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kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Title: That Summer
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3
Pub Date: May 11 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Twisty • Insightful • Heavy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When two separate Diana's paths cross due to an errant email, an unlikely friendships begins to form. However, to one women it's hardly a chance encounter. That Summer is a story of long held secrets, powerful friendship, learning to confront the past and embracing the future.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This one has all the summer vibes a good beach read should - relaxing setting, delicious food, friendship and of course, drama. But with the addition of a traumatic and life-changing incident at its heart. If you're looking for light and fluffy, this certainly isn't it. I definitely have issues with this being marketed as the most anticipated beach read of the summer, and with such a fun and appealing cover. In fact this book is everywhere right now, but very little is said of the sensitive nature of its content.
While I enjoyed getting to know both women and their struggles to find an identity for very different reasons, the dual timeline structure made for an inconsistent flow throughout the first half of the book. The underlying theme of the powerful and healing nature of friendship is what makes this book shine, but it isn't without its flaws.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Jennifer Weiner fans
• readers looking for a beach read with depth
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"His smile was like the sum coming out after days of rain; like pulling on the softest sweater on a cold day."
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3
Pub Date: May 11 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Twisty • Insightful • Heavy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When two separate Diana's paths cross due to an errant email, an unlikely friendships begins to form. However, to one women it's hardly a chance encounter. That Summer is a story of long held secrets, powerful friendship, learning to confront the past and embracing the future.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This one has all the summer vibes a good beach read should - relaxing setting, delicious food, friendship and of course, drama. But with the addition of a traumatic and life-changing incident at its heart. If you're looking for light and fluffy, this certainly isn't it. I definitely have issues with this being marketed as the most anticipated beach read of the summer, and with such a fun and appealing cover. In fact this book is everywhere right now, but very little is said of the sensitive nature of its content.
While I enjoyed getting to know both women and their struggles to find an identity for very different reasons, the dual timeline structure made for an inconsistent flow throughout the first half of the book. The underlying theme of the powerful and healing nature of friendship is what makes this book shine, but it isn't without its flaws.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Jennifer Weiner fans
• readers looking for a beach read with depth
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"His smile was like the sum coming out after days of rain; like pulling on the softest sweater on a cold day."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexism, and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
drunk driving, death of a friendapeck's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
books_coffee_oxfordcommas's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
That Summer is the story of Daisy, a mom of a teenager and wife of a bigshot lawyer, who has no real friends. Until, she starts getting emails that are meant for Diana, who has an almost identical email address, and they agree to meet for drinks. A friendship starts, and Daisy is thrilled, until she learns the reason this all happened.
Daisy is a woman who experienced a traumatic event in her own teenage years, that took her a long time to overcome, until she realized that it wasn't the kind of thing you get "over."
This isn't the typical light Jennifer Weiner read; there are deeper themes and certainly some points that make you think more deeply about life and the secrets people hold.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Weiner books, or books about women overcoming the tough things in life.
Possible spoiler: there was one piece of the timeline that annoyed me. Daisy describes deciding to reach out to Diana while Hal is at a funeral; but earlier in the book, they actually meet during that same funeral. I am hoping this gets corrected before the book is released.
Thank you to the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Daisy is a woman who experienced a traumatic event in her own teenage years, that took her a long time to overcome, until she realized that it wasn't the kind of thing you get "over."
This isn't the typical light Jennifer Weiner read; there are deeper themes and certainly some points that make you think more deeply about life and the secrets people hold.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Weiner books, or books about women overcoming the tough things in life.
Thank you to the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Suicide and Addiction
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