I just love Jennifer Weiner’s books and I was SO excited to get her latest BIG SUMMER from Net Galley! This was a great book and the perfect summer read. I loved the main character of Daphne, a plus-sized blogger, who lives in NYC with her loving parents and has tens of thousands of followers in her online life. She blogs fashion for curvy girls and is an “influencer”. Her former best friend from high school, Drue, is getting married and wants Daphne to be part of her day. However, things don’t go as planned and the story veers off on a different course.

While I loved Daphne, I have to say that some of her memories and experiences in the book, especially from when she was younger, are painful to read. Who among us has ever felt perfect? Daphne’s character voices so eloquently the struggle that still exists within her to accept and love herself unconditionally.

I just loved this one – a little romance, a wedding scene, the beach, a murder, mystery man, etc., etc. Keep it coming, Ms. Weiner!

Thank you, Atria Books, for my ARC!

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiener has a little bit of something for everyone. I thought the book started a little slow but then by the end enjoyed where the story was going.

Daphne and Drue were once best friends, until a fight keeps them apart. Daphne is very surprised when Drue comes back into her life and asks her to be her maid of honor in her wedding. After some consideration Daphne decides that she will give Drue a second chance. I don't want to say too much because I believe that the best part of this book picks up half way through after Daphne discovers something no maid of honor ever would want to.

If you enjoy a little romance, and a mystery grab this one.

I enjoyed this book! It was a little disjointed for me at times. The first part felt like a completely different book than the second part. It was like half realistic fiction- half mystery. Overall it was an easy read- and it definitely kept me interested the whole
Time

I would probably rate high 3
Stars, low 4.

3.5 stars. Big Summer is a hard book to review because of spoilers. The latest novel by Jennifer Weiner is one of those books you should probably read without knowing much at all, so I will tread lightly and give you my general thoughts.

I read this one quickly, and I would definitely place it in the "beach read" category. It's much more like Weiner's earlier novels than the successful Mrs. Everything from last year. I was okay with that. While I enjoyed Mrs. Everything, it didn't wow me. I was ready for something more reminiscent of Good in Bed, my first Weiner read, and one I gave five stars to.

I loved the main character Daphne. She's relevant, sassy, inspiring, and not without her flaws, which is what makes a character real for me. What kept me from loving Big Summer was a somewhat weak plot that felt like it needed more editing. There were small things that felt inconsistent with the story and the characters, as well as a prologue that didn't make much sense until much later in the book. But I found myself wishing the prologue would have continued. I almost wanted to hear that story more than the one I got.

But Big Summer does put a much needed spotlight on important issues like fat-shaming and social media, and for that reason, I do hope people will pick it up!

This is the perfect beach/poolside read for summer - if any of us can go to the beach/pool this summer. It’s timely with all the social media obsession we seem to be going through right now. Daphne is sometimes both likeable and unlikeable at the same time - when she’s not practicing what she preaches. Enjoy!

Great summer read! Once I started and got towards the middle, I knew I couldn’t stop! It did not disappoint at all.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5) *
First let me give a huge shout out to Jennifer Weiner for creating such a relatable character! *
Daphne, is a body positive social media influencer, nanny and dog walker. She wasn’t always a self confident woman. At one point she was a serial dieter who was obsessed with losing weight since she never quite felt like she fit in with her private school “friends.” But after a humiliating cell phone video goes viral Daphne takes things into her own hands and turns it into a movement!
*
Years later the one and only person who humiliated her years ago pops back into her life asking for her forgiveness and to be in her wedding. *
Daphne of course says yes but quickly regrets that when the wedding weekend turns into quite the deadly experience. (Which I totally did not expect but I LOVED)
*
I wanted to give this 5 stars but felt that Daphne wasn’t as reliable of a character as I had hoped. She preached body positivity yet she was constantly putting herself down. Is this to show us that no one can be as body positive as they seem on social media, or was this supposed to depict her own internal struggles? Either way it was still a very enjoyable and surprising book! First half chic lit, second half Murder Mystery! *

I loved this book so much!
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for my advanced copy.
Mrs Everything was my first book by Jennifer Weiner and a favorite of mine from 2019.
Big Summer is definitely in the running for a top read of 2020.

✨ What I Loved ✨

✨ The Writing ✨
There is something about this authors writing that just sucks me in right away. Her books have been very easy reads for me and hard to put down.

✨ The Setting ✨
This book is set partly in New York City and partly in Cape Cod. New York City is one of my favorite settings for books. I love the excitement and energy of a big city.
When our characters were in Cape Cod I felt immediately transported. It’s spring where I am and a bit cold. I loved the summer vibes of this book. The warmer weather. The glamour of the Cape.

✨ The Characters ✨
Jennifer Weiner’s characters are very well developed and complex. I found the characters in this story to be relatable.
I identified with Daphne and some of her struggles. I understood her relationship with Drue. I’ve had that friend that wasn’t necessarily good for me or didn’t treat me the best. Drue had this magnetic pull and a way of making the people around her feel special even if it was just for the moment. Then there was Darshi. The loyal, smart friend. Who stands by you through everything. I loved Darshi.

✨ The Relationships ✨
Jennifer Weiner writes her relationships just as well as her characters. I loved Daphne’s relationship with her father. It just warmed my heart. I’ve already touched upon the friendships in this book.
Reflecting upon her previous novel- Jennifer Weiner writes sisters well too. You’re not here for that though. I could fan girl all day over both of these books.

✨ Plot ✨
The plot had incredible pacing. Without spoiling anything - about half way through the book it totally changes direction and I loved it. It was like I was reading two totally different books. I enjoyed it.
I’ve read books where characters carry the story and not much goes on but this book had it all. Great characters. Great story. I was invested all the way through.

I couldn’t find any reason to give this book less than five stars. If I had anything bad to say it would be this- the love interest. I liked him a little. His story was a bit weird and I’m not convinced they’re in it for the long haul 😂.
That’s just me being nit picky.

Overall- Highly recommend.
Jennifer Weiner is now an auto buy author for me.

Another enjoyable book by Weiner. A little mystery, some snark, friendship. Great beach read.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

If you want a beach read that's fun and smart, with a side of murder, BIG SUMMER is for you (but also lol who is going to the beach now anyways).

It's been a while since I read something by Jennifer Weiner, and BIG SUMMER was a great re-entry. It has very distinct sections, but fortunately having the same narrator throughout makes it work seamlessly. First, we get the backstory on Daphne, a plus-sized influencer, and Drue, her former high school best friend turned hedge fund heiress. When Drue asks Daphne to be a bridesmaid for her huge summer wedding, Daphne agrees. But when someone dies the morning of the wedding, Daphne finds herself caught up in much more than sponsored Instagram posts.

This book was great for so many reasons. Weiner is known for her nuanced portrayals of female friendship, and that is honestly BIG SUMMER's biggest strength. If you've ever had a toxic friendship, you will definitely empathize with Daphne. The murder aspect was an interesting way to dig into all the character's pasts, and I liked that this book was a nice blend of women's fiction and mystery.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

I've been reading Jennifer Weiner books since my early 20s. Her curvy, self-conscious heroines always reflected how I felt about myself during that time. Single and independent they always seemed to find comfort in themselves by the end. Now, I'm in my 40s, a wife and mother, and still gravitating to Weiner's books all these years later. Last year's Mrs. Everything had a, shall we say, more mature main character and its plot spanned the decades. It was highly enjoyable.

Big Summer is a return to Weiner's earlier heroines, with a story led by Daphne, an Instagram Influencer in her mid 20's. Having used an embarrassing viral video to propel herself into mediocre social media stardom, she is now trying to make a living out of her online persona. When an old frenemy resurfaces (one with fortune and fame) to ask her to be a bridesmaid, Daphne is tempted to forgive and forget for the benefit of her blossoming career. The wedding, though, is a complete disaster and she is left putting together the pieces.

It is hard to review this book properly without revealing the GASP moment at its midpoint. Putting any spoilers aside, I will say that I enjoyed this indulgent summer beach read. The idea of the young, plus-sized main character aside, this is unlike any Jennifer Weiner book that I have read before and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Highly recommend this one to read at home, on the beach, or as a welcome distraction from your Instagram feed.

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors. I always read her books as soon as I can get them. This time I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Net Galley and Atria Books. Thank you so much for your approval and opportunity! I can always expect a certain kind of empathy and heart from Jennifer's books. This was no exception. The book is divided into three parts. The book starts with a prologue set in 1994. Then the first chapter moves to 2018. The narrator is Daphne Berg. She is plus-sized and a social media influencer who lives in New York City. The first part of the book then goes back and forth between the present and Daphne's past and i really enjoyed the detail into who she is and how she got there. Enter Drue Cavanaugh, Daphne Berg's best friend from school until they had a falling out that ended their friendship. Drue shows up six years later when she needs a friend to stand up with her at her wedding. Drue comes to realize that she has no friends, Meanwhile, Daphne is a successful social media influencer & sensation. She has taken all the negative and used it to create beauty and body positivity. Daphne agrees to attend the wedding because, as Daphne’s roommate and friend, Darshi, points out, Drue is Daphne’s kryptonite. Without giving too much away, I will say this: once you hit a certain part of the story, it is impossible to stop reading. I didn't see this coming as I was expecting a beach read with frenemies and back story- and yea i got that, but also there are HELLA twists and turns. Just fasten your seatbelt. The character development also shines in this one. Daphne, her parents, Darshi, Nick, and of course Drue, are incredibly real, flawed, and three dimensional. I wanted to get to know them all better. I truly enjoyed this one.

I guess I missed the part of the synopsis that told me that this book was a mystery. WOW! I went into reading this book without much knowledge of the plot. In the beginning, I thought that this would be a story of how the mean girl does worse off than her victims, but the book quickly extinguished that theory. This book was unexpectedly refreshing and it was what I needed. I love coming across books that turn out like nothing that I expected (positively).

Daphne has learned to wear her plus-sized body proudly after being shamed in high school by the glamorous gorgeous Drue, who she thought was her best friend. After several years of no contact with Drue, Daphne has made a comfortable life for herself and built her self-esteem and self-confidence. It was therefore shocking when Drue turns up at her babysitting client's home to beg Daphne to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding. As Drue begged and wheedled, and ultimately offered to pay, Daphne gives in and agrees. As Daphne arrives at Cape Cod, she is in awe of the grandeur of the pre-wedding festivities and can only imagine the money being spent for this celebratory weekend. As she works to blend into the crowd of the thin, wealthy people, she begins to find signs that things are not perfect in Drue's paradise. She shrugs off the signs and hooks up with a guy who seems to genuinely enjoy her company and be attracted to her. The next morning - the day of the wedding - Daphne wakes up to find Drue's body in the hot tub. With the help of her friends, Daphne pursues the killer, because as she says, no matter how horrible Drue treated people, she still deserved justice.

Weiner always delivers a great story in which to lose oneself. I love how she crosses genres: intertwining past high school drama, women's literature and issues, romance, and a bit of suspense and mystery. "Big Summer' doesn't disappoint and I think it will be a popular beach read this year.

Fans of Elin Hildebrand will enjoy this book.

👒BOOK REVIEW👒

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Pub Date: May 5, 2020

-DESCRIPTION-
We meet Daphne, a nanny/instagrammer, living in NYC. She became a body positive influencer after an especially horrid night at a club that left her giving zero Fs. Her "friend", Drue, was an A-Hole in high school, an A-Hole that night at the club, and now she's getting married and continuing to be an A-hole.

-THOUGHTS-
Wow. Ok. This was a rough one. I LOVE Jennifer Weiner. When I saw this cover, I thought, "ok, she's back.". Back to the days of Good in Bed & In Her Shoes. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Mrs. Everything, but I was really looking forward to some old school Weiner.
So Part 1 of the book hits and I'm all in. I'm here for it. I'm loving the people I'm supposed to love, I'm loving to hate the villian. Perfection.
Then we have Part 2....and my WTF radar is now engaged. However, I'm along for this ride.
Here comes Part 3. And I just can't. It's like a really bad Lifetime movie, only not in the good way because this isn't a bad Lifetime Movie....this is Jennifer freaking Weiner. I just keep saying, "No. Nope. No Way." I throw my hands up. I don't know what to do.

-RATING-
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 stars
Basically, decide for yourself. I can't help you.

-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
Ugh....ummm...I don't know. I'm at a loss.
Little Earthquakes
Good in Bed
In Her Shoes
Old school Weiner.

I really enjoy this author’s writing, and I have found that each of her books that crossed my path are different.

This book was a bit unusual for me because I am not on instagram, so I learned a lot about social influencing. I also am not a follower of socialites or all the cool stuff. I am not a shopper. However, I found it intriguing that the young ladies in this novel made a living from this and how absorbed they are by this activity, but it really didn’t make any of them happy.

However, there are other more worthy elements to this story some of which I didn’t anticipate, but highly enjoyable. There is mystery, childhood friendships, and an overall lesson to the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I am looking forward to reading much more by Jennifer Weiner.

I received this book for review about a year ago when I was reading a burst of ebooks. During the pandemic I find myself once again turning to my trusty ebook reader for new content. These days I've been alternating between ebooks and print books to give my eyes a rest from screen time. Just like I try to alternate between a tv show and a movie.

I'd started this last year and it was easy to fall back into the rhythm of the writing and recall what had happened to the sisters since the beginning of the book.

The novel ends just before the 2016 US Presidential election. Knowing what's happened since then this book made me wistful about the hope present during that time. I'm younger than Jo and Bethie but I recall the hope that a woman reaching the highest political office would be a tangible achievement that women would be believed when they said something horrible was done to them by a man, that women could finally have true autonomy over our bodies, and be treated with respect by all.

Weiner deftly transitions between the two stories. They orbit each other, like moons on different rotations around the planet known as their childhood, coming together on occasion to have shared experiences. I really enjoyed that each character was fleshed out and had her own story in addition to their shared story.

Daphne is a plus size influencer who reconnects with an old friend who is very wealthy and getting married on Cape Cod. I appreciate how body positive this book is and I love the relationship with Nick. There is a surprise something new from Jennifer Weiner that is a departure from her other books and I was totally hear for it.

I love that reviewers and bookstagrammers are keeping the surprise a secret and I hope everyone goes into this book not knowing what to expect so they can all be surprised.

One thing I will say--the descriptions of Cape Cod will get you SO PUMPED for summer!!

I loved this book! It took quite a turn I did not expect but that made me love it even more. I really liked Daphne. She was snarky and i liked how she turned something embarrassing to her advantage. Although, it did bother me that she was upset with the way people treated her over the years but she was super judgmental of other people’s looks. This is one of those books you shouldn’t read if you only like books about nice or likable people. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to spoil anything but this is a terrific summer read.

A few pages into this one, I wasn’t sure I would want to finish it. Daphne Berg, the plus-size influencer who tells this story was far from a comfortable character. She is insecure, defensive, and doesn’t appreciate the value of the people in her life. It isn’t until a life-changing event happens that she begins to grow up and take responsibility for her self, and at that point I became quite fond of her and invested in her escapades.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.