Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

                                                              

Title: Wish You Were Here

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: 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. - Back Cover

My Thoughts

My mom and I went to see Jodi Picoult at the Cuyahoga County Public library on her book tour for Wish You Were Here and each received a signed copy of the book when we attended! It was a super fun event and Picoult mentioned that this book had a huge twist during her discussion with the moderator. 

As I was reading I didn't really notice anything that could foreshadow a twist for the majority of part one of the book. Then little things started to make me think, 'hmm maybe this is what is going to happen,' but then the story would go on and I would think, ' no that would be too crazy if that actually happened,' and I was lulled back into complacency. 

Then, BAM, the 'no, that is too crazy' twist ACTUALLY HAPPENED and I was MAD. Not because it didn't make sense, not because it couldn't happen, but because of what it meant for Diana and several other main characters. I was so invested in the novel that I was angry on their behalf. That tells you how good it is. When I continued past and onto the next part of the book (after putting it down for a day to get over my strong reaction) I felt vindicated to find that Diana felt the exact same way that I did about what happened.

I would totally recommend this book to anyone, no matter what genre they typically read, because it was that good. Also, I now want to travel to the Galapagos.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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