Yikes. I really wanted to like this one because Jennifer Weiner is always great for a summer Beach read, However, there was too much Covid talk in this one for my taste. There was also way too much backstory. I’m talking 30% or more of the book we’re still getting to know the characters before we get into the actual plot of what’s about to go on. Also ——spoiler alert! Was the dad really not going to mention to his daughter that he had a fear that there might be an incest situation going on?? Also Sarah was the absolute worst. Blech. Just a bunch of rich, spoiled characters with no perspective who don’t communicate. I was not a fan of this at all.

I'm not mad the Jennifer Weiner is going closer to a Hildebrand type series, but I wasn't OMG Amazed by the book.

I have enjoyed her last two books. This one was slow to start but gradually engaged me as a reader. Another great summer read for this author. Her writing style has evolved over the years and I enjoy the way she tackles various topics.

"The Summer Place" is one of Jennifer Weiner's best novels.! She tells the story from the perspective of the house where the family has gathered for many years and all of the memories that it holds. In what may be the last summer at the house, the family comes together for a wedding. Each family member is struggling with a different issue and all comes to light in such a touching, connected way, with a sense of humor of course. This is a novel I didn't want to end. It was difficult to make myself read the last chapter because I wanted it to go on forever.!

Entertaining, and compelling. This was a beautifully crafted novel by a gifted communicator.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Summer Place, by Jennifer Weiner, is a massive, family drama tome that follows a post-pandemic, flawed family who is coming together for a wedding. Each character is a bit of a mess and their issues are on full display in this novel.

The story takes place in two timelines, past and present, but the majority of time is spent in the past revealing the characters backstories and what brought them to this point in time. It’s a rather caustic retelling of the breakdown of a family, as well as the rebuilding of it once again through trial, error, truth-telling, forgiveness and redemption. There are a lot of characters, a lot of moving parts and plots, and it’s a bit long, but it’s full of drama and a whole host of issues. It’s definitely over-the-top and a theatrical tale of relationship issues, sexual explorations, human fallibility, secrets and bad behavior, a bit like a soap opera.

If you love family sagas with a flair for the dramatic, then this story is definitely one you’ll want to read.

I am a fan of Jennifer Weiner, and was really looking forward to this book. It delivered on the usual fronts—fast-paced story, well-written, interesting characters, beautiful setting—though I think this would have gone over a lot better if I were on the beach, reading it with a margarita in hand. At one point, I was stunned at how much coincidence and predictability Weiner expected me to accept. After, I had a revelation. Since I love to read all the material at the end of a book: acknowledgements, author's notes, etc., I learned that Weiner wrote the story as a Noel Coward-inspired farce. ok. This makes a lot more sense. If you know that going in, I think what I felt was contrived would feel more intentional.

Also, I saw a lot of comments in reviews about the amount of adultery and sex in this book, and yes, there is a lot. Summer read, people. We are not looking for War and Peace, are we? Enough of that in the news. Enjoy a little break on the Cape.

JW has been one of my auto-buy authors for many many years and this book is another example of why. I love that she has plus size representation in her books, makes them real and flawed, without having them be apologetic about their size. This book was no different. Grab the book, grab a drink, and sit by the pool because this is a great beach/pool read!

What a fun, twisty-turning beach read. The story begins as Ruby announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend. She is 22 and has already called Grandma Veronica to ask if they can have the wedding at the Cape Cod beach house in just under three months. The story unfolds as the families prepare to gather at the Cape. (I love Cape Cod as the setting.) Each chapter progresses the story and gives back ground from a single characters POV. The house itself even gets a point of view point. Everyone has something going on and some real big secrets are about to come out. I didn’t love everyones choices and don’t have favorite characters but this is still entertaining and sometimes jaw-dropping surprising. There is a bit of sex, past and current lovers but nothing is graphic. I think this will be a popular read this summer for those who like general fiction more than romance. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this coming out of a pandemic story. The pandemic changed so many things and this book is about life in the after. This family was brought together by covid quarantine protocols, but each member of the family is keeping a big secret that could affect the rest of their lives.

I loved the juxtaposition of old money vs. new money, the struggle to balance family tradition with busy schedules.

Sarah's character is my favorite. We meet Sarah who married young to an older man and gained a step daughter in the process. She steps into the role seamlessly and seems to have endless patience for a unique family situation. We are able to see Sarah's internal struggle between her family and herself, her career and her life as a mom/wife.

Really liked the idea from the book that an affair is not about the person who you have the affair with but who you are when you are with that person.

Excellent book, dedicated to her mother who passed away from pancreatic cancer. You can clearly see that she draws inspiration from this and that it influenced the storyline.

Another great Cape book by Jennifer Weiner. I loved the family storyline and everything that was going on in this well-developed novel. Multiple protagonists kept the story interesting and innovative. It’s a great beach read and an important reminder that nobody has a perfect family. Everyone is hiding a secret. 5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This is a multigenerational story about love, secrets and poor communication. Presented from multiple POVs all in the third person, we learn of the history of how this family came to be, and the implications of their reunion for a wedding during the COVID pandemic.

It seems the family secrets begin at the top with matriarch Veronica "Ronnie" Levy, and who she became pregnant with decades ago. And for whatever reason, those types of secrets seem to be the norm in the family, from affairs, to faked abortions, to changing sexual preferences. With those secrets comes a lot of angst from each character as they wrestle with the fact that the wedding may unravel those secrets.

While there was strong character development throughout, there weren't a lot of characters that I connected with other than Sam. Most characters frustrated me with their decision making, especially Sarah and her husband, Eli. How they failed to communicate and nearly ended up destroying their marriage because of it, was a bit maddening.

Also, it is worth noting that although the cover makes this seem like a lighthearted beach read, I've come to know the author's writing style over several books, so I wasn't caught off guard that the subject matter of this one was far from light.

In the end, despite the drama and angst, the author is able to wrap up the story with a positive ending filled with second chances, so that was a plus.

I have always enjoyed unearthing secrets. It's like there's an insatiable curiosity that buzzes just below the surface of my skin. The Summer Place is a very rewarding novel for that aspect of myself. It's jam-packed with juicy goodness, just ripe for the picking.

Sarah Danhauser's stepdaughter, Ruby, has just announced that she and her boyfriend are getting married, after being together for less than a year, and Ruby is only 22. Sarah is shocked and dismayed, but her husband, Eli, seems just as passive about this news as he has been about everything else for the past year. Sarah isn't sure where her loving, devoted partner went, but this husk of a man isn't him. When Ruby asks to get married at the house in Cape Cod, where Sarah and her twin spent every summer growing up, and where Sarah's mother's lives still, it will be an occasion to remember. Maybe for all the wrong reasons.

I think this book explores some very powerful themes in a fairly light tone, namely, motherhood and grief. The two often go hand in hand, but the connection is just now being widely explored. There are many different types of mother in this book, and many kinds of grief. All of the characters have rich histories and backstory. There's something magnetic about the Veronica chapters in this book, about the character Veronica Levy-Weinberg, herself. I've been dying to know more about her since her appearance in That Summer, and not only did I get my wish, I got to know her whole extended family! I didn't expect the book to be so poignant and touching, on top of all the crazy family drama, but it worked for me. I really liked the anticipation that built up by the time of the wedding, when everyone would finally be face to face and.......... ALL WOULD BE REVEALED! I especially enjoyed the light-hearted and whimsical touches, which were palate cleansing. I took off one star because the book does seem overly long and meandering. You don't have to have read That Summer before reading The Summer Place. Each book is a stand alone, but it does give some context, background, more time on The Cape, and more Jennifer Weiner. Isn't that all we could really ask for? Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the chance to review this advance copy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books!

Every family has secrets…some more than others.

Ruby’s wedding sends her family into a flurry of excitement and hesitation. Her step-grandmother offers the family beach house for the festivities. Tension and concern arises among different family members as they head towards Ruby’s big day.

The Summer Place is a masterfully crafted novel with just the right amount of suspense and intrigue. The storyline is told from multiple points of view with each character getting their own “voice”. The plot is complex but well paced. All of the characters are given well rounded backstories along with development throughout the book.

I was shocked by the ending. Some of the side stories were predictable but there was still plenty of mystery.

This is the first book that I have read from author Jennifer Weiner but it definitely will not be the last.

Thank you NetGalley for the early preview of this book.
Not a huge fan of this novel. I like the author but this book was not one I enjoyed. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone who has issues with sexuality or the topic. This would be a hard pass.

I rounded up - this book just dragged on for me. Lots of repetition and back and forth storylines. I almost feel like there was a list of topics the author wanted to mention to stay current and she kept a running list as she wrote. I usually like Jennifer’s stories but this one just didn’t do it for me.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

I enjoyed this book but I felt that there was too much going on. All of the characters were given a chapter or more from their perspective and that made it overwhelming at times. Though, I understand why this was done because each character interprets things differently. I found the pace of the story quite slow at the beginning but picked up towards the end. I have read another book by this author and similarly, the ending has a surprise that wasn't expected. Also, I still feel like it's too soon to have "covid" storylines but that's just my personal opinion.

I really liked this novel by Jennifer Weiner! It has a very substantial cast of characters (the house is even a character in this one!) but it can get a little confusing with all the points of view. Everyone seems to have their say, and while you get everyone's perspective, it can get a little confusing. Weiner hits on so many different issues in this story but keeps her characters very relatable and certainly keeps the story flowing. I had a very hard time putting it down! Past mistakes and secrets coming to light, misunderstandings, latent sexuality, complex relationships, questionable parentage - this book has a little bit of everything!

3.5 stars
I usually love Jennifer Wiener’s books but this one definitely wasn’t my favorite. While I did enjoy the book, it was just too long. Too many characters…. Lots of them making bad choices & there was just *too much drama* Almost as if the author was trying to stuff as many characters as possible into the story & then connect them in far-fetched ways. And I know it was written during Covid quarantine but I didn’t need to read so much about it.

I think three stars is being generous.
I already don’t begin a Jennifer Weiner book with terribly high expectations; I’ve read enough to know what to expect. That being said, this one barely lived up to expectations.
This one started okay - a young woman announces her plans to marry her pandemic boyfriend, causing ripples in the family. As it continues, more family members are introduced: her stepmother, her dad, her uncle, her grandmother, her future mother-in-law, along with all of their sordid stories. As it turns out, everybody has a huge bombshell they’re sitting on.
By the end, it went pretty over the top. I mean, what are the chances that everyone has some possible life-altering secret all at the same time? And of course, happily ever afters all around.
Thanks to #netgalley and #atriabooks for this #arc of #thesummerplace in exchange for an honest review.