It’s almost summer so you know what that means — it’s time for a new novel from Jennifer Weiner! The Summer Place is everything I’ve come to expect from Weiner’s novels – a healthy dose of family drama, juicy secrets, flawed but relatable characters, and a whole lot of heart.

The drama in the story revolves around an upcoming wedding. The story opens with Sarah Danhauser’s 22-year-old stepdaughter unexpectedly announcing that she and her boyfriend are getting married in three months. Everyone in the family, Sarah included, thinks she’s too young and the wedding is too soon, but Ruby is determined so wedding plans commence and the wedding is set to take place at Sarah’s mom’s beach house in Cape Cod. The house is about to be sold so the wedding will also serve as a perfect goodbye to a house that has been in the family for generations.

As the wedding plans are being made, however, it soon becomes clear that nearly every character in the book has a secret they’re trying to keep under wraps. You can almost immediately tell that there’s going to be some pretty intense drama if and when these secrets start to come to light, especially since there are hints that the secrets could very well derail Ruby’s wedding.

Weiner is a master when it comes to fully fleshing out her characters, and The Summer Place is no exception to that. She has the story unfold from the perspective of several key characters: Sarah; her husband Eli; Ruby; Sarah’s twin brother, Sam; Sarah’s mother, Ronnie, and Rosa, the mother of the groom. Weiner provides pretty extensive background on each of these characters, and I have to admit that it took me a little while to really become invested in the story. Once all the characters are fully introduced though, the story takes off and becomes one heck of an addicting ride!

I can’t say much more without spoiling the plot, but I will say that there are secrets and mistakes from the past that come back to haunt many of these characters, there are misunderstandings that get blown way out of proportion, and there are confrontations and revelations that could rock everyone in the family to the core. That said, The Summer Place is also a heartfelt and satisfying story about love, sacrifice, and especially about families sticking together no matter how messy things get. Throw this one in your beach bag because you’re going to love it!

I absolutely adore every single one of her books; however, this one wasn't for me. But I do think that most people are still going to love it.

And part of it may be that I'm still coming out of a slump and most things aren't as enjoyable. But there did seem to be some perpetuating of stereotypes that I was uncomfortable with.

But she is one of my favorite authors and I'll still be picking up her next book, in hopes that it as amazing as all her other ones.

4.5 stars

Many of our family vacations during my teenage years were spent in Cape Cod, so when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to read it!

This story was chock-full of family secrets but everything changed when Ruby announced her engagement to her family. Suddenly the past shot to the forefront of focus for each of the characters involved, and all of their relationships were tested by their struggles to face these buried secrets head on.

I have to admit I grew frustrated at times with certain characters and the decisions they made, but without them seeing the whole picture and knowing the intimate details of their loved ones’ secrets, I couldn’t completely fault them for their mistakes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and thought it was a perfect summer read. I already can’t wait for Ms. Weiner’s next book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4360845324

I’m not sure about this one. I really wish that Jennifer would move on from the “Summer” books and blow us out of the park like she did with Mrs. Everything. I did have some likable moments while reading, but there were also some cringe worthy moments, too. I think she missed the mark on this one. I did give 3 stars because I was able to finish the book.

3.5 stars

This book is probably best described as a family drama/soap opera. It's on par with Jennifer Weiner's recent books although there's usually a little more heart in her stories. The Summer Place was lacking in that department even though I think an attempt was made in the closing chapters. It's a decent read, nothing more, nothing less.

The story follows multiple members of a family as well as some other characters. Veronica is the matriarch of the family and lives in a beach house on Cape Cod. She has two adult children, Sarah and Sam. Sarah is married with two young boys and Ruby is her step-daughter. It comes as quite the surprise when Ruby announces her engagement and her intention to be married within the next few months. Given it's a family drama expect some secrets along the way.

Eli is Sarah's husband and his secret drove me bonkers because his reasoning for keeping quiet didn't make sense. His storyline from start to finish was handled quite poorly as it's counting on the reader to suspend disbelief. That just wasn't possible for me as I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shout in his face, "You need to say something!"

I did like Sam's story arc although major side-eye to the ending.

I like drama. I like soap operas. It's not a perfect book but as a mindless weekend read it worked fairly well.

Jennifer Weiner is a one-click author for me! I love her books and really enjoyed The Summer Place. This book also takes place on Cape Cod as many of recent books have.

Ruby is about to marry her pandemic boyfriend. The majority of the story revolves around the wedding and Ruby’s family members. There are secrets, doubts, and lots of dysfunction. There are so many characters in this book and it reads like a soap opera.

The characters really shine in this story. That’s one of the things that I love the most about a Jennifer Weiner book. Although the characters may be flawed, I always feel like I know the characters in her books.

It was also really interesting how covid impacted this story. It was a fresh take. This book would make a perfect beach read! I highly recommend it.

Once again Jennifer Weiner writes the summer beach story that everyone will be reading a talking about. She weaves her characters and storylines together that will leave the reader wondering - what is going to happen next!! Great summer read thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy!!

It's always a sure sign of summer when Jennifer Weiner publishes a new book. The Summer Place did not disappoint. I was able to read an ARC thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

The book follows a family who has just lived thru the pandemic and is now getting ready for a wedding. Ruby is only twenty two and ready to marry her boyfriend, Gabe. They fast tracked to a serious relationship because they had just started dating when the pandemic started. Gabe could not get home to California, so he moved into Ruby's parents house with her. The story is told through multiple viewpoints from different family members.

I really enjoyed getting to know everyone in this family. I did not like the trope of the family not telling each other things that fueled the plot. Eli, the dad, was especially annoying with his worry about a past transgression coming to light. I did enjoy the surprise cameo of a past character of Weiner's.

Overall if you enjoy a good family story and love Weiner's books you will also enjoy this one!

I always look forward to the arrival of summer reading, especially when Jennifer Weiner has a new book out. The Summer Place did not disappoint. It has lots of family drama and the perfect setting of Cape Cod. Ruby is getting married at her step-grandmother's cottage on the Cape. It'll be a small wedding of close friends and family so it should be relatively drama free, right? Plenty of capers to be found within this novel as well as some serious soul searching. Read and enjoy!

In the acknowledgements Jennifer Weiner states that the vibe she was going for was “between a Noel Coward farce and a Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Clever except for the heart-stopping, constant worry of how it was all going to play out and where was Puck when I needed the sarcasm and humor.

This story needed either a flow or a genealogical chart. There were so many characters who were interconnected, over and under and before and after. Who was with whom ? When and where and how and a whole lot of sex going on and most of it causing more trouble than the players could ever have imagined. Weiner tags her stereotypes well - she really gets her characters and defines them with a deft stroke. The chapters devoted to each character was so well played. The life she blew into that magical Cape House was nothing short of inspired. Well done, well plotted, maybe a bit heavy on the lascivious scenes but it all gets tied into a fairly neat package.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria / Simon & Schuster for a copy.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, and I think the issue was the unrealistic way everything fell apart and then came seamlessly back together. There were so many secrets and affairs and dysfunctional relationships that all seemed to disintegrate, for good reason, and then just miraculously come together again. People screwed up, which we all do, but then when secrets were admitted and apologies were made, all were accepted with no hard feelings. Not likely. Especially for some of the situations where a simple explanation and apology would result in hard feelings and shock and needing a minute, not a quick hug and forgiveness. And, it was very frustrating to me that what I considered to be the biggest bad choice of all, which was done to "get back" at someone who wasn't actually doing what was suspected, never came to light. That secret was allowed to be kept secret. Disappointing.

A very solid story about family and love.

I enjoyed getting the perspectives from all the characters and hearing about their thoughts about family and relationships and the challenges they’re experiencing.

I did not love how much infidelity was in this book. Especially cause so much was due to the couples not communicating (*insert eyeroll*)

This was a solid read and I’m sure it’ll be all over summer reading lists and in people’s pool/beach bags. (3.5)

I liked but didn't love Jennifer Weiners last book, so I went into this cautiously optimistic. Y'all this book is so good! A family drama wish so many twists, this kept my attention the whole time. I love the different points of view and the background we got into everyone's lives. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Pick this one up for your summer vacation.

This book is full of twists and turns and dysfunction. A fast paced easy read this is sure to be a summer hit.

ennifer Weiner is such a hit or miss author for me, Some books I really liked and others were just.. no
Here's what I liked
- The Cover is magnificent, Makes you wanna but this in your beach bag and read on the beach and have a hot beach lifeguard serve you drinks, But let's face it her books always have beautiful covers.
- It had some dark theme, But it was much more fun than last years book was depressing that I could hardly suggest any one read on vacay.
-The use of the pandemic fascinated me in this one. It’s only a matter of time before it’s used in more and more books and the reality is the pandemic had real effects on relationships including making relationships progress faster.

What I didn't love..
- I said this last year but this book is SO full of so many small and utterly tiny details that doesn't really add anything to the plot. There easily could have been - 80- 100 pages trimmed off this perpetual book...
- Some plot points were predictable, but I didn’t feel like they took anything away from the story. At times, the situation made me laugh because it seemed like whatever could go wrong for this family went wrong.

"The Summer Place” is a novel with a heart big enough to embrace all of the messy troubles of families. Blended marriages, infidelity, unexpected pregnancies, desertions, weddings, births and deaths. All of this set against the backdrop of a plague year with all of its additional stresses. Weiner’s afterward makes it clear that there was an element of self-therapy in her writing this book, but we are all the beneficiaries. It wasn’t always easy to like the characters in “The Summer Place”, but by the end of the book, it was easy to love them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Jennifer Weiner - 4.5 stars!

When Sarah's stepdaughter, Rudy, announces that she and her pandemic boyfriend, Gabe, are engaged and going to be married in months, she is shocked. Rudy has already spoken to Sarah's mother, Veronica, and the wedding will be held at her summer home on the Cape. But the wedding is only the beginning of the messy lives that will come to light in this complicated family, because everyone has secrets.

Another book you must have in your beach bag to start the summer reading season, this family saga is full of characters exploring their lives and choices. I loved how it was set at the end of the pandemic and showed how all that forced time together brought out the best and worst of us and how we viewed our housemates. This book explores that complicated relationship between mothers and daughters, and motherhood in general. It's also very enlightening and true how we all view the past through different colored lenses. It's about second chances, forgiving, grief and love - all those things that make up a family (even a house!).

The Summer Place
by Jennifer Weiner
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
Atria
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. From “the undisputed boss of the beach read” (The New York Times), The Summer Place is a testament to family in all its messy glory; a story about what we sacrifice and how we forgive.
Unfortunately, this was not a great read for me.
All the characters were unlikable, shallow and selfish...except for the children. The adults (and I use that term loosely) all needed to take a step back and think of someone other than themselves.

This was my first book by this author, and likely my last. This book was not a good fit for me, but many other readers found it delightful.
3 stars

Thank you for the ARC atria books and NetGalley

This is my first time reading a book by Jennifer Weiner. I think the book isn't for me. It is a struggle for me to finish the book because there is too much family drama. The book wants to unfold the dysfunctional dynamics of a family.

The book could be a hit or a miss. And it's up to the readers if they will pursue this.

This is a book that I would offer as just ok. I was really into the story at first and enjoyed that each of the main characters had a storyline until it just would not end. There was just so much extraneous content and detail that should have been edited out. It would have made the book better. The husband Eli was one of the most confusing characters that I have read in some time. There is something in his past that is causing him issues so his personality completely changes and he gets the most annoying flip flops ever in one fell swoop? There was supposed to be something redeemable after he comes clean, however I just wonder what made him such a desirable person in the first place. He was a weak man and just let everyone walk all over him. It was much the same scenario with the brother Sam. It may just be an issue with writing a decent male character. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.