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brookey8888's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was good! I love Jodi so I knew I was going to enjoy this. She just writes such unique stories with real life things that make you think. There’s a twist in this that I didn’t see coming and I don’t know if I actually liked it or the ending to be honest. Diana actually frustrated me and she just felt kind of selfish the whole book. I appreciated Jodi adding Finn and him talking about Covid and how horrible it was. This was also a little triggering so trigger warning for self harm, which the topic was done well. I liked learning more about the island and art as well. I think of you enjoy her books you’ll enjoy this one, it is a little different from her other books because there’s not multiple perspectives and opinions which I’ve come to know her for, which isn’t a bad thing just different.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
_david_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I think I'm just not a fan of books in which the covid pandemic plays a big role. Nearly everyone currently alive has lived through it and witnessed its horrors or conspired that it wasn't that bad, but this book will not convince them otherwise. The plot twist was well written, but I still didn't like the story after. If you do not like the first half of the book, you will not enjoy the second.
To me personally, the main character was very self-centered and spoiled. A big theme in the book is that she "evolved" on the island to fit in better. She barely did though. She just got lucky with some villagers. The only moments I enjoyed was her making art with Belize, but the rest of the book made my eyes roll.
I think there was still a big clash of what the main character and I find important in life. I would have done the exact opposite of each choise she made in the end, except for perhaps the career choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Vomit, War, and Classism
kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Like the best of her books, the author looks at separation during the beginning of the Covid pandemic with so many insights. I loved the characters, the setting, and the plot. You can't ask for much more than that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like I either love Jodi Picoult's books or I hate the ending...and this one fell into the latter category! :(
The beginning was slow but I had heard that there was a twist in this one so I kept reading because I wanted to know what the twist was. I kept trying to guess the twist too, and at one point I was convinced I had it right...plot twist in my head, I was completely wrong, I didn't get anywhere close to guessing the twist lol. But I did actually like the twist. It brought new life into the plot and kept me reading for the latter half.
But then...the ending happened and it made me realize that I did not like Diana at all the whole time I'd been reading. Diana of course does a lot of introspection on the Galápagos and realizes that she's not as happy as she thought she was (I feel like this is not a spoiler to say as it's pretty typical of main characters in these kinds of books). Which is fine, she can be unhappy and try to find what will make her happy, good for her—except that she never really does explain what about her life makes her so unhappy and what will make her happy. And maybe she doesn't know yet what will make her happy, but by the end of it I just felt like I still knew nothing about Diana and why she was so unsatisfied, and I was frustrated by her choices at the end when there was no real explanation for why she was making them.When she breaks off her relationship with Finn, she can't even explain to HIM why she's doing it, let alone herself or the reader. Finn wasn't perfect, sure, but there was no good reason given for why she would do that. Especially since he'd been in the hospital for months dealing with covid patients. I just thought she could have handled the breakup way better. Also she never explains why she cheated on him, even if it only happened in her mind. It was just all odd to me.
I liked the supporting characters, but we never really get close enough to anyone else for me to feel really strongly about them. This book had some interesting thoughts on the pandemic, but it also seemed filled with a lot of cliches and not enough depth.
Maybe I just wasn't ready for a pandemic book yet. Regardless, I don't think this one will be very memorable in my mind. And My Sister's Keeper is still my favorite Jodi Picoult book.
Thank you to Libro.fm, the publisher, and the author for my ALC!
The beginning was slow but I had heard that there was a twist in this one so I kept reading because I wanted to know what the twist was. I kept trying to guess the twist too, and at one point I was convinced I had it right...plot twist in my head, I was completely wrong, I didn't get anywhere close to guessing the twist lol. But I did actually like the twist. It brought new life into the plot and kept me reading for the latter half.
But then...the ending happened and it made me realize that I did not like Diana at all the whole time I'd been reading. Diana of course does a lot of introspection on the Galápagos and realizes that she's not as happy as she thought she was (I feel like this is not a spoiler to say as it's pretty typical of main characters in these kinds of books). Which is fine, she can be unhappy and try to find what will make her happy, good for her—except that she never really does explain what about her life makes her so unhappy and what will make her happy. And maybe she doesn't know yet what will make her happy, but by the end of it I just felt like I still knew nothing about Diana and why she was so unsatisfied, and I was frustrated by her choices at the end when there was no real explanation for why she was making them.
I liked the supporting characters, but we never really get close enough to anyone else for me to feel really strongly about them. This book had some interesting thoughts on the pandemic, but it also seemed filled with a lot of cliches and not enough depth.
Maybe I just wasn't ready for a pandemic book yet. Regardless, I don't think this one will be very memorable in my mind. And My Sister's Keeper is still my favorite Jodi Picoult book.
Thank you to Libro.fm, the publisher, and the author for my ALC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Lesbophobia
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Jodi never disappoints. I know this and yet I am always surprised by the amount of research and attention to detail she uses when creating new books. Wish You Were Here is a beautiful and devastating story about life during the time of COVID. It made me feel all the things. It reminded me that even though many of the people in my life have moved on and no longer fear COVID, that there are other people in the world who are just as afraid as I am. Also, the twist in this book — will make you angry. Like, so, so angry. But the book still ends well. It’s worth the pain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism