Jennifer Weiner does it again with this lovely tale of family and finding love over and over again. This book shows not only the importance of blood ties, but also of the friendships and families we create for ourselves.

Bravo to the author for truly bringing the characters in this book to life! With lots of twists and secrets alongside complicated family dynamics, it would make for a great beach read. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

Beach read with some substance! This family saga has it all: love, death, affairs and overall drama. Throughly enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's latest summer binge read!

This is a great summer beach read. It has all the parts of a dysfunctional family - lots of secrets, annoying family members, new relationships, and of course lots of drama. It is very character driven with each chapter a different POV. After you get several chapters in, getting all the POVs, you start to get really invested in their stories - past and present. I love that none of the characters are perfect, they are all flawed in some way.

There were a lot of serious, modern theme woven into the story, but at the same time there was quite a bit of humor. I think people can relate to what this family was going through in some ways, but if not, it's good to put yourself in someone else's shoes and see it from their point of view.

Family drama, secrets and so many affairs are the central plot points of the latest novel from Jennifer Weiner. I can say that this wasn't for me and I'm giving The Summer Place 2 stars.

The main character, Sarah, is now in the midst of wedding planning for her stepdaughter during the Covid pandemic. Sarah has been Ruby's stepmother since she was a child. Ruby's relationship with her pandemic boyfriend, Gabe, has moved very quickly because of Covid. They now say they want to get married on Cape Cod in only a few months at the home owned by Sarah's mother, Ronnie. As wedding planning commences so much family drama and secrets are revealed. Sarah's husband, Eli, has been distant from her. Sarah's old boyfriend reappears in her life, Ronnie revisits her past indiscretions and Sarah's twin brother, Sam, explores his sexuality after a tragic loss. There is so much more going on in this book and I don't want to give anymore away.

Honestly, this book was exhausting for me to read. Every character was given at least one chapter from their point of view and because of this the same events were being told from different points of view. I was bored by this and the book felt way too long. A lot of the background and details could've been cut without affecting the overall story in my opinion. I did enjoy that there was a full cast of characters but think that they didn't all need to be given their own chapters from their point of view and some could've been left out all together. I also felt a lot of the drama was just too much. The coincidences in this book were beyond unbelievable and I was rolling my eyes at certain points because of how unrealistic some coincidences were. This wasn't necessarily a bad book but it wasn't for me and I would say this is a pass.

Thank you for Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am a fan of Jennifer Weiner's books and was very excited when I received this book for review. It had all the makings of a great story but it did not hit the mark in my opinion. Set before, during, and after covid, this is the story of a blended family, preparing for a wedding. As the story moves on it becomes clear that all the characters have secrets. Unfortunately, it also becomes clear that non of the charters are likable, weak, and looking out for themselves.

The Summer Place is exactly my type of read for when I want something a bit deeper than "chick lit" but not too complex. I love family dramas/sagas, and particularly ones that go back and forth in time. This is a rich saga of extended family. The characters were all well-developed, and most were at least somewhat likable. They were definitely relatable. The various story lines were different and exciting. I kept reading to see how the different situations would end! A couple situations were certainly unusable, but not entirely unbelievable. I loved how the relationships shifted and changed naturally, and the storylines were resolved nicely.

I would definitely recommend this book to almost anyone. It's a nice read, and you won't be disappointed. I wish I could give this book a 4.5. I try to reserve 5 star reviews for the few perfect books. For me personally, this could probably be a 5 star book, and at least a 4 star to the general reader.

22 year old Ruby has announced she is going to marry her pandemic boyfriend which results in her family having to confront long held secrets. Will the secrets shake the very foundation of the family or will there be a happily ever after? A story of family and the consequences of the choices made.

review ⛱🐚

Introducing, your next beach read! No but really, this was a very fun summer read. Lighthearted yet dealing with complex topics, an ensemble of fleshed out characters, lots !!! of family drama. The chapters jump between characters in this multigenerational read which made it hard to put down.

Some of the situations and connections characters had to each other were a little over the top and unbelievable but it’s a fictional story and if you enjoy the ride it takes you on rather than getting stuck on the implausibility of some setups — you’ll really enjoy the book!!

⚠️ This is my first book that takes place in a pandemic world, which I was nervous to read. However, it is not the main driver of the book and is more there to set up situations for the characters — a marriage strained from working in the same home for 1.5 years, a new relationship that sped up due to lockdown.

This comes out May 10, 2022! Thank you NetGalley and @arita for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

✨ my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 432 pages
💗 read if you liked: The Most Fun We Ever Had or We Are the Brennans

A great beach read! Come along as the Levy-Weinberg-Danhauser clan gets ready for a wedding in Cape Cod.

Ruby is marrying her college sweetheart Gabe. However none of Ruby’s family have met Gabe’s family until the wedding!

The beautiful landscape is described so well you feel like you are there. I can imagine the gorgeous sunsets at Ronnie’s home and never wanting to leave.

My only real gripe with the book is with so many voices narrating, there was quite a bit of repetitive story telling. But better than mysterious gaps in the story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think there is a book I haven't read by Weiner that hasn't been amazing.
Big Summer, That Summer, Mrs. Everything
and now her newest novel THE SUMMER PLACE.

I would read anything and everything Jennifer Weiner ever wrote or writes, when I received an ARC of "The Summer Place", I was so excited. I immediately jumped to open it up.
I was not prepared for how amazing it would be. And just how much I truly enjoyed this story. This book had my attention and heart from the first words.
This book was so brilliantly written, well-paced read with terrific characterization.
A story about family and what it means to let go. Forgive and forget.
Such a wonderful work of fiction... well-crafted and complex characters, relationships, friendships, and kept me interested from beginning to end.
The Summer Place just might be my top book of 2022.
Can't wait for the hardback copy to hit so she can sit pretty next to her sisters on my shelf.

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

Atria Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

This was a captivating multi generational story that showed people at their best, their worst, and their most vulnerable. Each of the many characters was so beautifully created, I will be thinking about this family long after writing this review.

The Danhauser extended family is brought together for 20-something Ruby‘s wedding, but many individual secrets begin bubbling beneath the surface and, to no one’s surprise, unravel during the wedding weekend. I absolutely loved that, for most of the book, each chapter focused on a different character’s perspective. Just when you thought you might be able to judge the decisions of one person, you would learn about why they are the way they are and it created a sense of empathy and understanding especially for so many different characters. Weiner brought these people to life in a way that was honest — We saw the joys and the challenges of marriage, the Pride and stress of parenthood, the loneliness of grief, the fear of illness, the longingness for youth. If you’re looking for a book with well rounded characters, this is for you!

At one point the plot to get a bit ridiculous and I had to suspend my belief, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book overall. What a perfect beach read! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year (JW’s books always are!), but I was sorely disappointed. Excessively long with very little plot, it took me almost a week to get through this, whereas I usually fly through her books. I found most of the characters to just be bad people, and with so many in depth backstories, I could hardly keep all the characters straight. This book is almost 500 pages, but the actual present day story probably took less than 200. The story relies on implausible coincidences that I just didn’t buy, and the amount of infidelity (and the hypocrisy surrounding it) didn’t sit well with me. And the fact that Eli let his secret get so far is just a giant YIKES from me.

As can be expected from Jennifer Weiner, the writing is lyrical, gorgeous, and vivid with a setting you can perfectly picture. I’m sure many will enjoy this book, but unfortunately it was a big let down for me.

Secrets, secrets and more secrets! I loved this twisty novel that kept me guessing! I couldn't put it down.

A multi layered story of a family, gathering for wedding, post covid. ( The story is not "about" Covid times, just that it happened & some time frame of how they coped)

The matriarch of the family has a home on Cape Cod, also the mother of adult twins. Parts of the story go back to a younger time at the home & most of it centers around the wedding planning, etc.

We learn the story of each twin, Sam & Sarah & their lives & how they get to where they are now. There are several other characters who tie this al together.

I just love how Jennifer Weiner tells a story & gives her characters such varied personalities.

The acknowledgments at the end of the book truly tied fictional & personal life all together.

I always look forward to a new Jennifer Weiner page-turner. She’s the perfect accompaniment to the start of summer. The Summer Place is another fast-paced, devourable story that has definitely earned a place in my summer beach bag.

Thank you for this free copy of The Summer Place provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As a Jennifer Weiner fan I was very excited to get this copy for review but I was very disappointed and sorry to say that I did not like the plot or any of the characters in this new read.
There was nothing to hold my attention and get me to keep reading the story other than an obligation to an honest review. Each character was well developed but none of them were likable. Character were liars, philanders, sexual deviants or just overall unstable. I seriously regret having to be this honest but this is not a book that I could recommend to any of my groups of readers.

I’ll state my bias upfront that there is not a book Jennifer Weiner could write that I wouldn’t love and this was absolutely no exception. Family secrets family drama and a wedding on the cape , what could be better ?!? This book was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another great beach read from Jennifer Weiner. The story made me crave a summer vacation on the New England coast. It is a great family drama, with secrets, betrayals, lots of love and forgiveness. I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Weiner’s other novels or is looking for a book to stick in their beach bag.