Very disappointed in this book. Way too much political points in it and I want to read to escape what’s going on in the world. It definitely wasn’t a book for me but maybe others will enjoy.

This was a really enjoyable read with the loss of the star due to Eli and Rosa.

I appreciated the way the book was structured. The first two-thirds was the back stories leading up to the wedding weekend. It allowed for the characters to be developed individually with a lot of detail. It was all told from their perspective which allowed it to go a little deeper. The last third was where it all came together for the final drama and heartfelt resolution.

Pulling in the pandemic not only made it timely but added that extra stress that we all felt. Being stuck with people all day made even the smallest things seem big. Lord knows I might still be married had my husband worn flip flops! Given the pandemic, I feel like there was a way to make Eli’s story the mental health struggle that we all had to deal with (and frankly still are). Instead of that extra level of drama.

I want to call out Annette too. It was great to get her back story as well, especially about her own mother. It is amazing how far we have come in some regards with child-free being a more popular choice these days. I understood her character a lot.

Additional notes:
- I thought the house having a presence was very cute
- There was something familiar about the caterer and I thought that was a reference to a former book but I cant find it!
- Pond People should have stayed on their side

There are few authors I look forward to as much as Jennifer Weiner. Each book she has written stays with me long after. This was a timely and uplifting read in the midst of a two plus year pandemic. Ironically, the book is set during the same
Pandemic time frame and demonstrates the impact on family, while telling a story that isn’t “Covid” driven. The moral of which seems to be that life goes on. Despite loss and change and turmoil - ultimately family and happiness find a way. In another time, I may have found the ending of this book too “perfect” - wrapped in a neat little bow that was unrealistic - but right now, finding the way to happy endings may be just what we all need? Thank you for the advance copy!

I adore Jennifer Weiner’s writing so when I was invited to review “That Summer Place” (which I knew was coming out as I follow the author on social media), I had to do the happy dance (though I made sure no one was watching first!)

More and more novels are bringing the pandemic into their plotlines. Here, we meet Ruby and Gabe who decide to get married after they quarantine with Ruby’s family. Though in their early twenties, they want to get married at the Cape and as the plot throttles toward the wedding, we meet Ruby’s stepmom (Sarah) and dad (Eli), her stepgrandmother, and her twin brothers. Told through the multitude of the family’s members point of views (and that of the summer house), the reader does not know who to root for because each family member has a compelling tale with plenty of secrets she/he is trying to hide. What I really liked about this story was the emphasis on how the pandemic heightened feelings you might have already had but not yet realized.

Like many of Weiner’s recent novels, the setting of the story on the Cape turns it into another family member. I could not get enough of Weiner’s evocative descriptions. I read this novel over a snowy three day weekend but felt I was right by the ocean, enjoying the sun’s brilliance.

A reader comes to a Jennifer Weiner novel with certain expectations and I can attest that those readers will not be disappointed. Yet, I believe there is enough to catch the attention of new readers who might enjoy Weiner’s brilliance. She is a master at creating bright, self-depreciating but witty characters. Though this novel is marketed as a “beach read,” like the rest of her novels, there are serious moments and the reader walks away with a better understanding of who she is.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks also to the publisher, Atria, and the author, Jennifer Weiner.

I’ll be kind and say 2.5 stars. Jennifer Weiner is a good writer. I just didn’t like what she wrote. I did not really enjoy this book. Too many characters at first. I felt like I needed to keep notes. And I never connected with any of them. And the ending was strange, with the jilted bridegroom now hooked up with the bride’s gay uncle. Of course, no surprise with this author, she had to get her conservative digs in. I have no issues with books about social justice, but it was like a laundry list all on ONE page…. Black Lives Matter, diversity initiatives, defunding the police, pronouns, #metoo movement, slavery, the evilness of white men. Phew. Did she miss any? One thing I’ve learned. I’m done with her books.

I really enjoyed this book! Thank you NetGalley!!! And the twists of the storyline?!?! Amazing!!! I read this book in about a week!!!

Very entertaining family story, filled with secrets and drama that is sometimes a little *too* coincidental to be believable, but I accepted the far fetched twists and became quite invested the story and characters. Definitely had many moments where I couldn’t put down my kindle!

I understand the author’s desire to reflect on how the last few years of pandemic have affected marriages and relationships, but I personally found the Covid details to be distracting and would have been entirely fine accepting this story in a pandemic-less world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Atria Books for an early copy of The Summer Place!

I devoured THE SUMMER PLACE in less than 24 hours. Weiner has outdone herself yet again. She has managed to bring us a vast family saga that is so redolent of the times. The characters, the storyline, the locale, all pop and sizzle. This is going to be the summer beach read to beat!!

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
I have read and liked most of Jennifer Weiner’s books, so I was excited to get an advanced copy of The Summer Place.
I have mixed reactions to this book. Yes, it was an easy beach read, started out promising, but I feel it got too convoluted, contrived towards the end. Three generations of the family are supposed to gather for Ruby’s wedding at her step grandmother’s Cape Cod house where the family spent many summers. The background of each family member is listed in alternating chapters from each of their point of view. While initially believable, as the novel progresses, the connections, the secrets, the betrayals get more and more far fetched and too coincidental. Others mentioned too much infidelity, I didn’t have so much trouble with that alone, but more that all of the members of this family had something to hide, except maybe the youngest, still children generation. Although initially I was going to give this novel four stars, by the time I finished it, I couldn’t give it more than three stars.
Thanks NetGalley, Atria publishing and Jennifer Weiner for the advanced copy.

This was just what i needed during this cold January to remind me of summers on the lake...

This family has every crazy dynamic you can think of...divorce, the crazy alcoholic uncle, stepsiblings, a new marriage with a couple that is much too young to marry, boyfriend's family across the country and all in the midst of covid disaster.

Each of the adults is holding a secret. Each secret could devastate the family. Who will break and tell theirs first? The mom that she is secretly seeing her old boyfriend? Dad, Eli, that there is a chance he is his daughter, Ruby's new fiance's real father? Gabe (the fiance) that he is secretly seeing Sarah (mom's) brother Sam? Ruby...that she is really not ready to marry Gabe? Maybe Rosa, Gabe's mother, that poor Eli was never close to Gabe's father, just a pawn in her game to get money? Or finally grandma...the wonderful host of the wedding out on Cape Cod...Who is holding the most precious secret of all. Her health.

I cried and I laughed and cried again. Watching each of these family members find themselves once again...

I always enjoy Jennifer Weiner's books and her latest, The Summer Place, is another great one to recommend.

This book was hard to put down with lots of twists and turns that kept me on my toes.

I love Jennifer's characters and how well she can create a sense of place. I definitely could easily place myself in the home in Brooklyn and on Cape Cod and loved how she captured both locations. Her characters are always flawed but so believable you could swear they are real people.

This was such a captivating read - I can't wait to see it on all the beach read lists (as it should be!).

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my hones review.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is the perfect curl up on a couch and binge book. I haven’t enjoyed a Weiner book in a while and this was a great pleasure.

At first it was hard to keep track of who’s who but it came together quickly. Yes, it was a little predictable but it was a great read.

As I think about how to review and explain this book, there is one phrase that comes to mind - It's complicated. This is a book about relationships written by an author who is a master at writing about them. With that, the layers of this one are a lot to take in. The book begins with a COVID spin focusing on a young couple, Gabe and Ruby, who has decided to get married after spending lots of quarantine time together. They want to get married at her family's beach house in Cape Cod. The story quickly expands out beyond Gabe and Ruby. There's Ruby dad and stepmom, her stepmom's twin brother, her biological mother, her grandmother, and Gabe's mom. Turns out, each one of these humans has a big secret they're hiding. Choosing to reveal what they're hiding will have big repercussions for the other humans in the story. The story kept me reading as these secrets were shared with the reader, and I wanted to know if/when others were going to find out. This one had some unexpected twists which definitely made me feel some kind of a way as a reader, AND I won't say much about them in my review as that's part of the experience of reading this one. This was quite the ride y'all, and it's definitely worth taking that ride on. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this upcoming release!

Jennifer Weiner is my favorite author, and while The Summer Place wasn't my favorite of her novels, it was still an engrossing family saga filled with memorable characters, juicy drama and a lot of heart. I would absolutely recommend it.

I love Jennifer Weiner’s books so much. That being said this isn’t one of her best. It’s still good though. I read over the course of about 24 hours. Easy and fun. I enjoyed the multi pov, and the cape cod setting. I dont feel like the characters were developed well enough, more like just barely enough. Overall a solid 4 stars.

I usually love Jennifer Weiner. The Summer Place, however, fell really flat. The characters are all unlikeable, the plot drags in the middle and the sex scenes are gratuitous and redundant (I was cringing at the words nipping/nibbling/cupping in every one of them). Will continue to read Weiner’s books, but won’t purchase or recommend this one.

I have read so many of Weiner’s books that requesting this ARC was a no-brainer. She is adept at deep characterization and amazing settings! Picturing the Cape while I’m feet deep in Minnesota snow was a pleasure. Parts of this book definitely took some suspension of disbelief, but it was a fun and engrossing read. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I am always happy when a new Jennifer Weiner book comes out and this one did not disappoint. I find her characters and dialogue to be so natural and relatable. This one starts with a current day wedding. At first when the pandemic was brought up it was a huge trigger for me but in her usual grace and style, Jennifer Weiner addressed it in a way that speaks to the reader without making them relive the fear and anxiety. The wedding preparation unfolds by going into each of the main characters past, present, thoughts, feelings, and secrets. I found I couldn't put it down as I wanted to know how the secrets would reveal themselves and how things would play out. Jennifer Weiner has a winner here!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Simon & Schuster.

I'm a big Jennifer Weiner lover and I've enjoyed most of her books. However, I can't give more than 3.5 stars for this one.

A lot of infidelity in this book between sort of relative connections which to me were too coincidental. Although there were a lot of characters to keep track of, it was easy to do so.

That said, the plot was good and it was easy reading. Not much more I can add. I'm in the minority of reviewers who gave this book 4 or 5 stars.

The Summer Place by Jen Weiner

Beginning of book had so many run on sentences trying to throw all the characters and relationships out for the reader. I understand I needed more content before I found out about the deserting mom, the sister’s overbearing nature, the in -laws and all!! I feel like I have run a race as fast as I get slammed with new info.

Book felt like there were so
Many ideas for a novel to be based on, just needed fleshed out. The Eli and Sarah relationship with both being tested by others is a story in itself. Let alone the decades of misunderstandings between this couple and others they had had previous relationships with many years ago.

The frenetic pace of the beginning of the novel made me feel like I never knew the characters well enough to have any empathy in their problematic lives.

HOWEVER, midway through this book came together into a beautiful family saga of love, lose and lies. Tender moments between family members as the plot takes some twists and turns. A very, enjoyable read.