Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of an author I have enjoyed in the past. Unfortunately this book was not a hit for me. I got about half way through and it was a do not finish. Just did not draw me in with interest of the characters or story line.

Classic Jennifer Weiner. If you are looking for a fun summer read, this is the book for you!
I was a little nervous about the book taking place during the pandemic, as we are still living through it, but I really enjoyed the multiple storylines. Weiner is so good at character development, as well.
Really enjoyed!

Discussed on episode 153 of the Book Cougars podcast.
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode153

I'm finding my enjoyment of Jennifer Weiner to be fading with each new release. After Mrs. Everything, I have not enjoyed her latest work. I'm sadden by this, as I have loved her previous work, but I think I'm done.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Another fun quick beach read from Weiner. Loved all the characters, the Cape Cod setting, the many unexpected plot twists, and how each chapter featured a different character. Once you start this you’ll be so engrossed.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner is an amazing story. Weiner has done it again with a great story that you can't wait to finish just to see how it ends. Great book. Highly recommend.

I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer Weiner's books and storylines. Not only do they make for the perfect summer reading, but they hold my attention from start to finish. This book is no exception. I highly recommend it for those who want to "getaway" into a great story. This book, along with Weiner's others, can often be read in a sitting or two. Clear your schedules, this is a summer must-read.

Jennifer Weiner is back with another quintessential beach read in her Cape Cod/"Summer" series, and I am not mad about it!

First things first, this might be the only book I've read in which COVID features prominently that didn't completely and immediately turn me off (I read to escape, people!). I'm not sure how well it will age, but the premise of bringing a family together for the first time in years for a pandemic relationship wedding really worked for me. Other things that worked for me that don't always: the multitude of POV characters and the twists that were waaaay too coincidental but delicious enough that I was willing to overlook their improbability.

I don't say any of the above as a knock on the book--more as a testament to how compelling a writer Weiner is that she can pull off anything and I will always be 100% along for the ride with her. I flew through this one over the 4th of July weekend (appropriate, considering the aforementioned wedding takes place over the 4th), and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of her previous work.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Jennifer Weiner has done it again with a fun, engaging summer novel! One of my fav Jennifer Weiner books!

I really enjoyed this book and it was a summer read! Jennifer Weiner is able to develop complex characters who feel real and weaves an engaging story that keeps you flipping page after page!

Thank you to Jennifer Weiner, Atria Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #TheSummerPlace

Meh. What can I say? A fine summer read that left a lot to be desired. I couldn’t connect with the characters. They were lacking depth so this read as a gloss over. I don’t understand why affairs are a plot point now, but it doesn’t sit right with me. The writing was flat and I just couldn’t get into the story.

Initial thoughts:
It was an odd story to be reading set during COVID.
I liked Big Summer better.
So much dysfunctional family dynamics was entertaining but some a bit far fetched.
The emotion per usual was spot on for Jennifer Weiner.

The Summer Place
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounding to 4 ⭐️)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/10/22
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 432
Goodreads Rating: 3.72

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica, Ruby’s Mother, is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss. When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.

My Thoughts: This book is a slower read and little bit long. This would not be a light beach read, it is an emotional, secret filled story that takes time to digest. The story is told from the POV of multiple characters, I believe that is necessary to fill in the backstory of all the characters, how they got to this point. I do love that it mentioned and walks through COVID and the quarantine, just as we did. The story has a dysfunctional family with hidden secrets in the aspects of the character lives, some decades ago, all come to rear their ugly head in this contemporary romance. The characters are well developed with depth, charisma, they are creative, dysfunctional, and emotional. The dysfunctional character relationships were likely due to miscommunication. I disliked most of the characters, I did love Sam. It is likely that the author’s intent was a dislike of the characters and their dysfunction. The author’s writing is extremely complex, with layers of complexity, inventive, shows a scandalous side, and just worked for this story. I liked Weiner’s style, while this is my first book from her, I have already added some of backlog books to my TBR. This book is already out and I highly suggest that you grab it!

This was entertaining enough as a beach read, but the plot veered too much into soap opera territory for me. I would've liked to have seen more of the house as a character element. As a whole, the plot was just too implausible.

Not her usual read all night because you can't put it down. Many characters and it takes awhile whether you decide if you like them or not and by the end it is still questionable. I was provided with an advanced reader copy so hopefully the references to Eli's profession has been resolved. He is noted to be a dentist a period on tier and an endodontist. Granted you must be a dentist to be the other two but they are not the same. I was also surprised there is no reference to LBG community in the jacket cover. I believe some would want to know. There was way more detail of gay behavior than I wanted to know and I suspect others may feel the same regardless of the author's popularity.
Overall a good read but sometimes bogged down with more detail than necessary. Thanks to the author published and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I was under no obligation to provide a review.

Not my favorite Weiner book.
Too many characters and one dimensional characterizations
I found that I didn't care about the characters as the book went on
This book took me a looooooooong time to get through

Very unlikeable characters. Lots of family drama but if you like that sorta thing this would be perfect for the beach. There is a lot of POV to sift through and a cute dog. The house was even a character LOL this was fun but also overwhelming and not a seamless read for me so I can’t say I loved it. It all comes together in the end :)

Wanted so much to like this summer book. Wanted to again like a Jennifer Weiner book. But it seems her books are headed in a different direction that I really want for my reading to go. I miss witty, funny Jennifer Weiner’s beach reads. This was just too woke for me. And I’m really over all the quarantine books. That just isn’t escapism that I’m looking for in a summer beach read. I don’t know if I’ll keep trying her books out or not.

This is the third installment of the Cape Cod Series by Jennifer Weiner, which also consists of Big Summer and That Summer. I loved the first two and this one didn’t disappoint!

The characters are so loveable and you really feel for each of them. I loved the family dynamics within this novel and how everything played out. While Big Summer was more of a mystery, this one wasn’t so much but was still very enjoyable. I highly recommend it, especially for a beach read!

The Summer Place is Jennifer Weiner’s newest novel.
There is a lot happening here that can best be described a family drama.

Ruby is getting married to her COVID lockdown boyfriend, Gabe, that she met at school and then brought him home to live with her family when the world shut down.

Sarah and Eli are in the middle of a relationship issue that has an unclear origin until later in the book.

Ronnie is the 80 year grandmother who is excited to bring the family together in her Cape Cod home for Ruby’s wedding.

Sam is Sarah’s twin who recently lost his wife. He is on a journey of discovering himself while also taking care of his stepson.

Rosa, is Gabe’s mother. She has a huge secret that could ruin her son’s future.

The house! I love when an author makes a character out of a place.

There are secrets, messy relationships, and a HUGE lack of communication between the characters. When I found out the big secret, I was so frustrated at the lack of communication between these people that love each other.

I found this to be enjoyable and quick to read.

I'm a long-time fan of Jennifer Weiner and usually love everything that she writes- in fact, "Good In Bed" remains one of my all-time favourite books! Sadly, this was my least favourite of all of the books that she has written and I struggled to get through it.

There were several things that I did not like about the book. One was that there were a lot of Covid mentions and for me, reading is an escape. I do not want to read a book about the realities of Covid- I want to be able to suspend my belief and escape! I am aware that this part was a personal preference, but all of the talk of masks and quarantines took me out of the moment. Two, there was an "ick" factor here. Describing it would be a spoiler so I won't, but I'll be honest, this particular part of the book was too much for me. Third, the house had a "personality" and those parts just felt erroneous and unnecessary. The book was long enough without that added in.

Despite the fact that Weiner's writing was excellent, as usual, I was not a fan of this book. I will still recommend the other books in this series, but I will have a hard time recommending this one. Hopefully her next book brings back the Weiner that I love and remember.

You always know summer is near when Jennifer Weiner has a new book released. Loved the setting, the pacing was a bit slower for my taste.