Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
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 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.
- Author - Jennifer Weiner
- Publisher - Washington Square Press
- Publication Date - 04-06-2021
- Page Count - 384
- Hardcover
- Adult
- Fiction
- Product Dimensions - 5.2 H x 7.6 W x 1 D
- ISBN-13 - 9781501133527
Web ID: 12620198
Women's Fiction
This is a Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit/Mystery/Romance. This book really surprised me in a good way. I have to say this book did not pull me in for the beginning, but I got so pulled into the story I could not put this book down if I wanted too by the middle of the book. I am having trouble putting this book into a genre because I feel this book is a little bit of several genres. I love that this book is not the normal book you will read. The main character I did not love at first, but by the end of the story I really loved her so much. The mystery part I really enjoyed, and I did not see the ending happening how it did. Overall, this is a really well-written story with great characters and twists. The audiobook was super good, and I really loved the audiobook. The narrator was super good. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Confusing and Contrived
I really enjoyed the build up of the drama related to the frenemies and their backstory in the first part of this book, however it was quite enough when the main character is complaining for at least the tenth time about her weight and comparing herself negatively to others. This blathering really put a bad taste in my mouth. In the second part of this book, the genre completely changes to a murder mystery out of nowhere. I had not clue that influencers were such astute detectives. It turns out they are not. I did not really get this book and this was definitely a first with this author as I have read most of her books. I would say skip this one. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enjoyable Read for the Ocean
Daphne has been a large girl for most of her life, w/ all the angst and fat-shaming that life status entails. When her former high-school "friend," Drue, wants to renew their friendship after a disastrous incident a few years before, Daphne is justifiably suspicious of of rich-girl Drue's intentions. Daphne has tried to move on from the incident, and has built a modest business as a social-media "influencer" w/ a body-acceptance blog. Daphne also has a chance at a great contract w/ a clothing company interested in using her influence for acceptance of their clothing line. Drue drops a big bombshell on Daphne: she wants her to be in her wedding in the Hamptons. Huh?! When the clothing line hears of this chance to show off their clothing at a society wedding, they encourage Daphne to accept the invitation. The weekend of the wedding arrives, and it is all so dreamy for Daphne: beautiful people, and a nice guy actually interested in her. And then: everything goes off the rails. I've already given spoilers enough, but I have to mention that the novel goes from a pleasant oceanside read into a totally different direction. I did not see the change in tack coming, which definitely kept me reading; in fact, I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this perfect read for a vacation in Mexico. I also appreciated the message of self-acceptance, no matter what one's physical size or condition, and the fact that a low self-esteem person actually grew in self-confidence by accepting herself, and realizing that her rich friend wasn't as rich in many ways as Daphne herself was. Rounded up to 5 stars.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Beach Read with Surprising Suspense & Depth
Big Summer, by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, opens with a foreboding prologue set in 1994 involving a young woman named Christina who is happy raising her son on her own at her family's cabin on Cape Cod. "Her story was almost at its end, but that night, she had no idea" as she sang to her four-year-old son. The story then advances to 2018 and the focus shifts to Weiner's protagonist, Daphne, an up-and-coming plus-size Instagram influencer who has been offered a chance to showcase the clothing of Leela Thakoon. Daphne is thrilled when the attractive garments fit perfectly and make her look and feel "like the vest version of" herself. A collaboration is born. In her first-person narrative, Daphne relates how she came to be a young woman who has eschewed dieting and is determined to simply be true self. As the only child of doting parents, she had no idea she was overweight until a fateful weekend with her body size-obsessed grandmother. That was the point at which her psyche was irrevocably altered, and from which she gradually "learned every trick for taking up as little space as possible and not asking for much." She describes her first day at the exclusive new school where her father taught, but a scholarship was required in order for her tuition to be paid, and meeting the other students. Two in particular play prominent roles in Daphne's story. Darshi, who, as the story opens, has been her faithful friend for many years and her roommate for the past four. And Drue Cavanaugh. Weiner describes Drue as a "thinly veiled Ivana Trump-like" character -- the wealthy and glamorous girl who is the most popular in the school. The other girls emulate her, craving her attention and approval. Shockingly, Drue embraces Daphne on her very first day at school, even inviting her to eat lunch with her and her friends. But Drue is manipulative and calculating, and Daphne details specific instances of Daphne using and abusing her. Still, Daphne remained her loyal friend throughout school, writing papers for her, keeping her secrets, covering for her when she cut class or was too hungover to function. The friendship, such as it was, endured because even though Drue repeatedly abused Daphne's generous spirit and her trust, Daphne still wanted to be like her: beautiful, funny, self-assured, and decidedly cool. At long last, however, Drue goes too far and a particularly cruel machination causes Daphne to stand up for herself and declare she has had enough. The incident is videotaped and goes viral, transforming Daphne's attitude and life. She changes the name of her blog from "Daphne's Craft Corner" to "Big Time," vows to focus on her health and well-being, rather than her weight, and six years pass during which she has no contact with Drue. But Drue reemerges, appearing in person when Daphne ignores her emails and texts. And she has a surprising request. She wants Daphne to be her maid-of-honor when she marries in a lavish ceremony on Cape Cod. She pitifully insists that she has no close female friends, has missed Daphne, and acknowledges that her past behavior was horrible. She blames, in part, her parents' dysfunctional marriage and her lack of a relationship with her dismissive father, who has had multiple affairs over the years. She even offers to pay Daphne. Daphne is torn -- resolved not to get reeled back into Daphne's life and the drama their friendship inures, but ultimately swayed by happy memories of time spent together as young girls. Daphne also recognizes that she can parlay the event into Instagram posts featuring photos taken in a stylish setting at one of the biggest social events of the summer. She relents, despite her misgivings and a strong hunch that she is being used by Drue. Daphne's number of Instagram followers grows as soon as Drue begins posting about the wedding and Daphne's role in it, and Daphne struggles to escape her uneasiness. But Darshi is direct, warning Daphne that Drue will hurt her again and when she does, she will not be there to comfort Daphne, aptly calling Drue her "Kryptonite." The story veers in a direction most readers won't see coming. The party at the estate the night before the wedding proves to be a magical one for Daphne when she meets a handsome and charming man who wants only to spend time with her. But the party is disrupted by a loud argument between Drue's parents that sends the bride-to-be retreating to her room. The book shifts from women's fiction to a murder mystery, with Daphne searching for two mystery men: the one she caught lurking outside Drue's door the previous night, as well as the one with whom she spent the night who disappears before she wakes up. Worse, Daphne, like all of the other guests, is questioned by the police, and becomes convinced that she could be viewed by the authorities as a suspect. The police are motivated to find the killer quickly, after being embarrassed by their incompetent handling of a murder that occurred in the area years ago. Darshi, being the loyal friend that she has always been, rushes to Daphne's side and they begin sleuthing, determined to unmask the murderer. Weiner pulls off the genre-switch seamlessly, her cleverly-constructed, intricate plot unfolding during the latter half of the story. She examines the dark side of social media in a credible manner, revealing the ways in which some of her characters connive to use their status as influencers -- and other characters -- to attain fame and wealth. She deftly pulls all the loose threads into a cohesive story in which every character's significance becomes apparent -- including Christina and her son, Aidan, the subjects of the prologue that most readers will have forgotten all about by that juncture. Daphne and Drue are fully developed characters, and as the story progresses, Weiner highlights the traits that differentiate them, as well as their common humanity. Weiner makes Drue a sympathetic character by exposing the truth about her family and upbringing, illustrating that outward appearances are, of course, deceiving. Readers come to understand the environment and lessons that made Drue who she is. Daphne's narration hits all the right notes as she describes her own familial relationships and home life, as well as her internal struggle to accept and love herself. Daphne is intelligent, self-deprecating, insecure, tenacious, and, most importantly, highly self-aware. She is likable, and has a strong moral center and commitment to justice. Female readers will recognize aspects of themselves in Daphne, whose emotional battles are almost universally relatable. The complicated, sometimes hilarious and frequently heartbreaking relationship between Daphne and Drue is believably and compassionately portrayed by Weiner as is her depiction of the love, envy, exasperation, and, finally, understanding and empathy Daphne feels for the woman who is so consequential in her life. Weiner has succeeded at making Big Summer a witty and enjoyable beach read, as well as an engrossing exploration of the contradictions between real and virtual life. The book is also a surprisingly thought-provoking examination of friendship and how profoundly the friends we choose can impact our lives. Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Slow beginning, stupid ending
Really slow beginning. Part of the book was taken from a true murder in Truro of a murder of a single mother but the gender of the child was changed. Ending was beyond realistic.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Unexpected genre twist!
Well, this was definitely a book that was way out of my comfort zone! I'd heard so much about it last summer, so when I saw it at our local book store, I thought, why not?! I never read the synopsis (not that it would've prepared me), and just dove right in! Well... it was SO far from what I expected!!! I was ready for a light, fun beach read, and while it began that way, it certainly took a turn! Suddenly, I was reading a murder mystery! WT... Yep, took me completely by surprise, and seemed very out of the blue! Sooo... while it kept my attention for the most part, the setting was fabulous, and I just adored the cover, it just wasn't really my cup of tea. Character development was a bit better than in All Fall Down, but I still felt little attachment to any of the individuals, including the protagonist. Sorry about the unpopular opinion!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Just ok so far
I am only about a quarter of the way through the book and find myself not liking Daphne! Just how insecure she seems to be at all times and oohing and awwing every time she is describing her encounters Dru, I was kind of like really? I don't like that part of Daphne at all, but maybe things will change as I continue to read on!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Beach Read w/a Twist
When her old high-school friend reaches out to ask Daphne to be part of her very posh and very Instagram-able wedding, she’s a bit caught off guard. They haven’t spoken in years, and the friendship’s end was loud…and ugly. Nonetheless, Daphne decides to try and move past it and be the best bridesmaid she can be---at least until everything falls apart. Without giving too much away, I think this was Weiner’s first stab at writing a book with a bit of mystery/suspense storyline and I very much enjoyed it. Lots of fashion, feminism, and fun. Great beach read! Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com