I was gifted a copy of this book from @netgalley and @AtriaBooks in exchange for an honest review. ⭐⭐ I've read books by Jennifer Weiner before and have enjoyed them. This book seemed like it was written by a debut author. There was so much going on...body acceptance, bisexuality, screen time/social media lessons, a bit on politics, a murder mystery (???), bullying, it was way too much. I felt the main character was awful judgy for someone that wasn't very confident of her own self. Daphne had body issues, but then wore a bikini in a hot tub with a guy a few hours she met him? The overly specific descriptions on what everyone was wearing and what they looked like all the time?...uggg!! #bigsummer #netgalley

Big Summer: A Novel by [Jennifer Weiner]

I liked this. Not outstanding, but solid.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Big Summer is a great summer read!

Daphne is a plus-sized influencer who gets paid to promote wellness items like yoga mats and healthy tea. When an up-and-coming young fashion designer wants Daphne to be the face of her new plus-sized fashion line, Daphne is thrilled.

Then something else happens: Daphne’s “friend” (frenemy?) Drue resurfaces and asks Daphne to be in her wedding. The book goes back in time to describe the very dramatic (and traumatic) event that ended their friendship, but also to explore Daphne’s relationship with food and her body, and also her somewhat toxic relationship with Drue.

I was thrilled when the book moved to Cape Cod as that’s a place I know very well and could picture everything Daphne was describing. But then a really surprising thing happened. I was SO surprised and I’m hard to surprise. I want you to be surprised so that's all I'm saying!

What I liked overall about the book:

Daphne was a really likable and enjoyable character. She’s built a great life for herself with supportive friends. She still struggles a lot with confidence issues.

I didn’t understand why Daphne would agreed to be in Drue’s wedding except that a) Drue always had some mysterious power over her, b) the fashion designer Daphne was working with loved the idea of her clothes being featured at a big, fancy wedding and c) it was necessary for the plot.

The book took an interesting look at female friendship and the question of whether people can really change. Drue tells Daphne that she is sincerely sorry for her past behavior and the book does try to explain some of the reasons for it.

The book also tries to say something about celebrity on the internet. Daphne recognizes that women of her size are not always valued by the fashion industry. She knows the risks of “putting herself out there” online and opening herself up to criticism.

Overall, I do think this book was trying to do a lot of things (can't say more without spoilers). But I really enjoyed reading it. It did entertain me and also completely surprise me, and for that reason, I recommend it as a great summer read – a perfect beach book or, if you are staying at home, a perfect read in the backyard under a tree book.

I loved this book! Great story, great characters. I was rooting for the main character the whole time. It was a fun chick lit/mystery

I have read several books by Jennifer Weiner and this is my favorite to date. I love her writing, the way she portrays women and their stories, but this was an unexpected twist from her. It was almost a thriller in the mysterious aspect of what happens with the heroine. I loved this book so much, I’m looking forward to picking up a physical copy and reading it again.

Big Summer

A delightful story of friendship, forgiveness and figuring out what matters most.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Plus-size influencer Daphne Berg is shocked when rich-mean-girl Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life. It’s been six years since the fight that ended their friendship. When Drue begs Daphne to be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is speechless.

The wedding weekend starts on a perfect summer Friday night on a Cape Cod beach. Daphne meets a super cute guy and Drue’s rehearsal dinner is picture perfect. That is until a family feud erupts and Drue disappears into her room.

Daphne wakes up the morning of the wedding to find that the cute guy has disappeared and that something terrible has happened to the bride. It’s up to Daphne to drill into Drue’s past, and to find out the complicated truth about the perfect Drue Cavanaugh. 

REVIEW
BIG SUMMER is a delightful story friendship, forgiveness and figuring out what matters most. Author Jennifer Weiner has woven a intricate tale of high drama that will have you speeding through the pages. Daphne’s character was engaging. You cannot help but love this oversized woman who evolves from being fat-shamed to being proud and loud about her size. She makes the most of the cards that she has been dealt.

My favorite part was learning about Daphne’s Sunday suppers with her dad. What a absolutely charming idea of picking a different NYC restaurant with exotic cuisine each week and spending the day together traveling, sharing and studying the cuisine. Wish I had thought of making memories like this with my father.

Jennifer Weiner is a graduate of Princeton University and a contributor to the New York Times opinion section. She lives with her family in Philadelphia and has written seventeen books and most recently published Mrs. Everything.

Thanks to Netgalley and for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Atria Books
Published May 5, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Big Summer is not the kind of book I typically pick up, but I'm so glad I did! As others have said, I really think it is best to go into this book without expectations and without knowing too much about the plot beforehand.

Big Summer is centered around Daphne, a plus size Instagram influencer and blogger. She has had her struggles with body image over the years, but is mostly at a place where she feels okay with herself, who she is, and how she looks.

Then, her high school best friend reaches out to her and asks Daphne to be in her wedding. Daphne and this friend have a complicated relationship, though. The wedding becomes complicated, and things go awry. I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

I have to admit that when I saw that Jennifer Weiner had a new book coming out I didn't even have to read the synopsis to know that I would want to read the book. And I'm so glad I didn't because there is a twist I did not see coming! Big Summer is the book we didn't know we would need with all that is going on in the world. It is THE perfect escape. I am sure Ms. Weiner pictured her readers reading Big Summer on the beach or while lounging near a pool. Sadly most of us will not be able to do that but this book made me feel like I was! It has everything you could want in the perfect summer read: intrigue, scandal, romance, but most of all, a heroine who is relatable. I highly recommend Big Summer as your next escapist read!

I struggled between 3 and 4 stars here (Goodreads, let us do halves, please!) - the first half or so was kind of slow. I appreciated Daphne's story and character, but I hated Drue so much that it impacted my enjoyment of the story.

But --and no spoilers, I promise-- something happens about halfway through the book that completely pivots the reading experience and I couldn't put it down. Fun summer read.

*My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, was a BIG, wonderful, interesting, current and compelling novel. I didn't expect to LOVE it this much. Full of thought-provoking issues, including body image, social media, friendship, family, self-esteem and self-love, mixed in with murder mystery, was just AMAZING! This is one of my new favorites! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

This book is a little bit different than the usual Jennifer Weiner book in that it is part mystery which is not her usual genre. However, that element only adds to the enjoyment of the book. Everything that is great about Jennifer Weiner's books is here starting with her plus size heroine in this case, Daphne Berg. She is an exceptionally admirable and immensely likable character who has risen above the stigma of her size and used it to her advantage to become an extremely successful social media influencer. When her former best friend, Drue suddenly invites her to be a bridesmaid at her wedding, Daphne is hesitant. They did not exactly part on the best of terms. In fact, Drue was never really a nice person to begin with, and she was responsible for the single most embarrassing moment of Daphne's life. Still, Daphne decides to give her former friend a second chance. However, on the weekend of the wedding a tragedy occurs, and Daphne is compelled to find out what really happened both for herself and for Drue. This book is extremely timely and relevant. It reminds us that the way we treat each other matters . This is something that is all too often forgotten today.

I read Jennifer Weiner books because she writes stories about real people's issues and works through them while giving us an entertaining read with a little romance, a little intrigue and lots of good writing thrown in. I've read many of her books and always enjoyed them.
When a young woman who is not quite comfortable in her own skin runs into an old "friend"....a friend that always made her feel less than perfect...she is amazed to find herself invited to a society wedding. Her first inclination is to refuse but after a long discussion with herself, she agrees to attend. The story explodes with all of the actions and consequences you'd expect when you mix a social event with an attempt to relive your past. There is a lot of fun and some not so fun along the way to the lesson Ms Weiner always gives us in the end. Another winner for one of my favorite summer beach read authors!

Review:

I picked up my ARC of Big Summer after seeing some good reviews of it on bookstagram. The cover screamed summer read so I dove right into it hoping for a fun read. It was not what I expected at all but it was still an enjoyable read.

The main character, Daphne is an Instagram influencer and dealing with a rift between her and her friend, Drue. I loved the main character's point of view and how the author spoke about body acceptance and self-loathing and learning to accept yourself, it was something I connected a lot with.

I enjoyed the first part of the novel but when the story changes directions/genres I lost interest in it. I was hoping for a romance/summer read and did not get that. I found the last half of the story a bit too predictable.

I will be checking out more from Jennifer Weiner in the future. I liked the way she crafted her characters and her writing style.

Rating:

3.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars

I was actually really surprised with Big Summer.

This book tackles some deeper issues than I expected. Jennifer Wiener addresses body image, social media shaming, and how society expects women to behave.

Weiner weaves a story about the reality of social media with friendships, romance, and mystery all in the perfect summer tale. This is a perfect beach read. Light, but completely relatable..

The book starts when the main character of Big Summer, Daphne Berg, has a meeting in Manhattan with what it seems a fashion designer to see if they can do a collaboration for Daphne's Instagram account.
This because she walked in on someone she had a fight with years ago; Drue Cavanaugh. Drue was everything in high school that Daphne felt she wasn't; pretty and rich. Daphne is struggling with her self image, as she is on the curvy side. Drue invites Daphne to attend her lavish Cape Cod wedding in a few weeks, as it seems she has no real friends left to invite, and maybe this is a good opportunity for Daphne to show on her Insta how fabulous the wedding is and tag Drue in it?

To her own surprise, Daphne says yes. What does she have to lose? At the day before the wedding, she arrives at the grand wedding location at Cape Cod, which is located at different beach house estates. She meets up with a friend of Drue, Nick, and this leads to the romance of the story.

But from there on, things turn sour pretty quickly the day after, when the wedding is about to happen. In the hot tub that Daphne had a quite a romantic evening with Nick the night before, she finds Drue facedown and dead in the water. Daphne is the first to be investigated by the police, as the working hot tub was located outside her room, the room where Nick is nowhere to be found now..why did he run away right now? Daphne starts to investigate on her own what happened to Drue and if Nick might have something to do with it. But during her investigation she finds out there is a wide range of people who where not on good terms with Drue for one reason or another, so it is hard to find the suspect, until one day she finds the lead...

When you start reading the book, you have no idea that this book will turn into a true mystery book. The story starts a bit slow and with some not so strong story points here and there, but it really takes a turn for the better when the drama with Drue starts. Then the story gets really really good! The sleuthing and investigation to find the murderer of Drue is a true page turner, and Jennifer Weiner does a great job to not reveal to much and keeping the reader guessing untill the last part. The book reminded me in someway of Meg Cabot's '' Heather Wells '' mysteries ( Size 12 is not Fat, Size 14 Isn't fat either etc) as it had the same kind of storyline and buildup and conclusion of the murder mystery.
Anyhow, this is just one of the new amazing books by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, it totally surprised me and I hope it will surprise many other readers too!!

Great beach read! Another fun title from Jennifer Weiner. A definite addition to summer read lists!

At first, Big Summer feels like a women’s literature. Within the quintessential beach read set in Cape Cod, author Jennifer Weiner adds some social messages. However, a shocking twist in the middle of the book takes the story in a much different direction.

I loved the characters. Daphne, the plus-sized heroine, who has struggled with self-esteem issues her entire life, is absolutely engaging. Her parents are a bit quirky, but loving, kind, and supportive. It takes most of the book for Daphne to realize that <i>they</i> are a treasure that many of her acquaintances envy. Darshi, the roommate and best friend, is my kind of people. She holds no punches, and she is a fiercely loyal friend. Drue, the seemingly confident, wealthy, queen bee presents a persona that everyone envies but few like.

The beginning of the book takes readers through Daphne’s journey toward acceptance and actualization. While her social media posts make her look like she is confident and brave, she continues to have the same doubts of self-worth that she has always had. Evidence of this comes in Daphne’s inability to address a blog question from a teenage girl about being brave. Body shaming, self-image, and the falsity of social media posts weigh heavy in Big Summer. Ms. Weiner warns, as many authors have lately, that all that glitters is not gold on Instagram. Beware of the Trojan horse that is a social media influencer!

I enjoyed the character set up in the first half of the book, but it is in the second half of the book that the action really starts. I don’t want to give away the big twist, but all that set up provides juicy detail to unravel in the latter half of the story. In addition to a fun read, the big takeaways of Big Summer are regarding friendship and envy. I finished the book feeling happy for Daphne’s discovery of just how envious she is and feeling grateful for all that I have in my own life.

4.5 stars

This is such a hard one to review because I really did enjoy it but found it a bit difficult to read. I agree with everyone’s comments - Weiner has tried to do too much within one book and it was a bit too busy for me. Overall, I did enjoy it but wouldn’t be in a rush to recommend.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner is a novel about the ins and outs of female relationships. Daphne Berg and Drue Cavanaugh became friends in school until one day, a fight ended their relationship. Six years later, Daphne is a social media influencer for plus sized women and enjoys her life. She is shocked when Drue shows up in her life again with a huge favor. She asks Daphne to be her maid-of-honor at her society wedding the following summer. Daphne is speechless and has a hard time saying no despite her reservation and her friend and roommate, Darshi’s warning. When the weekend of the wedding arrives, Daphne is swept up in the glamour of the Cape Cod waterfront mansion and the drama that always seems to be involved with a wedding. Tragedy strikes and Daphne finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and finds herself determined to find out the truth. Will she be able to discover the truth? Will she be able to move forward?
Big Summer was hard to get through. Told in three parts, the story opens with a prologue about a mother and her son that does not seem to connect with the story of Daphne and Drue. When the connection is revealed, I thought “okay….?” The first part is super slow as the history and complexity of Daphne’s friendship with Drue and her own battle with her weight is the made focus. The second and third parts were much more fast paced as the murder investigation occurs and Daphne chases clues to who the killer could be. The book is marketed as “A sparkling novel about the complexities of females relationships, the pitfalls of living loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart.” In a way, the book is about these factors, however, I expected a more powerful commentary than what is featured. It was hard to sympathize with adult Daphne as she fell into the same patterns with Drue. And Drue was the stereotypical mean girl who seems to have it all but is jealous of the fat girl who has everything that matters. I even expected the death to be a fake and another ploy for attention or sympathy. Overall, the book was okay. I did not genuinely care about the characters, the resolution or the author’s commentary on fat shaming, social media, and relationships. If you are a fan of Jennifer Weiner, you may enjoy Big Summer.


Big Summer
is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

I thought this was going to be a light read and didn't expect the mystery total storyline 180 that happened in Part 2. In that respect, this one was great. However, I didn't love it, I read someone else's comment on instagram that said it was trying to be too many things at once and I agree. It was trying to include a plus-sized character (but her plus-sizeness was discussed toooo much), an instagram influencer (the newest trope for books), and then a murder mystery. A lot was happening and I read through it quickly, but I think it could have been more interesting, a faster pace, or characters that meshed better. It just seemed to be lacking.