This book wasn't what I was expecting at all! The book centers on Daphne a now moderately successful Instagram influencer who has long struggled with self acceptance. When her former BFF, Drue Lathrop Cavanaugh, comes back into her life after a long estrangement, Daphne rekindles the friendship against her better judgment. Drue wants Daphne to be part of her glitzy society wedding. However, long kept secrets start coming out, and the supposed to be happy occasion turns into a crime scene with Daphne caught in the middle of it all. The first half of this book was very much chic-lit which I am not a huge fan of but I do really like Jennifer Weiner's writing. This section served to build the backstory between Daphne and Drue. Then the book takes a sharp but very interesting curve into mystery/who dunnit. Although I did guess some elements of the book, I did not see the big reveal coming. This author has a knack for writing characters who are both relatable (Daphne) and who you can't help but hate (Drue) and even the unlikable characters have more nuance than you would suspect. The story was good and kept me engaged throughout-really enjoyed this one!

I’ve always thought of Jennifer Weiner as someone who writes “chick lit” that tackles tough subjects, and “Big Summer” is no exception—examining topics like friendship, social media, and forgiveness. However, I was NOT expecting Weiner’s newest book to also include a murder mystery as well! Though it did take my brain a minute to shift from the tone of the first half of the book to the tone of the second, once my mind readjusted expectations and caught up to where we were going, I really enjoyed the ride!

It’s got a little bit of everything—romance, drama, friendship, and murder. Big Summer releases May 5th, and I think it will be a perfect summer read to toss in your beach/pool bag! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of 5 stars)

THANK YOU to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this fun ARC to help make this difficult social distancing time a bit easier!

For years my daughter and I both have enjoyed Jennifer Weiner’s books. Her strong female protagonist doesn’t have to be skinny and gorgeous; she’s usually a more believable plus size who struggles with her image. But Jennifer doesn’t make her character all about that. The importance of her size pales in comparison to her witty, intelligent, compassionate and believable personality, as it should be in all matters of life.
Daphne Berg was friends with a catty, self-centered and terribly cruel rich girl in school, Drue Cavanaugh. She finally broke free of Drue’s spell and went on to become a popular online influencer of plus-size clothing. Imagine her shock and surprise when Drue shows up years later begging Daphne to be in her wedding, even going so far as to offer to pay her to be there. Daphne agrees, much to the chagrin of her roommate, her family, and her friends. But the event is being held in Cape Cod and will be a huge benefit for her growing online career because Drue is from old money and her fiancé is a popular reality TV star. Against her better judgment, Daphne packs her bags and goes.
Reading this is the closest I’ll ever come to staying in a beautiful mansion on the beaches of Cape Cod, but with Jennifer’s colorful and descriptive writing, rich with damaged characters, questionable intentions, and a shocking turn of events, I felt like I was right there with them.
Full of strong personalities, twists that are actually doable and believable, and the beautiful landscape of the Massachusetts coastline, “Big Summer” is the closest you’ll come to safe traveling during these dark days of avoiding the flu virus.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for making it available.)

Jennifer Weiner does is again. I loved this book. It has mystery, romance, friendship, and so much more. It was the perfect book while quarantined at home.

Not at all what I was expecting from Jennifer Weiner, who usually doesn’t tackle murder mysteries. However, the rest of the novel was her signature – with deep, unexpected truths about how we view ourselves and how tangled our relationships can become. I really enjoyed this novel and it was really interesting to see how what we portray to the world (both on social media and also even in person) may not be the same as what lies underneath. Highly recommend this.

Super fun and fast read! Such a great distraction right now. The story follows Daphne, a plus size influencer, who is asked to be the maid of honor in her estranged best friend, Drue’s, wedding. Well developed characters, interesting sub plots, and a quick pace make this a perfect beach read!

Thanks Netgalley and Atria for the ARC!

After the poignant and personal Mrs. Everything, Jennifer Weiner returns to the genre that put her on the map-"chick lit with a message." And the mantra is a familar one-Big doesn't mean bad. Long a literary advocate for "plus size" women, (and Ms. Weiner really means "plus size," not the Hollywood standard where size 6 is considered "plus") Big Summer features a fat but fearless woman at the center of the plot. Daphne Berg is a large woman, but she never lets her weight stop her from doing what she wants. Daphne is a social media influencer for other plus size women-helping them love their bodies no matter what the scale says. But it wasn't always that way for Daphne. From sixth grade through High School Daphne was friends with Drue-her polar opposite in both size and personality. Drue is rich, glamorous, slim, and beautiful- but has zero capacity to think about anyone but herself. After Drue plays a cruel prank on Daphne their friendship ends, but five years later Drue crawls back to Daphne begging her former best friend to be in Drue's wedding, claiming she has no other friends. Drue is marrying a former contestant on a "Bachelor" type reality show, and lures Daphne back into her world with promises of opening social media doors for Daphne through her wealthy and famous pals. Big Summer is vintage Jennifer Weiner for much of the book-imagine Good in Bed for the digital age-but half way through she turns the story into something much darker than being fat in a world that places a premium on being petite. But you'll feel right at home reading Big Summer no matter what your size-it's big, bold and beautiful in every way-exactly what we've come to expect from Jennifer Weiner.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC for an honest review. I have to start by saying I have enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's previous books, especially the last one Mrs. Everything. This book was a good read but did not draw me in in the same way. The main character Daphne was doing well in her self made career as a social media influencer and nanny. She hears from an old friend who treated her very badly in the past and humiliated her publicly. Her friend Drue shows up out of the blue and wants her to be her maid of honor at a big expensive public wedding on Cape Cod. Drue agrees, why I am not sure except she is just a nice person, and winds up in the middle of a murder when Drue winds up dead in the hotel hot tub. There are lots of twists and a happy ending for Daphne when the mystery is solved and she finds love. But it just didn't do it for me. It is worth a read but not one of my favorites by Weiner.

I’m really excited to read this! I love Jennifer Weiner as a great summer read. I am going to Florida in a few weeks and will be bringing this with on my Kindle. Can not wait to update with my thoughts after I read it!

Update 4/3/2020: I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but it lost me around the middle with the twist. It all came together in the end but not enough to save it for me.

Jennifer Weiner does a great job with a socially relevant topic. A great beach read with a bit more to it.

Big Summer did not feel like a typical Jennifer Weiner book to me. And I love Jennifer Weiner. It felt slightly like Jennifer Weiner meets Emily Giffin. Except I also love Emily Giffin. And ladies and gents, I’m sorry to say that I did not love Big Summer.
When I started reading Jennifer Weiner, she was a solid chick-lit writer. And in the age of Bridget Jones, that was amazing. And through the years, she’s held onto to that charm, but her work has become deeper. There’s been more to chew on. She’s matured right along with me.
Big Summer kind of put me back at the start, but I didn’t find Daphne as charming as Cannie (Good in Bed). Big Summer definitely follows a more modern story-line as Drue and Daphne are both social influencers. But it felt empty somehow. I didn’t quite believe Drue. She was empty. And maybe that was the point, but I felt like we would reach some epiphany of who Drue was, and that just didn’t happen for me.
Anyhow, I still adore Jennifer Weiner. This one just wasn’t my favorite. And that’s okay. It’s still probably the only Big Summer I’m getting this year.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out May 2, right on the heels of the nationwide shelter in place (maybe).

I could not put down this book. Daphne Berg is a strong character who believes in herself. Her inherent kindness allows her to forgive and support an old friend, Drue Cavanaugh, who has not always treated Daphne well by participating in Drue's wedding. The books highlights the use of social media and how people can hide behind the beautiful photos and posts of happiness. It reinforces that not everything is as it seems especially when Daphne must uncover Drue's secrets. Will definitely be purchasing title for my library.

This book turned out to be a delightful story of resilience, forgiveness, and the struggle to be who we are all meant to be. I loved the main character, Daphne - I thought she was so relatable. For those of us who aren't beautiful and thin, having a plus-sized character is refreshing. I liked the dynamic between Daphne and Drue, but I didn't feel like Leela was in enough of the story line, given her role in the end. But otherwise, I really liked this book and would recommend it to my friends who are looking for an interesting read this summer, but might not want something too heavy or depressing.

WOWZA! I was not expecting a fast-paced friendship gone wrong/social influencer/delving into the past type of story from Jennifer Weiner after last summer's Mrs. Everything but this is definitely a fun, fun book and I cannot wait for summer to be able to talk it here at the library and put it in the hands of readers (as if they need MY recommendation anyway! LOL)

Thankfully this book is getting an early release so you'll be able to read it in about a month. There's definitely a lot going on in this book: living in a society where size matters so much for women; whether putting filters over photos is a good thing or not and if someone has behaved badly in the past, can they change? These concepts and more are brought to the forefront in this novel. A must read for summer 2020.

Jennifer Weiner has been one of my favorite authors for as long as I can remember. Last year’s book Mrs. Everything was a heavier family saga so I was interested to see what she released this year.

When I started it I was thinking she went back to her roots with her body empowerment messages and that this would just be a smart summer read. Then bam, halfway through something major happens and my favorite book genres, contemporary fiction, and domestic thriller totally collide! This really works for me but I know some readers that felt a little misled.

I loved the messages in this one and the pacing of the storyline was great and kept me on my toes. This one is now being released a few weeks early on May 5th so you don’t have long to wait!

Thank you to Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Vintage Jennifer weiner. Weiner is at her best when she is writing about strong relatable women. Loved this story. Loved the thriller element too. Must read this summer

Jennifer Weiner is one of my all time favorite authors. I know if I pick up one of her books, I will walk away knowing characters and having new “friends”. This book is no different. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC. I was reading the book during the COVID 19 Pandemic. I could not concentrate on much. This book was the perfect escape from the realities of the world. I enjoyed this book, the mystery, the surprise. This will be a great beach for anyone this summer.

This is the Jennifer Weiner I remember, not the Mrs. Everything Jennifer Weiner that I went wild for last year. That’s not to say this isn’t good, it’s fine, it’s just not Mrs Everything, which was one of my favorite books of 2019. If you are a JW fan, put this on your list. It comes out May 19. Free advanced copy from Simon & Schuster via Netgalley

Look for this amazing summer read on 5.5.20... that's right, the pub date was MOVED UP!

Many thanks to @NetGalley and @Atria for an advanced digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jennifer Weiner's BIG SUMMER is the perfect escapism novel; there's love, mystery, envy, self-doubt, friendship and loss. She covers it all! What I loved about this story is how Weiner subtly brings in current issues such as how Instagram Influencers represent themselves on social media versus real life. Weiner continues the undercurrent theme of loving your self, no matter your size, as she has in previous books. Another win!