the story to take place within the Fields themselves, a majority of the book focused on the journey there. This surprised me, and at times felt a little flat but the themes of grief, healing, and emotional connection kept me engaged.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narration to be excellent clear, emotive, and immersive. It truly enhanced the reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to review this title ahead of publication.