Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Wish You Were Here

While some parts were try hard, the first half of the book was mostly enjoyable. The second half was boring, predictable and incredibly heavy handed. I value the reasons why this book was written and how the author illuminates the stories of Covid survivors and first responders during the pandemic. But wow the whole thing devolved into a Hallmark movie and not even one with top billing…we are talking about a random mid year offering with non union actors.

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bookswithmybulldog's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sabrinaxlim's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Jodi Picoult is a page turning author. I think this might even be the first work of hers that I’ve read, and I only read the jacket before picking it and I’m surprised by the amount I loved it. Completely unexpected plot twist in the middle that had me shocked and amazed by this author. Overall this is a high level COVID story about love, a global pandemic, whether or not actors drag you down or keep you safe and the beauty of the Galapagoss Islands. I learned a lot in each section of the book, first behind about the island itself and these marvelous characters of Beatriz, Abuela and habiel. The second section was more frustrating, and especially shocking around the tranisition and j never sally wiite got over it. Anyway I stayed up until 1am for this book and read it all through the car. Very good read overall.

The only reason I didn’t give it a 5 because it was giving Meredith Grey a bit. The main character herself was not a person or color and didn’t have any disabilities or queer identities and survived COVID-19.

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xiaolongbao's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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graff_fuller's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I absolutely LOVED this book.

The tale of two stories, what an impressive mixture, but also heartbreaking at the same time.

This is an intimate story. Not in the normal meaning of romance (though this has a romantic bent in another way), but that it is personal.

Two people who love each other (or at least believe that they do), through circumstances that they couldn't have predicted go on two different paths...instead of the vacation that they were both looking forward to taking together.

One has to stay in NYC, because the medical profession is about to be slammed by the worst pandemic in a century...and a young woman who is at a crossroads with her job (who desperately needs a vacation), with the help of her boyfriend...decides to go on the vacation without her significant other...and THEN the pandeic restrictions are put into place.

Isolation. Both from each other (physically), and also because of the remoteness of the Holiday Getaway...being separated from our technology (which binds us together)...now Diana feels alone. Add in, she doesn't speak the native language (Spanish) and she feels like everything is happening elsewhere, while in her circle, nothing is happening because of the island retreat.

Such a great premise...and at about 33% when I'm writing this part of it...I'm digging it. Really digging it.

Now, for some people in 2022 (the year this book was published), it may still be TOO soon to the pandemic itself. There are still strains of the virus that keep popping up...so for some/most, this may not work for them...but for me, I see it as a cathartic exercise...to reflect on how we managed the pandemic and sympathize with others...and how they dealt with it...for each of us...got through it differently.

Likewise, the characters in this story are dealing with life pre-pandemic one way, and within the pandemic another way, and eventually how we deal with the lasting effects of the pandemic in our lives. Seeing their stories played out is interesting. I feel for them. I've seen my friends in some of these characters. I can even say, I see myself...too. AND that may be the hardest part...how we see ourselves.

I am also enjoying the interludes of the story about Diana's life before the pandemic. Her joys and frustrations. Her job and how/why she was in THAT job and her relationship with her mother. It will be interesting to see how this pans out from here to the end of the story (remember...I wrote this at about 33% of the book being read.

For all the Star Trek fans out there...if you know of the BEST episode of all of Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Inner Light, then you know how much I loved this book (similarities).

This book is incredibly well written. As I was reading it...I thought I was in for a romance without too much drama. I actually needed a palette cleanser from some of the previous books, but I got a drama...with the tension and axiety that COVID-19 brought into our lives.

Not everyone is ready to read this book, but when you are...this is going to be an amazing read.

I loved the characters, but they did things within the story that only a father can be frustrated with, but they had to walk on their own...make their mistakes, and get back up.

This story takes a left/right turn...which upends our world...and it was perfectly done IMO. For all Star Trek fans, the episode of

...and it was an incredible ride till the last word.

Read the end thoughts from the Author. Puts a lot of this in context. I'm impressed that someone could've written this so soon after the pandemic, but glad she did it. Impressive.

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tojtwl's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This was a book recommended by one of the newsletters I'm subscribed to and I was curious to read it. I think I've read Jodi Picoult only once...or perhaps this is even my first.

It's very updated with present times, talking about the first few days of a world with COVID-19. The main character (girl) is stranded on an island where she was supposed to have taken a trip with her boyfriend...except he, as a doctor, couldn't make it because it was all hands on deck at the hospital.

So her adventure begins on the island where she meets people and deals with fuzzy internet signals and goes out swimming one day and faces a strong current...

and, oh my gosh, I was not prepared for the plot twist that happened after. I will admit that I sort of felt betrayed that everything was just a hallucination.

.

The second part of the book

is all about readjusting to life again.

But she still makes me feel so frustrated because, girl, I get what you want, but maybe you could be a little less selfish and a little more understanding? I mean, there are so many things happening here. Then again, maybe that's to be expected from someone who has

gone through that kind of "trauma"—the hallucinations and all of it.

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