AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Sexy and satisfying, Big Summer is the perfect quarantine read.” —USA TODAY “The beach read to end all beach reads.” —Entertainment Weekly “Big fun, and then some. It’s empowering and surprising—a reminder to put down the phone and enjoy each moment for what it is.” —The Washington Post A deliciously funny, remarkably poignant, and simply unputdownable … Washington Post
A deliciously funny, remarkably poignant, and simply unputdownable novel about the power of friendship, the lure of frenemies, and the importance of making peace with yourself through all life’s ups and downs. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Good in Bed and Best Friends Forever, Big Summer is the perfect escape with one of the most lovable heroines to come to the page in years.
Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.
Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.
A sparkling novel about the complexities of female relationships, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.
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In the age of social media, Daphne Berg’s career is beginning to take off as a plus-size, body-positive, fashion and lifestyle influencer. Six years ago, Daphne was launched into the online world by a viral video of a fight with her high school best friend which brought Daphne both a new voice and ended their friendship. Ever since then Daphne has avoided Drue Cavanaugh with all her efforts and worked to build her own little empire. Much to her surprise, Drue suddenly reappears in her life desperate for Daphne’s help – Drue needs a maid of honor.
Daphne knows the risks of letting her former best friend back into her new life. Drue Cavanaugh – chic, successful, and enchanting – knows how to make anyone feel like the most special person in the room, but a major role in the society wedding of the summer is too good for Daphne to pass up. However, the perfectly planned wedding on Cape Cod takes a sudden turn to tragedy leaving Daphne to put together the complex puzzle of Drue Cavanaugh’s not so perfect past.
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, best-selling author of Mrs. Everything, delves into the intricacies of friendship, self-esteem, and living your life online. It is thought-provoking, relatable, and sure to draw you into the mystery – a great summer read.
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner is a touching and incredibly fun read that had all the elements of a perfect summer/beach read for me.
There are a lot of things going on in Big Summer and I was hooked from the very first page. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a huge page-turner, but there is definitely something about it that kept me interested the entire time and wanting to find out what would happen. This is only my second time reading a book by Weiner, but I am a huge fan of her writing style, and I love how she takes heavier topics and approaches them with love, directness, and a bit of humor.
I loved Daphne as a character, and even though I didn’t love her ‘friend’ Drue, the dynamic between them made the book very interesting and relatable. I thought that Daphne herself was particularly relatable, especially if you’ve ever dealt with body shaming or self-esteem issues. I loved it when she would stand up for herself and those times are what completely endeared her to me.
Surprise, there is also a mystery! I wasn’t expecting it, but Big Summer turned into a bit of a whodunnit and once I got to that point I really couldn’t put it down. The book was satisfying, the twists were twisty, and I definitely recommend adding this to your summer reading list!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
Her best yet!
Kept me interest from beginning to end.
“If you feel hungry, that means you’re winning.”
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I’m so sad about this book & I was so excited to read another great story by Weiner, however, it definitely wasn’t the summer “beach read” that I was expecting! From the cover art, to the title & even the description, I found them all to be very misleading from the actual story I just finished. It starts w/a prologue that never really leads anywhere & has a very small connection towards the end & then halfway thru the book it changes from a contemporary fiction to a full-fledged “who dunnit”/murder mystery that I found to be extremely quick & unrealistic, with an almost too perfect wrap-up. I did like the main character, Daphne, & being an “average sized” girl myself, I always appreciate Weiner’s ability to make her characters more normal, but hearing Daphne refer to herself as being fat several times in every single chapter became a bit much after awhile. I’m not able to recommend this book as a good “beach read” but if you want more of a modern day mystery then you may enjoy this…I know a lot of people really liked it, just not what I was expecting.
I’ve been in lockdown for two months, reading books on environmental justice and refugees and war; it was time to pick up something completely different. So, I snatched up Jennifer Weiner’s newest novel Big Summer.
With some trepidation, having learned the protagonist is a plus-sized beauty with self-doubt. Could strike a little too close to home, or could make me seethe with stereotypes.
Daphne has built a career as an influencer and her latest sponsor is a fashion designer who wants to expand into plus sizes. Leela’s clothing makes Daphne feel glamorous and confident.
Perfect timing, as Daphne has a wedding to attend.
Out of the blue, Daphne’s high school friend Drue called with a request to be her maid of honor. Daphne was doubtful at first.
Drue was wealthy and had been a mean teen who took up, used, and dropped friends. But their adventures together were always exciting. And Drue seemed to genuinely admire Daphne’s relationship with her folks, especially her dad.
Their relationship ended badly when Drue took Daphne clubbing where an arranged ‘date’ was to give her a night to remember. Daphne learned of the arrangement and had a melt down–recorded on a cell phone. The video became a social media sensation.
Daphne used the moment to rebrand herself into a fierce fat woman promoting self-acceptance.
Drue pleads she is a changed woman, making amends for her teenage terror years. Daphne gives her another chance.
At the wedding, Daphne learns that Drue isn’t as excited as a bride should be. The over-the-top wedding costs big bucks, and Drue’s dad interrupts the party with a meltdown. There’s trouble in paradise.
The first section of the novel is typical women’s fiction, its well-developed characters dealing with issues readers will relate to.
Then comes a sexual encounter between Daphne and a wedding guest. Warning: it’s a bit of a sex manual about how to use hands, etc. The next morning he is missing.
Everything changes when Drue is discovered dead. Daphne and her mystery lover are prime suspects. The rest of the novel is the unraveling of Drue’s family secrets and the identity of her killer. I didn’t put the novel down. I loved the unraveling of the mystery.
Weiner nicely incorporates the current online culture of social media, living one’s life online. Followers want genuineness, but how does one keep a boundary between the personal and the public?
At first I didn’t relate to Daphne’s relationship to Drue on a personal level. Then…I remembered…
When I was fourteen a girl from Eighth Grade took me up as a friend. She lived in the posh neighborhood in an amazing house her father designed. My dad was an auto mechanic and we lived in a modest, working class house. My friend encouraged me to lose weight and loosen up, have fun. (I was a serious kid who read the classics and played the classics etc.) Then, a year later, she pushed me away by being mean. I invited her to some parties over the years, but we were never again close. Years later she called my mother and admitted she treated me rotten.
Big Summer is branded as a ‘beach read,’ a term I don’t quite understand since I don’t do beaches. (Sunshine give me hives.) So, maybe a sit in the shade on the patio read? But in true Weiner style, it incorporates deeper themes of self-image, class, and social media issues.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Jennifer Weiner never shies away from issues affecting women: aging, body shape, romance, parenthood and parents, and friendships. In the case of Big Summer, Daphne has to decide what she values more: herself or Drue’s perception of her. And she has to solve a murder mystery.
As an Instagram influencer (an aside: this is the second book I’ve read in the last few weeks where the heroine has this gig, and I remain fascinated that people monetize their Instagrams), Daphne puts herself out there to be judged and picked apart, but mostly to validate herself. She takes advantage of an opportunity for a type of fame, and in doing so, she makes her fans believe that she accepts herself for who she is, a case of Instrammer heal thyself.
Daphne’s shock over being asked to be a bridesmaid in Drue’s wedding pulls the block that sends her Jenga tower of confidence toppling into a pile of rubble. Inside her, Daphne may always be the fat girl Drue sometimes loved, sometimes bullied, but she’s been striving to make that part of herself smaller and smaller. Jennifer Weiner makes these thoughts something you want to ponder and mull. How do you respond when you see the Daphnes of the world? What are your knee-jerk reactions?
Yet this book is far from pedantic. There is a romance, one that gives you butterflies and makes you excited. There is a best friend, the sort we always wish was on our side. And Daphne’s parents are the stuff of dreams. (Her grandmother, on the other hand, seems to have taken her marching orders from my mother.)
About midway through the book, we have a murder mystery, so the tone takes a bit of a detour, as does Daphne. The sense of self she loses around Drue regenerates.
Parts of this book will make you laugh, parts will make you cry, and parts make you think. You also will do some swooning. It has many of the Jennifer Weiner hallmarks, if not their sense of consistency. Big Summer feels like two books, and I can’t figure out which one I like more. Any time spent with Daphne, though, is something to be savored.
With themes of friendship, forgiveness and the dangers of social media, this book is a must-read for fans of contemporary women’s fiction. Daphne Berg, a plus-sized social influencer, is befuddled when former friend Drue Cavanaugh suddenly shows up in her life and begs her to be her maid-of-honor in her upcoming nuptials in Cape Cod. Since Drue basically bribes her, Daphne decides to participate and use the event to boost her social media presence. I really enjoyed getting to know Daphne and her friend Darshi, but I didn’t particularly like Drue since she was the quintessential poor little rich girl who had lots of money and no real friends. I was enjoying the repartee between the characters when the whole book changed, abruptly becoming a murder mystery. Well, that worked out well for me since that is my favorite genre! So, a book that was enjoyable became totally absorbing. I liked how Daphne accepted herself as she was after years of fat shaming and how Darshi seemed to be a voice of reason, well kind of, since she herself became a suspect in the murder. All of the characters seemed to jump right off the page and introduce themselves to me, so I loved this way that the author writes. What a great book to distract me from the whole Coronavirus thing!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from #AtriaBooks via a giveaway on Goodreads. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Great summer read for this crazy 2020!
BOOK REVIEW
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Pub Date: May 5, 2020
-DESCRIPTION-
We meet Daphne, a nanny/instagrammer, living in NYC. She became a body positive influencer after an especially horrid night at a club that left her giving zero Fs. Her “friend”, Drue, was an A-Hole in high school, an A-Hole that night at the club, and now she’s getting married and continuing to be an A-hole.
-THOUGHTS-
Wow. Ok. This was a rough one. I LOVE Jennifer Weiner. When I saw this cover, I thought, “ok, she’s back.”. Back to the days of Good in Bed & In Her Shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED Mrs. Everything, but I was really looking forward to some old school Weiner. So Part 1 of the book hits be I’m all in. I’m here for it. I’m loving the people I’m supposed to love, I’m loving to hate the others. Perfection. Then we have Part 2….and my WTF radar has been thoroughly engaged. However, I’m along for this ride. Now comes Part 3. And I just can’t. It’s like a really bad Lifetime movie…only not in the good way because this isn’t a bad Lifetime Movie….this is Jennifer freaking Weiner. I just keep saying, “No. Nope. No Way.” I throw my hands up. I don’t know what to do.
-RATING-
3/5 stars
Basically, decide for yourself. I can’t help you.
-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
Ugh….ummm…I don’t know. I’m at a loss.
Little Earthquakes
Good in Bed
In Her Shoes
Old school Weiner.
I’ve always been a fan of Jen Weiner, I’ve been reading her books for years and she’s always given me something to feel good about. Last year when the great “bookstagram” debacle occurred I was troubled that a treasured author would act so unfavorably in the public eye, so I shied away from the drama and reviewing last years release on my own accord. But the truth is, unless we forgive, forget, and move on from our mistakes, we really can’t call ourselves a changed or better person. I’d like to think of both myself and Jen as one of those people and boy I’m glad I did, because this book is BIG TIME.
What comes off in the synopsis as a simple story of a previous grade school/high school friendship gone awry over social status and bullying – then comes back together only when one needs the other, turns into a much deeper look at how our childhoods and upbringing shape who we are and how we act. This book is more than the synopsis bargained for, and gives a much bigger story than what the reader expects.
Jen has an uncanny way of being able to write her characters as if they’ve come directly from each one of us, as if she’s cracked our minds and took every emotion and feeling we have ever had and is now putting them on paper. She’s found all our deep insecurities and put them inside Daphne, and then found every person’s idolized-nemesis while growing up and has found a way to put them inside Drew Cavanaugh. With this Wiener has written a book that fits into almost every genre, contemporary women’s fiction, romcom, mystery/detective, suspense, thriller, and a touch of horror and built a powerful tale about who we are, what we hide, and what social media has made us become. It makes the reader take a moment to look deep inside their own soul and ask what their own motives really are.
I started this book as I crawled into bed thinking I would get a few chapters in before falling asleep. Little did I know that I would be up all night, sucked into this page turner like a moth to a flame, which reads more like an emotional thriller than woman’s friendship fiction. Jennifer has nailed it with this one, I think she has gone above and beyond anything she’s ever written before. Frankly I absolutely loved this, it was unputdownable, for me it probably was the best thing she has ever written.
Thank you to @jenniferweinerwrites, @atriabooks and @simonandschuster for the gifted copy of this book for my honest and unbiased opinion.
3 stars
This was my first Jennifer Weiner book. I heard wonderful things about Mrs. Everything so I was excited to receive an ARC of Big Summer, I enjoyed the Prologue about Christine and how she was making it on her own with her little boy. Then we get introduced to Daphne, who has overweight body issues and Drue her best friend who has everything. They have the ultimate friend-enemy relationship. After high school days, Daphne becomes a popular and lucrative career as a social media influencer, Drue invites Daphne to be in her society wedding. The book changes course to solve a murder. This book just did not work for me. It feels like the author is trying to figure out what she really wants to write about. I do think I will read Mrs, Everything to see if I have a different opinion about Weiner’s writing. My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner is a fabulous story that is both a light, breezy women’s fictional novel and a deeper, poignant general fictional novel that delves into some of the fundamentals of who we are as a person and why we become what we are today.
I have read Ms. Weiner’s previous book, Mrs. Everything, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was certainly excited to be able to dive into Big Summer. This book was a surprising read in the fact that at first I thought it would be a lighter, “beachy” type of read, but I soon found that it is truly so much more.
Daphne, a style blogger and media source that has a nice following on instagram for her “plus size” advice on fashion and lifestyle suggestions and Drue, a more well-to -do society gal that is deemed more “successful” would both seem to be polar opposites in regards to being previous best friends. Both women have complex pasts and it seems surprising to Daphne that out of the blue she is being called upon by Drue to be a part of her wedding after what has transpired many years ago.
Here is where I found that this wonderful book wandered into much deeper territory. In learning about the complicated relationship between Daphne and Drue, their respective histories and pasts, there were many themes that were repeatedly brought to the surface. I found that both women presented with their own set of insecurities, worries, hopes, dreams, and failures. Both were flawed, and in being so, made them relatable, interesting, and real.
This book brings home the thought that everyone is going through their own trials. Everyone is trying to deal with their own problems, hang-ups, regrets, and issues. Some are better at putting on fronts then others, but no matter how much money one has, where they live, or how they grew up, those unifying subjects in addition to wanting to be accepted, loved, and remembered is universal. The mark of a person is how they address these issues, persevere, and treat others. These are hard lessons to tread through.
I enjoyed this multi-layer novel and the journey that Ms. Weiner presented, and I found myself engaged from the beginning, through a few twists and surprises, to the most satisfying end.
If you have enjoyed any of Ms. Weiner’s previous books, you will definitely enjoy this book as well.
Excellent. 5/5 stars