While I enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's previous two summer themed novels, The Summer Place is my favorite of the three. I loved all the different character narratives and found myself laughing out loud and gasping quite a few times. The story has a wide emotional impact and so many memorable moments. It's definitely just for an adult audience, but I really enjoyed the steam factor.  There were some times where I was able to guess what would happen, but I also loved the little clues that led me to

I was so excited to read this book, but unfortunately this one just did not do it for me. I really liked each character individually, but there were too many characters, and it just felt like every single person had some huge big secret. it was like 6 family drama novels all packed into one. I felt it there were many chapters that weren't needed that just made the book longer in length than it needed to be. I also didn't love the house as a narrator. I have read books where I adore the inanimate...

Oh my goodness! Jennifer Weiner knows how to create characters: correction: she knows how to give life to them! Because those multi characters she’s created for this book are absolutely breathing, talking, sulking, screaming, laughing real people! Those embellished, extra detailed, perfectly developed back stories, characteristic attributes give you enough clue what a talented author she is! This book could be a little long because of impeccably developed, long perspectives of the characters. Bu...

To be blunt this book was simply not a good fit for me.🤦🏻‍♀️Ruby is about to marry her quarantine boyfriend. Thrown together through the Covid outbreak they came out the other side wanting a life together. But they’re quite young (early 20’s.) Are they really ready for this next stage in life?Are their families happy for them? Well? On the surface…perhaps. But deep down each family member is dreading the day for their own reasons. This family gave new meaning to the word dysfunctional! All the c...

DNF finally at 53%I cannot finish this book. It was absolutely a waste of my time. Not only did I find the authors writing cliche and expected, it was flooded with typed characters which left them one dimensional and stereotyped. Weiner tries so hard to speak to the "young readers" and instead of being relatable, her writing makes her seem like she's trying too hard. A few flaws in the story:-The present day storyline made up about 5%. This was absolutely infuriating because the book is 400+ pag...

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½Genre: ContemporaryIt is difficult to give a short synopsis for this book because a lot is going on there. The official synopsis makes you feel that Sarah is the main character and that the others are supportive characters. This is not true. This is a story where all the characters get the same importance. Each one of them plays a crucial part in the lives of the other. Sarah Danhauser in her 40s is a stepmother, a wife, and a daughter. She plays all these roles differently and as

When Sarah Weinberg-Danhauser's twenty two year old stepdaughter Ruby announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend Gabe Andrews and she’s shocked. Ruby can’t see any reason why they should wait, she wants to get married in three month’s time and at Sarah’s mother Veronica’s beach house at Cape Cod. As the wedding day approaches, everyone in the extended family are grappling with personal issues and they plan to address them after the big day. Ruby tends to rush head first into everything,

3.5 starsThis book is probably best described as a family drama/soap opera. It's on par with Jennifer Weiner's recent books although there's usually a little more heart in her stories. The Summer Place was lacking in that department even though I think an attempt was made in the closing chapters. It's a decent read, nothing more, nothing less.The story follows multiple members of a family as well as some other characters. Veronica is the matriarch of the family and lives in a beach house on Cape...

Jennifer Weiner is the reining queen of the summer beach read and a go to of mine for quality women's fiction; this my my seventh book by her and I have loved every one. I am so happy to report that she does not disappoint with The Summer Place. This is simply a story about family, one family in particular and all their secrets. I love being dragged into the drama of a family, that isn't mine, even if it is fiction. Each chapter is from a single family member point of view and ther

An Engaging But Messy Family DramaSUMMARYVeronica Levy Bought a summer home on Cape Cod Bay forty years ago with the hope of large family gatherings for many years to come. But with her son, Sam, now in California and her daughter Sarah rarely spending any time at the cape, she decided to sell the old place. But the house has some thought about that idea. After all, the house knows things good and bad about this family over the years, and she is not quite ready for them to let her go. When Vero

I teeter between concluding that this book sought to reinforce that either good people can make bad decisions or, that every person in this story was a bad person disguised by the guilt that kept them in line throughout long periods of time.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), Annet...

This is a Family Drama/Women's Fiction. I was really excited about this book, but it really let me down. I just could not get into this book. There were way to many characters with way to much going on. I think that if this book focuses on one or two characters than a boat load I would have enjoyed it. The storyline/plot felt too jumpy because there was way too much going on. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner is an entertaining contemporary fiction that takes us into the heart of a family as they get together for a wedding that is definitely one to remember. This story is about a family that is complex, fascinating, complicated, and involves multiple generations and members, all spread across the country. This narrative unspools as they all gather and we can see all ofthat unfold as they all gather for a wedding at a summer beach house that brings everything front

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...

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...