3.75 stars

This is a story about an unspeakable act, revenge, and unlikely friendships.

Two women with the same initials and only a period separates their email addresses. What seems to be a coincidence that leads to a friendship is not all that it seems.

I went into this book blind, and I am glad I did. For that reason, I am going to be sparse with the details. The element of not knowing how these two women connected had me intrigued and turning the pages, but it took me until I reached the 25% mark to connect with the characters. Once I hit this part of the book, I couldn’t put it down. All becomes clear early on, but how things will play out is a bit of a mystery.

The narrative alternates between Daisy and Diana, but there are a few additional POV's mixed in. Both are struggling with their identities and finding their voices, but for very different reasons. The timeline also alternates between the past and the present, leading to a heartbreaking revelation.

Overall, I felt like Weiner tried to pack in a few too many characters and storylines. Because of the cover and title, I thought I was getting a mindless beach read, but the content is heavy and centers around a sexual assault. I also found the ending a bit anticlimactic and a little too easy for such a complicated and horrific situation.

At the same time, I grew to love both Diana and Daisy’s characters, and Weiner always knows how to reel me in. While this book isn't perfect, it is worth reading, especially to see an unlikely friendship transform into a powerful force capable of healing and enacting change.

Trigger warning: sexual assault

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. . That Summer tells the story of trauma and revenge and the unlikely friendships that develop because of it. It was a slow start, but I enjoyed getting to know the characters and how they connected with one another. The cover of the book is deceiving as I thought this was a summer beach read, but the content is heavy and centers around sexual assault and how it effects the lives of all those involved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story and did not expect the twist. Jennifer Weiner has always been one of my favorite authors and her books just keep getting better!

Jennifer Weiner is one of my go-to authors for Women's Fiction. This reminded me of why! I was hooked from the beginning and was honestly sad that it ended because I liked it so much!

I was given the opportunity to read the ARC of this book compliments of NetGalley. This did not change or hinder my thoughts or review on this book. #netgalley #thatsummer #jenniferweiner

I absolutely loved this book, but I'm not surprised. I have always been a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner, but she did it again. I didn't think that she could beat "Big Summer", but in my book, she did.

I love Ms. Weiner's writing style. It immerses you in the environment of the book from Philadelphia to the beaches of Cape Cod. You start to feel for the characters the more the book progresses. As a mom, who graduated college, got married, and had children early, it was easy to relate to Daisy and her day to day routine and her feelings on life. The struggle to relate to your teenage children is real! LOL. It is also easy to relate with her "what ifs". If I hadn't gotten married so young and had a child, could I have done this or that? What would my life look like now? However, on the other hand, you wouldn't give your current life away for anything. To see her feelings and strength emerge as her friendship with Diana grow made me want to hug her. It's hard to make friends when you're an adult, let alone when you are pretty sheltered in your day to day life.. On the other hand, it was easy to relate to Diana as well. I work in corporate America where travel, strong female personalities, and the glamour of all of it is easy to get sucked into. But, sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side...especially when not all of it is the truth. I have also seen a lot of the "good ole boys' club" as well. Lies covering lies, people hurting people, and so much more. This book...it hits home with all of it.

The descriptions of the environments that Ms. Weiner describes in this book made me want to hop in my car and road trip it to Philadelphia and live in Cape Cod forever! When she described the thunderstorms on the beach, I felt like I was right there watching the lighting over the ocean and could feel the wind whip through my hair. I could see the sand on the dunes glisten and hear the roar of the waves. When we were in Philadelphia at Daisy's house I could smell the home cooked meals, see the ingredients going into the pot, and the her facial expressions when her daughter said, "I'm not eating that". This book immerses you with the descriptions, but it isn't too overwhelming.

I loved how the characters in this book meshed together, how you get a perspective from not only Daisy, but Diana and Daisy's daughter too. There are twists and turns, tears, and cheers, secrets, and female friendships. You'll be hugging this book until the very last page. It makes you realize that you're never too young to realize that actions bring consequences., but you're never too old to change things that you don't like about the things in your life.

Weiner Does it Again: #metoo #beachread #justkidding

It’s easy for forget that Jennifer Weiner writes serious books–with titles like In Her Shoes (made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette) and Good in Bed, she seems like the author of just another romantic comedy. She is not. Her subject matter ranges from bullying to learning disabilities, sibling rivalry, weight, and now, sexual assault. A breezy beach read her 15th novel That Summer is not.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com

I couldn't put this book down. The story was rich and layered. Jennifer Weiner is always a master of characterization, creating deep, flawed but lovable characters, and she hits that out of the park here again. This novel felt like a departure from her traditional style and like a newer, nuanced writing. I"m so excited to continue to read her books.

Always up for a Jennifer Weiner summer read and this did NOT disappoint.

Weiner does a fantastic job at balancing the frothiness of summer with the reality of changing relationships and feelings.

Jennifer Weiner, to me, is synonymous with a great summer read! Last year I loved Big Summer. While That Summer was another hit, I felt that I didn’t get engrossed with it quite as much. I just didn’t really feel a connection to the characters like I did with some other books. However, the plot still kept me invested and it was another great read!

4 stars.*

I always enjoy Jennifer Weiner's books. I enjoyed this one on many levels. That Summer is a multi-layered story of two women whose lives become entwined due to an unspeakable event that happened at the cape 30 years ago.

Weiner always creates relatable, wonderfully fallible characters, and this is no exception. I especially related to the story of homemaker Daisy Shoemaker-who struggles to find her own identity after folding herself into the life of wife and mother. Beatrice Shoemaker, her daughter is skillfully written, and is so painfully accurate as a teenager that it made me cringe sometimes.

Evocative of Jodi Piccoult in that Weiner writes about issues fully in the current media and world landscape- "Me Too" and the reckoning of important men facing their transgressions and formerly tolerated "boys will be boys' behavior is front & center in this story.

I did not love that Hal Shoemaker was such a blatant stereotype, but she makes up for it with Danny-a tortured character who, though guilty of terrible behavior, is still someone you root for.

I'd definitely recommend this one and I think it would be a great one for a book club.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Review will be posted on 6/6/21
Daisy Shoemaker has hit a rut and she's feeling uninspired. Her husband is patronizing and much older than her, her daughter is a brooding teen, and her best friend has died of cancer. Then she receives an email that is meant for another person. A one Diana Sterling. Diana is the polar opposite of Daisy. She has a booming career, she's cosmopolitan, and is a powerful single woman. The email was for a 50th birthday party that sounds extremely sophisticated, so naturally Daisy is intrigued. When Daisy replies back about the snafu, the two end up talking via email and they actually form a friendship. Daisy even meets up with Diana in the city and this truly starts to open her eyes up to another life that she could have had if she stuck with her education and didn't leave college to marry her husband, Hal. However, Diana has some major ulterior motives and isn't exactly who she says she is. Jennifer Weiner's That Summer is an engaging and timely novel that isn't your typical run-of-the-mill beach read.

At first, I was getting a little confused regarding who was Daisy and who was Diana in That Summer. Nevertheless, Diana and Daisy's stories are not told chronologically; instead, Weiner uses flash backs to fully develop her story, so at times I was wondering which "Diana" we were dealing with. Readers are taken back to fifteen year old Diana's summer at Cape Cod as this is the summer that impacts her life greatly. This is the catalyst that sends the story in motion; however, readers aren't privy to what happened to Diana right away. Weiner slowly reveals the events, but it's easy to sort of piece it together.

Daisy is a character that I think most mothers can relate to in That Summer. Weiner excels at creating relatable characters. Daisy is in a rut and is questioning how she got here. She is wondering about that other path she could have taken. I think most women can relate to this in one way or another. When Diana and Daisy form a friendship, it seems organic, but slowly readers realize there's more here at play than just an innocent email.

I loved the setting of Cape Cod in That Summer and even the Main Line; however, this isn't a fluffy beach read. There's a bigger message in this novel that deals with the #metoo movement and I think Weiner handles it well. While I was hoping for more of a beach read vibe and less preaching about something that feels ripped from the headlines, I still appreciated what Weiner was trying to accomplish and I especially enjoyed her focus on strong female friendships during difficult times.

So, if you enjoy women's fiction with a strong message, definitely try out That Summer. Let me know if you have read this novel and your thoughts in the comments below.

I am going to be the outlier here unfortunately, but this one did not work for me. I enjoy reading Weiner’s books and will continue to read them, however this one was not as good for me as the others have been. I think she tried to tackle a tough subject by putting a different spin on it, but the spin was too odd, not quite believable, and was a bit much for me. There were two storylines until about halfway through before they came together and I was interested enough to keep going. I think there was promise here and it could have been done a little better, but there was also a lot going on with subplots that it could have been simplified and shortened a bit and worked a little better.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced digital galley to review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of That Summer by Jennifer Weiner in exchange for my honest review. This is my second book by Jennifer Weiner (Big Summer being the first). I love how she connects each character within the story. Each chapter comes from a different perspective, which I found easy to follow along. Her books are easy reads and make the perfect summer beach read.
This novel takes place on Cape Cod and in Philadelphia. The way she describes the scenery in Cape Cod makes you wish you were right there. In this book, the author takes on the Me-too movement. She makes it timely by including many of the same men that we read about in the news, including newsmen, actors, directors and even the Supreme Court judge.
The main character, Diana, was raped the summer she worked as a mother's helper on Cape Cod. Since that time, she has spiraled down. She barely made it through high school, never finished college and is now working as a nighttime janitor. Her mother works at a college for a professor (the one who hired her as a mother's helper) and she realizes something happened while Diana was in her care. She steps in to try to help her.
The novel continues on with Diana trying to get revenge for the men who attacked her. It is done in a very interesting, intriguing way. This makes the book a fast page turner for sure.

I love Jennifer Weiner's books and I liked that this one was more than your typical beach read. I love her books because they often tackle tough subjects. Can't wait for the next one!

I've been a fan of Jennifer Weiner since her first novel. While some of her books have been hit or miss for me, this one was kind of right in the middle. I enjoyed the plot and Weiner's writing is stunning and rich with detail as always but I found myself not caring for the characters Hal and Daisy. The book also wasn't what I was expecting from a normal "summer read" in that it wasn't very lighthearted at all! Nonetheless, it was a wonderfully written book and I am eagerly awaiting her next book as always.

Great story with much more depth than a classic beach read.

Discussed on Episode 129 of the Book Cougar’s podcast.
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2021/episode129

I’ve been a big Jennifer Weiner fan since her first book release almost 20 years ago! It’s always exciting when an author you’ve read for this long releases a new book.

I do have to say that I struggled with this one at the start, but I am so happy that I gave it another shot because I ended up loving it. I had to restart the audio as I found myself distracted the first time around (I think a me issue- not the book) and then I ended up really glad I did that because I definitely missed stuff.

That Summer has all the summer vibes. Beach town, decadent food, friends and drama.

Jennifer Weiner does such a good job of tackling heavy topics, but still making the books easy to fly through. This definitely isn’t a “light” read by any means, but still has that summery/bring to a beach feel to it.

The audio narration was fantastic.


Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the #gifted copy! Pack this one in your beach bag this summer!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went back and forth on this book a lot. I almost gave up but am glad I finished. I liked a lot of the book, but the things I didn’t like outweighed the things I did like. The whole #metoo story was just too much. Mostly because it made women seem like powerless wimps. I was surprised since the author is female.

TW: Sexual Assault, Gaslighting, Controlling relationship

Daisy has her husband Hal and daughter Beatrice as lives a pretty charmed life. When she starts getting emails that are meant to go to a different Diana S, the two strike up a conversation and Daisy thinks she has made a new friend. Little does she know there is a bit more to this new friendship of hers…

I thought this was a great book about trauma, secrets, trust, friendship, and loss. I really enjoyed the relationship between Daisy and Diana, even though there were secrets between the two of them. I also really loved Beatrice. I wasn’t as big of an outcast growing up, but she was such an old soul and I am the exact same way! Knitters unite my fictional friend! I so badly wanted to smack Hal throughout the entire book, while we didn’t learn the full blown level of his assholeyness until later, from page one I didn’t like him! If you enjoyed Big Summer you need to grab this book!

One of the summer’s hottest reads, this book was very hard to put down. It is timely, and deals with current subject matter. Thought provoking….
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.