Reviews tagging 'Death'

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

59 reviews

mrsjburgin's review against another edition

funny reflective sad medium-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

4.5

This book will mess you up and set you back again like Evermore by Taylor Swift. Do not plan anything after hour five. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Self harm, Child death, Death, and Mental illness

allisonleslie's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

OMG that ending. It ended on a cliffhanger that I want to be continued.. but also I love that it was left to the reader to decide what it meant. 

I started this book because Jodi told me to on TikTok, and knew nothing about it when I started it. I soon realized it takes place during the pandemic of 2020 and the way it was written absolutely drew me back into the time of quarantine, isolation, and the unknown. 

The plot twist threw me for a loop but I loved this entire story and how everything played out. There hasn’t been a Jodi Picoult book yet that I haven’t loved. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical content, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

carlytenille's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Dementia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Mental illness, and Self harm

_david_'s review

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Sexual content, Outing, Alcoholism, Blood, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Addiction, Terminal illness, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: War, Infertility, Classism, and Vomit

emmmillly's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Death

cveeders's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I struggled a bit with this book, both to get into it and to accept certain parts of it. I was able to call plot points before they happened:

Beatriz being gay, Diane cheating on Finn

although I didn't see the big twist coming. It was also hard to sympathize with Diane at places, though cool to look back through the first part knowing what happens in the second. Not a favorite of Picoult's work but not the worst either

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Self harm

tiffanymmf's review

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death

mollylulu04's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Medical trauma, Death, Medical content, and Death of parent

astoriareader's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

SYNOPSIS:

• It is March 2020. Diana finds herself alone in the Galápagos Islands, and she ends up being stuck there for an extended amount of time due to covid restrictions. Finn, her boyfriend and a surgical resident, is back home in New York City, and he is treating covid patients.
• Diana has always had a plan for her life, and with this unexpected bump in the road & time for new perspective, she re-evaluates her life & the direction it’s headed.

MY THOUGHTS

• Picoult is, as always, a great storyteller. This one has some unexpected turns, and I enjoyed the writing style. She also clearly researched all aspects of covid & incorporates in throughout the story.
• I went in blind with this book, and I didn’t actually realize it involved covid. For anyone with loved ones that passed from covid or triggers surrounding covid, this is one to skip.
• I was a little disappointed with the twist, but that is a personal preference.
• Overall, it’s a good book, but not my favorite one by Picoult.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars. covid heavy in plot. story about figuring out what to do with your life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Classism, Death of parent, Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis