An Attorney Who Writes

Fans of Jennifer Weiner will not be disappointed with her latest effort, “Big Summer.” You read a Jennifer Weiner book with certain expectations. The main character is usually a plucky girl with a sense of humor, though perhaps a less than desirable figure. But even if she does not meet society’s expectations of beautiful (which, thank goodness, is changing) she still comes out as the winner. Daphne Berg is no different. She’s a plus-sized girl and a social media influencer whose online presence took off after a video of her calling someone out on his fat prejudices went viral. Her former best friend, Drue Cavanaugh, is everything Daphne is not—slim, wealthy and very spoiled. The two met in sixth grade and became close, though Drue would often look to Daphne when she needed something, which was one of the reasons why the friendship ended. Drue is now engaged to a former contestant on a “Bachelor” like show and reaches out to Daphne to be her bridesmaid...

I am a fan of reading about family dysfunctional as well as a fan of Amanda Eyre Ward, so the novel, “Jetsetters” is a win-win for me. “The Jetsetters” tells the story of the Perkin family, which is led my matriarch, Charlotte, who writes an essay that supposedly leads to the prize of a Mediterranean cruise for herself and her three children, Lee, Cord, and Regan. The children have grown apart from each other and their mother; each also shields secrets that will naturally be uncovered throughout the course of this cruise. Charlotte, who has recently lost her best friend, wonders if there is any life left to live. Lee, broke and unable to get any acting gigs, is burdened by helping her mother cover-up her father’s death and fears her own story will hold the same sad ending.  Cord is recently engaged but is afraid to tell his family he is gay. Meanwhile, Regan has lost herself in an unhappy marriage. Alternating the different point of views of Charlotte and her children, the book is ...