readthehousedownbooks 's review for:

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

3.0

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⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5: my first Jodi! And definitely not my last. This was a rollercoaster of a book. Depicted during the COVID pandemic and told from the perspective of an art professional living in NYC, this book sets up a story of the break of the virus coming while the protagonist and her doctor partner have made plans to travel to the Galápagos Islands. Prior to them leaving her partner must stay and deal with the incoming ICU cases and she decides to go on the trip solo. She ends up stuck there after shut downs occur. This is a story of physical and emotional survival while dealing with the grief and loss of COVID which we all have very fresh wounds that still exist to this day. There is a twist halfway through the book that had me gasping for air and mouth agape. There is something to be said about how to interpret the characters of the first half of the book in a psychological sense but that will go into spoiler territory. The second half was not as exciting as the first and seemed a little repetitive for me. I also felt like we could have got much closer with the character and her relationship at the end of the novel. Would have like to see that a little more flushed out. Overall great time with Ms. Picoult and excited to dive into her other works!