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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3 stars.. The plot reminded me of The Celebrants, a book which I truly adored, and I have enjoyed other books of Emily’s so I was excited to pick it up. However, this fell flat, even the ending I went “really.”
The premise had potential, but by the end I found myself wanting more depth, more back story, more character development, and “more showing, less telling.” More importantly, I found quite a few things problematic, which made the story feel a bit surface and unintentionally disingenuous.
I didn’t agree with how depression, addiction, and mental health in general were depicted in the book; it read very undeveloped. The book seemed to minimize mental health conditions at times, yet other times it sensationalized/glorified it, and both were incredibly uncomfortable and leaned towards victim-blaming. Instead of centering around how Summer’s health issues (mental health IS health) and how her decision impacted her friends’ lives, the book focused on the friends’ naive notions of how to “rescue” each other, effectively flattening mental health into a one-dimensional problem that only needs a savior to resolve. It would have been much more authentic and compelling if depression and addiction etc were handled more delicately and truthfully.
I’m also very curious to hear what Black readers think of the character Tyson and whether his portrayal was an accurate/accepted depiction of the Black male experience or not, coming from a non-Black, non-male author.
I unfortunately would not recommend this book. I didn’t take kindly to the trivialization of mental health issues. It would be more understandable maybe if this was written in the ~90s or intentionally set in the ~90s, but it’s 2024. We know better now, so we must do better.
I didn’t agree with how depression, addiction, and mental health in general were depicted in the book; it read very undeveloped. The book seemed to minimize mental health conditions at times, yet other times it sensationalized/glorified it, and both were incredibly uncomfortable and leaned towards victim-blaming. Instead of centering around how Summer’s health issues (mental health IS health) and how her decision impacted her friends’ lives, the book focused on the friends’ naive notions of how to “rescue” each other, effectively flattening mental health into a one-dimensional problem that only needs a savior to resolve. It would have been much more authentic and compelling if depression and addiction etc were handled more delicately and truthfully.
I’m also very curious to hear what Black readers think of the character Tyson and whether his portrayal was an accurate/accepted depiction of the Black male experience or not, coming from a non-Black, non-male author.
I unfortunately would not recommend this book. I didn’t take kindly to the trivialization of mental health issues. It would be more understandable maybe if this was written in the ~90s or intentionally set in the ~90s, but it’s 2024. We know better now, so we must do better.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The summer release of a new Emily Giffin novel is a special occasion, and I couldn't wait to read this! Emily Giffin's books were some of the first "adult" novels that I read so they have a special place in my heart. And now here I am, fully an adult (ack!) reading them.
The Summer Pact had great pacing! I couldn't put it down. Giffin definitely swept me up in the story of college friends Hannah, Tyson, and Lainey. They're now all 32 and at various crossroads in their lives so they come together based on a pact they made in college.
Some readers might think that the trio are immature for their age, but as a single white millennial women, I think Giffin nailed this life stage really well — particularly because all 3 characters are not married and don't yet have children! I think they were relatable.
I appreciate that Giffin branched out and had a Black male character and a queer character in this novel! Since her past novels have long been the provenance of privileged white Southern women, I think it's great she branched out! That said, because Giffin herself is a straight white woman from the South, it's not a surprise that Hannah — the book's resident white Southern woman was the most fleshed out and convincing POV. I liked Tyson's character, but he sometimes felt like more of a sketch. And while Lainey was a convincing hot mess of a white woman living in NYC, she was just that...a hot mess, and therefore not the most likable.
As with some of her past novels, Giffin weaves in some serious issues but still manages to keep the tone light and breezy. Giffin's novels are nothing if not sentimental, and The Summer Pact is definitely sentimental...sometimes fully maudlin. But this is an Emily Giffin novel so I'll allow that.
The novel's never totally flippant, and Giffin includes a gentle content warning upfront for readers. But I think the book's treatment of alcohol abuse was a little cavalier and overdramatic. Also, a character dies by suicide in the novel but Giffin refers to it as "committing suicide." If I were the copy editor of the book, I would have told her that expression is outdated and encouraged her to write "died by suicide." It's a small thing, but if you're going to have a content warning, I think it also then seems only fair to use the proper language. It's a quibble, but interesting to note.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed this novel more than Giffin's last release (the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy/JFK Jr fantasy/fan fiction of it all didn't do it for me), and it was a quick read. But this isn't my favorite Emily Giffin. I appreciate that she's trying to evolve as a writer, but I walked away from this thinking that evolution is fully in progress. Then again, as the characters in the novel show, aren't we all always works in progress?!
If you're still here, thanks for coming to my TedTalk/overlong review of this book.
The Summer Pact had great pacing! I couldn't put it down. Giffin definitely swept me up in the story of college friends Hannah, Tyson, and Lainey. They're now all 32 and at various crossroads in their lives so they come together based on a pact they made in college.
Some readers might think that the trio are immature for their age, but as a single white millennial women, I think Giffin nailed this life stage really well — particularly because all 3 characters are not married and don't yet have children! I think they were relatable.
I appreciate that Giffin branched out and had a Black male character and a queer character in this novel! Since her past novels have long been the provenance of privileged white Southern women, I think it's great she branched out! That said, because Giffin herself is a straight white woman from the South, it's not a surprise that Hannah — the book's resident white Southern woman was the most fleshed out and convincing POV. I liked Tyson's character, but he sometimes felt like more of a sketch. And while Lainey was a convincing hot mess of a white woman living in NYC, she was just that...a hot mess, and therefore not the most likable.
As with some of her past novels, Giffin weaves in some serious issues but still manages to keep the tone light and breezy. Giffin's novels are nothing if not sentimental, and The Summer Pact is definitely sentimental...sometimes fully maudlin. But this is an Emily Giffin novel so I'll allow that.
The novel's never totally flippant, and Giffin includes a gentle content warning upfront for readers. But I think the book's treatment of alcohol abuse was a little cavalier and overdramatic. Also, a character dies by suicide in the novel but Giffin refers to it as "committing suicide." If I were the copy editor of the book, I would have told her that expression is outdated and encouraged her to write "died by suicide." It's a small thing, but if you're going to have a content warning, I think it also then seems only fair to use the proper language. It's a quibble, but interesting to note.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed this novel more than Giffin's last release (the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy/JFK Jr fantasy/fan fiction of it all didn't do it for me), and it was a quick read. But this isn't my favorite Emily Giffin. I appreciate that she's trying to evolve as a writer, but I walked away from this thinking that evolution is fully in progress. Then again, as the characters in the novel show, aren't we all always works in progress?!
If you're still here, thanks for coming to my TedTalk/overlong review of this book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced