The Summer Place
- Downloads：5875
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-21 11:21:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Weiner
- ISBN：1797138383
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Shannon
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A drama-filled beach read。 Jennifer Weiner thoroughly developed each character leading up to the wedding weekend。 I gave it only 4 stars because it seemed like too much coincidental drama！
Daria
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Thank you Atria Books and Net Galley for the e-arc of this book！This is actually my first Weiner novel， but I enjoyed this family drama。 It’s very character-driven and at times， does feels long with the chapter style。 I enjoyed thoroughly getting to know each character and each chapter built up to the inevitable eventually happening。 It was interesting to see how all of the build-up unfolded at the end！ Being quite familiar with Cape Cod， it was a joy to read about so many places that I recogniz Thank you Atria Books and Net Galley for the e-arc of this book！This is actually my first Weiner novel， but I enjoyed this family drama。 It’s very character-driven and at times， does feels long with the chapter style。 I enjoyed thoroughly getting to know each character and each chapter built up to the inevitable eventually happening。 It was interesting to see how all of the build-up unfolded at the end！ Being quite familiar with Cape Cod， it was a joy to read about so many places that I recognized as well。 My only dislike was that I don’t think I was particularly attached to any character since there were so many decisions I couldn’t get behind or relate to。 I think that this pandemic-era novel will resonate with many people and look forward to seeing it on shelves in May！ 。。。more
Trippy Book Chic
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This book was good！ It's the third book I have read by her and I was happily surprised that it wasn't her usual love style。 It was a great quick read and she is really becoming one of my favorite writers！ This book was good！ It's the third book I have read by her and I was happily surprised that it wasn't her usual love style。 It was a great quick read and she is really becoming one of my favorite writers！ 。。。more
Rachael Hall
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Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors of all time。 Ever since I read Good In Bed （probably too young but there you have it）， I've been hooked and I've read and loved everything she's ever written。 I was very grateful to receive an early copy of her latest book， set to publish in May 2022。 Reading this book was such an enjoyable experience！Briefly， this book is about the Levy/Weinberg/Danhauser family， who are getting ready to celebrate a wedding at the site of their family home in Cape C Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors of all time。 Ever since I read Good In Bed （probably too young but there you have it）， I've been hooked and I've read and loved everything she's ever written。 I was very grateful to receive an early copy of her latest book， set to publish in May 2022。 Reading this book was such an enjoyable experience！Briefly， this book is about the Levy/Weinberg/Danhauser family， who are getting ready to celebrate a wedding at the site of their family home in Cape Cod。 The great thing about this book， is that every single character has a deep， dark secret and I am HERE for it。 You will laugh， you will cry， and you will want happy endings for all。 I highly recommend picking up "The Summer Place" as soon as you can。 It is truly a delight！ 。。。more
Stephenie
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This book had a lot going on but nothing really happening。 Let me explain。With a non-linear timeline following the secrets of multiple characters， I enjoyed the first half of the story of a blended family finding themselves after the Covid pandemic suddenly planning a wedding。 Each chapter is told from a different family member's perspective。 About halfway through， the book started to lose steam， all forward progression lost。 The different perspectives started being repetitive and I found myself This book had a lot going on but nothing really happening。 Let me explain。With a non-linear timeline following the secrets of multiple characters， I enjoyed the first half of the story of a blended family finding themselves after the Covid pandemic suddenly planning a wedding。 Each chapter is told from a different family member's perspective。 About halfway through， the book started to lose steam， all forward progression lost。 The different perspectives started being repetitive and I found myself bored with the story and frustrated that the characters were doing so little to deal with their issues。 75% through the book I found myself skimming the text。 And （SPOILER ALERT） after the second incident of possible accidental incest， I couldn't take it anymore and stopped reading。 I didn't like any of the characters and they all had such BIG issues and secrets that they were dealing with and no one was doing anything productive to resolve them！ In the end， I found this book to be a big disappointment。I appreciate the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this book， but sadly I won't be recommending this book to anyone。 。。。more
Carol
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Received as a GoodReads giveaway。 A long book - I did quite a bit of skimming， especially later in the book - with many characters and points of view and a host of improbably intertwined plot lines。 It was a lot to juggle。 Also steamier than I usually read。 But the story （uh - many stories） drew me in， and I kept reading to find out how it all resolved。
Dallas Strawn
，
Jennifer Weiner is back， baby！ This feels like her early novels， and I just found myself devouring it。 It’s a quintessential beach read， it transports you to the Cape immediately and IT’S ALL THERE: sex， gossip， big lies， long kept secrets， and one very very messy family that is planning a wedding in under 3 months， coming off of a “lockdown relationship。”I have been so hit or miss with novels where the author chooses to set there novel in a “C19 World” or “Post C19 World”; and this one worked f Jennifer Weiner is back， baby！ This feels like her early novels， and I just found myself devouring it。 It’s a quintessential beach read， it transports you to the Cape immediately and IT’S ALL THERE: sex， gossip， big lies， long kept secrets， and one very very messy family that is planning a wedding in under 3 months， coming off of a “lockdown relationship。”I have been so hit or miss with novels where the author chooses to set there novel in a “C19 World” or “Post C19 World”; and this one worked for me。 It’s set in 2021， and the main characters are moving on with their lives post pandemic， Ruby and Gabe fell in love during lockdown， and are now getting married at her step-mom’s mother’s “summer place” on the Cape， but so many revelations will occur on the page in the lead up to the wedding， there’s Ruby’s father haunted by something he did in his past， Ruby’s step-mom running into an old flame， Ruby’s uncle coming to terms with his sexuality， Ruby’s step-grandma dealing with some personal issues， and Ruby’s birth mother coming back into her life。 Like I said， it’s a MESSY MESSY family。。。。。but they all have their points of view， and if there’s nothing Jennifer Weiner does better， it’s creating these vividly described characters and giving them utter life and a full story。 It lends to a much longer book than it needs to be， The Summer Place is a chunky 432 pages。。。。。。but it’s just so refreshing and truly a great summer read。 4。5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Danielle B
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Sarah Danhauser is totally caught off guard when her stepdaughter Ruby announces she is engaged to be married and the date is only 3 months away。 Ruby has already asked permission from Sarah’s mother， Veronica， to have the wedding at the family beach house in Cape Cod。 As the family starts to gather it is apparent that all of them are dealing with their own battles。 Veronica faces some very unexpected news。 Sarah’s husband， Eli， must confront a lapse of good judgment from years ago。 And Sarah fa Sarah Danhauser is totally caught off guard when her stepdaughter Ruby announces she is engaged to be married and the date is only 3 months away。 Ruby has already asked permission from Sarah’s mother， Veronica， to have the wedding at the family beach house in Cape Cod。 As the family starts to gather it is apparent that all of them are dealing with their own battles。 Veronica faces some very unexpected news。 Sarah’s husband， Eli， must confront a lapse of good judgment from years ago。 And Sarah faces and unexpected reappearance of someone from her past。THE SUMMER PLACE is a tale of an imperfect， large family with all of the messy details exposed。 Another perfect beach read from expert writer， Jennifer Weiner。 I found this to be a quick and easy read with plenty of high drama and interesting twists to keep you fully engaged。 The multiple points of view were great and they gave great insight into the characters’ minds。 I always look forward to the next Jennifer Weiner book after finishing one up！ Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review。This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog （@coffee。break。book。reviews） in the near future。 。。。more
Leslie
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I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I received an ARC from Netgalley。 This is about a family in post-pandemic life。 Every chapter is about a different character。 There are a lot of secrets and regrets and Complicated family dynamics。 Sometimes it’s a little far fetched， but somehow it all works。 There is a little Encanto house element， but that is actually not the most far fetched plot point。 I liked the idea of looking at life with COVID in the rearview mirror… how the stress I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I received an ARC from Netgalley。 This is about a family in post-pandemic life。 Every chapter is about a different character。 There are a lot of secrets and regrets and Complicated family dynamics。 Sometimes it’s a little far fetched， but somehow it all works。 There is a little Encanto house element， but that is actually not the most far fetched plot point。 I liked the idea of looking at life with COVID in the rearview mirror… how the stress and trauma and non-stop togetherness left an impact on everyone and in different ways， often exposing cracks in foundations。 That being said， this book was way longer than it needed to be。 A few times， the same story was told twice， but from different perspectives。 I found myself skipping a lot of pages just to get to the point。 Overall， a quick read and I did enjoy it。 。。。more
Chantel
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I teeter between concluding that this book sought to reinforce that either good people can make bad decisions or， that every person in the universe of this story was a bad person disguised by the guilt that kept them in line throughout long periods of time。 Due to my personal opinions which are reinforced by my values as a living， breathing human being in the non-fictional world， I will affirm that people can be innately regarded as good。 However， responsibility should be taken for our decisions I teeter between concluding that this book sought to reinforce that either good people can make bad decisions or， that every person in the universe of this story was a bad person disguised by the guilt that kept them in line throughout long periods of time。 Due to my personal opinions which are reinforced by my values as a living， breathing human being in the non-fictional world， I will affirm that people can be innately regarded as good。 However， responsibility should be taken for our decisions & if we find ourselves not agreeing with what we chose to do， then we might seek out choices which reinforce who we are trying to be; i。e。 mistakes do not define a person completely nor does any one good action pardon a lifetime of pain。 With that being said allow me to introduce you to the array of characters which litter this book with their redundant & flamboyantly ignorant mistakes。 The Summer Place is written in three （3） parts， each of which is separated by the advancement of time; the plot moving forward towards the culminating event which is the anticipated wedding between Ruby & Gabe。 On the bride’s side we have: Eli （father）， Annette （mother）， Sarah （step-mother）， two half-brothers whose names I cannot recall， Veronica/Ronnie （grandmother）， Lee （grandfather）， Ari （paternal uncle）， Sam （maternal uncle）， Connor （cousin）。 On the groom’s side we have: Rosa （mother）， Amanda （aunt）。 As well， there are an array of tertiary characters such as Connor’s paternal grandfather， father & mother， some past love interests for Sam， Owen， some past love interests for Ronnie， etc。 There were a lot of people in this story。 I highlight the number of characters who made appearances in this book not because I found the number obnoxious but rather， for opposing reasons。 I really enjoyed the amount of people who came through the pages & brought to the story some form of authenticity。 Weiner truly did her utmost to ensure that every character that we knew by name was more than the physical description they were given; these were people who， though for some， we saw only through the eyes of another & in very small doses， were granted enough substance for us to believe that they were living a full life。 This is something I want to praise very highly because it was the main reason I kept reading for as long as I did。 This book is centered around a handful of people & Weiner writes a chapter for each of them; they have their first person point of view expressed from a personal standpoint & by so doing we are able to fully grasp their feelings & reactions in a genuine way。 I will admit that this method of approaching character dialogue did render the chapters very， very， long。 As someone who seeks to finish a chapter before putting down a book， this was a bit of a negative aspect as there were so many pages per chapter that the reading segments really dragged on。 Which leads me to my next point。 The redundancy in events was excruciating。 Due to there being an obscene number of active characters in this story I will keep my critique centered around a few specific people。 Eli， for example， continues to ramble about the possibility of Gabe being his biological child for every chapter which he narrates。 This is a man in his 50’s yet we have to read about him questioning the biological connection between him & this other person for the entire story。 I highlight his age here because having had， what we can assume as being， a great deal of life experience， one would think that Eli would simply do the math & deduce that Gabe was not his child。 Given the fact that we know Gabe grew-up with an impoverished single parent who relied very heavily on the support of her family to raise her child， it’s not far fetched to assume that Gabe would have told Ruby had he been a premature baby。 This aspect would have increased the difficulties that he & his mother encountered while she was trying to provide basic needs for her child。 As this was never brought-up， ever， & because Gabe is a solid four （4） months younger than Ruby - why do we have to continuously read about a situation which is pointless to dwell on？Also， if Eli was worried that Ruby was having incestuous relations with a person that could possibly be her biological brother， would it not be more important to tell her to not have sexual relations with this person rather than focus on the ego wound that would ensue from saying that Eli slept with someone else during his relationship with Annette？ This leads me to my next point， monstrous self-absorption。 I admit that I wanted to like this character from the very start。 She seemed to be well-rounded & held a hopeful view of life。 How very unfortunate for me when very early in the book her true colours began to shine through to an extent which made me confused。 First of all， Sarah has been married to Eli for 15 years & he uncharacteristically is going through a difficult time emotionally。 How do we know this？ Because Sarah repeatedly tells the reader that Eli is not as attentive to her & her needs as he was throughout the bulk of their relationship。 Are you telling me that the basis to which you calculate the well-being of your life partner is by their ability to be there， uncompromisingly， for you & not，… say， their general overall behaviour towards themselves， their hobbies， their employment， etc？ Why is him not being able to emotionally hold the bag for you the reason you’re going to ask him to sleep in another room？ Is Sarah so incompetent as a person that she cannot be patient & kind towards the man that she describes as being the ideal partner？ I suppose one might regard this situation as a breadcrumb amongst the loaf。 One might say that Sarah is using this marker as an outwards example so that the reader might better understand why she’s so frustrated & why she subsequently jumps at the occasion to have sex with a person she knew when she was 18…。yet， I think that’s a load of bull。 You do not just abandon the person you claim to love because they’re having a rough time， for the first & only time in over 15 years。 Let me highlight that this emotional time was taking place during a pandemic so， one might be in the right to assume that many people were going through difficult times。 The fact that Sarah cannot comprehend that Eli is an emotionally complex person， such as herself， & might be having a difficult time expressing his emotions， is frustrating， to say the least。 I really lost full interest in her character when she throws her marriage out the window when Eli does not come out & tell her what is bothering him the first time she asks。 We never see her attempt legitimate conversations with him。 We read about her wanting to have sex with her husband but never sitting with him while he’s outwardly displaying sentiments of distress。 For whatever array of flaws Eli does have， he is a family man & obviously wants to be in the family he has。 He deliberately denounces having an affair & yet Sarah cannot comprehend that someone she loves might be sad so， she goes out & decides to do whatever she wants， to serve her own self-interest， rather than put forth any level of effort to be present in the life of someone she’s invested 15+ years with。 Wild。 I want to give Sarah the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Owen。 As someone who has never been in love I will admit that I cannot possibly speak on her total & all encompassing infatuation with a person she knew over 10 years ago， for a couple months。 Yet， I find myself confused about the entire ordeal。 How little must you have going on to spend your entire adult life thinking about someone you knew for all of 5 minutes eons ago？ Again， maybe I’m just not getting it so perhaps many other readers will come to this point in the story & state that it was wonderfully well-done & that love never leaves the heart; like a memory that haunts the conscience。 I appreciated the way Weiner approached the topic of children; adopted， biological & surrogate （in any way）。 I appreciated reading a story in which the main focus， throughout all the mass hysteria was to ensure that every child had a fighting chance to be the person they were & not be bogged-down by the issues that every adult person was encountering。 This is a very important piece of the plot & a very valuable part of the story。 Though I admit that Connor’s storyline was dramatic & incredibly sad， the fact of the matter remains; we saw a person （Sam） sit with himself & seek to provide this child （Connor） with a healthy life in every way possible。 It’s important that these dramatic storylines not neglect the fact that children carry the burden of adult problems more frequently than one might like to admit。 Seeing adult people try & settle their issues while granting their children the freedom of ignorance， the sentiment of safety & the environment to be a kid， was wonderful & I applaud Weiner for reinforcing that point。 When all is said & done this is a highly dramatic plot。 If you do not want to read about a handful of cheaters cheating on their partners， exploring their sexuality， having children， experiencing death， working through familial relationships， talking about personal issues， etc; I would advise you to steer clear。 This is a story that packs a heavy punch。 There is a lot going on & people don’t always （or nearly ever） act in logical ways。 Everything is overblown， people don’t always seek to express themselves & things get lost in the sauce， which I admit is one thing I truly dislike about stories （point finale）。 However， Weiner is a good author。 Every character had a distinct voice， the scenes were clearly set & the imagery was detailed & all encompassing。 It was evident that this author put in effort into ensuring that， however flawed her characters were， they were real people in this story & we got a true glimpse into their lived realities。 Sure， many of the things that happened in this book were ridiculous。 Sarah deciding on a limb to have an affair with someone she hadn’t seen for 10+ years because her husband was closed-off; Sam having sexual relations with Gabe on the night when Ruby left him a break-up note， Rosa ignoring Eli because she can’t be an adult & have an adult conversation; Eli lying to Annette so he could have a child; Annette blaming Eli for birthing a child that she knew she wouldn’t be able to emotionally care for， etc。 But， I guess if you can look past some of the more extraordinarily wild things that happen， you might enjoy this book。 As for myself， there was too much of too many random & ignorant things happening for me to forge a connection with any particular character which might leave me feeling fondly about the story itself。 I really truly enjoyed the way the book was written & for that， I allocate it’s own star because it was very enjoyable up until about the middle point of Part 2。 Regardless of that， this was a weird & interesting， bizarre & enthralling story which would indeed be a good summer read。 Thank you to NetGalley， Atria Books & Jennifer Weiner for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！#TheSummerPlace #NetGalley 。。。more
Dianne
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This is a gloriously typical beach read sure to entertain fans of authors like Mary Kay Andrews （with a lot more spice）， Kristen Higgins， or Susan Mallery。 It has a little more hanky-panky （very descriptive） than I like， but the rest of the book is just filled with enough angst， affairs， family secrets， lies， and illness to make a beach-read lover swoon。Intrigue， the questioning of sexuality， the wokeness， possible incest （or not！）， father/or not father。 Oh my， I could just keep going on， and th This is a gloriously typical beach read sure to entertain fans of authors like Mary Kay Andrews （with a lot more spice）， Kristen Higgins， or Susan Mallery。 It has a little more hanky-panky （very descriptive） than I like， but the rest of the book is just filled with enough angst， affairs， family secrets， lies， and illness to make a beach-read lover swoon。Intrigue， the questioning of sexuality， the wokeness， possible incest （or not！）， father/or not father。 Oh my， I could just keep going on， and that is just the first half of the book！The last part of this book starts with more adultery， questioning of parenthood， and wedding plans。 Then even more adultery。It is interesting that the author chose to make the pandemic and its aftermath part of the story and to blame a few of the family problems on it。This book has mostly exceptionally long chapters， which is a bit of a problem for someone like me who just has to read to the end of a chapter before doing anything else！You might be asking yourself why I didn't give this book a better rating when so many other early reviewers loved it， the fact is that I saw this book for what it was （but this is only MY opinion） and I felt that what it was was a bunch of people that couldn't keep their reproductive organs in their pants。 Okay， so some of them weren't lying; they just were volunteering the entire truths！！！It wasn't a horrible book and as I said it will make someone with a different outlook on life than mine， a wonderful beach read。 。。。more
Caroline Hedges
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I have been a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner’s for many years and have enjoyed her sharp witted， humorous heroines of her earlier novels through to the more edgy， mature women of her later novels。 Certainly the last couple have taken on a newer， darker edge and have lost some of that wit， cheek and laughter of her earlier novels。 That doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed them just as much， we are all older and I have loved growing older with her characters。There is a line in this book that has stuck with I have been a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner’s for many years and have enjoyed her sharp witted， humorous heroines of her earlier novels through to the more edgy， mature women of her later novels。 Certainly the last couple have taken on a newer， darker edge and have lost some of that wit， cheek and laughter of her earlier novels。 That doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed them just as much， we are all older and I have loved growing older with her characters。There is a line in this book that has stuck with me since “A mother is only as happy as her least happy child。” How true is this statement！ I feel this every time I see my daughters anxiety levels peak or my sons disappointment for a non-perfect score on a test。 It doesn’t matter how amazing my day has been， their sadness becomes my sadness。 I believe all mothers want to take the pain away and hide their children from the hurt that will inevitably come， That is what the core of this novel is all about。Weiner has had a tough couple of years and I can’t imagine how it feels to lose a mum。。 these losses have given her novels a depth and poignancy that weren’t there before。 Her mother and daughter are superb， thoughtfully explored and imperfect as all relationships are。Bravo to another beautiful read。Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
CaraDico
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*Thank you to Jennifer Weiner， Atria books， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*'The Summer Place' by Jennifer Weiner explores complicated relationships in many forms; infidelity， bisexuality， motherhood and the messiness of marriage。 There are so many layers to this one that sometimes it is hard to keep straight what is actually happening。 There is Gabe and Ruby， a young couple right out of college， who decide to get married。 Eli and Sarah， Father and Stepmother to Ruby， w *Thank you to Jennifer Weiner， Atria books， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*'The Summer Place' by Jennifer Weiner explores complicated relationships in many forms; infidelity， bisexuality， motherhood and the messiness of marriage。 There are so many layers to this one that sometimes it is hard to keep straight what is actually happening。 There is Gabe and Ruby， a young couple right out of college， who decide to get married。 Eli and Sarah， Father and Stepmother to Ruby， who are facing their own challenges。 And Sam， a new widower， who is questioning his own sexuality。 This book had it all; drama， steam， raw relationships， infidelity and a woman facing her own mortality as she tries to bring her family together。 A complicated but excellent novel that only Jennifer Weiner could write。 What a ride！ 。。。more
Monique
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I really liked this story。 Truth be told it took me a little time to get invested in the characters， but once I did I was hooked。 Each character's story was interesting， and led somewhere in which they were dealing with inner feelings that made their actions so believable。 Especially so because they were coming out of the same Covid pandemic that we were。 The coincidences in the story seemed far fetched at times， but again added to the intricacies and beauty of the story。 The part I enjoyed the I really liked this story。 Truth be told it took me a little time to get invested in the characters， but once I did I was hooked。 Each character's story was interesting， and led somewhere in which they were dealing with inner feelings that made their actions so believable。 Especially so because they were coming out of the same Covid pandemic that we were。 The coincidences in the story seemed far fetched at times， but again added to the intricacies and beauty of the story。 The part I enjoyed the most was the theme of women。 Each woman in this story was dealing with something that was set in motion by a previous woman， their mothers。 I can relate of course， but found that the inner strength， confidence and self awareness that each woman （the men too， I suppose） was super relatable！！！ Another winner from Jennifer Weiner。 。。。more
Karen
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When Ruby and Gabe announce that they have set a date for their wedding， Sarah is thoroughly surprised but smiles as a good stepmother should。 It will be held at her childhood summer home on Cape Cod。 Eli apparently has little to say。 The dependable， handsome endodontist - who would normally have an opinion regarding his only daughter getting married at 22 - can barely pay attention to the conversation。 Gabe is lovely and has spent a year during the pandemic living with the Danhausers in Brookly When Ruby and Gabe announce that they have set a date for their wedding， Sarah is thoroughly surprised but smiles as a good stepmother should。 It will be held at her childhood summer home on Cape Cod。 Eli apparently has little to say。 The dependable， handsome endodontist - who would normally have an opinion regarding his only daughter getting married at 22 - can barely pay attention to the conversation。 Gabe is lovely and has spent a year during the pandemic living with the Danhausers in Brooklyn while he and Ruby finished college online。 But Gabe resembles a sweet overenthusiastic puppy with little direction and zero skills unlike Ruby who has always been a determined， focused student。 Sarah cannot understand how Eli has changed over the past year。 It’s clear they were all getting on each others nerves during quarantine but she and their two young boys have forged ahead while everything Eli does grates on her very last nerve。 Wondering whether her husband is having a midlife crisis， an affair or both - Sarah is at her wits end to save their marriage as she plans Ruby’s。 Out at the beach Sarah is constantly reminded of the power of first love， the loss of her father and conflicting childhood memories of her own mother。 The Cape Cod home， with its big beating heart is at the very center of the Danhausers lives。 Three generations face many of life’s difficult decisions and reveal the untold secrets that challenge the true meaning of family。 Drama with a dash of humor at its best， another winner by Jennifer Weiner。 Available May 10， 2022。 。。。more
SueK
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Thanks to Net Galley for the review copy。Always a delight to read Jennifer Weiner。 She writes the kind of books that cause me to postpone whatever looming chore is hounding me， or to race to an appointment because I thought I could read just a little more before leaving。 I found myself waking in the night， and deciding to read just a little more。。。 not because there was a rush to finish， but because I found myself enjoying spending time with this family。In The Summer Place， we find a real family Thanks to Net Galley for the review copy。Always a delight to read Jennifer Weiner。 She writes the kind of books that cause me to postpone whatever looming chore is hounding me， or to race to an appointment because I thought I could read just a little more before leaving。 I found myself waking in the night， and deciding to read just a little more。。。 not because there was a rush to finish， but because I found myself enjoying spending time with this family。In The Summer Place， we find a real family with a fair share of secrets and dysfunction。 The mistakes and secrets are human， normal and relatable。 While not as compelling as some of Weiner's other recent work， still fully enjoyable and timely。Read the acknowledgements。 。。。more
Julia
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Jennifer Weiner does it again！The best way I can describe The Summer Place is family drama on steroids。 Centered on the Weinberg-Levy family who summers on Cape Cod， the book jumps from character to character， each of whom has a BIG SECRET。 The upcoming wedding of Ruby， the adult stepdaughter of Sarah， is the core event around which the book revolves， but the real magic is learning about the characters and their backstories。 Throughout the book are interstitials told from the Cape Cod house's pe Jennifer Weiner does it again！The best way I can describe The Summer Place is family drama on steroids。 Centered on the Weinberg-Levy family who summers on Cape Cod， the book jumps from character to character， each of whom has a BIG SECRET。 The upcoming wedding of Ruby， the adult stepdaughter of Sarah， is the core event around which the book revolves， but the real magic is learning about the characters and their backstories。 Throughout the book are interstitials told from the Cape Cod house's perspective， where the house animates to worry about the dysfunctional family that it has known and loved for generations。 And yes， there is a connection to the last Cape Cod book， which is a fun Easter Egg for die-hard Weiner fans。 （Wait， are we Wein-hards？）。 At first， I was a bit nervous that this book was just going to be too much。 The POV of the house struck me as odd at the beginning， and there are a couple of plot divets （not really holes but just。。。bumps that I felt didn't make a ton of sense） that bothered me in the early chapters。 But those were quickly blown to smithereens once I really settled in and let this wild， topsy turvy book take me on its insane ride without resistance。 I really feel like this is one of the wildest stories Weiner has ever written and I love how she still manages to surprise me after many years of devouring her books。 I really loved how the book dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic。 I am one of those people who enjoys reading fiction set during this awful time period。 I guess I just am a glutton for punishment。 But it was really interesting how Weiner dealt with the minutiae of having to be in forced proximity to one's family during a pandemic。 I can literally hear Eli's orthopedic flip flops going up and down the stairs。。。I also loved Sarah and Ruby's relationship， which was a really sweet and realistic portrayal of a stepmom/stepchild relationship。 But the character who fascinated me the most was Annette， even though we don't see her very much。 Annette is someone who left her child when that child was a baby and I thought Weiner's exploration of a character who is an ineffectual mother was honest， empathetic， and nuanced。 Bravo。 This book publishes in May， just in time for beach reading season。 Have a blast--I definitely did！ 。。。more
VickiTori
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The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner is a book that follows a family of 3 generations that goes back and forth between the past and the present。 The present day time frame occurs during the different phases of Covid， which touches on how the initial quarantine and close quarters impacts this family which contributes to how things unfold。 At center stage， the book is about the wedding of 22 year old Ruby which will take place at her step-grandmothers lovely Cape Cod beach home。 You’ll get to read The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner is a book that follows a family of 3 generations that goes back and forth between the past and the present。 The present day time frame occurs during the different phases of Covid， which touches on how the initial quarantine and close quarters impacts this family which contributes to how things unfold。 At center stage， the book is about the wedding of 22 year old Ruby which will take place at her step-grandmothers lovely Cape Cod beach home。 You’ll get to read about a variety of characters and how the choices they’ve made in the past and the present impacts themselves and the family they love。 It’s a solid story， far fetched at times for sure， but hey it’s a story about family drama。 Sometimes the juicier the better when it comes to fiction。 It does get a little convoluted at times with so many characters and their stories and perspectives on events。 But nothing that significantly interrupts the continuity of the book。 I feel like the characters were decently fleshed out。 I was rooting for them， but I enjoyed some more than others…。looking at you Eli。 Most of the family’s issues could’ve been solved with a little thing called communication， but this family clearly lacks that skill set。 I enjoyed this book。 It was a fast read。 Decently well paced。 I’d recommend it to my friends who enjoy this author and this genre。 Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC！ 。。。more
Julie
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This book was a mixed bag for me。 On the one hand， I was engaged enough that it kept me reading on to see how all of the various situations would play out， but on the other hand it felt like it was trying to do too much， like it was running in too many directions。 I think it could have been more engrossing and less scattered if it cut down on its elements （be they narrative structure flare， plot points， etc） by 20%。 For example， the book is divided into 3 sections （which as far as I can tell onl This book was a mixed bag for me。 On the one hand， I was engaged enough that it kept me reading on to see how all of the various situations would play out， but on the other hand it felt like it was trying to do too much， like it was running in too many directions。 I think it could have been more engrossing and less scattered if it cut down on its elements （be they narrative structure flare， plot points， etc） by 20%。 For example， the book is divided into 3 sections （which as far as I can tell only served to indicate jumps forward in time）， but at the beginning of each is a short piece from the perspective of the house。 I found that forced， hokey， and strange。 It didn't add anything to the book， but it took me out of the story because it felt so out of place。 I think the book was fundamentally trying to explore some of the complex relational and family dynamics that emerged or were exacerbated by COVID and the social isolation that it caused。 Some of the observations and emotions felt valid and realistic， others felt comically exaggerated to the point that some key plot points weren't actually believable。 The book also moves between so may people's perspectives that there's a loss in continuity。 The changes in narrator felt like a crutch for illuminating pieces of the story that could have been elucidated （or cut） in other ways for greater impact。 I say all of this realizing that a lot of people will probably really like this book。 It conjures emotions that will make people feel seen， it describes a pandemic experience that is relatable， it explores dynamics that people will be drawn towards。 For me， though， it was trying to do too many things and did none of them with finesse or subtlety。 It may also have been a bit too soon for me to read pandemic fiction--if you're not ready to look at stories of the pandemic （albeit not tragic ones， generally a fairly glossy version） then hold off on this。 。。。more
MandM
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What a blast of a summer beach read。 Oh the tangles webs they weave！
Carol Dass
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This was a most delightful story！ It is a great family drama， with secrets， betrayals， lots of love and forgiveness。 The characters are real with real flaws and looking for their place in the world and in their family。 My favorite part is discovering that the house， the summer place， had thoughts of its own。 It does not want its owner to sell， it wants the place kept as is， for all the future family to use。 Simply a beautiful story！I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book。 Al This was a most delightful story！ It is a great family drama， with secrets， betrayals， lots of love and forgiveness。 The characters are real with real flaws and looking for their place in the world and in their family。 My favorite part is discovering that the house， the summer place， had thoughts of its own。 It does not want its owner to sell， it wants the place kept as is， for all the future family to use。 Simply a beautiful story！I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Mary Mellgren
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When Sarah Danhauser’s stepdaughter Ruby announces her engagement everyone is shocked。 She and her fiancé lived at her house during the pandemic and think they are ready for marriage。 She wants to get married at Sarah’s family beach house much to the delight of Sarah’s mom。 She is excited to bring together Sarah and her brother Sam and their families。 Every adult family member is keeping secrets that is dividing them。 Can this wedding bring everyone together or drive everyone apart！
BHK
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Another stunning novel by the talented Jennifer Weiner！ I look forward to each and every release and The Summer Place was no exception。 The depth and dimension of all the characters was outstanding！ So many details and back stories， I loved it。 Now take all of these characters and put them in one Cape Cod house and their secrets and scandalous drama bubble over！ Excellent read and highly recommend。
Molly Ahonen
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4。5 but we’ll go ahead and round upI won this early release through a Goodreads Giveaway and I’m so， so grateful I did！ This was like an awesome family drama I could binge read。 I truly could have finished it in a day or two had it not been for having kids 🤪 but it really was very entertaining。 Normally when authors bounce between the characters I end up loving one and dreading having to read the other characters but in this book I liked them all in their own way （which is good because there is 4。5 but we’ll go ahead and round upI won this early release through a Goodreads Giveaway and I’m so， so grateful I did！ This was like an awesome family drama I could binge read。 I truly could have finished it in a day or two had it not been for having kids 🤪 but it really was very entertaining。 Normally when authors bounce between the characters I end up loving one and dreading having to read the other characters but in this book I liked them all in their own way （which is good because there is quite the cast of characters）。 But overall， fun， heartfelt， and worth the read。 。。。more
Jennifer Wifler
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The Summer Place was exactly what the doctor ordered！ Jennifer Weiner delivered yet another novel/high brow beach read！ The characters in this book were developed enough to allow the reader to relate to and evolve with the story line， complex enough to draw the reader in for the duration of the story line， while easy enough to understand their role in the story lines。 I found myself wondering how on earth Weiner was going to "land the plane" at the end of the book， however most of the loose ends The Summer Place was exactly what the doctor ordered！ Jennifer Weiner delivered yet another novel/high brow beach read！ The characters in this book were developed enough to allow the reader to relate to and evolve with the story line， complex enough to draw the reader in for the duration of the story line， while easy enough to understand their role in the story lines。 I found myself wondering how on earth Weiner was going to "land the plane" at the end of the book， however most of the loose ends were tied up as the book was completed， I would be interested to know if the author plans for a continuation of the plot as there were enough unresolved story lines to allow for an additional book/series and I'm curious to see how/if she progresses Sarah's indiscretions that seemed slightly unresolved at the end of the book。。。。。hopefully intentionally！Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced readers copy of this book！ All opinions expressed are authentic and my own。 。。。more
Julie
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When twenty-two year old Ruby announces her engagement， her parents are shocked。 The wedding venue has even been picked out—her grandma’s beach house in Cape Cod， which is booked for a wedding 3 months away！ The event brings together Ruby’s mother Annette—who abandoned her as a child。 And if that’s not enough drama， it seems that her father is hiding a secret of his own。 As the family begins to come together for this big event， it seems that nearly every character has a secret that they are keep When twenty-two year old Ruby announces her engagement， her parents are shocked。 The wedding venue has even been picked out—her grandma’s beach house in Cape Cod， which is booked for a wedding 3 months away！ The event brings together Ruby’s mother Annette—who abandoned her as a child。 And if that’s not enough drama， it seems that her father is hiding a secret of his own。 As the family begins to come together for this big event， it seems that nearly every character has a secret that they are keeping until the wedding。 With all the twists and turns of this plot， it will be an event to remember！I loved The Summer Place， and found it to be the perfect beach read。 The characters were interesting， like able， and well-developed。 The author also did an excellent job weaving in a variety of challenging situations that the characters had to overcome。 The book should have come with a mascara alert on the cover， however—it was hard not to feel the pain and struggle along with the characters in a couple places in the book。 There were definitely some fun highs and lows。 Overall it was a really good read， and I’m already looking forward to her next book。 。。。more
Sally Nimmo
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The Summer PlaceThere are several family members to keep track of … mom， daughter， son， son in law， step granddaughter and her fiance; each of whom have alternating chapters devoted to them。 What seems to be the common denominator is … cheating on one’s significant other … and experiencing stereotypical Jewish guilt。 Plus， good Lord， there are coincidences galore。 I could almost picture the author secretly laughing to herself as she came up with each preposterous situation。 So， that being said， The Summer PlaceThere are several family members to keep track of … mom， daughter， son， son in law， step granddaughter and her fiance; each of whom have alternating chapters devoted to them。 What seems to be the common denominator is … cheating on one’s significant other … and experiencing stereotypical Jewish guilt。 Plus， good Lord， there are coincidences galore。 I could almost picture the author secretly laughing to herself as she came up with each preposterous situation。 So， that being said， I didn’t hate it， but didn’t love it either。Thank you NetGalley and publisher for offering me the opportunity to read and review。 。。。more
Sarah
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The whole author who sold her book to become a movie trope seemed a little too much like her previous book （And herself） But not so much as a Maria Semple book。 There was enough characters and diversity that I found myself able to see myself in aspects of both of Ruby's mothers。 Not to mention that this book is so relevant that it takes place during the pandemic。 One thing I didn't like was that two people under 40 were called middle aged。 Excuse me？ Otherwise once we were let in on all the doub The whole author who sold her book to become a movie trope seemed a little too much like her previous book （And herself） But not so much as a Maria Semple book。 There was enough characters and diversity that I found myself able to see myself in aspects of both of Ruby's mothers。 Not to mention that this book is so relevant that it takes place during the pandemic。 One thing I didn't like was that two people under 40 were called middle aged。 Excuse me？ Otherwise once we were let in on all the double lives and double crossing， things started to pick up and by the end I found myself needing to find out what happened。 。。。more
Lindsey Lindsay
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This was such a fun read！ I literally could not put it down—I read through dinner and as soon as I came home。 Jennifer Weiner writes fun， well-developed， and complex characters that feel like friends you know in real life。 The family dynamics here were both frustrating and hilarious; as a Shakespeare fan I also loved the multiple allusions to A Midsummer Night Dream; by the end， I was compulsively reading to see what would happen （and if my suspicions were proved correct！）。 I also loved the inte This was such a fun read！ I literally could not put it down—I read through dinner and as soon as I came home。 Jennifer Weiner writes fun， well-developed， and complex characters that feel like friends you know in real life。 The family dynamics here were both frustrating and hilarious; as a Shakespeare fan I also loved the multiple allusions to A Midsummer Night Dream; by the end， I was compulsively reading to see what would happen （and if my suspicions were proved correct！）。 I also loved the interludes with the development of the titular character， serving as the keeper of family memory and histories。 Really， really fun！ 。。。more
Donna Beiderman
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