This book was such a fun summer read! I went into this one blind, just knowing that it was getting great buzz. SPOILERS If you are planning to do the same: but I did not realize that this was going to be a story about solving a murder. I love that Daphne was able to navigate friendship, see the true value of family, and have a couple fun little romps in all of this. I also love that Drue saught out someone like Daphne's father - and that she did genuinely seem to be changing for the better at the end of it all. The perfect book for summer. I just need a floppy hat and a beach chair.

Wow. I feel like this novel was two in one. We start in the prologue that left me confused the moment we meet Daphne and we learn a lot about her struggles, body image, self love and everything that brings. Then the main twist, boom! Changed the whole story to a mystery and at the end I’m not sure which part made me rate the novel. My only struggle was the feeling of having read two different novels in one to put it that way. I would have love to see a smoother connection rather than the actual ending.

{Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review}

I wanted to love this book so much! There were so many things about the book that I enjoyed, but I really struggled with the unpredictable flashbacks and timeline. I loved Daphne’s character, especially the focus on her plus-size curves and body image. There was a huge plot twist about 50% of the way through and after that I could not put the book down. The first half of the book was good, but it felt so different from the second half. As many of you know, I love a good romance and I did feel like the romance left something to be desired. I would have loved to have seen more development there.

Overall, I liked the book and found it to be enjoyable, but it just didn’t blow me away like I was expecting. If this book has been on your radar, I would definitely recommend you give it a read because so many of my trusted book buddies have loved it!

3/5 stars!

This book does the amazing work of talking about how harmful it can be as a society to focus on being thin. Diet culture, Weight Watchers and the shame that is passed to young children. It had a little bit of everything - murder & mystery (but not in a scary way), the prevalence of social media. Social media is a large part of this story and I haven’t really seen that in other novels. Jennifer Weiner wrote another hit, a very timely and relevant story about an average sized woman finding her way. I could not put it down and missed a lot of the foreshadowing, lots of surprises, twists and turns I did not see coming. I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley, thank you to them. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a story of the times....social media, influencers, instagram & the like.

I enjoyed the story, it was an easy read & a who done it.

I especially liked Daphne, an insecure young woman who finally had had enough & decides to be herself & make the best of it all- loved that & then there's Drue, who hasn't know a Drue or been on the receiving end of a Drue.

Did not figure out the "one who did it" until I read it in the final pages!!

It truly was a light summer read, nothing overly deep, even with some serious issues, but still decent.

I have read the majority of Jennifer Weiner’s books and I can honestly say "Big Summer" isn’t her best work; I know what she is capable of and it makes me feel bad to not give this book a raving 5-star review. It took me about one-third of the way into the book to start to get interested in it. I wish the book had started with Daphne being asked to be in Drue’s wedding and the murder-mystery that ensues. The beginning of the book was basically all about a girl and her struggles in life because she is over-weight -- how she went from an over-weight insecure teen to an over-weight Instagram influencer who is comfortable in her own skin (doesn’t everyone wish that’s how life worked). I understand the message that is being portrayed, but, in my opinion, it really wasn’t needed; it seemed cliché, half-hearted, and made the beginning of the book drag. Some things, i.e. technology, seemed out of place or in the wrong decade, or the one character who hates and doesn’t use technology is all of a sudden a whiz at internet sleuthing, it just didn't add up. It was little things like this that just made the book not realistic or relatable in my opinion. Had I not received an ARC of this book to review, I probably wouldn’t have finished the book. I wanted to love it, but I’d just say it’s ok.

Jennifer Weiner has an archetype character, and this archetype is back for an adventure and an enjoyable read. Daphne Berg had a falling out with a glamorous and wealthy high school friend who is now back at the beginning of the story to beg her to be in her wedding party. Great set up. The first half of the book appears to be a romantic comedy and will be very recognizable to all Jennifer Weiner fans. The second half makes a surprise shift to become a mystery, and is the sort of mystery where everything is figured out pretty quickly with a couple of huge and expedient leaps. The romcom part is a little more successful than the mystery. The main character has potential but she seems to be busy working through the entire book, and we don't get much insight into what she's thinking outside of what moves the plot forward. I wouldn't say this is my favorite of the Weiner oeuvre, but it was a fun summer read.

Whoa.

Jennifer Weiner has long been a favorite author of mine. I was a little disappointed with Mrs Everything, though,, so I was really looking forward to this one. I absolutely loved the women’s fiction meets mystery formula. It was completely unexpected and I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to pull it off but she did and she did it so well!

I really wish we could do half star ratings - this is a solid 4.5 stars from me.

Many thanks to Jennifer Weiner, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

#FirstLine Prologue 1994 By the first week of September, the outer Cape was practically deserted. Another hit by the master! I adored this book so much! It was one of those reads that checked all the boxes. I needed one of those books right now. Weiner knows what her readers want and needs and keeps serving it up! A much needed break to my reading slump! I adored the characters and the willy dialogue. It was s story that touches the heart and makes your think.

This was an entertaining story! A little love, friendship drama and a mystery involved. The three ingredients to a perfect summer book!

I tend to love Jennifer Weiner books. This was no exception! I am so thankful that this book was released early during the pandemic. It made some great reading and allowed a distraction. Adding in a murder to what might have just been a light beach read was perfect.

Daphne Berg certainly knows how to turn tragedy into triumph. But it hasn’t been easy, nor has it come without a price. After being fat-shamed by her former best friend, Drue, at a club, Daphne finally stands up for herself. Her bold declaration goes viral and launches her career as a social media influencer. Now designers want her to wear their cloths and companies are clamoring for her to sponsor their products including her dog Bingo who’s become his own social media mogul. Read more... http://booksuplift.com/big-summer/

Jennifer Weiner never fails to grab readers with main characters who are entirely relatable, and who -- in spite of many admirable qualities -- usually have many of the same foibles that the rest of us suffer from. In "Big Summer," main character Daphne Berg is an up-and-coming social media influencer. Her hashtags include #sorrynotsorry and #justasIam and her blog's name is Big Time. Daphne is not slender, and during her whole life, she has been ashamed of her weight and her body.

Her epiphany came one night when her best friend and sometime nemesis, Drue Lathrop Cavanaugh, a rich girl, a mean girl, and a sometimes-best-friend girl, had arranged for a guy to pretend to like Daphne so that she wouldn't feel left out when the "pretty girls" flirted with the other college guys. When Daphne found out, she got angry. The results of her fury went viral in a video, and Daphne took that to heart. Instead of slinking away from the notoriety in shame, she decided to stop trying to be something she wasn't, and to embrace and love herself no matter her size. She posted the video on her new Instagram account and began to get lots of followers.

So Daphne is stitching together a life where her babysitting, her Insta revenue (along with her dog's Insta revenue) and the art she sells on Etsy make her a living. She lives with Darshi, her high school friend, who also had suffered in high school at mean girl Drue's hands. But when Drue reappears one day to ask Daphne to be in her wedding party, Daphne is unable to resist. We know what Daphne is feeling because Weiner's first person narrative is so on point, "I could feel the old, familiar longing, and could remember how easily she'd pulled me into her orbit with the unspoken promise that, if I got close to her, if I did what she wanted me to do, I'd end up elevated by proximity; looking like her, being like her, having that beauty and power and confidence it conferred."

Drue is being married on Cape Cod to Stuart Lowe, the star of a bachelor dating show,  and the chance to spend time on Cape Cod sounds lovely; but what really convinces Daphne to agree is that Drue breaks down and cries as she admits that she has no friends. She admits that she hasn't been perfect. And she says that Daphne was the only friend who ever liked Drue for herself, and not her trappings.

The minute Daphne agrees, Drue cries out for a picture. "Sixty seconds later, Drue had taken, edited, cropped, filtered, and posted a picture..." Much of the book is about how social media, and influencers, have become a normal part of life on the internet. Hashtags, getting paid to wear outfits, eating at restaurants, getting a wedding paid for by sponsors -- it's a new world out there. And Daphne, and to a larger extent Drue, are there to exploit it.

We grow to love Daphne and her big personality, her love of her rescue dog Bingo, her appreciation for her loving and wonderful parents, and her honesty. At the same time, we also see that while Drue might appear to have it all: rich family, house on the Cape, expensive wedding, handsome groom, and Harvard degree, she really envies Daphne.

For those of us at home during this pandemic, Big Summer is the epitome of a beach read. Weiner manages to pack all the sounds and smells and tastes of the beach into this story. The chill in the air the night before the wedding feels real to anyone who has spent time at the ocean, and the salty smell is one that those of us who can't travel to the beach right now will enjoy remembering.

But best of all, we love reading about friendship and family. Weiner knows how to make us consider what real friendship is all about and what is important in life. (Hint: it's not money, expensive clothing, or millions of Twitter followers.) There's also a murder to solve and perhaps even a romance for Daphne. Weiner packed a huge suitcase for this "Big Summer" trip and her readers will reap the benefits! You won't want this beach trip to end.

I am not sure what this book was trying to be — women’s fiction, romance, or a murder mystery? It felt disjointed and the last half had a cozy mystery feel that felt disconnected from the rest. Not my favorite.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. When Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is apprehensive... but there's a big part of her that still loves her old friend. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song. But the weekend does NOT turn out as planned, and Daphne is sucked back into Drue's world in ways she could have never imagined.

Big Summer explores the complexities of female friendships, the ups and downs of the social media crazed age we're living in, and being comfortable in your own skin. I went into this book blind, and I'm glad I did. I was expecting a light summer read, but there's so many layers to this book. The mystery shocked me, the relationships are relatable, and Jennifer Weiner's writing is wonderful as usual. Would definitely recommend adding this to your summer reading list!

This was my first book by Jennifer Weiner and I was instantly taken with the writing. She makes everything, the floor, a piece of toast, literally anything, sound like the best thing ever. I loved it. I saw a lot of myself in Daphne, fighting to feel comfortable in your body, getting over trying to fit in for so long and accepting who you are. I really enjoyed having a main character I could connect with! I can't say I really cared for any of the other characters, but I could look past that.

Like a lot of other reviewers have said, this one takes a very sudden and unexpected turn in the middle. Suddenly it's like your reading a completely different book. It is a little jarring, but in the end I got used to it and ended up enjoying the turn of events.

All in all this was a very enjoyable read for me and I will definitely be picking up more from this author!

I love all of Jennifer Weiner books- but Big Summer was awesome! Daphne- a plus size influencer is all of us- funny & smart but insecure because of the past- we want to root for her. Mix in Dru- the former childhood frenemy, a rich wedding, a mysterious man, and a murder- and you have an incredible summer read!

I have read all of Jennifer Weiner's books and enjoyed them all. This book was entertaining and fun. I learned a bit more about Influencers and what purpose they have on social media. The main character is very likable and I highly recommend this book if you want an enjoyable summer read. Daphne, the main character, is an influencer who is taking part in an old friend's wedding. The book starts out being a story about old friends getting back in touch, and then mid-way through becomes a mystery. It is a fun read.

I have been trying to read books with diversity in their characters and Big Summer seemed like the perfect book. Through the book, we get to know Daphne, a plus-size influencer who has overcome some obstacles to get where she is right now.
The writing style and character building were great and it made it gripping and easy to read. I liked Daphne, she was funny and she felt REAL. I liked that she liked fashion and crafts and that IG was a part of her life. I also liked the secondary characters, the setting, and the rhythm of the story. However, I was not prepared for the plot-twist.
The book turned into something I was not anticipating. Nevertheless, it was a good kind of a surprise because the author definitely knew how to turn it around and how to make it work. That second (or was it third?) part of the book was over in a blink of an eye because I just needed to know what was happening. I do not want to spoil the book by saying what this part contained but I will say it had ALL the right ingredients for a good change.
The final part was just what the book needed and what the story deserved and I ended up not only enjoying the story but also really liking Daphne as the main character, I would love to have her as a friend!

Half women's fiction, half murder mystery. The story of Daphne, a plus-sized influencer who is asked by Drue her ex-bestie to be in her wedding. When a murder occurs, Daphne needs to figure out what happened. An entertaining summer read.