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.

This was a fun soapy drama set on Cape Cod and based on a family planning a wedding at the family’s beach house. I really enjoyed the audio version of this one because the writing was very conversational - and at times felt a bit rambling if I was just reading along - but if I was listening to it, it just felt like I was listening to a friend tell me about her complicated family drama. This book was chock full of DRAMA with a capital D, which made it very compelling and an entertaining beach read. At times, some of the situations felt a bit TOO unrealistic and coincidental; however, if you can suspend disbelief and lean into the absurdity of some of the situations, you’ll definitely be entertained. I know I was!

special thanks to NetGalley for the complimentary copy!

I have enjoyed every words that Jennifer Weiner had written, but The Summer Place is in a class by itself! This was hands down my favorite of her novels!

I loved this multigenerational saga set in a Cape Cod Beach house. It echoes the fun, splashy novels similar to those matriarch Ronnie once penned. It's also the first novel I've read that address the stress of the pandemic and quarantine, the tolls it took on marriages and sense of self. How it accelerated some relationships and caused others to crack. Weiner handles it deftly all while weaving in such diverse and multilayered characters. There is nothing like a destination wedding for family drama and there is plenty.

I could not put it down, but also didn't want it to end. I would welcome future novels of Sam, Sarah, Gabe, Ruby and Eli- some of the most well drawn memorable characters yet from Jennifer Weiner!

This is the absolute perfect summer novel!

The family complications and secrets in this novel kept me hooked. What would happen when all the dirty laundry was aired? Weiner is such a great author who truly gets better with age. The struggles of her characters and the growth of then always shines through.

4 stars.*

I'm embarrassed about how long this one sat in my TBR. I adore Jennifer Weiner and generally I pop anything I have by her to the very top of my list. Somehow this one sunk way to the bottom and I forgot about it until I saw it FOR SALE at my local bookstore!

It was a joy to read as a "beach read" and it is classic, exactly what you expect from her.

The Summer Place is the story of a summer home, purchased by a. successful novelist/screenplay writer as a summer getaway for her family. It is also her story, the story of her daughter and son...and ultimately, the story of their children.

Add to your summer TBR friends. Just do it.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I know she is pretty popular so I was excited to receive this book. I feel a little deceived though!! The cover gave me rom com vibes so that was what I was expecting and what I read was kind of heavy. It was still a good read but the cover threw me off.

This family puts the dysfunction in dysfunctional! There were so many twists and turns between the characters that it kept me intrigued. There is a lot of back and forth between the past and the future that I felt really helped the story along. There really is a lot of points of views in the book which could really turn readers off. It was ok, but I think I would have rated it higher if there were not so many characters. To me with so many characters no one really stood out to me.

Recommended to those who are in to family drama reads.

I found The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner to be an enjoyable beach read, but with many characters to follow. More soap opera-ish than her other novels, but a good summer distraction during these stress-filled times. Weiner is a gifted story-teller, painting a vivid scene with words. Her characters always feel real. With family dysfunction, frequent coincidences, and extreme drama, this may not be my favorite book of Weiner’s, but nonetheless I appreciated the summer escape. An advanced digital copy was provided by Netgalley in return for my honest review. 3.5 stars.

I loved this from start to finish. Perfect, fun beach read full of salacious details but filled with heart. I almost read this in one sitting. Highly recommend!!

Thanks to #netgalley for the copy!

The Summer Place is an easy read - perfect for a day on the beach - but filled with lots of layers and intricacies within the relationships represented. Featuring multiple perspectives, this story is full of twists and turns, and gives an insight into the minds of the individual characters.

This book has a lot of unlikeable people that do horrible things, but I could not put this book down until the last page.

Ruby meets Gabe at college 6 weeks before the start of the pandemic in New York. When the city shuts down, and they go into lockdown, she asks her dad and step-mom if Gabe can stay with them. Reluctantly, they say yes and while we know this became a true test of relationships, theirs prevails and they get engaged shortly after they move into their own apartment.

Every part of this book is the lead up to this simple wedding at Ruby’s step-grandmother’s home – The Summer Place. Told from the many points of views of Ruby and those closest to her, we get a story that is full of intrigue and innuendo’s.

Most of the family thinks Ruby is way to young to get married, but there is one secret that Ruby’s father, and Gabe’s mother are hiding. This secret leads to martial trouble, cheating, and just a lot of confusion for many of the parties involved.

This is a summer beach read to it’s core. It’s salacious, sexy, gossipy and anything else that fits into this genre. I understand there are mixed feelings on this book, but for me it worked. I think we were supposed to dislike many of the people in this story, but for me it just worked, and I totally enjoyed it. Bonus, I listened to the audiobook, and Sutton Foster was such a delight to listen to for the length of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another five star read from one of the best. THE SUMMER PLACE delivers on all levels with humour, heart and intrigue. Weiner's characters are relatable, the settings vivid and the storyline engrossing. I read this in a couple of sittings and, as usual, found myself wishing I'd taken longer simply because I didn't want it to be over.

My thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC. I always love Jennifer Weiner’s books and associate her books with summer.

This book had so many twists to it. It followed different stories of various family members and it held a lot of secrets. This was a quick read since there seemed to be a new secret with every couple chapters.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Jennifer Weiner. In my book reading over the years I have noticed there is a season(time, place) for each novel read. Unfortunately, the connection never quite materialized in this particular story.I guess it was an off-season for me. Reflecting back and trying to figure out where the disconnect occurred my mind came to the conclusion that it had a lot to do with the timing (pandemic) her verbiage and the development of the characters. The setting gets a thumbs up as well as the “house” having a voice in the novel. So there were some things that were appealing. Sadly this just wasn’t my cup of tea and it felt discombobulated. While the novel goes back in forth in time revealing to some extent how the characters came to be where they are today it was hard for me to stay completely engaged. “Ronnie was my favorite. A strong woman who ultimately put her family first after realizing the initial choices she made were were jeopardizing her husband and children. #NetGalley ty for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I typically love Jennifer Weiner books and look forward to them. There are some that I have absolutely loved, and this one although enjoyable, missed the mark somewhat.

1. There are a lot of characters with their individual storylines.
2. Once I got to know more about the characters, I went from liking them to being disappointed by them to feeling meh about them.
3. It really is a small world after all - at least it is in this book.
4. Too many coincidences.

Ruby is getting married to her COVID lock down boyfriend. The wedding is set to take place on Cape Cod. The family members are going to gather as are the parents of the bride and groom. Celebrations will be held. Should be a great time. But with these characters, well....

There is a lot going on in this book. We get introduced to a lot of characters in this book and the events in their lives. They all have secrets and when they all gather, things become messy.

Communicate. Communicate. COMMUNICATE. I kept thinking while reading this book. For characters to have been in each other’s lives for so long, it annoyed me that a simple conversation could not be had. Relationships are messy in this book because the characters don't talk, instead guard their secrets as others are left to come to their own conclusions. Misunderstandings and hurt feelings ensue.

Weiner usually dazzles me but this one, while enjoyable, failed to wow me. There were parts I really enjoyed and parts where I shook my head.

Many readers enjoyed this more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.


Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.