Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult #bookreview #womensfiction #contemporary #romance

Title: Wish You Were Here

Author: Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Ballantine Books 

Publication Date: November 30, 2021

Page Count: 322

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes “a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Malibu Rising)

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 an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. 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. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, 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.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, 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.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is the type of novel that the less I say about it the more a new reader would enjoy it. I will say though that Wish You Were Here is more a women’s fiction title with a bit of contemporary romance with a twist that hopefully readers don’t see coming.

Diana O’Toole is really excited for her upcoming trip to the Galápagos thinking that it will be the perfect romantic getaway for her boyfriend, Finn, to propose. Diana’s career as an associate specialist at Sotheby’s is on track and Finn’s now a surgical resident with a ring hiding in their apartment so Diana feels like this is the time he’ll pop the question.

Right before the Diana and Finn are scheduled to depart for the Galápagos Finn gets word that it’s all hands on deck at the hospital where he works. The virus that seemed liked only a news story has hit the states but Finn tells Diana she should go on with the trip. But as Diana arrives the islands shut down due to quarantine and with no luggage and no place to stay this isn’t the trip Diana had imagined.

So I’m a total sucker for travel in books so when I saw a trip to Galápagos I was all in for reading Wish You Were Here. Also, being familiar already with the author I knew this was going to contain good writing and sure enough I was right there but I was totally not prepared for all the book contained and that turned out to be and even more compelling surprise that I thought. The story is one of character growth and coping with all that come in life and it was a journey I was glad I took. Definitely an author I will return to any chance I get.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /   Amazon*

About the author:

Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty five internationally bestselling novels, including MY SISTER’S KEEPER, HOUSE RULES and SMALL GREAT THINGS, and has also co-written two YA books with her daughter Samantha van Leer, BETWEEN THE LINES and OFF THE PAGE. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Her most recent adult novel, A SPARK OF LIGHT first published in the UK on 30th October 2018, and was a #1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Follow Jodi Picoult on Twitter @JodiPicoult and find out more at http://www.jodipicoult.co.uk or on Facebook/JodiPicoultUK.

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