Jennifer Weiner is the queen of the summer read. Her books can be a little hit or miss for me. Loved Mrs Everything, didn’t really like Big Summer. I feel like Ms. Weiner is back on track with That Summer, and now The Summer Place. Huge cast of characters, everyone has at least one secret sure to shake things up. If you like a good soapy family relationship drama, with a touch of comedy of errors, set in beautiful Cape Cod, this book is for you.

I thought the author handled writing in the time of Covid really well.

Aside from the writing, I know the style of cover art is on trend, but it hasn’t felt right for the tone of these most recent books.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

The Summer Place
By Jennifer Weiner

The title could be The Summer Place of Secrets. This story is about a family and their acquaintances, all of which seem to have at least one secret. If you enjoy a light, interesting story, this should be on your list of 2022 summer reads.

The prologue of the story provides the reader with a peek into what the experience of reading this book will be like. A descriptive narrative of the house overlooking Cape Cod Bay has eroded in the forty years the house was owned by this family. Changes occurred due to the weather, other incidents of nature, the guests who came and went, the food cooked in the kitchen, the people who were conceived there, and the creatures that clung to the exterior all shaped how the house existed and decayed. Similarly to how some people’s lives do.

The chapters of the book are each dedicated to one of seven main characters. Each of the characters are well developed and the story illustrates what it’s like to be a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, how first love feels, how marriages can be tested and how the loss of a loved one can impact so many people, places and things. I found the book to be a good distraction with thought-provoking moments and it was a rather quick read.

Out May 10, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Told in multiple POVs, THE SUMMER PLACE weaves together a story of the secrets, dreams, and lives of an extended family and the summer house on Cape Cod that brings them all together for a wedding weekend that promises to be full of both drama and, perhaps, healing.

Have you ever read a book and come across passages that make you feel grateful you read them? I’m talking about the moments where it hits you that if you hadn’t picked up *this* specific book, out of all the millions of books out there in the world, you would never have encountered these specific words arranged in this specific way and you would be fundamentally worse off as the result of an error you’d never know you made?

Maybe that’s too existential for a book review, but it sums up how I feel about THE SUMMER PLACE. From the opening pages, where Weiner introduces us to the house-as-narrator and I started to tear up, I knew that this was a special book, and ultimately I was proven right. As an aspiring author, Veronica’s backstory spoke to me so much, and each of the characters touched my heart in their own unique way. There was a fair amount of exposition, and a lot of characters and plot threads to keep track of, but I was ultimately so impressed by the way everything wove together, and once I got a handle on the large cast I never felt like the plot was too slow or too confusing. If you’re looking for a gorgeously written and unique summer read with a lot of heart, look no further.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: inter-generational family stories; multiple POVs; summer settings.

CW: Death of a parent; infidelity; terminal illness/cancer.

Sarah Danhauser is shocked when her twenty-two year old step-daughter announces at the dinner table that she and her pandemic boyfriend are getting married, and worse yet - the wedding is just three months away. This will definitely be a wedding to remember. Eli, the bride's father, has been distant and distracted lately, and Sarah is convinced he is having an affair. He promises he will tell her everything after the wedding. The Groom's mother has been ducking Eli's calls. She knew him when she was much younger, and she is worried about crossing paths with him again. Sam, Sarah's twin brother, is still recovering from a terrible loss and is trying to pick up the pieces of his life and discover who he really is. Veronica, Sam & Sarah's mother is dealing with a medical diagnosis that she is hiding from the family. Oh, and Sarah's first love of her life has just reappeared and is causing her to make some really bad choices, in retaliation for Eli's alleged cheating. Yes. this is definitely going to be a wedding to remember.
I loved this book! Each chapter was told in the viewpoint of one of the characters, with the occasional insert thrown in with the viewpoint as if the house was speaking. This book was a combination of women's fiction & chick lit and would make the perfect beach read. I love the way it read like a juicy gossip magazine at times, with so much going on with each person, and I love how it started in the present, and then slowly told each person's backstory and secret. I laughed until I cried over the part where Sam learned about what "Drarry" was and then went down that rabbit hole. If you don't read another book this summer, make sure it is this one!

While I'm always a fan of Jennifer Weiner and I love devouring her books, this one just wasn't for me. The Summer Place felt like too many different stories in one, and they only came together in the last 70 pages of the book. I kept reading and reading, and as soon as I thought something juicy would happen, the storyline was put on the back burner so we could delve into another unrelated plot point.

I always appreciate backstory because I love falling in love with characters I've just met. However, this is where The Summer Place falls flat. This book is almost entirely backstory. The vast number of characters made it so that there needed to be a ton of exposition for the reader to even understand who these people were, and just how their stories could possibly connect.

✨Very interesting opening to a book. We’ve all heard that saying “If these walls could talk.” This story explores that. What have they seen? What have they heard? What secrets are kept among its inhabitants? What secrets behind those walls stay hidden and which secrets are shared and discovered?
The prologue was great and definitely had me intrigued to dive into the story.

✨Part one opens up with the main couple Sarah and Eli having Shabbat when their daughter Ruby announces at the dinner table she’s getting married to her boyfriend Gabe. Shortly after the twists and turns start to flow. We get the background of each character, their story, and their secrets. Pretty much everyone is hiding something.

✨I’m not going to be too specific as there are a lot of dynamics going on. It’s more fun to discover the truth behind the enigma of each character as the author reveals them. The Summer Place has an heir of mystery to it as we try to figure out everyone’s back story and how each story connects to the current timeline. Everyone in this book has a tale to tell and secrets kept close to the chest. Some will be revealed and some might stay hidden, but it’s a very fascinating read that kept me interested until the end. I didn’t particularly love any specific character, but I felt invested in how the outcome of their stories would pan out.

✨If you like family dramas with a side of secrets and a hefty dose of dysfunction this one is for you. I will say that the story is tied up nicely at the end, almost a bit too nicely for me. That being said, it’s a read that will keep you interested in the characters and how they fare. A solid 3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Summer Place is where family can gather together each year. Unfortunately Ronnie’s family did not make many trips to the summer place but now it will be the site for her granddaughter’s wedding.

A story of multiple generations and how they grew up. I love Jennifer Weiner books because of their focus on family and finding yourself. This book is no different. There are secrets, heartbreak, self discovery and so much more. This is a great beach read for this summer!

Ruby's getting married! Sarah, her stepmother, is a little concerned that Ruby and Gabe who met 6 weeks before the pandemic hit, are getting married so young-they're 23- but at the start of this novel of family, she doesn't know the half of what is about to happen. Eli, Ruby's dad, has a secret but the fact that he knows and is concerned about something and doesn't tell is a real big flaw in this otherwise engaging tale. Sarah's mother Ronnie owns the house on the Cape where Ruby and Gabe will marry, a house she bought with the money from best selling novels sold to TV. She's got a secret too. Sarah's brother Sam is raising his stepson Connor and discovers something about himself that leads to a big (and somewhat disconcerting) twist. This isn't going to be for everyone-it's a very privileged look at life- but it's entertaining and it's classic Weiner. Each of the characters (and there are a lot of them) has their say and backstory and this adds perspective to the situation. Weiner's a storyteller and the plot zips along, albeit with a zag here and there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is indeed good beach reading.

Jennifer Weiners writing is like coming home. She has been captivating generations of readers and this book is sure to please.

This book is a beautiful reminder that we all have ugly parts, but that doesn’t take away from our beauty. “The Summer Place” dives into each characters past and not only reveals a dirty secret, but helps the reader understand why that secret existed in the first place. This is the perfect example of “everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about” and a reminder to choose love over judgement.

I’ve been a Jennifer Weiner fan for a long time but this one wasn’t a win for me. First it was very long winded and I found it dragging at points. Secondly, the adults were all awful; each one was more shallow then the last .And it felt like everyone was cheating on everyone else. It was infertility galore. I’ve read plenty of books were infidelity was a major part of the storyline but in this one, it seemed no one could be faithful! Third, each one of the many dysfunctional adults had a holier than thou type vibe. It was a tough pull to swallow.

Okay so now the negative things are out of the way there were some things I enjoyed:
I liked Sam’s character and how he grew and was able to explore what made him happy.
I loved the beach scenes: Cape Cod is a beautiful place and I love how Weiner truly expresses how amazing the outer cape really is.
I love the connection to her precious book- no spoilers but I thought it was a nice touch.
Covid-19 played a large role in this book and while I wasn’t sure I was ready for it, It was done in a way that made sense to the storyline rather than taking away from it

Bottom line while it takes place at the beach it is not a light beach read. It is heavy with lots of lying and cheating. There are also was some heavy topics discussed and lots of dysfunction family drama. However, I’ll continue to be a fan of Weiner’s writing style and her love for Cape Cod.

Helloooooo family drama! The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner is a long book, but it is packed with a ton of family drama, and I think it would make the perfect beach read. I saw some readers saying the characters are very unlikeable, and while they had their moments, overall, I did enjoy the different characters and how real and flawed they were. There was a LOT of bad behavior going on, more than I can even imagine for one group of people, but I am always a fan of reading drama as long as it's not mine! The story is told from a variety of viewpoints, and this does at times make it a little hard to keep up. It took me awhile to be able to keep everyone straight, although I probably would have benefited from making some notes as well. I really enjoyed how things come full circle from beginning to end, and I loved that the house itself was even a character. And of course, having a cute dog was just icing on the cake.

I think for me, The Summer Place was best as an audiobook, and the narrator Sutton Foster did a lovely job. I had an advanced listening copy which did act up a couple of times during the story, but I didn't feel like I missed anything which probably goes to show this book was maybe a touch too long for me. There are some things that didn't feel completely necessary and could have been more concise, which is really the only thing that brought down my rating just a bit. Also, full disclosure, Weiner does bring up Covid as well. However, it didn't overpower the story in my mind, and I felt fine reading all those parts. The sound of Foster's voice was very soothing, and she brought the characters to life in a beautiful way. I could have listened to her all day, and honestly, I kind of did! I was actually crying at my keyboard at one point (I was working), but the overall vibe was fairly lighthearted even with the heavier topics. I recommend The Summer Place to fans of family drama and Mary Kay Andrews

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Another great read from Jennifer Weiner. Perfect for the beach (or pool!) days this summer.
Sarah’s stepdaughter is getting married in Cape Cod at Sarah’s mother, Veronica’s house. Sarah’s husband Eli is acting weird and hiding something. Sarah’s brother, Sam, is recovering from a loss and confronting questions about himself. And Sarah is facing her own questions, about her husband, her mother, her step-daughter, her brother and herself. The weekend of the wedding, secrets are exposed and the family is forced to confront some of their issues. Will their bonds survive the chaos?

A perfect beach read! I just love a book set on a New England beach. The Summer Place is a multigenerational family saga that unfolds at the Cape Cod home of family matriarch Ronnie. Her 22 year old granddaughter Ruby is engaged to Gabe (her “quarantine boyfriend “), and after a speedy engagement, they have decided to have their wedding at her grandmother’s family home.

Each member of the extended family is experiencing some form of drama in their lives, and everyone’s just trying to keep it together until after the big day. Infidelity is a major theme in this book (both in the past and the present day), but it wasn’t played out in a tawdry way. I like how the author writes very multidimensional characters, and likable or not you become invested in their stories.

I really enjoyed this one. There were a couple of big scandals that had me flipping the pages because I was dying to know how it was going to play out. Which in my opinion is an important component of a solid “beach read”.

A lovely book about family and love, showing generations of one big family and how their secrets and regrets unfold over one significant summer. Fabulous character development, and overall a terrific read.

Jennifer Weiner is a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me, but I thought The Summer Place was so much fun. This was a fast-paced family drama that was full of dysfunctional characters. The beginning was a little bit slow, but I found the story picked up significantly at around the 25% mark. This will be an excellent choice for summer reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

Jennifer Weiner writes the most juicy family dramas, perfect for your summer reading lists. I definitely think this is a book that will have mixed reviews, and I already saw that it wasn’t a hit for some of my book friends. Me? I loved it. I was immersed in the stories of this quite dysfunctional family and felt that the long sections from each of their viewpoints created well drawn characters. ⁣The family matriarch is Ronnie, a former novelist and the summer house owner. She actually appeared in the last book – That Summer – as did her children Sarah and Sam. Sarah is married to Eli, and at the start of the pandemic lockdown, Eli’s daughter Ruby and her boyfriend Gabe move home with the family. The book begins with the two announcing their engagement (at a Shabbat dinner!) and we know right away that something is going on with Eli. Eli was my least favorite character – I thought he was extremely selfish in keeping something important secret from his daughter just to protect himself. ⁣As secrets unravel, we learn who these characters were in the past and the people that they are now. I will say that if infidelity turns you away from books, you will not want to read this one! No one in this family seems to appreciate being committed!

I did not like this Book. I read about half of it and gave up. This was not a summer book. Thank you to NetGalley

Jennifer has done it again! I went into this not sure how much I was going to enjoy this book. I wasn’t excited about reading multiple family member’s POVS. But it was actually an enjoyable read. Some of the twist I saw coming a mile away but that didn’t take away from enjoying the book. This is the first book I read taking place during/shortly after Covid-19 pandemic and it wasn’t as horrible/triggering I thought it would be. It made sense how the pandemic played a part in the story telling and it didn’t feel like a cheap plot line. I love most Jennifer Weiner novels and this one is no different.

I am a huge Jennifer Weiner fan and have read every book she has ever written. I’m sad to say this one fell a bit flat for me. Some of the coincidences were too convenient to be anything but frustrating for this reader. The pace was slow for me, and I had difficulty following the plot at times. In addition, I feel that the cover of this book doesn’t really match the heavier tone of the narrative. With that said, I will never stop reading this author. She’s a long-time favorite.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read and review this book.

To get just a couple negatives out the way: The personification of the house came up randomly and didn't seem necessary. The big reveal for some of these major secrets ended up being somewhat anti-climactic. And the timeline was a bit hard to follow at times. 
*
But those negatives aside, I really did enjoy reading this. There are a LOT of characters, and a lot of POVs, but each one was so wonderfully flawed and interesting, and I had no problem keeping track of them. I loved how they made bad but realistic choices, and I really rooted for each of them, even if I wanted to shake them sometimes. 
*
There were moments that were funny, there were some that were a bit over-the-top like a soap opera, and there were some that were really sad. This book had a lot of depth that kept me engaged with a somewhat-slow storyline. (The last third speeds up dramatically, but the first two sections were slower)
*
This is not light and cheery, this is dramatic and depressing at times, and very messy (the story, not the writing!)  I'd recommend it, but be prepared that you're not getting a "summer" book.