Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner is much more on par to her usual work. I enjoyed this one much more than some of her past ones. The characters were sharp, layered, and nuanced. There was some humor I really appreciated. All in all, a fun summer read.

I would have liked this title better if it had stuck with one theme. The addition of the murder mystery seemed a little too much for the overall storyline. Other than that, I really enjoyed it!

Daphne was blindsided by her friend Drue 6 years ago, which resulted in the end of their friendship. Daphne had an opportunity to use that horrible moment to build her brand as an influencer. Drue walks back into her life with an outrageous request for Daphne to be her maid of honor. She accepts, and is dragged back into Drues world of money and glam. Would the risk of letting Drue back into her life be worth the reward? I was pleasantly surprised how this book touched on social media, self esteem & body image.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was phenomenal. I did not know what I was getting myself into with this one and I LOVED IT! This book is beautiful and absolutely savage. I recommend that anyone looking to read this book goes in not knowing too much. It was great for people who like a Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

I think I have read all of Jennifer Weiner's books. "Big Summer" was a very enjoyable book. It had mystery, death, love & intrigue. It was hard to put down. I wanted to know what happened! And did not figure out who the killer was before it was revealed! Which is rare in a book!

I would give Big Summer 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4. It felt like two different books in one. I loved the first half! The second half murder mystery fell a little flat for me. While it did keep me turning the pages, it came completely out of nowhere (which I know was on purpose since no synopsis mentioned a murder!) and it felt like the characters took a back seat to the plot when I was loving the characters in the first half. However, overall it was a fun and enjoyable read for me and will be perfect for a day at the beach!

Wow! This book was everything I needed. I went in blindly, well because that is how I like it. This was an insightful novel about real issues about self-love and acceptance. At the same there was also a mystery about who "dunnit" which was a great addition. This was my first book by Jennifer Weiner and I will definitely be reading more. This novel was all too relevant and current, but the added mystery pushed it to a 5 star for me. The book touches on all too real problems and we have all had insecurities, but the journey to self-love was quite powerful.

My daughter works with influencers as part of her job and I really found this to be a fascinating take on the whole social media influencer world. Could not put this down. It is a perfect addition to your summer beach reading list!

3.5 stars rounded up. This was the first book that I have read from Jennifer Weiner, and I have to say I was presently surprised. This book had it all Frenemies, friendships, self-esteem, body image, social media, and proof that you are capable of being whatever you want to be.
Told in the point of view of the main character Daphne Berg, who suffered with insecurities her whole life. With her personal struggles with her weight as well as self-acceptance, at an all time low after a fall out with her best friend Drue. While the friendship failed, Daphne builds her empire as a social influencer online, at her best Drue comes back into her life offering her an incentive to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding.
This book was full of surprises, and without giving any spoilers you will not be disappointed because this has it all with twist and turns along the way.

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, wanting a favor. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time, so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor, Daphne is rightfully speechless. Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. 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. Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her. review: I loved Weiner's book Mrs. Everything last year and I was anxious to read her latest novel, Big Summer. I really liked the premise and was excited to read about the complexities of female friendships, but this book missed the mark for me. Without giving too much away, I felt like I was reading two separate books and it felt a bit piecemeal. I wish there had actually been a bit more about the complexities of friendships and empowerment. Again, the ideas were good but I didn't like them compiled into one book because it took away from what could have been. With that said, it did keep me turning the pages but it left me wanting more! rating: 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

5 Stars!

This was absolutely the right book at the right time for me! Being at home has made me want to transport myself to a Beach on an island and read. Big Summer gave me that and so much more.

Daphne is a girl who is trying to make it as a social influencer online. She gets clothes, jewelry, etc. in exchange for her posting online. Growing up she went to a school where she didn't exactly fit in but was befriended by one of the rich girls in school. They had a falling out but then Daphne's friend, Drue shows back up in her life to ask her, or even offers to pay her to be her maid of honors for her upcoming wedding.

Is letting Drue back in Daphne's life really worth it? Can she trust this friend who ultimately betrayed her? Her life was starting on the right track until this person came back in her life and things get real messy, real fast.

I read Jennifer Weiner's books every May that they come out and when I read what this book was about I couldn't wait to dig in. With everything going on in the world I definitely needed an escape. This book was that and then some! It's definitely so much more than it looks like or is described as on the surface and it will most definitely throw you for a loop. It had the right mix of female friendship along with some twists and turns. I don't want to say too much more without giving anything anyway, you will just have to read for yourself!

If you are looking for your next summer read, this is it folks! Be sure to pick this one up - you won't regret it!

Thank you to Atria books for my ARC!

Jennifer Weiner is normally one of my absolute favorite writers. However, the was my least favorite of all, of her books. It had a very slow, almost confusing start. Then the book took a twist and turned into a mystery with an ending I didn’t see coming. I will continue to read each book Weiner writes but this one let me down.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for ARC. 3⭐️ for Big Summer, indeed a summer read. I enjoyed the second half murder mystery portion of this book much more so than the first half. My main issue was the character was a plus-sized social media influencer projecting a confident comfortable in the skin she’s in personality but it was more persona than true belief. She seemed to point out the shallowness in others but also exhibited it as well. And the discussion and thoughts about her weight we’re excessive. That said, time spent with a Jennifer Weiner read is never time wasted and the second half had some great unexpected twists and reveals.

I absolutely LOVED Big Summer!!!! Well, I love all of Jennifer Weiner books.
But this one was uniquely special. I love seeing plus size women represented in main stream publishing and media and this did not disappoint.

No spoilers from me, but the second half of the book brought me places I NEVER expected from this author and she did it seamlessly.

I highly recommend Big Summer!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really liked this one! I've read probably about five other books by Jennifer Weiner, and I think this one is my favorite! I've been thinking about what I want to say about it, and there's not a lot I can say without giving spoilers, so I'll try to be brief.
This book totally surprised me. It really wasn't what I was expecting at all-- in a good way though! It started out as a pretty typical contemporary fiction book and then quickly turned into a 'whodunit' murder mystery plotline. It definitely kept me hooked! I couldn't put it down because I needed all the details.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because there were a few parts of the story I just wanted more from!
Despite these parts, I still really enjoyed this whole book. It dove into some interesting and deeper topics such as bullying, body shaming, diet culture, family drama, and things of the like, while also sharing a body positive narrative and the pros and cons of living a public life on social media.
Thank you so much to Atria Books for reaching out and NetGalley for providing me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for sending me a copy of this book. I’m unable to give an unbiased review of Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

I absolutely LOVE Jennifer Weiner. Her work is such brain candy - softly, easily written novels with substance! This is one of her best so far and such a different type of book from her last release, Mrs. Everything. Big Summer focuses on body positivity in the face of a fat-shaming society like ours. Themes of empowerment and friendship run rampant throughout the book with multiple layers of mystery woven in. Being a New Englander, I love the setting!

I always look forward to a good beach read and this book checked all of the boxes for me. It was entertaining, fast paced, and filled with interesting characters. I loved that it had romance, suspense, and drama all in on book! I would highly recommend this book to readers of all genres. It was so much fun! Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for sending a free copy!

This was a fun summer read! What I thought would be a light summer read turned into so much more. Weiner includes strong narrative around themes of body image, female relationships, and the expectations that our world puts on females in general. I would recommend not reading any reviews. It was fun to go into this and be surprised.

I enjoyed this book once I got into it. I feel it was a little slow starting out, but really picked up about a third of the way in. I finished the rest in an evening. I really liked the mystery aspect, which is uncommon for the author. She did a great job mixing the mystery and suspense into the other themes of the book.