QUICK TAKE: Okay, confession time: this might sound crazy, but I’ve actually never read a Jennifer Weiner book before! I know, crazy. And let me tell you, I think I’ve been missing out, because #BigSummer was DELIGHTFUL. A light escapist story about a Cape Cod wedding gone awry that also explores issues of body shaming, living life on social media (topical!), and female friendship in a grounded, relatable way. The mystery was engaging and I loved the writing. A perfectly fine escapist read for those of you looking for a bit of summer as we head into the colder months.

Daphne Berg is a plus-size Instagram influencer and is just starting to make some decent money through her posts where she promotes plus-size clothing among other things. This wasn't always her main goal in life; in fact, she stumbled upon this "career" by accident. A video featuring her standing up for herself in college went viral and this is how she ended up with a social media presence. The video was filmed by her former best friend and socialite, Drue Cavanaugh, who essentially set her up for a humiliating experience. Many years later Drue enters Daphne's life again by asking her to be a bridesmaid at her glamorous wedding on Cape Cod. It appears that Drue doesn't have that many real friends (duh, she sounds horrible!) and needs some bridesmaids to stand on her side as this wedding will be all over social media. So, Drue needs "friends" and who better to ask than Daphne who could benefit from the social media exposure. Despite her initial hesitation, Daphne accepts and things go downhill from there. Once at the wedding, Daphne hits it off with a hot wedding guest and things at the wedding take a turn for the worse. Jennifer Weiner's beach read, Big Summer, bends genres a bit and takes many surprising turns. Let's just say this isn't your average beach read featuring a beautiful wedding on Cape Cod!

Weiner spends a lot of time in Big Summer giving readers some background on Daphne's childhood and her experiences. I thought all this character development was quite good and heartbreaking at times as Daphne has to deal with a cruel world. People, including family members, really don't accept her for the size she is. All of these experiences lead us up to the Daphne we currently know in the novel and I thought Weiner did a great job with the characterization. However, things get a little confusing from there.

I went into Big Summer thinking this was going to be a relaxing beach read. Boy, was I wrong! It's been awhile since I read Weiner's novels, so I assumed this book was going to fall under the genre of women's fiction much like her previous novels; however, Big Summer has characteristics from the romance, mystery, thriller genres, and more. I don't want to say too much because I think the surprise is fun once readers are able to process it. I will say I was a bit disappointed at times with the second half of the novel, because I felt like Weiner did such a great job fleshing out Daphne that the events in the last portion of the novel felt contrived and are there to move the plot along. Also, I still don't believe that after all the things Drue put Daphne through that she would agree to be in her wedding. Most bridesmaids don't want to be in their actual friends' weddings, am I right? Nonetheless, I thought it was a decent beach read.

A lot of the social media/influencer lingo got to be a bit much at times, but it made you think about social media and its power over our culture today. Sure, things appear great on social media and Big Summer makes you think how oftentimes it's just a facade. Also, I loved that this book is body positive while also making us think about how media exploits the female body and how society's has unrealistic expectations for women.

If you want a beach read this summer that will surprise you a bit and take you on a wild ride, pick up a copy of Big Summer. I am still thinking about this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Jennifer Weiner for my copy of Big Summer for an honest review. I have been reading Jennifer Weiner books for some time and they never disappoint. They always have a strong female lead, who finds her way. Big Summer follows the same theme. It’s been six years since Daphne Berg and Drue Cavanaugh had their epic fight. Drue pops back into Daphine’s life with a strange request and that is when all the fun starts. Daphne somehow agrees to be Drue’s maid of honor at a society wedding on the Cape. Once there they see how their lives have changed and how they remain the same. Success can’t trump insecurities. Some time people do things and we don’t always know why. Sometimes things get crazy and we stay to watch things combust. This book had it all. This book had all the feels. The Characters were honest yet flawed and I found my sled rooting for both.. as crazy as that sounds. If you love a quick, beach read this is the book for you. This was a four star read for me and I have recommended it to friends and family. I have also recommended on my Bookstagram feed.. I have reviewed this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Weiner has done a fabulous job of wowing me once again...Not what you expect and a pleasant surprise.

Daphne has been fat shamed her entire life. She is now a happy social media influencer showing the world her acceptance - she is beautiful, strong and powerful.
Then, out of the blue comes her childhood friend turned nemesis- Drue. Socialite, gorgeous, wealthy and skinny. After a horrible fallout when Drue humiliated Daphne, she asks her to be a bridesmaid. What?!
This spins into a murder mystery...and the twists keep coming. It’s very entertaining and thought-provoking . Great change up!

This book was definitely interesting and really well written. I got to read it in the summer after I bought it and I enjoyed it. I really like Jennifer Weiner's style of writing.

This book is so good! Like, I read it in one day good. I really liked the mystery involved and all the twists that came with that, but it wasn't too much. I appreciate that there really weren't any slow parts, it kept me hooked with all the surprises. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and another book that would be a perfect beach read.

Another solid read from Jennifer Weiner! Though it didn't have the impact that last Summer's Mrs. Everything did, it was still the perfect summer read that was impossible to put down. It was definitely not what I was expecting based on the title and the cover--the second half of the book was definitely a surprise! However, I flew through it even faster because I could NOT wait to see what happened. Jennifer Weiner is one of my auto-read authors, and this book was definitely worth the read.

Great story....socially relevant in our times of social media, body shaming and bullying. Plus size Daphne is the main character who is a social media influencer. She claims to be accepting of herself but the old old insecurities of her youth come sneaking through. The first half of the book is about Daphne and her life. It moved along as one would expect.

Then, BOOM! It becomes a mystery. Totally out of nowhere. About halfway through the book. A fast moving mystery. Daphne was a very likeable character, with her dreams and insecurities she seemed liked everyone’s best friend.

The way the ending evolved was a little over the top. I would probably take away a half star. But, there are no half stars.......

A bonus: I learned 3 new words. Promulgate. Insorcelled. Seraglio.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Big Summer was the first book of Weiner’s I’ve read in a while. I’ve recently been working through my TBR by selecting books without reading the summary. I came looking for light, beachy fun, and this wasn’t quite what I expected! Big Summer is a quick read-I stayed up until the wee hours to finish it. Very enjoyable and surprising! Some great twists. I’d certainly recommend it.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #SimonandSchuster #BigSummer

I had a hard time getting into this story. I really liked the idea of the heroine being a normal sized woman in a story where normally the lead female is a tiny little size 2 living a sad life where she barely eats or indulges at all. I have liked most of Jennifer Weiner's previous books, but for some reason this one just didn't captivate me from the beginning and it was a DNF for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read a copy for review. I'm sorry it didn't work out.

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, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, 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. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

On a perfect summer night, as generations of Cavanaughs descend on the family beach in Cape Cod, the cute guy materializes and a family feud erupts. With rumors swirling about everything from a failing business to infidelity, it’s clear why Drue wanted Daphne by her side. When Daphne wakes up the morning of the wedding to find that her crush has vanished and that something terrible has happened to her friend, it’s up to her to dig deep into Drue’s past, to unpeel the layers of illusion, and to find out the complicated truth about perfect Drue Cavanaugh.

A sparkling novel about the complexities of female friendship, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most. Highly recommended.

This book honestly felt like parts were written by different people. The beginning of the book introduces us to the complexity of humanity and Jennifer Weiner does her thing creating an intriguing and beautiful setup. Initially skeptical, as “instafluencers” are not something I am excited to read about, Weiner was able to make the characters so real and likable it ceased to matter. At least... until it did.

Part 2 of the book is where things started to go awry for me. The premise was interesting but suddenly the story was moving way too quickly and characters were doing/saying/solving things that made me think what happened to my characters? Who are these people? We lost all of the development and wit from part 1 and instead were given a too-quickly solved mystery.

Overall a decent book, good for a quick and enjoyable read as long as you aren’t expecting something more high brow. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Sigh. I kept putting off ready this book and putting it off and putting it off and I should have gone with my gut. I didn't like where the author took Daphne and thought she deserved better. And Drew. Ugh, Drew.

The redeeming factor was the BFF but even there, I was annoyed with how she was treated. Overall, I just don't really have anything nice to say but I do love the cover!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

Cute read. That twist was totally unexpected and really made the book. It was intriguing and a page turner. I’ll definitely be reading more
Of her books now

Definitely not what I expected. It was an enjoyable book and I didn't see the twist coming or whodunnit.. I really enjoyed the main character, Daphne and how she embraced her body image (thank you Jennifer Weiner), I also think the book was very appropriate especially when there are so many Insta-influencers - whether it be fashion, books, pets etc and to remember that the internet rarely tells the truth. The story was well written as were the characters. The flashbacks were a bit much but thankfully they didn't last too far into the book. An enjoyable read overall.

I didn't like this book. It wasn't for me,but people should give it a try.. This is the first book i read by Jennifer weiner. I'll try her other ones.

4-4.5 stars

At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. I don’t normally gravitate towards books where the characters are so focused on social media (I actually read to get away from all of that), but I liked that Daphne wasn’t your typical influencer.

Looking past all of that, I really enjoyed this story. From the time they were in school together and even into adulthood, Daphne and Drue had a bit of a tumultuous friendship. But no matter how badly Drue treated Daphne, Daphne seemed to hold on to the good memories they shared. So when Drue asked Daphne to be her maid-of-honor, how could she say no?

After tragedy struck, so much information was brought to light regarding Drue, her family, and newly-introduced characters that my head was spinning, but it kept me intrigued. I was a bit underwhelmed by the end, though. I thought it would be much more climactic, but it fizzled out way too quickly.

Overall I would recommend this book, but I have to say that I preferred Jennifer Weiner’s previous book “Mrs. Everything”.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3633895787

Big Summer starts with a woman (Daphne) who becomes an influencer once her friend (Drue) embarrasses her because of her weight. She ditches her toxic friend and starts a body-positive Instagram. Skip to 6 years later Drue wants her friendship back with Daphne and for her to be her maid of honor. Claiming that she has changed. Part 2 seems to be a totally different book, murder mystery, with the amateur sleuths trying to solve a crime. Jennifer Weiner created an interesting and fun read, but I wish it had focused more on the pertinent issues of friendships, body image, and societal interest in social media.

Despite my own addiction to it, I can freely admit that social media is the devil. It is the perfect tool for bullies who can hide behind their keyboards and judge, with no repercussions.
Forgetting (or not caring) that their words can destroy someone.

The heroine in this book, Daphne Berg, who admittingly is on the larger size, becomes the perfect target. One night out with friends changes her perspective in life, embracing her appearance and providing a voice to those who struggle with their own weight issues. Through flashbacks, we see how those "close" to Daphne, treated her weight over the years, and how that constant attack impacted her confidence. I applaud how she took a moment of internet shame and turned it around for herself.

This story explores friendships, both real and fake, and whether someone deserves a second chance to right their wrongs. The author took an unusual approach to this part of the story, which became a mystery, as tragedy stuck a wedding celebration. Given the cover and synopsis, I didn't expect this part of the story, but it highlighted the extreme results of bullying. How one person’s mistreatment of another, could destroy lives.

There is also a romantic element to the story, which provided some lighter moments in an otherwise heavy story. There are two things I loved about this. 1) Daphne's appearance never was an issue. Sure, her insecurities popped up in her inner monologue, but it was clear the man shared a connection with her that wasn't fake. 2) His background has an interesting connection to the whole storyline, which made things both interesting and complicated.

This book has a lot to digest, and while at times, it seemed all over the place, the author had one clear message about embracing one's self and overcoming those who try to drag you down. The approach was unconventional but made the story that much more intriguing to me. On top of that, it had a heroine who was easy to connect with and cheer for. Overall, a gratifying read.

Definitely a fun summer read, but not the book I thought it would be. I thought there would be more romance and the fact that there was a mystery component was a complete surprise (a marketing issue). The friendship was something I wanted more of too. I did really like the body image discussion and the way that was handled, it was well done and so relatable. The ending was nice though, and if you're looking for a fun read that can absorb you into it and speed through - this is it. Thanks Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital copy of it, all opinions are my own.