Let me start by saying this isn't your typical pandemic novel. Jodi Picoult's 'Wish You Were Here' grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go - I actually missed my subway stop twice because I couldn't put it down.

The way Picoult captures those early COVID days in NYC hospitals is terrifyingly accurate. As someone who had family working frontline during that time, reading Finn's chapters felt like reliving those frantic phone calls and sleepless nights. The smell of bleach, the PPE shortages - it's all there.

But here's the genius part: just when you think this is another COVID trauma story, Picoult flips the script completely. That Galapagos setting? At first I thought it was an escape fantasy, until... well, no spoilers. Let's just say I had to reread one particular chapter three times because my brain refused to process the twist.

What surprised me most was how Diana's journey mirrored my own pandemic realizations. That moment when she questions her carefully planned life? Yeah, I had that moment too when I found myself baking sourdough at 3am instead of climbing the corporate ladder. Picoult nails that universal shift we all experienced.

Fair warning: this isn't an easy read. There were moments I had to set the book down and just stare at the wall for a while. But that's exactly why it's so powerful - it doesn't let us forget what we've been through, while still finding beauty in the breakdown.