It took me three tries to get into this novel. Partly, I believe, because it includes Covid-19 and I was initially looking for an escape when I first approached the book. It is unnecessarily complex. Though elements of it are beautiful and it's wonderfully written, there was too much of it. There were at least four different plot lines that were individually compelling but I found unlikely and at times cringe-worthy. I've enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's other books, but this one was a miss for me.

Jennifer Weiner definitely writes summer reads, and this one is no exception (in case the title and/or cover is not clear!). However, it seems like she was trying to take a page from Elin Hilderbrand and not only have multiple characters give their perspective in various chapters, but also have a few chapters from "the house." This was weird.

Sarah is our main character, as she struggles with her marriage to Eli. Eli has his own issues, which get revealed in his chapters, and if he and Sarah communicated, half of this book could have been deleted.

Eli's daughter (and Sarah's step-daughter), Ruby, gets her share of chapters as she is set to be married to her boyfriend, Gabe at the beach house in the summer. It's too soon, per everyone, but again, see lack of communication.

Gabe gets chapters as does his mother Rosa. Also getting chapters is Annette, Ruby's birth mother and Sam, Sarah's twin brother. Oh and Ronnie, Sarah and Sam's mother.

There may be more, but I lost track. Anyway, there are elements of this that are completely unbelievable. (How is it possible these people are coming to a wedding but have never seen a picture of the couple???) I just struggled to get past the fact that there were unbelievable events and lack of communication used as literary devices to move the story forward. This had potential to be a good story but there were too many secrets crammed in with no suspense - just frustration at the lack of communication.

I absolutely loved this book! More family saga than beach read, The Summer Place is my favorite book of Jennifer Weiner's since Mrs. Everything. This book dealt with the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and even the relationships these characters had with themselves. Five stars!

This was my first Jennifer Weiner book! Definitely put me in vacation mode. I loved it! I would love to read more books by this author.

This book was a DNF for me. I didn't love the writing or the characters. I would recommend this book to people who love drama but it just wasn't for me.

Jennifer Weiner was always one of my go-to authors. This one was just okay for me. I’ll definitely pick up her next book but I’m not sure if it’s out of habit or if I really want to.

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

I really don't know how I feel about this book. It just seemed like way too much of it was really implausible. It felt so incestuous almost. I finished it, but I'm still conflicted by it. I liked some of the authors other works, but this one just didn't do much for me.

I have been a fan of Jennifer Weiner's since her very first book, Good in Bed. I think this is a great summer read. It's one of those books that is very drama heavy with lots of juicy details. In a way it reminded me of one of my soap operas I used to watch, Days of our Lives. Every time you come back from a commercial break you are watching another characters story line and this was the same with each new chapter. Now I know that not everyone will be a fan of that but I absolutely loved it. I think it lacked a little bit of the magic that Jennifer usually creates with her wit and use of creative writing. However, I would definitely recommend this as a great book to bring to the beach or pool and will look forward to reading more of Jennifer's books.

Jennifer Weiner's books are must reads for me during the summer and this was no exception. I loved the setting on the Cape and the multiple storylines from the perspective of all the different family members.

Another cute beach read. Nothing spectacular but a good read. I really enjoy Jennifer Weiner's writing and this one was good.

Having read Big Summer and That Summer, I knew I'd enjoy revisiting the world Jennifer Weiner created in Cape Cod via The Summer Place. These books have small connections but are independently crafted.

In her latest novel, Weiner introduces readers to three generations of women who navigate life, love, and relationships together.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Jennifer Weiner always blends real life struggles together beautifully. It’s a reminder that almost all families are dysfunctional & we should try to be more open with one another

My rating is 2.5 stars.

This book wasnt for me. I thought that this book was very detailed but cliché. Each chapter is from a different family members point of view and there was a lot. Even though each of the characters seemed to be individualized, it felt a bit much for me. Not to mention unlikeable. In my opinion, 400 plus pages was just too long for this story.



Thank you NetGalley and Atria this ebook for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I ended up DNF it, I could not get into it. I know others enjoyed it, so I recommend checking out their reviews.

A beach read with a brilliant plot, that's Jennifer Weiner in a nutshell. Her genius is in character development and The Summer Place is a good read.

Another excellent book by Jennifer, this one in-universe to her previous book “that one summer”. I love a story that carries over characters and settings, even if it’s not a “sequel” in the strictest sense of the word. Some twists were guessed but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the ending. I would have loved to get even more follow up from these characters

 this book gave me the feels. i was drawn by the title of the book and then i was sucked in completely. really liked this and want to find more of her books.

Jennifer Weiner has become a summer staple. This was a tale of family, secrets and dysfunction. It was like reading a soap opera - many characters and storylines converging in one big story. Is is weird to say that the house was one of my favorite characters? I loved that the house was a focal point of the story, just as it was the lives of the characters. There was a lot of family drama and bad behavior - the kind that definitely kept me interested. Not my fave book by this author but certainly one I enjoyed listening to, nonetheless.

I love Jennifer Weiner but this book didn't work for me. I think others could enjoy it, so please give it a try for your next pool side read.

This is not one of Weiner's best books.
It is about a love story during quarantine. It was just okay.