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kmsilly 's review for:
The Summer Place
by Jennifer Weiner
There was a lot going on in this book. I've really loved some of Jennifer Weiner's books in the past and wanted to similarly love this one, but I just couldn't get into the frantic nature of this story.
Almost all of the characters could have had a single story about them! I wanted to hear about what Annette was up to after she left. I wanted to hear more about Rosa's difficulties with parenthood. I really only felt that Ronnie, Sarah and Ruby's backstories were given enough "airtime".
The classic small world misunderstandings where an integral part of the book but I think that only Eli's twist was really necessary as the crux of the story. I couldn't stomach Sam falling in love with his step-niece's jilted lover on a dance floor. It felt lazy, along with Sam's immediate acceptance of his sexuality in his 40s after reading Drarry fan fiction.
While I understand that the throwback to "That Summer" showed that "The Summer Place" was in the same universe, once again it wasn't fleshed out to merit including.
I did appreciate the rawness of the infidelity, showing the difficulties of marriage, particularly as women are boxed into different identities, but the number of instances cheapened the experience.
Almost all of the characters could have had a single story about them! I wanted to hear about what Annette was up to after she left. I wanted to hear more about Rosa's difficulties with parenthood. I really only felt that Ronnie, Sarah and Ruby's backstories were given enough "airtime".
The classic small world misunderstandings where an integral part of the book but I think that only Eli's twist was really necessary as the crux of the story.
While I understand that the throwback to "That Summer" showed that "The Summer Place" was in the same universe, once again it wasn't fleshed out to merit including.