3.5
Jennifer Weiner is a writer whose fiction centers around the characters. Weiner is a master at creating an entire (large) cast of characters, each with a story. These stories revolve around and into each other. This was an engaging book which I found entertaining and fun. There are funny coincidences and unlikely events that occur, but it is fun fiction! Readers of family and character dramas would love this one.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner is a summer beach read about family secrets and a wedding weekend in Cape Cod to bring all the secrets out. Unfortunately, the book goes about it in a way as to be far-fetched, to try and incorporate too many elements, and to be sexually graphic (be warned!). Too much and too scattered, ultimately, this book is completely not for me.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/05/the-summer-place.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Three and a half stars for The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner. This was a breezy summer book that held my interest. In particular, I enjoyed many of the characters and doing deep dives into their past and present. The story, however, relies on way too many coincidences to feel believable and organic. But the conclusion feels satisfying, the writing is comfortable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another Jennifer Weiner novel on my next beach day. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another Jennifer Wiener novel that I devoured! She is one of my go-to authors. I was super excited to get to read this one as an ARC. This was not my favorite of hers, but it was still really good. Kept my interest throughout, and I recommend as a great beach read!

*Thank you @atriabooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review.*

I have been reading Jennifer Weiner’s novels for what seems like forever now. I don’t know if it’s me who has changed or her writing that has changed, but I feel like I’m not enjoying her more recent novels as much as I absolutely loved her earlier works. That being said, this novel is about a blended family all cooped up in a big house during the throws of COVID - there’s romance, struggle, and a big family dynamic, not to mention all the secrets they keep. One thing I must say is that I wish it was more about “the summer place,” as the title suggests.

The Summer Place reminds us that growing up shouldn’t mean growing apart

The Summer Place is a story about stories. Told from multiple POVs, we meet Sarah and Eli Danhauser, who are struggling to reconnect but are breaking under the pressure of the secrets they keep from each other. Ruby and Gabe, a young couple encouraged to fast-track their relationship by the COVID quarantine. Sam, who has always been unlucky in love, raising his young stepson after the sudden death of his wife. Veronica, the family matriarch, grappling with the loneliness of growing old. And finally, a beach house in Cape Cod at the center of it all.

As each member of the family prepares to celebrate Ruby and Gabe’s wedding at the family beach, they also start to realize they can no longer outrun their secrets. The wedding promises to be both cathartic and explosive for these characters, and the book takes us on an immersive and emotional journey across the decades and secrets the led us to the present. The Summer Place is about grief and regrets, resentment and longing, and finally coming back to love.

True to her style, Jennifer Weiner writes a creative story reflective of our times

As soon as I finished reading The Summer Place, I reread my last two reviews for Jennifer Weiner books. I remember Big Summer and That Summer as two completely different stories with the only commonality being that they take place in Cape Cod. But now I realize that, even though these books can be read as stand-alones, there is a powerful connection between the three. They are fun, fast, and flirty, and also insightful and meaningful. These are all stories about what it’s like to be a woman, society’s expectations, family pressures and other shared experiences.

In The Summer Place, we also discover new viewpoints and perspectives. The men of The Summer Place are tender, responsible and supportive of the women in their lives. In the beginning, the multiple voices might feel confusing, but it all quickly clicks into place as you get to know these lovable and relatable characters. In the end, you’ll feel renewed and hopeful. And this is why I will never pass on the opportunity to read a Jennifer Weiner book.

The Summer Place is about Sarah and her crazy family: her 22-year-old stepdaughter is engaged to her pandemic boyfriend, her mother is selling the family's Cape Cod home, her husband has been inexplicably distant, her brother is struggling with a terrible loss, not to mention her stepdaughter's mother and future mother=in-law...

SPOILER ALERT: I liked this. BUT I have a hard time with infidelity, and infidelity plays a large part in this story. It's definitely not my favorite Jennifer Weiner book.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy of The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner in exchange for an honest review. It published May 10, 2022.
The way this book started was SO interesting. Unfortunately, this book should’ve come with a warning. So much sex, I ended up skipping those parts. It ruined the book for me.

Great book, great author. I look forward to her books and this one did not disappoint. Lighthearted, easy read.

engaging and insightful, with well-crafted characters that readers will come to love. The relationships between the characters are complex and realistic, with heartwarming moments interspersed with tension and conflict.

I love a good family saga. I do wish there was a little less of the pandemic but I do see where it was needed for the backstory. This family was a mess. So much disfunction in one book. There was a ridiculous amount of infidelity from everyone. The ending could have been a little different and not just abruptly change.

This one felt all over the place - I wasn't really connecting and despite liking her previous novels, this one wasn't for me.

I love Jennifer Weiner's books and her character development. I especially love this story where the characters lives' intertwined. One of the plot-lines made me angry and I was shocked. Great beach read.

I love Jennifer Weiner and usually rave about all of her books. This one just didn't do it for me. I felt there were so many characters that it took a bit to get into them. And once I was able to, I just didn't care too much by then.

It took me three tries to get into this novel. Partly, I believe, because it includes Covid-19 and I was initially looking for an escape when I first approached the book. It is unnecessarily complex. Though elements of it are beautiful and it's wonderfully written, there was too much of it. There were at least four different plot lines that were individually compelling but I found unlikely and at times cringe-worthy. I've enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's other books, but this one was a miss for me.

Jennifer Weiner definitely writes summer reads, and this one is no exception (in case the title and/or cover is not clear!). However, it seems like she was trying to take a page from Elin Hilderbrand and not only have multiple characters give their perspective in various chapters, but also have a few chapters from "the house." This was weird.

Sarah is our main character, as she struggles with her marriage to Eli. Eli has his own issues, which get revealed in his chapters, and if he and Sarah communicated, half of this book could have been deleted.

Eli's daughter (and Sarah's step-daughter), Ruby, gets her share of chapters as she is set to be married to her boyfriend, Gabe at the beach house in the summer. It's too soon, per everyone, but again, see lack of communication.

Gabe gets chapters as does his mother Rosa. Also getting chapters is Annette, Ruby's birth mother and Sam, Sarah's twin brother. Oh and Ronnie, Sarah and Sam's mother.

There may be more, but I lost track. Anyway, there are elements of this that are completely unbelievable. (How is it possible these people are coming to a wedding but have never seen a picture of the couple???) I just struggled to get past the fact that there were unbelievable events and lack of communication used as literary devices to move the story forward. This had potential to be a good story but there were too many secrets crammed in with no suspense - just frustration at the lack of communication.

I absolutely loved this book! More family saga than beach read, The Summer Place is my favorite book of Jennifer Weiner's since Mrs. Everything. This book dealt with the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and even the relationships these characters had with themselves. Five stars!

This was my first Jennifer Weiner book! Definitely put me in vacation mode. I loved it! I would love to read more books by this author.

This book was a DNF for me. I didn't love the writing or the characters. I would recommend this book to people who love drama but it just wasn't for me.

Jennifer Weiner was always one of my go-to authors. This one was just okay for me. I’ll definitely pick up her next book but I’m not sure if it’s out of habit or if I really want to.