This book is the perfect light read anyone would expect from Jennifer Weiner. The hint of mystery in each of her books is certainly not lacking in this story. From the prologue to the very last page her writing is engaging and impeccable. The characters could be your best friend, your mom, or your newest acquaintance which make her stories feel so real with a slight element of that feeling you get from Instagram. There was nothing lacking in this novel as it was exactly what I expected from this author. Definitely add it to your Summer reading list.

I am a huge Jennifer Weiner fan- this is not my favorite book by her but it was a beautiful story about a heartbreaking subject. It is about a girl named Diana (15 years old at the time), who had a horrible thing happen to her one summer by a boy named "Poe". This went on to haunt her entire life until she was older and found out who this man truly was. It is a story about redemption, finding friendship in a very unlikely way & being brave. I would recommend.

When two women get their emails crossed, they end up meeting and forging a surprising friendship. Daisy is married with a daughter. She has her own cooking business, but feels dissatisfied with her life and can’t quite put her finger on it. Diana lives in New York, an executive at an important job, the women couldn’t be any different. But their newfound friendship forces them to shine on a light on themselves as they discover they happen to have a lot more in common than they think. I have to admit, when I first started reading this book, I thought it was going to be light and predictable. It turned out to be engrossing and much more nuanced and thought-provoking than I had expected. It’s a hard book to talk about, because I don’t want to give too much away, but it was a really interesting, thoughtful and a well-rendered read. Thank you to Atria Books for the advanced review copy.

In this novel, vaguely unhappy housewife Daisy meets the glamorous-seeming Diana after she starts receiving emails for her due to their similar email addresses - but there turns out to be way more to their paths crossing than meets the eye. The book includes both of their perspectives in the present and the past, as well as Daisy’s daughter Beatrice, taking on everything from family, friendship, Me Too, self-acceptance, and self-worth. Contrary to the title and cover illustration, this is not a fluffy beach read even though some of it takes place on Cape Cod - it is actually quite a serious book. I have been a major Jennifer Weiner fan since her very first book was published, and was thrilled to get an advanced copy of this one, coming out on 5/11/21. Although her books have always dealt with real emotions, this is definitely not the romance/chick lit of her early books, but is more similar in tone to the seriousness of her book Mrs. Everything though less historical in scope. It also happens to be one of my favorites of her books. 4.5 stars.

Jennifer Weiner excels at writing about imperfect women and this is yet another shining example of her work.

This story mostly takes place over the course of a few months with both Daisy and Diana flashing back to tell you the stories of how they got to when they meet and why they meet. I really enjoyed the story but mostly I wanted to read more about Beatrice. She by far was my favorite of all the characters!

There is a small tie-in to Weiner's last novel, Big Summer, for those that were a fan of it.

Overall it's an engaging story that was a better land for me than Big Summer but not quite the tops of my favorite novels of hers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Beautifully written story about a heartbreaking subject. When Diana was 15 years old she took a summer job as a babysitter in a beautiful home on Cape Cod. As the summer progresses she becomes close to a young man named Poe who is a few years older who is just graduating high school and is on the Cape as a last hurrah before college. What happened to Diana at the hands of Poe and his friends changes the outcome of Diana’s future and her ability to trust anyone. This book is Jennifer Weiner at her very best. Although it is a heartbreaking subject, it is written honestly and allows you to see both sides. Excellent book, highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love Jennifer Weiner! This one was a bit darker than her others, reminded me of the movie Promising Young Woman. Really enjoyed it!

I absolutely ADORED this book. Oh my goodness.

The characters were flawlessly written, and seemed so real to me at times. I honestly felt like I was in the story seeing it first hand, that's how well it was written.

I was so excited to get my hands on an early copy of her latest.
However, it took me awhile to actually get into this one. The beginning was a little boring if I’m being honest. Luckily, somewhere in the middle it picked up. Daisy (whose real name is Diana) begins getting emails meant for another Diana. Daisy is feeling lonely, after just losing her best friend so she decides to befriend this new, interesting person. They strike up a conversation and agree to meet.
The meeting was not accidental at all. Diana planned to meet Daisy all along.
That Summer Diana met Daisy’s now husband, Hal. An incident occurred changing her life forever.

Overall, I’m having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. The cover and title are definitely misleading as this is far from a summery beach read as one might think with a pink cover. Instead the book focuses heavily on the #metoo movement and specifically the Kavanaugh case. I think the subject matter is important but I wish it was brought out in a more original way instead of just copying what’s happening in the real world. The ending also just ended, without any real solution.

Better than last years book but definitely not my favorite Jennifer Weiner book.

This was a great book that relates to a lot of what is going on in the world now. Something that happens when you are young and impacts your life forever moving forward.

Trigger Warning- Sexual assault.

That Summer was a departure from the Chick Lit, beach read I was expecting. However, I enjoyed the coming of age story of the “Diana’s”.
One Diana experiences a tragic beginning and fights into her adult life to find closure from the events that shaped her. The other Diana (Daisy) has an upper/ middle class beginning and marries a lawyer who propels her into the suburban dream. Both Diana’s are searching for something they can not name, but both end up where they need to be. An emotional story that will stick with you beyond the last page.

5 stars

Having read Weiner's most recent novel and enjoyed it thoroughly, I spent exactly no time finding out what this was about in advance of requesting the arc, and I am glad that I came in clueless. This is a model I recommend for readers as the elements of surprise are one of many parts that worked well for me here. I will keep this spoiler-free and encourage you to avoid spoilers when possible.

The novel is told from alternating perspectives that include but are not limited to Daisy, Diana, and Beatrice. Like the names of these perspective holders suggest, this is very much a novel about women from different women's perspectives at distinct stages of their lives.

This is not an easy book. So much of the action here centers on a specific instance of rape, but there are constant references to women - and queer folks - being controlled and/or degraded, assaulted, and maltreated. As is the case in any work that takes on this subject matter, the great challenge is reading the work and avoiding applying your own experiences - and those of every woman you know - as you encounter the characters.

While some novels oversimplify these topics as men's and women's issues, that doesn't happen here. The characters are layered and respond distinctly not just based on their ages but on their experiences and identities. I loved the way this all came together and especially the exploration of how women's reckonings with their pasts happen when there are typical, non-celebrity folks involved and when they think about how their in/actions impact future generations. Highly recommended.

Jennifer Weiner's latest novel, That Summer is a heart-wrenching story filled with complex and vulnerable characters that completely draw you in. She keeps you hooked through an intriguing plot, wonderful writing, and deep subject material. This novel had a lot more depth than your typical beach/summer read, and I'd recommend it.

This story delves into the #MeToo movement. It is a motivating, heavy story based on the lives of 2 Dianas. This novel tackles a hard topic and gives the reader a lot to ponder. I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of That Summer in exchange for my honest opinion. While the book doesn't come out until May 11th, I was too excited to wait to devour it!
Daisy and Diana have nearly identical email addresses, and Daisy forwards exciting-sounding emails meant for Diana. A friendship forms by email, and they decide to meet in New York for a drink. So begins a story that visits the Main Line suburbs, the Outer Cape, and a prep school in New Hampshire.
I have loved Jennifer Weiner's books since I first read Good in Bed when attending college on the Main Line. I've been impressed with her recent books, moving beyond the unnecessarily negative connotation of "women's fiction." This is absolutely not a "beach read" - it's a serious look at the life-long effects of one woman being sexually assaulted at age 15. Weiner explores different generational responses to the #metoo movement, partner dynamics, and more in a story that I couldn't read fast enough.
Highly recommended - I'm sorry that you'll have to wait a few months for it to be available, but this book is well worth the wait.

That Summer is not your usual beach read, even though it is partly set in Cape Cod. This books has a heavy topic with regard to #MeToo Movement. It’s about what happens to person who is raped while having to much to drink. The book follows to women both named Diana but one has the nickname of Daisy. Their choices that they make in in their life. One that was rapCod and how she moves forward. The others one marries at a young age and is dazzled by her husband who is older and takes care of her. There worlds eventually collide. I thought the book was good but not a usual Jennifer Weiner book. Thank you To NetGalley and Atria for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

I received a copy of this through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a review.

The story takes place between Philadelphia and Cape Cod (there is a connection to Weiner's previous book, Big Summer). Diana and Daisy meet eachother after what appears to be emails sent mistakenly to Daisy. As the story progresses, we find that this may not have been a mistake and that they are connected by a dark event. This book tackles the current Me Too movement and how we as a society handle these events.

Overall, as always, I enjoyed reading this latest Jennifer Weiner book.

I always love the characters that Jennifer Weiner writes because they are always so easy to connect with, even through their flaws, and this book was no different. I loved the main characters of Diana and Daisy, and some of the supporting characters (Michael was a gem!). But overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. At first, I wasn’t sure where it was going. When I figured it out, I was more interested, but I felt like it tried to do too many things instead of doing one well. I felt like the alternating viewpoints of Diana and Daisy were great, but then I was very thrown off with why there were random perspectives from other characters. It just seemed very disjointed. Some of the characters were absolutely despicable, and I got so angry with their views. But in those cases, I know that was the point. There are a lot of important themes to this book, and I think it helped to emphasize how much trauma can affect someone, even for years after an incident. This is definitely something that we need to be more conscious of as a society, instead of pushing mental health aside and expecting people to “get over it.”

While it wasn’t my favorite of hers, I’m still glad that I read it, because I think the Diana and Daisy characters will stay with me for a long time. If you decide to pick it up, please be aware of various trigger warnings that I will post below. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for proving this advanced copy for my honest review!

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, misogyny, gaslighting, homophobia

This book certainly isn't an easy, breezy beach read. The two Dianas in this book have both suffered greatly in the hands of Hal (though in very different ways), and reading the story of them coming to terms with their pasts was difficult in places. This book is incredibly timely and tells a story that is very important. Hopefully, this book may even help some women work through their own trauma.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Wow what a powerful story! It took me some time to really get into it but halfway through I was so invested in the lives of the women in this book. This is not a fluff story. The author broaches heavy topics (rape, suicide) while telling the story of Daisy, Diana, and Daisy’s daughter Beatrice and how one summer left a lifetime of consequence for all of them. My only complaint is that the author leaves us hanging with how Beatrice coped with the final events in the story!