Big Summer: the best escape you'll have this year

I LOVED this and read it in four days straight. It would have been two days straight but I was enjoying it so much I had to put it aside so as not to finish it too quickly.About two chapters in, I posted this: 'I’ve just started Jennifer Weiner's new book 'Big Summer' and there’s this bit where the main character makes banana bread and it was described so beautifully it made my mouth water. I didn’t have any bananas so made cinnamon rolls instead - first time I’ve ever made them and they were delicious. Not quite as good as Weiner's banana bread which had chocolate chips and walnuts, but they were pretty good. The book is really good too, but if she keeps writing about food like that it’s going to take me a good while to finish it.'As May moved sunnily towards June during Lockdown, this was a lovely read, and whenever I could get away I'd sit in the garden and disappear into this book. Full of wonderful descriptions of the rich in Cape Cod as well as Daphne's life in New York city, I felt like I’d been on holiday when I got to the end.I could read Weiner's luscious descriptions of food, wandering around busy New York, or expensive weddings of the uber rich in Cape Cod forever, but then she drops in a murder and I was even more gripped.I have been a loyal reader of Weiner since 'Good in Bed', which came out an unbelievable 20 years ago. She has matured into a thoughtful and gifted writer but still retains her wonderful dry humour and sense of fun. I love her characters who - and I know this sounds really naff - feel like friends. Wiener invests them with such warmth and presence you can't wait to hear their stories.My only teeny quibble was two plot points where I felt I'd missed something. First, I couldn't work out how she suddenly realised where a guy she'd been looking for was (I will have to go back to re-read as I may have been whizzing through it so quickly I didn't pick up the clues) and second, the final reveal of the murderer was a bit of a quick jump and again the link was a tiny bit too neat.But, hey, what's a tiny plot point between friends? I snarfed this down the same way I did my cinnamon rolls - and I'm going to buy all the ingredients to make Daphne's banana bread - I wonder if Weiner could send me the recipe?This is a great book - go read it.

So love these books. From reading Good in Bed all those tears ago and laughing about the line being heavier than her boyfriend. That stuck with me. I've lost 5 stone over the years but will always be a big girl. Thanks Jennifer for making me feel OK about it

I have read all Jennifer's books but this was my favourite. I was most surprised by the twist and I found it hard to put down. I am really looking forward to reading her next book.

This was am impulse buying after reading a newspaper review. I had never heard of the author, and was looking forward to an entertaining reading.... Instead found it cumbersome verging on nonsensical. Regret spending the money.

I do love her earlier books including Goodnight Nobody and Then Came You - perfect poolside reading. However I found this one just too absurd plot-wise and had to skim through to the incredibly far-fetched ending. Not her best.

This was my first Jennifer Weiner novel, and I can assure you that it won’t be my last. What a perfect escapist read! It has everything: a strong, feisty heroine; a fabulous location; and an immersive storyline than blends women’s fiction with mystery, romance and a cheeky bit of steam. I loved it!Daphne Berg is a plus-size Instagram influencer, obsessed with building her brand and followers. Drue Cavanaugh — a rich, entitled user — is her former best friend, turned arch enemy, after a fat-shaming incident in high school. The two haven’t spoken in years, when out of the blue, Drue contacts Daphne to beg her forgiveness and ask her to be bridesmaid at her forthcoming society wedding on Cape Cod.First of all, Weiner does a fantastic job exploring the cynicism and fakery surrounding social media — the self-obsession, the importance of image over reality, the monstrous power of it. It’s a topical, relevant issue, and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t catch tiny glimpses of myself in Daphne’s behavior (show me a Bookstagrammer who wouldn’t!).But Daphne is much more than just her brand. She’s a fabulous character altogether. I loved that she’d accepted her “weakness” and turned it into a strength; that she was bold and confident but still had niggling insecurities; that she was generous-hearted, kind and forgiving. I was totally invested in her story — which is narrated in the first person — and rooted for her all the way.The plot is brilliantly executed. The blurb gives nothing away, so what you’re expecting is not what you get: feel-good turns dark very quickly. I saw none of the twists coming and absolutely loved the unexpected little bit of steam, which was perfectly judged, but still had to be read twice (or maybe it was three times!). Okay, so I might even have bookmarked it.It’s not every day that you finish a book with an enormous sigh of satisfaction. This one, I did. I’ve just discovered a new auto-buy author, and I’m adding her whole back catalogue to my wishlist.Thanks for reading my review. I hope you found it helpful. You can find more candid book reviews on my Amazon profile page.