My first book by this author, and I loved it! This was such a binge-worthy book. I had no idea what to expect when going in other than I was looking for a great summer-themed read. The main character, Daphne, is easy to fall in love with. Her best friend from her past named Drue, is not. Their paths are joined again when Drue asks Daphne to be a bridesmaid at her giant Instagram-worthy wedding, and Daphne, an Instagram influencer for plus-sized women, chooses to go. I loved the perspective of Daphne and learning how her life as an influencer is day-to-day. Her experiences as a teenager and young adult did not feel cliche or superficial at all. There was a good amount of everything I love about a book: shocking moments, well-developed characters (there are a lot but she features the main ones perfectly), and a juicy plot. I also thought the author paced the book well, especially with such a shift in genre that I wasn’t expecting! This was a total page-turner and a delight to read. I can’t rave it about it more!

I absolutely loved Big Summer! It addresses fat-shaming, influencer culture, the toxicity of social media, and so much more. Although I can’t talk about my favorite part of the book without spoilers, I loved how everything came together at the end. The plot had me completely hooked from the opening chapter, I couldn’t put this one down. I’d definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for the perfect beach (or pretend beach) read!

*Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I was spellbound from the beginning and finished this in one sitting. When things became twisty in the middle of the book I was completely unprepared for it and found I could not stop reading until I reached the riveting conclusion
Jennifer Weiner explores some heavy issues in this one around social media, societal views on women, and women's body image.

A wonderful summer read

This book was fun and poignant. I love that it considered some "heavy" issues, like body acceptance/positivity, the difficulties that arise in female friendships, and the false narratives of social media while leaning into gorgeous settings like Cape Cod and NYC. Daphne was a complex narrator, and I think anyone could see something of themselves in her.

I was sucked into the mystery, and finished the second half of the book in a breeze. The TWIST was GREAT!

I would and have absolutely already recommended this to friends. It's convinced me I need to read much more by Jennifer Weiner!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the gifted copy.

I have been reading Jennifer Weiner's books since she published Good in Bed years ago. I must say that I feel like Big Summer deviated from her normal plot lines, and you know what - it kind of worked for me.

Big Summer is about a girl named Daphne, who is a plus sized social media influencer. She gets asked to be in her former best friend's wedding, which she agrees to because she feels guilty. Plus it's a summer wedding at the Cape - the perfect scenario to showcase the clothes for her new instagram partner. Everything seems to be going fine; the setup is magnificent, and Daphne even meets an interesting man at the rehearsal dinner. But then everything comes crashing to a halt - and I'm not going to tell you why, because #spoilers.

This is where the book fell a little short for me. The first half was similar to the author's past books, but the second half of the book takes an entirely new spin. It just didn't mesh well for me. I liked both parts independently but I felt like it abruptly changed course. The second half of the book moved quickly and kept me entertained, don't get me wrong.

Overall, an entertaining read that's definitely good for the beach or pool! 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

Big summer is about a plus size influencer Daphne Berg. Drue Cavanuaugh who was a childhood friend but not so much now. She asks Daphne to be in her wedding in Cape Cod. What starts out with wedding preparations ends up a murder mystery. It has some twists and turns and a thoroughly enjoyable book. A great summer read. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the early ARC. This is my own opinion.

I'm a huge Jennifer Weiner fan and eagerly looked forward to reading Mrs. Everything. Sadly, this is one book of hers that disappointed me.

Bethie was the favored child, pretty and sweet. Jo was the opposite of Bethie; large and awkward. She was her dad's favorite, although she really wanted and needed her mom's love, which mostly went to Bethie.

I enjoyed the competition between the two sisters, but I didn't enjoy the relationship between Jo and her mom. I also didn't enjoy the various dramas in her extended family, some of which were so bad they were criminal.

My friends really enjoyed Mrs. Everything, but I was the outlier. The author made it up in Big Summer, which I loved. I was so happy to get Jennifer Weiner back!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Atria for an honest review.

I have never been so confused about a book in a while. Honestly, I don't usually go for the "summer beach reads," but the premise sounds interesting.

The main character, Daphine, is an influencer who is not a size four and just lands a big fashion deal. Yay. That's cool. I like that realization of how influencing an online platform is all about selling yourself, and that is, in fact, a subject through the book. Fine. That plot I could deal with, and it was pretty solid for the first 50 percent of the book. Daphine gets invited/forced into being an old best friend's wedding as the maid of honor because Drue doesn't' have friends anymore. They had a massive falling out that included an online video of said fallout. It was ugly. Drue screwed everyone over, and on her wedding day, she needs to bribe and even pay people to be in the wedding party.

Anyway, it was hard to take the book seriously, and that was the point until the middle of the book changes the tone completely, and then that is when I was about to end it, but I kept reading anyway.

There is a murder, and Daphine is involved and must solve it. It just gets ridiculous, and I had a hard time caring about the plot. The book could have ended, and it would have been a nice novella.

The prologue made no sense, and whenever the novel tries to bring it into play, it just doesn't work.

I was continually pulled out of the book. I would sit there, reread a sentence, and wishing it was the first 50 percent of the book. I like taking on big ideas about selling ourselves online and being happy with yourself and removing people in our life that cause heartache. Whatever good that author did at the beginning was removed with the murder mystery plot that we suddenly have to solve.

This book is a weird beach read because it is not easy. There is a murder, which is fine but I wasn't expecting it. And it felt like two books smashed together. I am reading an ARC, so hopefully, the final/printed copy is fleshed out more.

Wow. I was not expecting this book to be what it is, at all. I went into this thinking it was a light friendship beach read. I was wrong. The twist genuinely shocked me. I didn’t see that coming at all. I appreciated the Bachelor and Murder on the Cape references. I loved the POV and character flaws and builds. Bravo on covering topics that felt relatable among circumstances that felt real. Definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read recently!! Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Daphne and Drue have a long history. When Drue inserts herself back in Daphne's life after a long absence, it causes Daphne's life to explode into chaos.

I loved part one of this book. We explore Daphne as a plus size influencer with all her past body image and bullying issues. Drue is smack in the middle of why Daphne is who she is.

But, Starting with part two, this book turns itself upside down from a women's fiction story into a murder mystery. The amount of suspended belief I needed to buy into Daphne being the detective who solves The Who done it just wasn't there. Add to the fact that there were umpteen plot twist and character reveals. Sadly, I skipped to the last chapter and found out who done it and bid farewell to this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jennifer Weiner for the opportunity to read her latest novel - loved it! 4.5 stars for a book that will make you think - especially about self-esteem and what part social media plays in that.

Daphne is a plus-size Instagram influencer and is mostly happy with her life now. But that feeling was hard won - her best friend in high school, Drue, made Daphne feel special just by being near her. So she accepted the fact that Drue was mean and used her. Until a scene in a bar one night that was filmed made Daphne rethink her life and her friendship with Drue. Fast forward six years, and Drue is back asking Daphne to come to her lavish wedding on the Cape, swearing that she's changed. But has she?

This story covers lots of topics, such as family, friendship, self-esteem, forgiveness, but there is also a mystery to solve with quite a few suspects. A good read to start the summer!

Oh, how I wanted to love this book. This is a story about a friendship that starts between two girls in high school. Two very different girls who are drawn together for very different reasons. So as you can imagine, there is plenty of drama to keep you interested in the story. I found the first half of the book to be...just okay. One snobby, entitled girl using her friend who is overweight and lacking in self-confidence. It's, sadly, a story as old as time. The girls have a huge falling out and the overweight friend starts to love herself, finding her own way in the world. Then the old friend reappears and the story takes a totally unexpected turn! I hit the halfway mark and there was a twist that I did NOT see coming. This twist kept me turning the pages until I finished the whole thing. So why only three stars? Well, there were some plot points that I thought were a little too convenient and others that I wish had more explanations and details. The book felt like it was missing some meat that would hold it all together. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a light read that you don't have to think too hard about (which is something we all need right now!)

Wow! This book blew me away!

I was expecting a light summer romance, chick lit book and it was that a little in the beginning but then took a turn. I really liked the turn and was quickly sucked into the mystery that surfaced. My jaw literally dropped when each twist came. I was caught unawares and LOVED that!

I think this book will appeal to lots of different readers, each wanting something different but getting what they need from this book, too.

Even though I work in a school library, I love to read adult books and keep up with the adult book world. I will definitely recommend this book and am already looking forward to the next Jennifer Weiner book that I get to read!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Pub Date - 5/5/2020.

3.5 stars

Daphne Berg and Drue Cavanaugh used to be best friends in high school until a huge fight ended their friendship six years ago. Now Drue is getting married and asks if Daphne will be her maid-of-honor. Noone is more shocked than Daphne. A lot has changed since their huge blow out. Daphne is now an up and coming plus-size Instagram influencer; while Drue is still as beautiful and privileged as ever. Daphne knows that Drue is used to getting whatever she wants but she also can't find it in her heart to refuse Drue. On the morning of Drue's wedding, something tragic happens and Daphne must now look deeper into Drue's family and past to find the truth about her friend.

Well, this is not the usual Jennifer Weiner book! The first half was a bit slow for me and I was skimming through some parts but once the twist came, I was hooked! It's a good story about complicated female friendships, self esteem, figure shaming and the good and bad of social media. I thought Jennifer Weiner did a really good job setting up the scenery - I could see the images in my head like a movie. Some of the mentions about social media hit close to home for me, especially the pressure on posting and engaging constantly in order to build a following. But I also agree with Daphne's view that it's a community and it's nice to find your tribe. For me, book people are the best people!

Weiner does it again! Her novels are engaging and she tells the stories of women’s lives like no other. Highly recommend for book clubs, and adult reference /book talks.

I loved this book! It took a turn I wasn't expecting and I was eager to see what happened in the end!

Big Summer follows Daphne, a plus-size social media influencer who is shocked when her ex-high school bestie begs her to be the maid-of-honor at her wedding. Hoping that her friend has changed and wants to make amends, Daphne heads to Cape Cod for the nuptials…but finds that this wedding weekend may be way more than she bargained for. This book kind of reminded me of what I imagine an episode of Gossip Girl might be like, between the Cape Cod wedding, the Upper East Side setting, and the rich-people-behaving-badly. It started as one thing and kind of went in a direction I wasn’t expecting – which was a good thing! I was really interested in seeing how it would all pan out, and I thought the social media influencer aspect was fun and current. Overall really liked this one!

Review on my blog here: https://yorkavenueblog.com/what-i-read-in-april/

This was my first Jennifer Weiner and it did not disappoint me. I went into the book thinking that it would be a typical romcom, and halfway through even thought that this book was predictable. And I was so wrong about it.

Giving any of the storyline away would spoil the unexpected twists, so I'll just mention the general things that I liked. The female friendships and their dynamics, both the good and the bad, are portrayed very well in the book. The social media world and how it affects us is also depicted well. There are a lot of themes in the book, but body issues and how we deal with them is the main theme and I liked how it wasn't preachy but mentioned things like they are - we cannot be brave all the time and sometimes in the privacy of our minds we are harsh and brutal about our own bodies. The only gripes I had were about people trying to solve mysteries on their own and how the MC's love interest got a little preachy about social media. I would have liked it if the love interest addressed the MC's body issues at least once, and found that the love interest was strangely one-dimensional in some aspects.

All in all, this is a good summer read and not your typical rom-com. It definitely made me want to read the author's other books.

I know this is an unpopular opinion but I really did not love this one. I liked the pace of the book and I enjoyed the timely themes (fat shaming, influencers, women empowerment etc) but it almost felt like two different books.

A good summer read with it all: chick lit, romance, mystery! This is my first read from this author. I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!