Diana and her boyfriend, Finn, are about to check another item off their bucket list. They are days away from leaving for their dream vacation to the Galapagos Islands…when COVID hits. Finn, a surgical resident at a NYC hospital, knows that he can’t take a vacation – even if it was safe to do so. Not wanting to waste their trip, he urges Diana to go without him. Rationalizing her decision with the fact that she would mostly be at home by herself while Finn’s working, Diana decides to continue on with their plans – alone.
Except things don’t go anything like they had planned. Not only is she alone, Diana is stuck on the island of Isabel when the ferry shuts down. Her luggage is lost, her hotel is closed, and her phone barely works. When a kind old lady, Abuela, takes pity on her and gives her a place to stay, Diana finds herself connecting to the island – and its residents – in a way she never anticipated.
I really liked this book, even when I didn’t. Diana is a beautiful character. While she is likeable throughout the novel, she becomes even more so as it progresses. She develops a depth, a maturity, that isn’t there at the beginning. Picoult, as always, puts so much thought into her characters that they are hard not to love. Even the most minor characters are crafted very well. My favorite thing about Picoult’s novels is the way she weaves her words around very real, and often controversial, issues. She isn’t shy and her books are so much better for it.
This one comes out on November 30, 2021 and I highly recommend picking it up. It’s a tear jerker, so be prepared. COVID has been tough on almost everyone, but definitely on some more than others. Be kind to yourself. If it’s too soon, it’s too soon.
Thanks to the ever amazing Jodi Picoult, Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.
