WISH YOU WERE HERE

My first read of 2023 and a fresh plot with a completely new and different twist. Left me wanting for more when the narration ended. A 5star rating from me.

"It’s not having the adventures or crossing off the line items of the bucket list. It’s who you were with, who will help you recall it when your memory fails." Diana is all set to fly to the Galápagos where she's convinced her surgeon boyfriend, Finn, is going to propose. But then the virus hits New York City and Finn is needed at the hospital so Diana travels alone. Once she's in the Galápagos, the world shuts down around her, leaving Diana stranded - albeit in paradise. Completely isolated, with only intermittent news from the outside world, Diana finds herself examining everything that has brought her to this point and wondering if there's a better way to live. But not everything is as it seems... Picoult makes Isabela Island come alive with her vivid descriptions. It was thrilling to imagine myself walking sandy beaches, befriending sea lions, and watching flamingos on a quiet, tourist-free vacation. Diana and Finn’s separation paints the ugly truth of the havoc Covid has played on families and loved ones. Finn's life in the hospital encapsulates the spirit and tenacity with which frontline medical workers continue to fight against this horrible virus. The story breaks off into part two with a turn so frightening it knocks the air out of your lungs. I fear even the tiniest detail I reveal may be a spoiler so I'll stop here. Reading this may bring you to relive some of the hardest moments of your life in the past two years. Yet, I find that Picoult has used this event and spun a story that is completely believable and yet so incredibly surprising. The pain is visceral but she shows there is always hope and in the end that is all that matters. This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton. For complete review, visit aquamarineflavours.wordpress.com

The first half of the book is so interesting. And then comes a twist which... is unforgivable. Without giving away spoilers, let's just say it's one of those things no writer should ever do.

There are books you don't just read but devour and want to crawl into. Books that make you forget to eat and drink, that make you forget time and place and leave you breathless. "Wish You Were Here" by Jodi Picoult is such a book. I can say from my deepest heart that this book is definitely going to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. Plot: Diana O'Toole has it all: A handsome and successful boyfriend, a promising career at Sotheby's and all her future life goals already mapped out, like being married at 30, having two kids at 35 while at the same time climbing the professional ladder in the art auction world. What is more, she is convinced that Finn, her boyfriend, is going to propose to her on their upcoming trip to the Galápagos Islands. But then Covid19 comes along. Finn, a surgical resident, has to stay behind at the hospital but urges Diana to make the trip alone. The moment Diana arrives at the Galápagos Islands, the whole place is put under quarantine. Everything is shut down and she needs the help of a local family to find a place to stay. Stripped of almost everything - her luggage got lost and she's running out of money - she explores the beauty of the islands and meets people who will change her forever. Suddenly she starts questioning everything that has seemed so important to her, and she wonders if she will be a completely different person when she goes back home again. Well, and then a plot twist comes along that really left me speechless. I didn't see it coming and I couldn't have seen it coming. I'm not going to say anything more about it, just this: Please read this book!!!!!

Over the many years that I have read Ms Picoults` books, there have of course, been some I’ve liked, some I haven’t , some I’ve been indifferent to and some that age just too damn good for words. Wish you were here falls into the final category. It is an impressive manuscript, made even more exceptional, by the subject matter that she has tackled. Our main characters, Dianna and Finn are a couple. Finn is a surgical resident in a NY hospital and Dianna works as an art specialist at Sotheby’s. When covid enters the world stage, little do our couple realise how it may inhabit and disrupt their lives. A planned holiday about to start is disrupted as all Drs are ordered to remain at work. Dianna and Finn discuss whether they cancel it or whether she still goes. Whether she gets out of NY and stays away from what is speculated to be the pandemic epicentre. No more plot. No spoilers. As we sit here, 2 years into the pandemic, it must be acknowledged that it was a brave book to write. You could always say a risky book to write. As a widow from 2019, an ex-registered nurse myself, and someone who nursed my mum through to her passing in 2021, Ms Picoult, boy did you get this book right. Thank you so much for taking your time with your research. My husband was in icu several times during the last years of his life and your writing of ICU a patients and effects from their stay….he suffered those too. I could relate to that. As a registered nurse, I can say that your writing of how nurses work from day to day is beautifully done. I noted the subtle humour that came in through some nurses comments. Again highly relatable. I was that nurse, but am not anymore. Your care in writing about dementia was beautifully done, allowing for the disease to be demonstrated through the exquisiteness of the person underneath. This book was going to be controversial for some people and I think that is perceived in the Goodreads reviews. - Some find it “hard to read”. - Some who have lost someone to C-19 may find it a hard read. - Others have said it is “too heavy, not a light read”. - Others have said that there is not enough drama. From my point of view, I’m a writer and a reader…. - This was fact with a fiction story overlay. Those in the world who have trouble seeing how covid can play out, would benefit from reading this book. It describes everything the world has experienced, but shares it through the eyes of a 29 year old fictional woman. - This book is a life changer book. Anyone that reads it, should sit up and take stock and realise how short life is. Put the phone/tablet down and look at what’s around you. - Readers should take stock of life and “be happy with what you have”. There is a saying “the secret to having it all, is knowing you already do” The underlying message for me in this book…..realise who you are. Sometimes the person or event that is in front of you, that you think is the right thing for you…..may not be.

Meraviglioso

Me ha gustado mucho, es una mezcla de drama y amor basada en la época actual, con un ambiente exótico que hace que sea perfecta para leer en tus vacaciones de verano. Enseguida empatizas con la protagonista y quieres saber más y más.

Al principio no me gustó, incluso me aburrió, pensé que era una novela americana gastada, lo mismo, lo mismo, hasta la imaginaba en película de Hollywood. Después ya pude ver mejor la intención de la autora y me pareció una interesante forma de rescatar las difíciles experiencias vividas durante la pandemia, de las cuales en lo personal viví y siempre quedé con muchas dudas.