Book Review- Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of Jodi Picoult’s novel Wish You Were Here.

Diana’s life is going according to her plan. She works at an auction house and is about to orchestrate a career changing sale of a famous piece of art. Her long-time boyfriend, Finn, is finishing his residency at a local hospital and will be a surgeon. Diana is confident that Finn will propose to her on their upcoming Galapagos vacation and soon, they will be married and buying their first home. Life is perfect in early 2020.

Finn’s boss cancels all vacation requests as pandemic worries begin to grow, but Finn presses Diana to take their vacation alone. Nervous to travel solo and missing Finn, Diana arrives in Galapagos, and is forced to make an quick decision; she can either stay on the island or head back to the airport, with no guarantee of making a flight, as the world is starting to shut-down due to the pandemic. She has no cell service and is unaware of the severity of the situation. Diana decides to stay and ends up stuck on a remote island discovering that the hotel where she had reservations, has closed. A kind local woman allows Diana to stay in a small apartment that used to belong to her son.

Alone, isolated, and unable to contact Finn, Diana begins to embrace being stuck in paradise. She befriends a local teenage girl and the girl’s handsome father, who happens to be the previous tenant of the apartment where she is staying. Diana finds a second family and an alternative life in the Galapagos, while Finn is fighting on the frontlines in a New York hospital.

When I started reading Wish You Were Here and realized it was yet another pandemic story, I nearly stopped reading. It makes sense that so many pandemic stories are publishing now and that so many authors would be compelled to write pandemic stories, but it also is a subject that I don’t want to keep revisiting. However, to would-be-readers in a similar state of mind, don’t give up on this one.

Picoult presents both a twist on the pandemic story and a huge, monumental, didn’t see it coming, surprise half-way through. I was just about to stop reading for the evening and I encountered the twist, which propelled me to read for another hour. It was a huge shock and even better, it ties to intriguing themes of the story which are not strictly pandemic related. Wish You Were Here is far more broad thematically and would have been a different story if the pandemic had not occurred, but likely still would have been written.

I’ve read many of Picoult’s books and I’m a fan, but Wish You Were Here, just may be her best one yet.

Book Review: Jennifer Weiner's The Summer Place

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of Jennifer Weiner’s latest novel, The Summer Place.

Veronica is a widow and retired novelist, living full-time in her Cape Cod summer home. She had hopes that her adult children, twins Sarah and Sam, would choose to spend their summers in Cape Cod with their own children, enjoying nature and lazy days. However, Veronica’s kids have their own problems.

Sarah has two young children of her own and a college-age adult stepdaughter, Ruby. Sarah’s sensing problems in her marriage and struggling to keep her life together. Sam has recently lost his wife and he is a single parent to his young stepson. Sam is having difficulty finding his place in the world, including dating again.

Veronica has made the decision to sell her beloved Cape Cod home and has not told her children. She will tell them after hosting one last big event: Ruby’s wedding. However, an incident involving a seemingly fun and frivolous home DNA kit, threatens to expose family secrets. Several characters panic, unsure how to handle the delicate situation without further damaging fragile relationships.

I’m a fan of Weiner’s books, but a few of her more recent ones have been lacking. The Summer Place gets Weiner back on track with her strong characters and a compelling plot. I felt most connected with Sarah’s story as it had shades of my first marriage and how I was feeling about fifteen years ago, the uncertainty and lack of emotional connection. It took me back to a difficult place, but that said, with distance and perspective, I can relate to Sarah’s troubles, without feeling overwhelmed. Weiner is a master at writing characters with strong emotional arcs.

This story is set during the pandemic. The pandemic plays a crucial role with the relationships, specifically Ruby’s engagement and Sarah feeling overwhelmed by not having her own space. Be sure to read Weiner’s afterward, as she explains the changes that were made while writing The Summer Place, due to both the pandemic and situations in her life. It sounds like The Summer Place ended up being a very different story from the original concept, and I suspect, a much better story.

The ending is perfect. It left me feeling hopeful and with a happy heart. The Summer Place definitely has a summer vibe and is a great pick for the upcoming season. It’s not a light “beach read” as it deals with very challenging relationship topics, but it will make you long for a vacation to Cape Cod.

Book Review: Christina Clancy's Shoulder Season

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of Christina Clancy’s novel, Shoulder Season, in exchange for an honest review.

Only child Sherri Taylor is nineteen when she finds herself alone in her small Wisconsin town, with both of her parent’s having passed away. Her parents left behind their apartment and her father’s old watch repair shop, both properties that she can’t manage to sell in a bad economy. Sherri’s life prospects seem bleak, until her childhood friend, Roberta, suggests that they both apply to be bunnies at the new Playboy resort that is opening in nearby Lake Geneva.

Sherri is quiet and meek, while Roberta is brazen and outgoing. No one is more surprised than Sherri, when she lands the job and Roberta doesn’t. Soon, Sherri’s eyes are opened to a new lifestyle, one where she is discovering a sense of power. Sherri leaves behind her depressing apartment and small town, to live in the dorms at the Playboy Club, quickly becoming entrenched in the partying lifestyle of her fellow bunnies. She attracts the attention of several suitors, including a Hollywood stunt man and a trust-fund baby from a prominent midwestern family.

Shoulder Season is a gripping story. I enjoyed the historical elements and even spent some time looking up photographs of the real Playboy property in Lake Geneva to see pictures of the club and bunnies from the early 80’s. I was born in 1977, so this is a bit before my time, but my mom used to tell me about the Playboy clubs and how they were seen as sophisticated and cosmopolitan. Clancy’s writing transported me to that era and gave me a taste of that world. It’s fascinating.

Sherri is a frustrating protagonist. She makes choices that had me screaming at the book. That said, Clancy made me care about Sherri, which is why I was so upset by her choices. As with any great story, Sherri has a solid character arc and is able to find peace and forgiveness. Her redemption isn’t trite at all, it’s balanced within the story.

Shoulder Season has a really surprising plot twist that changes Sherri’s world view. I was caught off-guard by it and it packs an emotional punch.

On a personal note, a small part of Shoulder Season takes place at the Palm Springs Art Museum in California, which is one of my favorite places. We are even headed to Palm Springs next week!

Shoulder Season is a page-turning story with fabulous locations and affecting character relationships. I highly recommend that it be added to your TBR pile. Clancy is a new-to-me author and I look forward to reading her other books.