The first half of the book I was quite confused by how mundane and predictable the story was; certainly not the Jodi Picoult I was used to! Needless to say Picoult pulled another incredible story out of the bag and you just need to persevere with the first half for a brilliant pay off in the second! It gave me full body goosebumps more than once, and included such incredible detail that I feel I have visited Galápagos myself! A brilliant story which captures, death, loss and growth during the unique time of a global pandemic.

I usually love Picoult but this book was unfortunately not for me. The first half of the book I was invested in the characters and their story but the "twist" in the middle is where the book lost me. I feel I would have enjoyed the book more if the first half had carried on.

Wow, what a book. I was really pulled in with this book. It was fantastic to read a book relating to recent events and see if from another person's perspective. Diana and Finns story was heartwarming but heartbreaking at the same time. The outcome Diana choose for herself in the end was so fitting to what she went through. Loved this one.

What an incredible read.
This was a very real but enjoyable read.
From start to finish, I was completely engrossed and couldn't get enough of it. I adore Jodi Picoult's novels, and this one was particularly good. This book is engrossing in every way. This novel is impossible to put down. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good book! I couldn't put it down because I was so taken with the characters, the plot, and the tension. The rollercoaster was intense, the twists and turns were unexpected, and the element of surprise was insane!
Definitely recommend!

Wow, I wasn't expecting this! Yet another fantastic book from this amazing author. She starts a book taking you in one direction then you are suddenly thrown off track. An amazing train of thought, a book that really draws you in, a leaves you pondering

Diana and Finn are set to go on vacation to the Galapagos, where Diana is sure that Finn is going to propose. However, the coronavirus pandemic hits, disrupting their plans as Finn – a surgeon – is required to stay in New York City and help the hospital. He convinces Diana to still go and reluctantly she does, but like the rest of the world the Galapagos is shut down. Her isolation on the island leads to Diana analysing her life choices, yet her experiences aren’t all as they seem.

The most striking quality throughout this novel is Picoult’s fascinating description throughout, most notably with the Galapagos and the pandemic. I felt transported to the island with Diana, with the vivid narration moving the plot on the island. However, at times this felt like too much. I think Picoult used the Galapagos as a point of escapism in the pandemic and provide another perspective of an experience with the virus, yet the great detail was so much it felt like we were losing the novel element and reading more of a travel guide. Although highly informative, I couldn’t help wanting more plot.

When it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, we will all have our own experiences and way of explaining our situations throughout the past 18 months, and through Finn we were able to learn more about the impact to those in the medical profession. The description through Finn’s correspondence was phenomenal and captured the terrible struggles faced in hospitals. This allowed for a thought provoking and emotional read to a true experience of covid. Picoult writes with boldness, honesty, and sensitivity. This is the first book I have read which features the pandemic and with this still being such a raw experience and one we are still living caused this to be a very interesting and apprehensive read. By being present in the pandemic praises Picoult’s incredible ability to explore the situation that impacted and still impacts everyone’s lives.

Wish You Were Here was a very different read compared to her other novels. Having read a lot of Picoult’s previous books, I felt that this did read differently and was a weaker story compared to her other remarkable novels. With that being said there was elements that readers of Picoult have come to expect and love. There was a shocking twist, which is a signature feature in Picoult’s writing and hooks the reader. But for me personally, I think this book has arrived too soon when we are still living in the pandemic. However, I fully understand how other readers may think oppositely and welcome a novel that truthfully captures what we have been living.

Overall, this was a quick and interesting read. I was in high anticipation to read this one, especially learning that the main theme was covid. I wondered how this would read in a fictional novel and maybe further in the future this will be a better read for me.

This review will be posted on my blog www.fortheliterature.wordpress.com on 18/10/21.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors so I was excited to be given an eqrly copy of tbis book to review. The story is set at the start of the covid pandemic and follows Diana who has her whole life planned out. The situation makes her take stock of what is important to her. I would say this wasn't one of the authors best books but then she has some high expectations to live up to! I think with hindsight it was maybe a bit too soon for me to read a book set in Covid times but it is good that an author has actually taken time to write a book that captures a momentus time for us all Despite my comments i did enjoy the book and once again it was thought provoking, would definitely recommend.

An absolutely beautiful book, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
No spoilers here, but wow this book is just amazing, very unusual - Ive never read a book quite like it! Set to a backdrop of Covid this book explores memory, perception and parallel realities, I also loved the nod to Yoko!
I am the first to admit I know little about the intricacies of fine art, so I did wander if it would keep my interest, but I loved it, another masterpiece from Jodi Picoult, do not miss this wonderful book!

Another brilliant book by Jodi Picoult. Beautiful detail of the Galapagos, mixed in with just the right amount of art description. Poignantly written about covid. There’s something for everyone in this book. Highly recommended read.

Diana’s life is on track, she’s progressing in her career and about to go on holiday with her boyfriend, Finn, who might be planning to propose. But then coronavirus cases increase and Finn, a doctor, feels he shouldn’t leave. So Diana travels to the Galápagos Islands alone, only to end up stranded due to the pandemic. The island paradise contrasts with the snippets of what it’s like on the frontline in the form of emails from Finn. With little money, lost luggage and a language barrier the dream getaway isn’t exactly as planned.

I found it an really interesting novel, covering the current pandemic in a unique way.
At times I did feel like I was reading Wikipedia, with the potted history of Toulouse-Lautrec and Charles Darwin’s visits to the Galápagos Islands. But that aside it was an original story. I won’t say more, as I don’t want to spoil it, but I would definitely recommend it.

I love this author and this book did not disappoint, a touching and moving novel set in the pandemic, would definitely recommend

I didn’t think I would ever read a novel about Covid-19! This pandemic has become such an integral part of the way we live our lives that I didn’t want to spend my leisure time reading about it. However, because I never miss a Jodi Picoult novel, I relented.

What an incredible journey this novel took me on! I loved the narrative, with the interjected emails from Finn describing his situation. The pages are filled with tenderness and hope. I became so emotional throughout the book, and many tears were shed. This is typical “Jodi Picoult”: a novel filled with emotion, love, self-growth, and deep ethical issues.

Living in Mauritius (a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean) I could completely relate to Diana’s experiences on Galapagos – this is exactly what happened in Mauritius when we shut down for 18 months (we’re STILL living a very restricted life!). The descriptions of the island are incredibly detailed and wonderfully described - I could feel myself being there!

The characters of Diana and Finn are so beautifully developed, as are those of Abuela, Gabriel and Beatriz on Galapagos. I loved each one of them intimately – they were so incredibly real to me! I felt I was living through this journey with them, and I really did not want this journey to end.

I loved the art narrative and all the symbolism that this introduced. I am an artist myself, so I just LOVED learning about the artists and art pieces presented in this story. It wove a beautiful thread throughout the novel.

Ultimately, it’s an incredible story about losing and then finding yourself, in a world that has turned everything upside down.

My favourite novel of 2021!

#netgalley #jodipicoult #wishyouwerehere #hodder&stoughton

Jodi Picoult is the mistress of writing about the lived experience - her books always reflect the reality of life and this is no different. Daisy has her dream job, a perfect fiancé who is a well respected doctor and the ideal life, until COVID hits and choices have to be made.
This book might come too soon for some, particularly those whose jobs and lifestyles have been radically changed by the pandemic, but for some it will be the right book at the right time. A book about resilience, survival, love and who we are as people.
Some of the references are already dated and will not age well, but are obviously a reflection of the things that impacted the author throughout the pandemic.
Well written, beautifully paced, wonderfully and painfully real characters and a book that really encapsulates what America, and so much of the world, has fought through and fought for.

I'll be honest - I wasn't sure I was quite ready to read a book about the pandemic quite yet. The virus is still prevalent in life and I like to use books to get away from my real life struggles.

However, the opportunity for an ARC was there and I took it. Jodi Picoult is one of my guilty pleasures and I normally enjoy her novels. This was no different.

Whilst Covid-19 will soon be its own literary genre soon, there will be very few books that tell the story quite as well as Picoult. The letters written from Finn to Diane about his struggles at an NY hospital were heart breaking and can only reinforce just how difficult it must have been for those on the front line.

I can't say too much for where the story goes as there is an ingenious twist which turns the story on its head however I would encourage everyone to pre order this.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

When I saw that there was going to be a new Jodi Picoult book that let me travel with the protagonist to The Galapagos, I had to read it.

Diana O Toole's life is completely on track until Covid derails it and she finds herself leaving her 'perfect doctor fiancé' back home to take their planned dream trip to The Galapagos alone.

I loved being on the island of Isabela with Diana, seeing her experience the lush landscape and unplugging from her career and life track for the first time was really beautiful. Covid changed so much for so many of us, so it was also really relatable to see how it became a point of heartache for Diana, as she grappled with what she thought she wanted and what her life was meant to be.

And then...wow. I really don't want to say too much, other than I was an early reader of Jodi's, but didn't really enjoy The Book of Two Ways, her 2020 release, so I was a bit apprehensive about getting 'stuck' with this one too. I needn't have been.

I loved it and my heart is still aching and expanding now I've finished it.

I'll be recommending this one for a long time! Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC!

One of my most favorite authors, I think I have most of her older books. I loved how the author used the situation of the pandemic in the story. The story felt realistic and the tiny detailing added to the nuances. Diana being isolated on an island that was supposed to be her vacation soon found her life spent with no luggage - the airline misplaced it - and very little money and almost no ways of communication with her boyfriend in NYC who was a doc, a frontliner battling the virus.

I loved the author's writing where the prose spoke about the realities of the moments of sheer terror with her boyfriend's mails coming through occasionally to Diana taking stock of her life while being on the island. Meeting a few interesting characters on the way. A few twist and turns added to the plot and made it an enjoyable read.

The word 'wow' features in many reviews of this book and it will in mine too.
Just wow!
Such a clever way to tell a story. I was thoroughly enjoying the way Jodi was describing Diana and Finn's separate experiences of the outbreak of COVID; Finn's as a surgeon in a busy New York Hospital and hers locked down on a Galapagos Island where she went for the planned holiday on her own when Finn had to stay behind to work.

The story then took a totally unexpected turn half way through that had me eagerly turning the pages to find out how this was going to end......and the ending? Enough to say it was perfect..

This story really opened my eyes to what a COVID patient lives through and the pressures of the front line doctors and nurses. This will definitely be going on my favourites shelf.

This book has left me shell shocked. You think you know about COVID, but you don’t. This gives you an insight to the real COVID-19. The distress the pain the hopelessness either as a doctor or nurse or a patient. Being in a unaware state and waking up to find everything different and not knowing what is real and what is fantasy, finding that in a few days, hours or weeks everything that you believe in has changed. This book will stay with me forever. I would recommend it to anyone who is close to a COVID patient to get an understanding of what they are going through. Thank you for allowing me to read this Arc.

Where to begin with this book. Wow. At first, I was dubious about reading it. Books that feature covid, I found I have not enjoyed and just wanted to forget about that part of life. However, I cannot resist a Jodi Picoult novel. I am so glad that I picked this up. This book had everything. I did not understand why Diana chose to go on the holiday without her husband. I would not have been able to leave my loved ones in these times. But then the author delivered the twist at the end of part 1 and I had to compose myself after reading it. I was so shocked. From then on the novel is a totally different novel, but one I enjoyed and I enjoyed being on Diana’s journey. I will definitely be re-reading this book. This is a book that will stay with me for a while.

This is my 30th book by Jodi Picoult, I think it's save to say she is definitely my most read author. One of the reasons I read every book she writes is that I know what I will be getting - a well-written story about the emotional impact of a moral issue, normally looked at from different perspectives. I also love the fact that she always includes interesting details in her novels. In Wish You Were Here, I enjoyed learning more about Sotheby's, art appraisals and auctions, the beautifully described Galapagos Islands, the horrific details of medical staff having to deal with Covid deaths on a daily basis and being introduced to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's art.

This was a very quick, interesting read and as always with Jodi there were elements that really spoke to me - I think we have all realized that all of us were more deeply affected by isolation than we ever expected, in good and bad ways. "I also know that when you're in the thick of living your life, you don't often get to push pause and reflect on it."

But for me, this did not pack the punch of some of her other books like Small Great Things, My Sister's Keeper and Keeping Faith. The big twist was intriguing but I wasn't convinced and there were also some other details in the story that felt forced. But even though I didn't love it, I still liked it. Looking at the early reviews I am very much in the minority and I can see why this story will deeply resonate with many readers.