My daughter works with influencers as part of her job and I really found this to be a fascinating take on the whole social media influencer world. Could not put this down. It is a perfect addition to your summer beach reading list!

3.5 stars rounded up. This was the first book that I have read from Jennifer Weiner, and I have to say I was presently surprised. This book had it all Frenemies, friendships, self-esteem, body image, social media, and proof that you are capable of being whatever you want to be.
Told in the point of view of the main character Daphne Berg, who suffered with insecurities her whole life. With her personal struggles with her weight as well as self-acceptance, at an all time low after a fall out with her best friend Drue. While the friendship failed, Daphne builds her empire as a social influencer online, at her best Drue comes back into her life offering her an incentive to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding.
This book was full of surprises, and without giving any spoilers you will not be disappointed because this has it all with twist and turns along the way.

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, wanting a favor. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time, so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor, Daphne is rightfully speechless. 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. Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her. review: I loved Weiner's book Mrs. Everything last year and I was anxious to read her latest novel, Big Summer. I really liked the premise and was excited to read about the complexities of female friendships, but this book missed the mark for me. Without giving too much away, I felt like I was reading two separate books and it felt a bit piecemeal. I wish there had actually been a bit more about the complexities of friendships and empowerment. Again, the ideas were good but I didn't like them compiled into one book because it took away from what could have been. With that said, it did keep me turning the pages but it left me wanting more! rating: 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

5 Stars!

This was absolutely the right book at the right time for me! Being at home has made me want to transport myself to a Beach on an island and read. Big Summer gave me that and so much more.

Daphne is a girl who is trying to make it as a social influencer online. She gets clothes, jewelry, etc. in exchange for her posting online. Growing up she went to a school where she didn't exactly fit in but was befriended by one of the rich girls in school. They had a falling out but then Daphne's friend, Drue shows back up in her life to ask her, or even offers to pay her to be her maid of honors for her upcoming wedding.

Is letting Drue back in Daphne's life really worth it? Can she trust this friend who ultimately betrayed her? Her life was starting on the right track until this person came back in her life and things get real messy, real fast.

I read Jennifer Weiner's books every May that they come out and when I read what this book was about I couldn't wait to dig in. With everything going on in the world I definitely needed an escape. This book was that and then some! It's definitely so much more than it looks like or is described as on the surface and it will most definitely throw you for a loop. It had the right mix of female friendship along with some twists and turns. I don't want to say too much more without giving anything anyway, you will just have to read for yourself!

If you are looking for your next summer read, this is it folks! Be sure to pick this one up - you won't regret it!

Thank you to Atria books for my ARC!

Jennifer Weiner is normally one of my absolute favorite writers. However, the was my least favorite of all, of her books. It had a very slow, almost confusing start. Then the book took a twist and turned into a mystery with an ending I didn’t see coming. I will continue to read each book Weiner writes but this one let me down.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for ARC. 3⭐️ for Big Summer, indeed a summer read. I enjoyed the second half murder mystery portion of this book much more so than the first half. My main issue was the character was a plus-sized social media influencer projecting a confident comfortable in the skin she’s in personality but it was more persona than true belief. She seemed to point out the shallowness in others but also exhibited it as well. And the discussion and thoughts about her weight we’re excessive. That said, time spent with a Jennifer Weiner read is never time wasted and the second half had some great unexpected twists and reveals.

I absolutely LOVED Big Summer!!!! Well, I love all of Jennifer Weiner books.
But this one was uniquely special. I love seeing plus size women represented in main stream publishing and media and this did not disappoint.

No spoilers from me, but the second half of the book brought me places I NEVER expected from this author and she did it seamlessly.

I highly recommend Big Summer!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really liked this one! I've read probably about five other books by Jennifer Weiner, and I think this one is my favorite! I've been thinking about what I want to say about it, and there's not a lot I can say without giving spoilers, so I'll try to be brief.
This book totally surprised me. It really wasn't what I was expecting at all-- in a good way though! It started out as a pretty typical contemporary fiction book and then quickly turned into a 'whodunit' murder mystery plotline. It definitely kept me hooked! I couldn't put it down because I needed all the details.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because there were a few parts of the story I just wanted more from!
Despite these parts, I still really enjoyed this whole book. It dove into some interesting and deeper topics such as bullying, body shaming, diet culture, family drama, and things of the like, while also sharing a body positive narrative and the pros and cons of living a public life on social media.
Thank you so much to Atria Books for reaching out and NetGalley for providing me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for sending me a copy of this book. I’m unable to give an unbiased review of Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

I absolutely LOVE Jennifer Weiner. Her work is such brain candy - softly, easily written novels with substance! This is one of her best so far and such a different type of book from her last release, Mrs. Everything. Big Summer focuses on body positivity in the face of a fat-shaming society like ours. Themes of empowerment and friendship run rampant throughout the book with multiple layers of mystery woven in. Being a New Englander, I love the setting!

I always look forward to a good beach read and this book checked all of the boxes for me. It was entertaining, fast paced, and filled with interesting characters. I loved that it had romance, suspense, and drama all in on book! I would highly recommend this book to readers of all genres. It was so much fun! Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for sending a free copy!

This was a fun summer read! What I thought would be a light summer read turned into so much more. Weiner includes strong narrative around themes of body image, female relationships, and the expectations that our world puts on females in general. I would recommend not reading any reviews. It was fun to go into this and be surprised.

I enjoyed this book once I got into it. I feel it was a little slow starting out, but really picked up about a third of the way in. I finished the rest in an evening. I really liked the mystery aspect, which is uncommon for the author. She did a great job mixing the mystery and suspense into the other themes of the book.

I enjoyed this book very much! I have read several of Jennifer’s previous books including her very first, Good in Bed. I found this one to be very similar to that character wise. I like that Jennifer incorporated a murder into this story and did a little something different with this story. She made Drue a very complex character that you were constantly going back and forth between like and dislike. Overall I think it was a good solid read and a great book to throw in your beach bag and enjoy at the beach. It’s got love, jealousy, diversity and murder!

It seems like Weiner’s newest book might just be one of the biggest books of the summer! Which should come as no surprise, with such a beloved author. This was a little bit of a mystery and just the right amount of spunk, of course!

Yeah, I’d call this a beach read. We have a young twenty-something that makes some money as an influencer on Instagram and makes the rest of her money by part-time babysitting two kids after school. Daphne’s deal is she is plus sized, and she influences on fashion and gear for her body type. It’s still difficult for Daphne, and her past with the comments kids made still roam through her head all the time.

There are good aspects to the book, but the plot got a bit boring for myself, honestly. And all the minute details about what people are wearing and other information was excessive. I realize the main character would likely pay attention to these details, but sometimes a glossing over would be nice.

Then the book shifts, dramatically, in part 2. And here the writing seemed to suffer. The characters seemed to act differently than what they were drawn out to be like. There was a weird path that Daphne took, that wasn’t explained very well why she was doing this. But yet this did make the book somewhat more interesting.

I’m sure there will be many fans of this book.

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.

As I reached the midway point of Big Summer, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the story had suddenly turned into a murder mystery. From that point on I had to keep reading to put all the pieces together. I learned a lot along the way about social media influencers. It confirmed my long-held theory that people's lives are rarely as rosy as they portray online for the rest of the world to see. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review Jennifer Weiner's newest novel.

The Big Summer is Jennifer Weiner's book for this summer and it's a blend of woman finding her own way and summer mystery. I won't share any plot details but I enjoyed the inside view of social media influencers and especially how Daphne finds her way to her own vision of confidence. About midway through the book there's a plot turn that moves the action along turning it into more of a page turner.

This was an enjoyable poolside read to kick off the summer that Weiner's followers will likely enjoy.. It's a 4 star read for me. I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite books this year! I loved the characters & found them relatable. The book was well written & I loved how it all played out, it definitely went in a different direction than I originally thought.