I just love Jennifer Weiner! This is a fun read, perfect for our beach bags - or any time when you need to escape to a happy place. Great story of love and friendship, and it makes you feel like you're on Cape Cod yourself.

I loved this book! I love the way it addresses fat shaming and social media and how Daphne embraces her “flaws” and empowers others to do so, even when she isn’t always confident in herself. A great story all around!

I was so excited to get my hands on Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner. Her books have always been like comfort food to me and right now I needed that more than ever. As a long time reader and fan of hers, I have to say this book was not exactly what I have come to expect. On the one hand, Big Summer has the relatable and likable female protagonist she is known for. The supporting female characters are well developed and interesting. There is the recurring theme of body image and self acceptance. Where this book really differed in my opinion is the strange plot. There is A LOT going on in this story which made it feel confusing as to what the intention was. I really enjoyed the dive into the world of Instagram influencers, reality tv, body image and the fakeness of social media. The added aspect of a mystery thrown into the mix is where it got a little weird for me. Overall this is a 3.5 star book for me but I'm rounding up to 4 because I love this author. I recommend reading this for a fun escape read and then afterward reading her previous novel Mrs Everything.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Daphne is a plus size influencer. Ever since the night her high school best friend set her up on a pity date, successfully ending their friendship, Daphne made it her mission to be happy with her body and herself. Flash forward six years and Drue, Daphne's former high school friend is getting married and reaches out to Daphne trying to reestablish their friendship. Daphne is hesitant but Drue is desperate, even offering to pay her to be in the wedding. Drue's wedding is to be a lavish society affair on Cape Cod and Daphne figures if nothing else it will be good for her brand.

This book has all the charms on one of Jennifer Weiner's books plus a mystery added in. The Cape Cod/NYC setting is luxurious. The characters are smart. I feel that every girl knows the mean girl from high school that is Drue Cavanaugh. I felt that Drue's desperation and desire for the love of family really shines through, as did Daphne's insecurities and optimism. I feel that these characters were so relate-able, that everyone was one of them or knew one of them in high school.

I have read several of Jennifer Weiner's books in the past, and so was excited when I was offered to read an advanced copy of "Big Summer", her new book. It did not disappoint! Normally Jennifer Weiner's books are categorized as being chic lit, and "Big Summer" definitely started out this way; but about half-way through, it totally caught me off guard by becoming more of a mystery. Although it was a switch in fiction genres, it definitely worked!

"Big Summer" is the story of plus-size social media influencer (and crafter/babysitter) Daphne Berg, who had always been very conscious about being overweight growing up, but then started to learn to accept her body more after an incident in college. that involved her best friend, beautiful, wealthy, mean girl Drue Kavanaugh. That incident lead to the termination of the friendship, but several years later, Drue comes back to Daphne, attempting to make amends, and asking Daphne to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding in Cape Cod. Daphne agrees, especially after catching on that that the rest of the bridal party is there because they are obligated to be, and that Drue really doesn't have any friends. The morning of the wedding, Drue is found dead in the hot tub of the house that she and Daphne are staying at, and Daphne soon realizes that she needs to find out who murdered Drue, especially as she is being looked at as one of the prime suspects.

"Big Summer" touched on a lot of topics within the novel- how overweight women are perceived, body image and body acceptance, powers (both positive and negative) of social media, friendships, relationships, and the ability for people to change and to be forgiven. It was a lot of topics packed into this book, but it was a quick, fun, perfect summer read, and it worked!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "Big Summer" is scheduled to be released on May 19, 2020.

Frothy and fun - even with a mid-novel dark turn! This page-turner was exactly what I needed right now!

Even though I began this book with no idea what it was about, I was sure I had it figured out pretty quickly - Daphne is a plus-sized social media influencer, who expends a lot of time and energy telling others to love their bodies, while she secretly struggles to love her own.
Despite growing up with parents who love and accept her completely, Daphne has spent most of her life feeling like the proverbial fat person in a room filled with thin, beautiful people. Her insecurity is exacerbated when she reconnects with Drue, her rich, and popular former friend, whose favorite hobby in high school was humiliating others, Daphne included. Drue wants to mend fences and have Daphne be part of her glamorous wedding to a reality tv star on Cape Cod. Daphne has to decide whether she is ready to bury the hatchet or if Drue is just beyond redemption.
I was prepared to spend a few days reading about Daphne’s struggle with forgiveness, body image, self-acceptance, blah blah blah, with some romantic conflict thrown in for good measure. And I was fine with that.
Instead, the book turned into murder mystery, and everything went downhill. None of the characters’ reactions or actions following the tragedy were believable, the murderer’s motivation was weak, and Daphne is suddenly Sherlock Holmes, single-handedly solving a murder case. Huh?
The first and second halves of the story were like two different books; I would have preferred to keep reading the former.
Thanks to #netgalley and #atriabooks for this ARC of #bigsummer.

Another enjoyable light read from this author. The main character in the book will be one you are rooting for until the plot takes you to an entirely different platform than expected. It's a good escape piece.

This book was so much more than I expected! I thought the female relationships were spot on (Weiner excels at this), but the twisty middle was unexpected and welcome! There was authenticity in the issues facing the main character that felt problematic, but were in actuality just real.. Overall a great read and one that will be on request all summer long!

I really wanted to love this book but is probably my least favorite Jennifer Weiner book to date. It didn’t seem to have the same great character development and relationships that her other books do. Sadly, the “who dunnit” wasn’t all that big of a mystery - I had it figured out about half way through the book. I still applaud Jennifer for having characters that are real life- not a size 0 , average income etc. but this book was a huge disappointment.

This book was not what I was expecting at all! I was pleasantly surprised. Weiner outdone herself with the plot. I was expecting to be a beachy summer read. It is to extent, but also much more. Big summer, big suspense!

This was not AT ALL what I was expecting but damn! It was so freakin’ good! If you’re familiar with Jennifer Weiner’s book ‘Good in Bed’ then the first half of the book will feel like a modern day version of that. And then...it turns into a murder mystery. Completely different than her previous works, but still written in that classic Jennifer Weiner style of love and heartache and friendship - with a twist! I absolutely loved this, but again, I am a huge fan of Weiner’s. Comes out May 1st!!

*Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

I went into Big Summer anticipating a smart breezy beach read. What I read was a mix of women's fiction with a big focus on the main character's relationship with her body, and a murder mystery with an element from a true crime on Cape Cod. As this was so outside the realm of what I anticipated I struggled with the story and couldn't connect with the main character. I wanted to love this one but alas we were not a fit.

I was really surprised by the topics that this book dealt with: women's body issues, social media issues, frenemies, and more. As an influencer myself, this was an interesting book to read. I also loved that this was not only a women's fiction book, but also a mystery! I did not expect that at all.

There is a huge amount of conversation regarding a woman's appearance and fat shaming. So I think women who are sensitive to that need to be aware of that before reading.

Overall, this is a great book from Jennifer Weiner. Not that I'd expect anything else. I think this will be a very popular summer beach read. It's got all of the great makings to get lost in a book for a day or so.

Even though Drue Cavanaugh was always a bit of a mean girl, Daphne Berg craved her friendship. So even though they hadn't spoken since Drue did something incredibly cruel to Daphne six years ago, when Drue shows up and begs Daphne to be in her wedding she can't turn her down. Convinced she is going into it with her eyes wide open and that she knows everything about her friend this time, Daphne heads to beautiful waterfront Cape Cod mansion. There she meets a guy that not only looks handsome but she automatically clicks with. They spend an amazing night together but when she wakes up he is nowhere to be found. Daphne does discover that something bad has happened to Drue and as she is digging around trying to find out what is going on, she finds out that her friend had even more secrets that she was holding on to.
This book was so good. This was a bit of a break from the usual type of novel from this author and I will say she definitely did it justice. This was a mystery/fiction rather than a chick li/fiction book. It definitely kept me guessing until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this. This should definitely make it into your beach bag this summer!

This story was a nice palate cleanser for me. I was reading too much of the same genre and needed something fresh. This story did the trick. Is it something I would normally read? Not particularly, but I can see why others love this writer.

Jennifer Weiner always has such relatable characters, and Big Summer is no exception! Daphne's struggle with her body and self confidence are SO relatable! The relationships in the story are also so real, whether it be romantic, friendships, or family relationships. I really enjoy reading stories that feel like they could take place in the real world, and Jennifer Weiner always delivers! There was also a dramatic mystery included, making this a very fun summer read!!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book, as I’ve enjoyed reading Jennifer Weiner’s previous books. Based on the cover and blurb, I thought the book would be a quality beach read. I like the first part of the book that delved into Daphne and Drue’s friendship and respective backgrounds. However, in the second part of the book, I felt like I was reading a completely different novel. The third part of the book tried to (unsuccessfully) tie up loose ends. There were too many MacGuffins, as well as too many plot lines and characters that were not fleshed out.

The protagonist in this book felt like one of the most fully developed characters I've read in awhile (I mean, that could be because I usually read psychological thrillers). She acted like a completely normal person with normal expectations an opinions. The writing was beautiful and the story was complex enough that I never got bored and was definitely surprised by the twist midway through (it's like the author wanted to show me that you can have a normal woman involved with a <spoiler>murder</spoiler>. Overall, loved it, definitely recommend for your beach read list.

I loved this book! It wasn’t quite what I expected going in, so I was pleasantly surprised. The main character was so good. Very well-written book!