Monday, April 27, 2020

Book Review and Giveaway: Big Summer

By Melissa Amster

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

A sparkling novel about the complexities of female relationships, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart,
Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I've been a fan of Jennifer Weiner's writing ever since I picked up Good in Bed in 2002. I always know that I'll get a high quality novel when I see her name on the cover. While last year's novel, Mrs. Everything, was a heavier story, Big Summer gets back to the (somewhat) lighter side. If you liked Good in Bed, Best Friends Forever, and/or Goodnight Nobody, you will definitely enjoy this novel!

I was drawn into this novel right away and it kept me engaged and entertained the entire time. There was even a mystery aspect to it, which added to the excitement. I didn't even see that part coming either. I liked the use of social media to carry the story along, in terms of how people present themselves online and what it means to be an influencer in this day and age. The descriptions of people, locations, food, and clothing (even though I am not up to date with fashion labels) enhanced the story even more. It speaks volumes about body shaming, as well. I was so angry reading the part with Daphne's Nana.

This was a great story about a complicated friendship and whether or not people can change from who they used to be. Some of it reminded me of Mean Girls. I enjoyed it thoroughly and had fun getting to know Daphne, Drue, and some of the secondary characters. It's the perfect summer read and a great escape from our current reality.

Movie casting suggestions:
Daphne: Jillian Bell
Drue: Rebecca Rittenhouse
Darshi: Vella Lovell
Nick: Steven Strait
Aditya: Himesh Patel
Leela: JuJu Chan

Thanks to Atria for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy to give away!


How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here

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Giveaway ends May 3rd at midnight EST.

More by Jennifer Weiner:

27 comments:

Linda May said...

Facebook has made a big difference in my life, it's a way to reach out to family and friends. I've been able to get in touch with classmates from high school. Thanks for this great giveaway, I've heard alot of great things about this book.

JeanneK said...

Facebook has made a big difference in my life because it has opened up the door for me to reconnect with old friends and family, to learn and discover new authors and books, to find out about current events and happenings and so much more. But now more than ever with the COVID-19 happening everywhere around us, I turn to Facebook when I’m feeling scared, vulnerable and alone, I turn to Facebook to see a humorous story, read a review of a new book, interact with friends and escape what is going on around me. So thank you Facebook! ❤️

Nina said...

Social media has both positively and negatively affected my life. It has allowed me to connect with friends, family, and wonderful strangers. It has also brought on more pressures and anxiety. Overall, I'm thankful for what it has brought me.

Jess said...

Social media has been a great way to keep in touch with far flung friends and to follow my more niche hobbies. I'm especially using Twitter a lot right now during this pandemic to follow the quickly changing news.

traveler said...

Facebook is new for me and I have discovered a great deal about friends and family.

Carla S. said...

Using social media I can keep up with friends and family and join in communities that are interested in the same things as I am.

Linda Marie said...

I like fabebook because I can connect to all different people, books, sites that interest me.

Nancy said...

With social media, I get to see photos of friends and family I otherwise might not see.

Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

Susan Roberts said...

Like a lot of people, I have a bad case of cabin fever after being self quarantined for so long. Social media helps me to keep contact with my family and friends. I'd be lost without it.

Mary C said...

Social media allows me to keep in contact with family living overseas.

Nancy P said...

I've met & made some dear friends across the world I wouldn't have met otherwise.

Bonnie K. said...

There are pros and cons to social medias. I do love connecting with people this way as I'm an introvert, and also it's great keeping in touch with friends and families. The downside is that it can take away a chunk of time when there are chores to be done, and also I have to watch out for people that I don't want following me.

Suzy said...

I’ve met some kind people on social media who I now call dear friends.

Rita Wray said...

Facebook helps me stay in touch with family overseas.

diannekc said...

Social media helps me keep in touch wit family and friends and keep informed on things and places I'm interested in.

Kelley B said...

I have gained many book friendships.

Mary Preston said...

No impact; I am not into social media.

Linda Kish said...

Facebook has kept me in contact with my high school class so I could attend my 50th reunion.

bn100 said...

keep in contact with friends

Donamae Kutska said...

Facebook helps me to keep connected with family.

dstoutholcomb said...

I've made a lot of book-related friends.

Danielle said...

I do not live close to family and I travel a lot so being able to make one message and add pictures where everyone can see makes staying close so much easier.

rubynreba said...

I have connected with people that I had previously lost contact with!

Lelandlee said...

Using social media I can keep up with friends and family

Xia Lee said...

I have connected with people that I had previously lost contact with

Peggy Russo said...

Social media has enabled me to stay well connected to my family, who all live half way across the country. I've also re-connected with some old friends. During the current stay-at-home situation I don't know where I'd be without it.

Carole said...

Now on order from the library - assuming it reopens in physical form any time soon. Cheers