Rating: 4/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣
Rationale: This book had a little bit of everything—empowerment, romance, and mystery; and was exactly the kind of read that I needed during quarantine.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: Someone looking to read the equivalent of a daytime soap opera.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: This book started out by exploring female relationships and body empowerment, which I loved, and it was so dead-on in talking about posting on Instagram that I found myself screaming. I expected it to stay on that course, but this was true “chick lit” because it took a turn halfway through and threw in steamy romance and mystery too.⁣
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I appreciated the vast cast of characters, because there’s nothing I like less in my mysteries than having only three suspects to choose from. There were also parts that managed to surprise me. ⁣⁣Quarantine is weird and any book that I pick up that isn’t INSTANT ACTION has had trouble keeping my attention. This one had no such issues.⁣
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You know how sometimes you watch a TV show and roll your eyes at the drama and think “well this couldn’t happen in real life”, but you love it anyway? That’s what this book was for me. It was ridiculous, and a bit far-fetched, and took so many turns…but I’ll be damned if that’s not exactly what I need right now.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: There was a lot packed in here, and it worked for me because of my current headspace; but from a critical lens, it crossed the line into “Lifetime movie” territory. The drama was definitely over-the-top and unbelievable so if that’s something you’re put off by then this won’t be the book for you!⁣

An excellent book about body positivity and the steps taken to get there! Daphne has been big for her whole life, and whether it was kids in school or her own grandmother, she was teased and made to feel bad about herself because of her weight. Now as an adult, she is an influencer on Instagram and has just landed a new job in the fashion world, tasked with taking photos and promoting the clothes. In addition, Drue Cavanaugh, her frenemy from her school days is getting married and asks Daphne to be her maid of honor after a less than stellar apology for how she treated her back in the day. Will Daphne forgive her and be able to move on?

Ok. We are all in lockdown and this is the first book in 5+ weeks that has actually held my attention and made me enjoy reading again. I loved the narrator and her storyline. She’s smart, pretty, successful and fat. Awesome lady all around. Kudos to Jennifer Weiner for such a fun book. And for sneaking in some good messages too! A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

3 stars. I am a big fan of Jennifer Weiner...since the first book I read by her called, Good in Bed. She writes real characters who are believable and relatable. I jumped at the chance to download this book. Loved the setting and felt I could connect to the main character, Daphne.

I was all in and did this as a buddy read in the Traveling Sister's Group. We had some mixed opinions but a really good discussion. I ended up not really liking the plot all that much. I enjoyed the first half of the book the most. When it turned into a murder mystery in the middle I grew less satisfied. I became interesting for me at about 60% and I had to push myself to finish it.

Weiner is still a favorite but his book didn't do it for me. I am sure it will be popular though and I can see many reasons why it would be. The social media warnings...are we all being used? I think often about Instagram and it was used in this plot. My Instagram is very private and I only follow friends or groups or people I want to know about it..IE: charities, health. No one follows me unless I know them or have a strong connection to. Insta was a big part of this book. And I am glad for all of the cautions this brings up.

This was an enjoyable and light read. Lying on a beach in the summer, instead of this Rona quarantine..might have had me more entertained. I admit that.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

This book started out as a fun fiction read that quickly turned into a murder mystery with a dash of romance thrown in. I loved it! Jennifer Weiner has a way with storytelling that makes her books hard to put down, Big Summer was no exception.

This was a fun read. I loved the emotional side of the story. Beautiful and fun! Well done, Ms. Weiner

This may be my new favorite book. Jennifer Weiner never disappoints! The characters are relatable. I loved see plus-size in the influencer world! Also, CAPE COD! Who can resist Cape Cod. The perfect escape book to imagine you are somewhere else while stuck at home.

4.5 rounded up. I didn't know much about this book going into it and I'm actually pretty glad because there was a twist that I didn't see coming so the book is sort of broken up into two parts for me. I enjoyed both so much. I don't want to give too much away but the beginning focuses a lot on the main character, Daphne, and her struggles with body-shaming/body image and social media. I won't give away what the second part deals with but it really kept my attention.

I really loved the characters, especially the main character, Daphne. I loved the topics the author chose to tackle with this book and it was very timely. The plot was very engaging and held my attention and I really enjoyed the book!

*I received the book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

I've really enjoyed the last two Jennifer Weiner books I've read; Mrs. Everything and now this one. It makes me happy because a few others by her have been hit or miss. I will say Big Summer is a slow burn. There's lots of background and character development, but it all pays off in a big way. I hit a certain part of the story and my jaw dropped. I don't think I even took a full breath after that because the hits just kept on coming. This book is bonkers with twists and turns, but the characters are the real gems. 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 definitely recommend Big Summer to a variety of genre lovers. It truly defies categorization. 4 sparkly stars.

Daphne is a plus-size Instagram influencer just beginning to make a name for herself and to feel comfortable in her own skin. Drue, her wealthy, popular high school best friend who incited the mean viral video incident that gave Daphne her platform, suddenly reappears in her life, asking Daphne to be her maid of honor in her fabulously expensive wedding on Cape Cod.

BIG SUMMER was originally intended to be published later this summer, and thank goodness Atria moved up the pub day. I was completely swept up in this story - it's a finding yourself story wrapped in a romance novel wrapped in a mystery. It's about loving difficult women and seeing the good and the bad in everyone, realizing that no one has it all and everyone has something that pains them.

I appreciated that a key aspect of the story was that Daphne was still fighting the ideas about fat women that she received as a child. Those words stick with you and resurface in your mind all the time, no matter how much work you've put in to love yourself. I also loved all the details about how she managed her Instagram account - I think lots of us bookstagrammers will find that it rings true.

I hesitate to discuss too much of the plot beyond the initial setup. This book takes a MAJOR turn halfway through! Go in blind, I promise it's worth the day you'll lose wrapped up in this sweet, painful, funny story. Then come back and talk to me about it!

Big Summer was a surprising delight. I expected an easy, fluffy beach read. While this is definitely a great book to read this summer, it has much more depth. Themes of friendship, mystery, and love will keep you turning pages far later than you plan to. I will definitely recommend this book to friends!

Thank you to Jennifer Weiner, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this one in 24 hours. Don’t let the title deceive you. This is not just a fun summer romp, it’s so much more than that.

This book covers so many topics… Fat shaming, Instagram perfection versus reality, friendship, coming-of-age drama, relationships, and family. There’s some smart commentary happening here and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Atria Books for an advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This book did not disappoint! Jennifer Wiener writes and delivers in such a way that keeps you turning the pages from beginning to end. I really enjoyed this novel and multi-layer of the story. Definitely a book I'll recommend and want a physical copy of.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Normally, I'm super into Jennifer Weiner's books, but this time around, Big Summer had be struggling to get through. About halfway in, the story took a swift turn and I perked up. But then my feelings fell flat again. I'm not sure why I wasn't drawn to this one (though there is a storyline I found right up my alley), but I wasn't. Oh well. On to the next!

Big Summer publishes 5.5.2020.

3/5 Stars

This absorbing novel from Jennifer Weiner made for a fun quarantine read and will be a great beach book. The protagonist, Daphne, a plus-size influencer, is a relatable character who has understandably mixed feelings when a former "friend"/mean girl begs her to be a bridesmaid in her lavish upcoming wedding. Shockingly, the wedding venue becomes a crime scene, and the pursuit of the perpetrator uncovers many secrets about the events and the relationships that led to the crime. The end wrapped up a little too conveniently and implausibly for me, but this page-turner was such an enjoyable distraction that it merits 4 stars for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

I had read many Jennifer Weiner books when she first started publishing and liked them enough. Her last book Mrs. Everything was good but not great. I was very happy to enjoy Big Summer as much as I did. I hate to describe a book that is about a murder of a young girl as fun but it was fun to read. At parts it was a little unrealistic (think I read too many mysteries) but it was cleverly written and I didn't figure out the whodunnit until pretty late in the book. I enjoyed the characters and always enjoy a book set by the beach and in NYC. (Shout out to the fact that my hometown was mentioned in the book!).

For fans of Jennifer Weiner, I would recommend this book.

Raise your hand if you’re a Jennifer Weiner super fan! I know there are tons of us out there and rightly so, I swear I would read absolutely anything she writes and I would probably love it, even if it’s just a grocery list. She’s just THAT good. Something else impressive about her? She’s able to shake things up and write something new for her and she did an incredible job with it here.

The first half of this one feels like classic JW, you have two female friends with a rocky relationship and you slowly learn about the complexities of said friendship via Daphne’s POV. At about the halfway point things take a sharp turn, (it’s what I alluded to about the author trying something new) and it was unexpected and fantastic and that’s really all I’ll say to steer clear of spoilers. I will say that while there are some heavy topics explored, weight, social media backlash, etc this is still very much a beachy, summery read with depth. It was a great escape for me and per usual I found myself adoring and relating to the characters that the author crafts and loving every single page of this one. Highly recommended by me!

Big Summer is a book that caught me off guard and I ended up enjoying immensely. Jennifer Weiner has penned a fantastic book that is perfect escapism or beach read.

At first place this might appear as a superficial story but there are so many underlaying issues addressed. Friendship, family, social media, personal acceptance, familia love and body image just name a few.

I would say this is a book just to start and not worry about dust jacket summaries or reviews. Dig in and allow yourself to get lost in the story.

This book will be on my favorites list for 2020.

Jennifer Weiner follows up her phenomenal novel Mrs. Everything with a seemingly more lighthearted fictional tale just in time for the relaxing read season.

The leading lady of Big Summer is Daphne , a plus size influencer whose online presence and message of body acceptance is taking off towards a very lucrative fashion line endorsement deal. However, a far from welcome blast from the past is about to disrupt her future plans.

Socialite Drue was once a good friend of Daphne's who had no shame when it came to using and abusing her trust. Daphne broke things off with Drue many years and is truly surprised when her former gal pal shows up to beg Daphne to be the maid of honor at her upcoming wedding to a reality show star. Seems that she has no one else to turn to for such a major life event and while Daphne is less than thrilled about this, the media exposure could be great for the both of them.

Of course, things soon get out of hand, with Daphne trying hard to not fall into those same old patterns of catering to the poor little rich girl. However, Drue's life isn't as picture perfect as it seems and both former friends may have to take a new look at what lies ahead for them separately and together.

I've been reading this story and so far, it's a savvy sweet treat that you will want to enjoy slowly in order to make the page turning fun last longer. If you're a fan of smartly written female friendships, it would be cruel to deprive yourself of such a suitable summer read.

While this felt more like Jen's original books than her last one it did throw a bit of mystery into the middle of the book. I applaud her for continuously trying to mix up her books a bit and not following a formulized pattern that some other authors do once they find success.

Big Summer follows Daphne a plus size instagram influencer who comes back into contact with her former friend Drue who she had previously falling out with and hasn't spoken to since. Drue begs her to be her maid of honor and come be a part of the weekend festivities in Cape Cod.

I anticipated Big Summer being a big hit this summer!

*Thank you to Netgally, Atria Publishing and Jennifer Weiner for the arc in exchange for an honest review.