The Poppy Fields (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a novel about what we risk when we try to outrun pain—and what we stand to gain when we face it. Fans of The Measure will find echoes of the same thematic richness here: questions of destiny, the meaning of time, and the beauty of human connection.

Deeply human, it explores the complexities of grief, healing, and the lengths we go to find solace. Erlick writes with quiet power and emotional insight, reminding us that even in the most desolate places, beauty and connection can still take root. This is a book that lingers—just like The Measure—and cements Erlick as one of today’s most thoughtful storytellers. Her ability to explore grief, hope, and the small miracles of everyday life is both rare and resonant.

It’s a novel that balances emotional intensity with quiet optimism—one you’ll want to recommend to everyone you know.

Thanks to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

#ThePoppyFieldsDeluxeLimitedEdition #NetGalley #williammorrowbooks

Favorite quotes:

"I remember learning about the Fates, these three powerful women, who gave every human a length of string that measured how long they would live, After their string got snipped, that was it. And it finally hit me that I was already, like, at least twenty percent of the way through my string, And this is the good part of the string. The part when I'm luckily still young and healthy and unattached, and I can do whatever I want."

"Here in this room, was grief. But grief was love in its second shape."

"There's no getting over...there's just getting on. Figuring out who you are now, because you sure as hell aren't the same person as before. But maybe that doesn't have to be all bad."

--Nikki Erlick

📚Book Review📚 The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick Published: June 17, 2025 2.5⭐️ This will probably be my second worst review EVER!! And I really do try to give the story/ author the benefit of the doubt. So let’s dive in… Everyone knows, how I feel about an author choosing a cover that represents the story… and this one did. The book cover was so pretty that it caught my eye right away. Not to mention, the Deluxe Limited Edition has hot pink sprayed edges, beautiful endpaper, and matching pink foiling on the cover of a simple, delicate bouquet of poppies. I absolutely love these added special touches. 💕💕 The unique concept of the story was also intriguing. It’s supposed to be about people seeking emotional relief from traumatic life experiences via an experimental and highly controversial treatment. This ‘treatment’ involved putting patients into a coma-like state for an extended period of time. In short, they were sleeping their pain and heartaches away… with a potential side effect of losing ALL emotional ties to their lost loved ones. I don’t know, but the ‘treatment’ methods used seemed very unrealistic, as did the way they chose their ideal candidates. There really was no rhyme or reasoning. So what happened!!!??!! I loved the concept, but in reality, Erlick failed to execute. Although the author made this story an easy read via use of many short chapters, her writing style wasn’t clean enough to get through it easily from a mentality standpoint. There was too much flipping back and forth between all the characters and their past and present stories. Not to mention the story itself was very vague, and left the reader wanting more, just to fill in so many confusing gaps. The main characters were boring and fell flat. None of them really did much in the story to make them likable or memorable. They were just…there. The majority of the book focused on these people who were all traveling to The Poppy Fields for some answers or some kind of healing from something tragic that happened in their lives… but it became so drawn out, you felt like you were going nowhere. You don’t actually GET to The Poppy Fields until the last 40ish pages of the book. I wanted to really like this book so much, but it turned out to be such a HUGE disappointment for me. This book will only be remembered in the sense that it was very pretty on the outside, but it was boring as hell on the inside. Would I recommend this book? Probably not. 👎🏻