The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
pokemonolive's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
danapr's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Another timely and relevant masterpiece with a classic Jodi Picoult twist! The protagonist of the story, Diana has her life planned out to include a career, marriage, a move to the suburbs and eventually children. And she is on target to achieve all these goals. She and her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident at a New York City hospital are ready to take a vacation to the Galapagos islands and Diana is certain that Finn will propose while they are there. However, the day before they are set to leave, Finn is ordered by his boss to stay in the city to help fight the new Covid 19 pandemic. Through a miscommunication, Finn insists that Diana go on the non refundable vacation without him even though he really wants her to stay in the city. Diana travels to Isabela Island in the Galapagos only to arrive and find out that the island is closed due to the pandemic. She has nothing but her backpack and with no place to stay, mostly nonexistent Internet access and no ATM or money, she has to rely on the island residents, most of whom do not speak English. During her several weeks of isolation, Diana explores the island with her new friends, Gabriel and Beatriz and her experiences change her life forever. Meanwhile, back in New York City, Finn is experiencing his own life changing events while treating Covid patients who are severely ill and dying. The author very cleverly incorporates Finn’s experiences into the story by use of very descriptive emails to Diana which come through randomly to the island via sketchy Internet service.
In the afterword of the book, Jodi Picoult explains her extensive research for the book done while she was spending a year in pandemic isolation. Her beautiful descriptions of Isabela island will make any reader want to put this destination on his or her bucket list. But it’s not all paradise on the island. The author also masterfully incorporates complex relationship issues, teenage angst and issues of single parenthood into the storyline of Diana’s time on the island.
Once Diana and Finn are reunited, they begin to struggle with their own values and relationship issues, mostly brought on by the impact of the pandemic. As a reader, I really appreciate the author’s tribute to healthcare workers who are risking their lives daily to take care of Covid patients. As a nurse, I especially appreciate Finn’s comment about nurses being the real heroes in this battle. Picoult’s research also enabled her to include very real and descriptive after effects developed by Covid long haulers. All of the issues around the COVID-19 pandemic should never be forgotten and Jodi Picoult is definitely ensuring that these concerns are brought to the forefront in this fantastic novel. Even though the characters are impacted forever as a result of this horrible pandemic, Picoult ends the story with hope for the future. This book is hard to put down. Definitely one to stay up all night to finish. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel to date!
Also worth mentioning, I love the way the author incorporates the wisdom of Kitomi Ito, AKA Yoko Ono into Diana’s transformation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy!
In the afterword of the book, Jodi Picoult explains her extensive research for the book done while she was spending a year in pandemic isolation. Her beautiful descriptions of Isabela island will make any reader want to put this destination on his or her bucket list. But it’s not all paradise on the island. The author also masterfully incorporates complex relationship issues, teenage angst and issues of single parenthood into the storyline of Diana’s time on the island.
Once Diana and Finn are reunited, they begin to struggle with their own values and relationship issues, mostly brought on by the impact of the pandemic. As a reader, I really appreciate the author’s tribute to healthcare workers who are risking their lives daily to take care of Covid patients. As a nurse, I especially appreciate Finn’s comment about nurses being the real heroes in this battle. Picoult’s research also enabled her to include very real and descriptive after effects developed by Covid long haulers. All of the issues around the COVID-19 pandemic should never be forgotten and Jodi Picoult is definitely ensuring that these concerns are brought to the forefront in this fantastic novel. Even though the characters are impacted forever as a result of this horrible pandemic, Picoult ends the story with hope for the future. This book is hard to put down. Definitely one to stay up all night to finish. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel to date!
Also worth mentioning, I love the way the author incorporates the wisdom of Kitomi Ito, AKA Yoko Ono into Diana’s transformation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy!
elysahenegar's review against another edition
4.0
This is not your typical Jodi Picoult novel, but it's every bit as well-written. If you're not ready to read about the Covid-19 pandemic, this isn't the book for you right now. Picoult is marking history, covering our losses, capturing as much as she can of our experience, both the most daily things and the most extraordinary and extreme experiences of the time. This story is hard but also ultimately hopeful and certainly authentic. I loved the plot twist, and that's all I will say about that.:)
brooke_review's review against another edition
4.0
Many moons ago, Jodi Picoult’s books helped me transition from reading children’s and young adult literature to reading novels written for adults. If you’re familiar with her work, you know that Picoult takes a current event or hot button topic and spins a compelling tale around it. As a young adult, her books pulled me in and grabbed at my heart and mind in a way no other novels had ever done before. I eagerly read everything by Jodi that I could get my hands on and couldn’t wait for her to publish her next book (luckily, in my early 20s, I had her entire backlist to explore.) While I have since moved on to other authors that I can’t get enough of, I am always sure to check out Jodi’s latest novels when I want to read something thought-provoking, yet entertaining at the same time.
Which brings us to Picoult’s newest novel, Wish You Were Here, which is about, you guessed it, the COVID-19 pandemic (because what else?!) I know that some readers are burnt out on the pandemic and don’t want traces of it popping up in their entertainment. However, I also know that there are readers like myself who are interested in a fictional take on this life-altering virus. I personally will read any fictionalized account of real events because, 1) it helps me learn more about the factual side of things, 2) it allows me connect with and relate to characters who may be experiencing something similar, or completely different from myself, and 3) I find real life made fake to be highly entertaining. What type of reader you are will determine whether or not you should read Jodi’s latest novel. If you are one of those who loves books based on current events, then keep reading!
Wish You Were Here follows Sotheby’s associate Diana O’Toole as she travels to the Galapagos as the COVID-19 situation becomes dire back at home. What was supposed to be a romantic getaway for herself and her surgeon boyfriend Finn has turned into a solo trip because Finn has to stay behind at the hospital to help with the pandemic. Little does Diana know that the Galapagos are about to shut down on quarantine, like much of the rest of the world, and she is going to find herself stuck on this beautiful, yet mysterious island almost entirely alone except for a few locals. In the quiet weeks that follow, Diana will learn much about herself amidst the peace and solitude that the Galapagos provides. Will this “new normal” that Diana creates for herself gel with her life back home or will she be forever changed?
As Picoult states in her Author’s Note at the end of this story, everyone knows where they were when the world shut down in 2020. What would you do if the place you were was a remote island with little to no contact with the outside world? Because all of us have lived through this pandemic and we have a shared experience, everyone can relate to Wish You Were Here in some form or another. While you read this story, you will remember where you were when COVID overtook our lives, and you will consider Diana’s situation - how would things have been different for you if you were traveling when quarantine went into place? Picoult has written a timely, thought-provoking, and resounding tale that will stick with readers through the pandemic and hopefully beyond.
COVID-19 aside, another aspect of Jodi’s books that I really enjoy is how she exposes readers to a variety of jobs, lifestyles, and places in her novels. I always learn something new when I read her works. In the case of Wish You Were Here, I discovered the world of Sotheby’s and art auctions. I thoroughly enjoyed the passages of this novel where Diana describes her work at Sotheby’s and I feel like I have a much firmer grasp on this industry after reading this story. It’s always a plus in my book when I find myself Googling information that I find in a novel - with Wish You Were Here, that would be not only art pieces mentioned, but places and faces of the Galapagos as well. Picoult’s books are truly as educational as they are entertaining.
Now for the bad - there were some parts of the book that moved rather slowly with lots of dialogue and little plot development. I found my attention waning during these sections of the novel, but once you have read the entirety of the book, you will understand why they are there. When I was in the midst of it, however, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees and had to push myself through until the pace picked up. It is helpful to know, before reading, that there will be slow parts, but that they do serve a purpose.
Wish You Were Here is a book for today, a book for tomorrow. It is one of a billion stories to be told about the virus that changed life as we knew it. If you have ever felt like a stranger in a strange land during this time of COVID, you may quite enjoy the intriguing story at the hear of Wish You Were Here.
Which brings us to Picoult’s newest novel, Wish You Were Here, which is about, you guessed it, the COVID-19 pandemic (because what else?!) I know that some readers are burnt out on the pandemic and don’t want traces of it popping up in their entertainment. However, I also know that there are readers like myself who are interested in a fictional take on this life-altering virus. I personally will read any fictionalized account of real events because, 1) it helps me learn more about the factual side of things, 2) it allows me connect with and relate to characters who may be experiencing something similar, or completely different from myself, and 3) I find real life made fake to be highly entertaining. What type of reader you are will determine whether or not you should read Jodi’s latest novel. If you are one of those who loves books based on current events, then keep reading!
Wish You Were Here follows Sotheby’s associate Diana O’Toole as she travels to the Galapagos as the COVID-19 situation becomes dire back at home. What was supposed to be a romantic getaway for herself and her surgeon boyfriend Finn has turned into a solo trip because Finn has to stay behind at the hospital to help with the pandemic. Little does Diana know that the Galapagos are about to shut down on quarantine, like much of the rest of the world, and she is going to find herself stuck on this beautiful, yet mysterious island almost entirely alone except for a few locals. In the quiet weeks that follow, Diana will learn much about herself amidst the peace and solitude that the Galapagos provides. Will this “new normal” that Diana creates for herself gel with her life back home or will she be forever changed?
As Picoult states in her Author’s Note at the end of this story, everyone knows where they were when the world shut down in 2020. What would you do if the place you were was a remote island with little to no contact with the outside world? Because all of us have lived through this pandemic and we have a shared experience, everyone can relate to Wish You Were Here in some form or another. While you read this story, you will remember where you were when COVID overtook our lives, and you will consider Diana’s situation - how would things have been different for you if you were traveling when quarantine went into place? Picoult has written a timely, thought-provoking, and resounding tale that will stick with readers through the pandemic and hopefully beyond.
COVID-19 aside, another aspect of Jodi’s books that I really enjoy is how she exposes readers to a variety of jobs, lifestyles, and places in her novels. I always learn something new when I read her works. In the case of Wish You Were Here, I discovered the world of Sotheby’s and art auctions. I thoroughly enjoyed the passages of this novel where Diana describes her work at Sotheby’s and I feel like I have a much firmer grasp on this industry after reading this story. It’s always a plus in my book when I find myself Googling information that I find in a novel - with Wish You Were Here, that would be not only art pieces mentioned, but places and faces of the Galapagos as well. Picoult’s books are truly as educational as they are entertaining.
Now for the bad - there were some parts of the book that moved rather slowly with lots of dialogue and little plot development. I found my attention waning during these sections of the novel, but once you have read the entirety of the book, you will understand why they are there. When I was in the midst of it, however, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees and had to push myself through until the pace picked up. It is helpful to know, before reading, that there will be slow parts, but that they do serve a purpose.
Wish You Were Here is a book for today, a book for tomorrow. It is one of a billion stories to be told about the virus that changed life as we knew it. If you have ever felt like a stranger in a strange land during this time of COVID, you may quite enjoy the intriguing story at the hear of Wish You Were Here.
mrscinhr's review against another edition
3.0
Odd ending …maybe wasn’t ready to read a book about 2020.
liber_invia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
emilyckyle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 Stars. Halfway through, I struggled to anticipate the second half’s direction due to boredom and a sense of the plot dragging. Suddenly there was a plot twist I did not see coming. And while I absolutely hated the plot twist, I enjoyed that it took me completely by surprise. Unfortunately, that was the end of my enjoyment of the book. The book is plagued by insufferable characters, clichés related to the pandemic, and a lack of connection to the characters or their issues. Additionally, a poorly executed subplot involving a Yoko Ono-type character further diminished my overall experience. While the book may have its audience, I find that it does not resonate with me.
letsreadmorebooks's review against another edition
4.0
jodi picoult does a good job of capturing the fear and uncertainty of those early pandemic months. i thought the story was pretty sappy but then it took an unexpected turn and i was on board. if a book centered around the pandemic can be "fun", this is probably it.
stadoza's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
knitwgrace's review against another edition
4.0
Another great Picoult book. Lots to think about in this one and definitely a surprising book!