When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But the wheels are in motion. Headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house on Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.
But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by challenges of life during quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.
When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.
On sale: May 10, 2022 | Atria Books
Hardcover | 416 pages | ISBN: 9781501133572, $28.00
eBook ISBN: 9781501133596, $14.99
Every spring/summer I know to expect soaring temperatures (I’m in Florida so hot and humid is the norm), an influx of tourists (also the norm), and a juicy new release from Jennifer Weiner. This year’s release, The Summer Place, brings a multi-generational story of family secrets that all (well, almost all) come to light as everyone gathers at the matriarch’s Cape Cod beach house for a wedding.
The Summer Place is told from multiple points of view, each character with their own background, their own struggles, and bringing their own secrets to the family gathering. Among them are:
Sarah – An almost-forty mother and stepmother, whose husband has become increasingly distant. As she grapples with the what-if’s in her life, she’s also questioning the state of her marriage.
Eli – Sarah’s husband, who moved past his first wife walking out on him and their young daughter more than twenty years ago. Now a past indiscretion threatens to upset the life he has built with Sarah.
Ruby – Eli’s daughter who, at twenty-two has always known exactly what she wanted and worked toward it with single-minded determination. With her wedding date drawing nearer, she finds that for the first time in her life she’s not quite so certain of what she wants.
Veronica (Ronnie) – Happy to host the wedding of her step-granddaughter, Ronnie is thrilled for a large family gathering at her beloved Cape Cod home before putting the house on the market.
Sam – Sarah's twin brother has always felt something was missing. Now widowed and raising his young stepson on the West coast, Sam begins to question who he is and what he wants – and hopes for answers when he returns home to Cape Cod for his niece’s wedding.
Admittedly, this did start out a bit slow for me. Weiner delved into the background of each character, establishing their history and their motivations. This went a long way toward character development, but also felt as though there wasn’t a lot of forward momentum to the story. Thankfully, the second half picked up considerably and the more I read the less I wanted to put the book down. By the end I was turning the pages in a blur, desperate to see how it would all play out.
Weiner is a longtime favorite and she has a true gift at creating fully-rounded, complex, and flawed characters. In many ways, their lives and their situations are all too real and relatable. The Summer Place has clever twists and coincidences, but at its heart is a story about the bonds of family, in all its messy glory. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Twitter: @jenniferweiner
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Website: jenniferweiner.com
That beginning sounds cumbersome. I'm glad the second half brought with it the change the story needed and ended up being one you loved. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deanna. Because I know and trust Weiner, I knew if I stuck with it there would be a pay-off. :)
DeleteI've wanted to read this one, i'm so glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteWendy - I hope you'll really enjoy it if you decide to read it!
DeleteI love a good ensemble cast, and Cape Cod's not a bad place to spend some time! Glad this was a good one!
ReplyDeleteGreg - I love a big ensemble cast, too, and a messy family story. This delivered both.
DeleteCan't believe I still haven't read anything by Jennifer Weiner. I've seen The Summer Place around and it really does seem like a fun read. Lovely, summery review!
ReplyDeleteElza Reads
Thanks Mareli! I've been reading Weiner for years and she has some really excellent reads.
DeleteI have only read two books by Weiner, an older one and a newer one, and they were really different, but enjoyable. Glad this one picked up for you and ended up being a good one.
ReplyDeleteSam - There are definitely some by Weiner that I love more than others. This one wasn't my favorite by her, but still a really good read.
DeleteThis one sounds good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie - it was a good one to get involved in.
DeleteI haven't read one of her books in awhile, but I do love stories about weddings and all the chaos they can bring.
ReplyDeleteAngela - It was fun to watch all the drama play out!
DeleteI think Robyn Carr and Sarah Morgan write stories like this, part women's fiction part romance and I love them. I should give Weirner a try.
ReplyDeleteRachel - I wouldn't say this was my favorite by Weiner but it was still so enjoyable. Mrs. Everything still holds that top spot.
DeleteThis definitely sounds like it captures the complecities of families and how the pandemic tested everyone's relationships. I can see how it became a totally absorbing read to figure out where everything was going and where the characters would end up.
ReplyDeleteBecky - While not a "Covid book" I thought it did a great job of showing how Covid and the lockdowns impacted certain characters. Overall it was just fun watching all the drama unfold! :)
DeleteThanks so much for visiting my review of this book and joining the spoiler discussion. I was laughing that we were total opposites: I liked the beginning more, with all the family relationships and liked it less as it went along and the plot got so crazy and outlandish. Not my fave of hers but stil a fan!
ReplyDeleteLOL Too funny that we liked totally different aspects of the book but still came out feeling much the same: entertaining but not our fave from Weiner. :)
DeleteI always enjoy your spoiler discussions!