Wish You Were Here

I was absolutely skeptical about reading a book about COVID right now, but I have the utmost trust in Jodi Picoult as an author. Ultimately, Wish You Were Here was, for me, a 5 star read. I used to take several days to read Picoult’s books–especially the court room ones–but I finished this in a day! That is a compliment from me, even if now I’m itching for her next book, LOL.

Diana O’Toole is a specialist at Sotheby’s about to close a major deal and then go on a Galopogean vacation with her doctor boyfriend, but there’s a looming issue: the coronavirus. Diana decides to go on her own, and ultimately finds herself stranded on the island of Isabel, becoming a local, swimming with biting penguins, and ingratiating herself with a former tour guide and his family. In being stranded, Diana begins to understand herself even more and question life’s plan, but of course, this is a Jodi Picoult novel so you know she’s going to hit you with a twist that will leave you gasping for air.

This book has a lot of heart, and is kind of what we’ve come to suspect from Picoult–a really well researched piece that pulls at your heart, gives you a good twist, and leaves you staring at the end contemplating life. No court room drama here–just drama of the real world!

While this is a COVID book through and through, it’s about the very early pandemic, and therefore, as a reader, I found it almost soothing to read now, in the summer of 2021, thinking about how far we’ve come.

Wish You Were Here is on sale wherever books are sold November 30, 2021. Perfect for a Christmas gift, TBH.