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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
🛌 ARC Review 🛌
Thank you to @williammorrowbooks for the gifted ARC!
Nikki Erlick has a signature style that is both familiar and effective! Much like her debut novel The Measure, she sets up a compelling “what if” scenario that immediately pulled me in and made me wonder what I’d do in the same scenario. This time in THE POPPY FIELDS, she poses a different but equally thought-provoking question: What if there was a cure for grief?
The story introduces a cast of characters whose lives eventually intertwine. It’s a character-driven narrative at heart and most of it takes place along a road trip. Our charactesr have moments of emotional introspection and quiet revelations along the way.
The idea of “sleeping through” grief is a concept rooted in the age old advice of “just sleep on it” or “tomorrow when you wake up, you’ll feel better.” Because of this, I felt the treatment’s pseudo-scientific basis was familiar and accessible, and Erlick used it as a launchpad to explore deeper questions about memory, emotional ties, and healing. I was especially fascinated by the potential side effects of this therapy, and how they challenge our understanding of memory and the emotions that are instrinsically tied to them. With that said, some aspects didn’t land as strongly for me. The character arcs, while thoughtful, often resolved a bit too neatly. Not a surprise since I felt the same way about the arcs in The Measure. Also, the characters’ epiphanies felt sudden, and/or too sentimental which read as a bit cheesy to me.
But overall, I appreciated its exploration of grief, healing, and the human need to connect through shared pain. It was a thought-provoking story that would make an excellent book club pick for lively discussions. Erlick has definitely found her niche in this speculative space and looking forward to the next “what if” scenario she conjures up.
THE POPPY FIELDS comes out June 17.
Rating: I liked it 👍🏼
Thank you to @williammorrowbooks for the gifted ARC!
Nikki Erlick has a signature style that is both familiar and effective! Much like her debut novel The Measure, she sets up a compelling “what if” scenario that immediately pulled me in and made me wonder what I’d do in the same scenario. This time in THE POPPY FIELDS, she poses a different but equally thought-provoking question: What if there was a cure for grief?
The story introduces a cast of characters whose lives eventually intertwine. It’s a character-driven narrative at heart and most of it takes place along a road trip. Our charactesr have moments of emotional introspection and quiet revelations along the way.
The idea of “sleeping through” grief is a concept rooted in the age old advice of “just sleep on it” or “tomorrow when you wake up, you’ll feel better.” Because of this, I felt the treatment’s pseudo-scientific basis was familiar and accessible, and Erlick used it as a launchpad to explore deeper questions about memory, emotional ties, and healing. I was especially fascinated by the potential side effects of this therapy, and how they challenge our understanding of memory and the emotions that are instrinsically tied to them. With that said, some aspects didn’t land as strongly for me. The character arcs, while thoughtful, often resolved a bit too neatly. Not a surprise since I felt the same way about the arcs in The Measure. Also, the characters’ epiphanies felt sudden, and/or too sentimental which read as a bit cheesy to me.
But overall, I appreciated its exploration of grief, healing, and the human need to connect through shared pain. It was a thought-provoking story that would make an excellent book club pick for lively discussions. Erlick has definitely found her niche in this speculative space and looking forward to the next “what if” scenario she conjures up.
THE POPPY FIELDS comes out June 17.
Rating: I liked it 👍🏼
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-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:
No
“But grief was love in its second shape.” This was a quick read for me and I really enjoyed it! I spend a lot of time thinking about grief and love and the past and future and this book asks the question, “what if you could fast forward through your grieving process?” The story explores many different perspectives to this question through many characters who are surprisingly intertwined!! And one more quote: “… an unrecognized epidemic, the hordes of underserved humans suffering from loss, a pain both ubiquitous and isolating, a trauma that no one really wanted to discuss, but the one that inflicted so many wounds in the brain and body and soul.”
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was underwhelmed by this book. As much as I enjoyed The Measure, this one fell flat for me, which was disappointing.
I love a character centered book, and this was extremely character centered. But it felt like it had no plot almost. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen and it just never did. Because it felt like it had no plot, it moved incredibly slow and I really struggled to maintain my interest in the book.
However, I will say that for some people, I’m sure they felt seen. This book deals with the realities of grief in all its forms, creating a beautifully complex interaction between characters and grief. That was the highlight of the book: building connection and meaning behind the life of others.
Overall, this didn’t engage me. But if you like slow paced stories that are extremely character driven and do have meaning behind them, I would read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm going to need a bit to process this one. I can say, it gave off Fredrick Bachman vibes but just like her first novel I find myself asking what would I do. I'm pretty sure I know based on my reaction to page 283. Grief is such an odd beast and the exploration of it is always facinating.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
No