Review: Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

BIG SUMMER
Jennifer Weiner
Publication date: May 5, 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Format: eARC
Source: Atria Books and NetGalley
4.25 Stars

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S Y N O P S I S

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 friendship, 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.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

A couple of Jennifer Weiner’s latest releases have been big hits for me (specifically, Who Do You Love and Mrs. Everything) so I was excited to pick up Big Summer. While it’s being touted as this summer’s beach read, it also provided plenty of food for thought.

Daphne is a young woman who has spent much of her life struggling with body image and self-acceptance. As an Instagram influencer, her posts focus on plus-size fashion, fitness and body positivity. Daphne is more than a little surprised when her former frenemy makes an appearance after a six year silence. Drue Cavanaugh was always everything Daphne wasn’t: thin, rich, beautiful, popular. And now she’s asking Daphne to be her maid of honor. The lure of Drue proves too much to resist, and Daphne finds herself in picturesque Cape Cod for the society wedding, telling herself that the exposure will help generate more Instagram followers and sponsors. Things don’t go as planned and Daphne begins to question if she ever really knew Drue at all.

I stopped and asked myself, What did I do wrong? Who am I hurting? Is this what I deserve just for having the nerve to leave my home, to dance and try to have fun? I’m fat. That’s true. But I’m a good person. I’m kind and funny; I’m generous; I try to treat people the way I’d want them to treat me.

Going in I had a certain expectation of the trajectory Big Summer would take, but after a plot twist at the end of Part One, that got turned on its head. Weiner took Big Summer in a direction I never saw coming and she did it so well. At its core, this is Daphne’s story and I loved her journey. I felt such a kinship with this woman. I cheered for her triumphs and felt heartsick when she was knocked down and treated with such cavalier cruelty – from online trolls, supposed friends, and a not-so-well-intentioned family member. Daphne is funny and self-aware and at one point comments to a young friend: even if things don’t get better, you can always make them look good on the internet.

I wanted to go home, away from all these beautiful people who, just by living, made me feel inadequate, at once enormous and small.

And therein lies one of the main themes in Big Summer. Because in addition to self-acceptance, body positivity, and toxic friendships, Weiner also shines a light on the sometimes toxic nature of social media. Whether it’s the anonymity that makes it so easy to spew hate, or the oh-so-perfect (and oh-so-filtered) photos that invite envy and comparison, the pitfalls of social media have Daphne examining its impossible standards – and how to combine her connection to social media while living an authentic life.

Everyone tries to put the best versions of themselves across. To fake it. And when they’re not doing that, they’re sitting behind their screens, passing judgment and feeling superior to whoever they think’s being sexist or racist that day.

I highly recommend Big Summer to anyone who loves a mix of big, juicy beach read with relevant issues and a top notch heroine. Daphne Berg was an absolute gem and the main reason that Big Summer equated to Big Fun.

Disclosure: I received a a complimentary copy of this book for review. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.