Review: Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have never read anything by this author, so when this  ARC came up, I jumped at the chance to see what all the fuss was about.  I admit that this author is very good at what she does.

Unfortunately, I cannot reveal much more about this story than the synopsis because I might inadvertently give away a spoiler! And a heck of a twist it was!  Plus, well, this I can tell you-we have a sort of cliff-hanger at the end. The very last page!

This was a very emotional read for me since I had lost a  close family member to Covid. So if you have lost a close loved one, you may want to stay away from this book for now and let the rawness fade a bit.

These were complicated characters and, at times, very shallow and selfish. Yet, everything Ms. Picoult wrote was vivid -the pain, helplessness, scenery, all of it. 

It was a page-turner for sure but, for me, a reluctant one.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Ballentine, the author, and NetGalley. 

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SYNOPSIS: "From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. The whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different."