THAT SUMMER BY JENNIFER WEINER

7/28/2021

That Summer is a timeless novel that encompasses the #metoo movement. While I felt some of the book to be on the slower side, I think the message it sends it exquisite.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: May 11, 2021
Genre: Women's Fiction
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 429 pages
Format: Hardcover. Source: Purchased.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Summer comes another deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, and the transformative power of female friendship.

Daisy Shoemaker can’t sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, and a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful, her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, and she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she’s got it good. So why is she up all night?

While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, Diana’s making

plans to reorganize corporations. Diana’s glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet and become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?

From the manicured Main Line of Philadelphia to the wild landscape of the Outer Cape, written with Jennifer Weiner’s signature wit and sharp observations, That Summer is a story about surviving our pasts, confronting our futures, and the sustaining bonds of friendship.

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𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧: That Summer is a timeless novel that encompasses the #metoo movement. While I felt some of the book to be on the slower side, I think the message it sends it exquisite.

I’m a longtime fan of Jennifer Weiner and have been reading her novels since I too the plunge into adult books. What I find most noticeable about them is that they grow with the times. She uses real life situations that fit into the world we live in making them realistic and compulsively readable. It’s wonderful to watch an author’s work grow and Jennifer Weiner has done this quite well over the years. This book in particular fits in the with #metoo movement that has been sweeping across the nation. Readers should be warned that some of the content may be triggering (i.e., rape) and should proceed with caution if this is a subject that bothers them. Don’t let the pretty cover fool you into thinking it’s a lighter beach read because the topics at hand are sometimes hard to read about. NO matter, Jennifer Weiner did a wonderful job pulling it off even though the book felt a little slow at some points.

I don’t want to get into the plot too much because I think my initial thoughts above give you an idea of the book, you’re reading here but I will say that this is a story about friendship, growth, overcoming, and finding oneself. This book is targeted more towards women’s fiction readers, but I think fans of many different genres will enjoy it because of how well it fits into today’s world. Daisy and Diana are written as strong women who despite their differences have found solace in one another through their mutual heartache and friendship. These two bring about something strong in each other and really encompasses the women’s power movement. I honestly think these are some of the best female leads I’ve read in a long time. My heart broke for them both (for entirely different reasons of course) but watching them grow and overcome was quite beautiful. I also have to mention that I adored both Beatrice (her taxidermy is hilarious) and Michael. Michael is a big bear of a man and Diana found the perfect guy for her as he’s caring, understanding, and so full of heart. I would love to see characters like him in more male leads! He was my favorite!

That all being said, if you enjoy a book that involves a little bit of revenge (or rather, potential revenge), a novel that discusses serious real-world issues, and a book that is really empowering for women then this is the book for you. I look forward to reading many more of her novels in the future.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Women’s fiction (with powerful female leads)
• Books the depict real world issues
Beachy Books (this takes place in the Cape mostly).
• Authors like Jane Green, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Elin Hilderbrand, and Mary Kay Andrews

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐