I am learning that one of the greatest things about a Nikki Erlick novel is how she makes you think. This time, she explores the idea of the Poppy Fields. In her world, people may travel to the poppy fields to help them recover from extreme grief. This is a controversial treatment, where you can apply and, if accepted, be put to sleep for months. When you awake, your grief from your loss is lessened. Throughout the book, we follow the creator of the poppy fields as well as four strangers who come together to travel across country to the fields after their flight is cancelled. Erlick does a great job of fully exploring all the nuances of grief and living with it. She is respectful and presents multiple points of view surrounding this idea. I love the ways in which she makes me consider and appreciate different aspects around the concept.

The audio version includes a multi-cast narration that works really well for all the characters involved. The performances were well done and having each character portrayed by a different narrator added to the experience as you moved through each point of view, without losing the reader at all. This book would lead to a fabulous discussion. The writing is just as strong as the idea behind it. I could not put this one down. I highly recommend this five star read!

THE POPPY FIELDS 🌼

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@goodreads: 4.10
Author: @nikkierlick
Format: 🎧
Narrator: full cast
Length: 324 pages / 10 hours audio
TW: loss of a loved one
Pub Date: TODAY - 6/17 😊
Publisher: @harperaudio @williammorrow

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there's hope for even the most battered hearts to heal- an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping.

After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they're willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects. On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers, and each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

💭 if you’re looking for a good audiobook, look no further. 🙌🏼 the narration was fantastic + felt very immersive with the full cast! it was so fun with little snippets of advertisements and testimonials also sprinkled throughout. :) truly such a unique concept for a book, but it’s definitely more of a roadtrip / journey story more so than a destination read. it is heavily focused on grief recovery + finding love and life after loss 🫶🏻 the four characters were so special & they really felt like family by the end 🥰 I think everyone can relate to at least of of them! as someone who just recently turned 30, I appreciated the dialogue surrounding everyone having a “by 30 mindset” + it being okay to not have everything figured out by 30. 🥲

Fave quote: “There’s power in small acts of compassion.”

“Maybe everything that’s happened in the past doesn’t have to dictate the future.”

Read if you enjoy: MRS. NASH’S ASHES, P.S. I HATE YOU

a huge thank you to @netgalley + the publisher for my ALC. 🤗

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins | William Morrow and Harper Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful novel by Nikki Erlick, with the audiobook narrated by a fabulous cast. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

The Poppy Fields is a place of hope for battered hearts to heal. In the CA desert, it's an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those devastated by grief to sleep through the pain for a prolonged period of time. But there are some side effects. Four different strangers and a dog find themselves on a journey to the Poppy Fields for different reasons.

What a concept to ponder - in the woes of staggering grief, would we take the chance of alleviating some of that pain and waking up feeling healed and hopeful? I really liked the way this book focused on these 4 different individuals, letting us in on their private grief paths and stories. While a speculative fiction book, it felt real because all of us have experienced grief, and everyone processes loss in such vastly different ways. Just as she did with her wonderful debut novel, The Measure, the author explores experiences and feelings that are very personal yet universal. I alternated reading and listening to the audiobook, but the narration cast is spectacular and I felt more immersed in the story listening to individual voices. Both are highly recommended - just like The Measure, this would be a great book club pick.

Similar to Erlick's debut novel, "The Poppy Fields" tackles a deep and complex topic--grief. If you were grieving the loss of the person who loved dearly, would you want to sleep the grief away? Like any remedy, there are pros and cons to this 'treatment' and this novel wrestles with it all. For me, this book was beautiful yet slow. I did, however, have the benefit of having both the print and audio ARC versions and the audio version was absolutely phenomenal! This narrator will now rank up there with my top choices!!! What a soothing voice! Overall, this book grappled with the human condition. It would be a great book club book! For me, this was a 3.5 star read. *I received a complimentary e-ARC and audio ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

When people struggle or face difficult decisions, they're often told to "sleep on it." The idea is that rest brings clarity. In The Poppy Fields, a controversial desert clinic takes this advice to the extreme—offering grief-stricken souls a chance to literally sleep through their pain. But healing comes at a cost: as many as 25% of patients wake up emotionally numb, unable to feel anything for those they've lost. Is that a price worth paying?

The novel follows four strangers—and a loyal dog—on a cross-country journey to find the elusive founder of the clinic. Each traveler carries hidden wounds and painful secrets. As their pasts collide with their shared purpose, Nikki Erlick explores the cost of healing, the resilience of hope, and the mysterious lengths we’ll go to mend a broken heart.

Erlick has a gift for crafting unique, high-concept premises. As with The Measure, her strength lies in her character development. The story is more character-driven than plot-heavy, but that works to its advantage. Through layered backstories and evolving relationships, readers gain a deep understanding of what it means to live with grief—and to search for relief.

The cast made this an especially enjoyable read. I particularly appreciated how promotional materials for The Poppy Fields—advertisements, interviews with potential clients—were woven into the narrative at just the right moments. One of my favorite aspects was the symbolism of the poppies themselves. With a military background, I expected this connection, but I also loved the subtle nod to the sleep-inducing poppies of The Wizard of Oz.

Thank you to William Morrow, HarperAudio, NetGalley, and Nikki Erlick for the Advanced Listening Copy. All opinions are my own.

The Poppy Fields is Nikki Erlick's sophomore novel and WOW! I absolutely loved The Measure. I read it back in 2022 and I still think about that novel. I have a feeling that The Poppy Fields will be the same way, a book I will frequently think about as it challenges your way of thinking.

The Poppy Fields have been created by Ellis, a scientist whom has developed a treatment for extreme grief. At the Poppy Fields, one can apply to enter a deep restorative sleep, anywhere from 4-8 weeks, to help their emotional healing. Ava is on her way to the Poppy Fields to find her sister whom is there with her sweet little dog Pelorus Jack (PJ). Sasha is on her way to the Poppy Fields to sleep herself. Ray is on his way to the Poppy Fields to determine what happened to his brother. After a twister has their flight grounded, the three embark on a road trip together to the Poppy Fields to heal their own grief in one way or another.

This book will get you thinking about how you handle your grief. Would you want to be put to sleep to "heal" yourself and not have to live through the grief? Even if there is a potential side effect that will cause you to feel emotionally numb to the person you have lost? All of the characters are well developed, with the author slowly showing you their background and their reasons rather than telling. There are multiple POV's throughout the novel but it was never too much to keep track of. The narrators did a fantastic job! It was easy to keep up with who was speaking when, when an article was being read versus a character was speaking, etc. I highly recommend picking up The Poppy Fields if you want a book that will challenge your thinking and stick with you for a long time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult for the ALC! 5 stars!

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a beautifully imagined and deeply emotional speculative novel that explores grief, healing, and the complexities of human connection. Set against the backdrop of a mysterious treatment center promising a cure for heartbreak, the story follows four strangers whose intertwined journeys reveal profound truths about loss and hope. While the premise is compelling and the characters relatable, I found some of the plot’s pacing uneven and certain questions left a bit open-ended. Still, Erlick’s tender prose and thoughtful exploration of resilience make this a moving and memorable read. A solid four stars for its heartfelt themes and unique concept.

Another masterpiece from Nikki Erlick!!! The Measure will always be one of my favorite books of all time, and The Poppy Fields just joined it!! The Poppy fields feels like the most wonderful blend of The Measure and The Wizard of Oz, and is a beautiful, healing, and honest look at grief…and what it takes to heal from losing those we love. The audiobook narration by Marin Ireland was absolutely perfection, and I loved every minute of this beautiful, moving story!

3.75 STARS

The Measure was my second favorite book of 2022 so The Poppy Fields had a lot to live up to. This book was good. Got a little slow about 60% in then picked up at the end. Thought provoking books are some of my favorites and this one will definitely make you think. Nikki Erlick’s prose is beautiful. She maintains her auto buy author status for me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grieving is different for everyone. What if you could sleep the worst of it away and wake up no longer feeling crushed under the weight of it? The Poppy Fields were created to do just that, but is the potential of this worth the possibility that you could wake up and feel nothing when thinking of the person you lost? What are the ethical and moral implications of this? It's also free for everyone if you get accepted to sleep, but who can afford to take a month or two off work in order to do it?

We get to follow a couple of different people with various ties to The Poppy Fields. This is such an interesting way to tell the story and learn about everyone's lives, past and present. I don't want to give anything away, but just know there are a few mysterious parts and things that you learn about over time that make the story even more enthralling. It all makes you sit and think in the best way possible. Every person is fighting their own internal battle and we could sometimes never know what complexities that includes, and this story shows all different sides of that fact.

I highly recommend this book and will be reading more from this author!

I received an audiobook ARC and the narrators did a phenomenal job bringing the story to life. I thoroughly enjoyed the way they made the book feel like I was being told a fascinating story through the whole book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC!

This novel is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel that blends history, mystery, and memory into a powerful, moving narrative. With lyrical prose and a deeply empathetic voice, Erlick weaves together past and present in a story about love and loss. The characters are richly drawn and their journeys—both physical and emotional—are compelling from start to finish. This is a book that lingers long after the final page, offering readers both heartache and hope in equal measure. A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio this digital audio e-arc.*

Nikki Erlick is one of a kind. Her stories reasonate with readers from all walks of life and her second book was just as good as The measure. The author really makes you think about what you would do if you were given the opportunity to cure a broken heart. Would you spend a month in a deep sleep if it would cure your grief over a lost loved one, even if it meant you might not care about them at all afterwards? In the book we meet four characters who are all going to the poppy fields, but we find along the journey not all of them are interested in the sleep. I really, really enjoyed this novel for its magical realism and speculative fiction. I liked each of the characters and their stories tugged at my heart strings. I will recommend this one to a lot of patrons and friends. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to the fantastic novel by a fantastic author. The narrators were also great and really complimented the story.

There's a bit of a mismatch here between the cover art and the tone of the novel. What I expected was literary speculative fiction. What I got was a cozy-adjacent road trip novel with sci-fi elements, featuring multiple main characters each going through their own voyage of grief and introspection, helped along by the power of unexpected human connection. This is by no means a bad thing, and in fact, I liked it a lot more than I was expecting to based on the vibe I got from the cover art. I actually found this story pretty uplifting, following the main characters through their grief and on to acceptance on the other side. But it lacked the kind of gravity I expected from a literary novel.

The number of narrators listed on the audiobook may give the impression that each of the characters has their own narrator, but that’s not the case. One narrator does most of the reading, and she does a fantastic job. The narrative voice is 3rd person omniscient and bounces between main characters in a scene without apparent division, which I sometimes dislike but didn’t have a problem with in this book.

Representation: POC characters, LGBTQ+ characters

Like Nikki's previous novel, The Measure, The Poppy Fields had such a fascinating premise—a mysterious treatment center that lets the brokenhearted sleep through their pain. I really wanted to like this more, but something was missing for me here. What I expected to be a compelling speculative journey turned into more of a slice-of-life road trip where very little actually happens, and while I typically enjoy that genre, it wasn't what this book seemed to promise.

That said, there were elements I genuinely appreciated: the found family dynamic was beautifully crafted, and the connections between each character felt authentic and heartwarming. The audiobook production was excellent and made for an enjoyable listening experience. However, I found myself wanting more from the plot, the character development, and especially the ending—it all felt like it needed to go deeper to match the weight of its premise.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Poppy Fields is the name of a treatment center where grieving people can go to literally sleep off their grief over a month or two. Everyone wakes no longer feeling despair! Unfortunately, 1/4 of people experience “the side effect” and no longer feel the loving memories from those they’ve lost, either.

This is a story about a handful of travelers on their way to the center, the center’s founder, and several side characters from the story itself and from flashbacks. The relationships between characters may be even more healing than the sleeping treatment. Through these character’s experience, readers are left pondering in which situations might the gamble of the side effect be worth it, and what ripple effects it could have on the rest of one’s life.

This was a slow journey, more about the characters than the plot. The writing was easily digestible, touching but not destructive to my soul (considering the topic I expected a tearjerker instead!). I really cared for these characters and loved the ending.

Marin Ireland elevates every story she reads. I adore her. There were smaller bits with other narrators peppered in, and they were great too.

4.5 stars 🫶

4⭐️ What an interesting take on grief. I can’t help but wonder if this would help people to process those heavy emotions. Like with everything though it has its flaws. I feel like I could read this over and over. Truly just heart wrenching. I’ve not experienced a loss as these characters have, and can’t imagine the heaviness that comes with it. I loved how they came together to go to the Poppy Fields center and found camaraderie at times. The controversy felt very much like that with cryogenic freezing. So if that’s something that intrigues you, give The Poppy Fields a read.

4⭐️The narration has some really good moments, but it had so many narrators that sometimes it felt a little muddled for me. This is 100% a me thing. My dyslexia kicked in hard. Overall, everyone was wonderful, and I definitely want to listen again with the physical book to follow along.

Thank you @netgalley, @harperaudio, and Nikki Erlick for the advanced listener copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper audio for allowing me to listen to this early in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. Truthfully my only complaint is that I wish it was a bit longer only to delve into the science of this alternate reality. Such an interesting concept, and I'm amazed at how well this story flowed. Nikki has a way of taking you on a journey and everything connects beautifully in the end.

The characters each held their own special places in your heart. You were able to connect with them and feel their longings and grief. I especially appreciated how the book speaks on grief being more than losing someone to death. Highly recommend!

Sophomore novels are always the hardest and Nikki Erlick set the bar soo high with her debut, The measure so I was both nervous and HIGHLY anticipating this follow up speculative fiction novel that has a world where people have the opportunity to stay at a research center that offers them a chance to be put to sleep and 'heal' from their grief and pain. However there is a catch as some people suffer side effects.

Told from multiple POVs, this story is part road trip, part sisterhood healing, lots of mental health journeys and personal growth, with a cute dog thrown in to boot. Overall I thought it was good on audio and I did enjoy it but definitely didn't think it was as thought-provoking or strong as The measure. Still worth a read though if you want something different, sure to be a great pick for book clubs. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book has an interesting premise that involves individuals being able to head to the poppy fields in order to sleep through their grief. A tempting offer, to be sure.

Yet we don’t hear really from those individuals but rather a few who have been impacted by being left outside of the fields. A few individuals who come together while coping with their own losses and wind up healing each other along the way.

There were a lot of elements I liked about this books but overall it was just ok. The audio narration is indeed spectacular should you choose to go that route.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a fascinating deep dive into how we grieve. I’m so grateful to HarperAudio (@harpercollins) for an ALC.

A a brilliant and single-minded scientist named Ellis has developed a new treatment for grief. Patients come to her center, The Poppy Fields, to sleep for weeks or even months, and while they sleep, Ellis’s program works to take the edge off the pain they feel from losing a loved one or having a relationship fall apart. Not everyone is right for the treatment, and you must be willing to risk the shadowy side effects that 25% of patients report. But the other 75% percent leave The Poppy Fields happier. When three strangers on their way to the center for different reasons meet in an airport after a tornado cancels all flights, they decide to share a rent a car and make their way cross country together.

This was such an interesting book. It’s my first by the author, but I’ll definitely be reading more. The story is told in multiple POVs interspersed with interviews with prospective patients and other media about The Poppy Fields. I would have expected a book where almost all the characters are struggling with such heavy grief to be harder to read—and I imagine if you are in the process of newly grieving someone this one could be quite triggering—but I found it to be a really hopeful, uplifting book. I really appreciated all the perspectives presented and the way the story tied together. It was also lovely to see the road trippers supporting each other. The book raises interesting questions about why we don’t have more resources for people when grief is something we will all face.

The audiobook has multiple narrators, but Marin Ireland—one of my favorites—is the main voice, and she does an amazing job. She’s one of those narrators I could listen to all day. She brings such empathy and humanity to her characters. The interviews and articles about The Poppy Fields are done by other voice actors and that made for a very immersive listening experience.