Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Summer Place

So many of the characters made so many choices that then made it hard to like them. Also, some of the plot points were truly wild - like, made me feel both uncomfortable and annoyed because it seemed too far, yet also a little intrigued despite that. This novel definitely mentioned Covid a lot but it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it might going in - probably because there was no discussion of any of the characters themselves falling ill or personally losing someone to it. For example, one character is a nurse and zero percent of the book addressed what her experience during Covid would have been like as a nurse. There were two parts of the book that made me cry because they were truly sad (heartbreaking, really), but actually had zero connection to Covid. Jennifer Weiner’s ability to write in an an engaging way is very strong and her style of writing draws me in. Plus, I did enjoy all the descriptions of Cape Cod summers. Ultimately, I wanted to keep reading to see what happened. I got to the epilogue and was mad at first because it seemed like there was no way the book was going to wrap everything up in a way that I would feel satisfied with, but then it mostly did. The final moments of the book were particularly well crafted.

The performance of Sutton Foster on the audiobook narration, I would give 4-5 stars! Definitely increased my enjoyment of this novel.

Content Warnings

lexa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is an average “beach read” type book. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, I was invested enough to push through to the ending.

You might like it if you are into multi-generational stories with lots of characters, multiple points of view, big drama around every corner, and so. many. coincidences.

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kentuckybooklover's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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snipinfool's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This is my third JW book. I enjoyed the other two, but this one? Nope. I just got off of the Hot Mess Express. This was like reading the script for a Jerry Springer show. There were multiple characters having/had affairs, a wedding that was called off at the last minute, a fake paternity scare, a parent dying, a middle-aged person discovering their sexuality (and ending up with the jilted groom), and the pandemic was added in as the cherry on top. I have read too many books taking place during the pandemic that it almost needs to be a trigger warning for me.

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

May 10, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Told in multiple POVs, The Summer Place weaves together a story of the secrets, dreams, and lives of an extended family and the summer house on Cape Cod that brings them all together for a wedding weekend that promises to be full of both drama and, perhaps, healing.

Have you ever read a book and come across passages that make you feel grateful you read them? I’m talking about the moments where it hits you that if you hadn’t picked up *this* specific book, out of all the millions of books out there in the world, you would never have encountered these specific words arranged in this specific way and you would be fundamentally worse off as the result of an error you’d never know you made?

Maybe that’s too existential for a book review, but it sums up how I feel about The Summer Place. From the opening pages, where Weiner introduces us to the house-as-narrator and I started to tear up, I knew that this was a special book, and ultimately I was proven right. As an aspiring author myself, Veronica’s backstory spoke to me so much, and each of the characters touched my heart in their own unique way. There was a fair amount of exposition, and a lot of characters and plot threads to keep track of, but I was ultimately so impressed by the way everything wove together, and once I got a handle on the large cast I never felt like the plot was too slow or too confusing. If you’re looking for a gorgeously written and unique summer read with a lot of heart, look no further.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: inter-generational family stories; multiple POVs; summer settings.

CW: Death of a parent; infidelity; terminal illness/cancer.

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mandalacb19's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

This was a beautiful story about a family and a place and how the two are connected. I adored the characters and found the story compelling and rich. This will be another best seller for Jennifer Weiner, I'm sure. The settings were vivid, and the emotion was beautifuly written and illustrated.

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