Looking Forward to Summer with Jennifer Weiner's Latest

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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 for their lavish Cape-cod wedding. Drue asks Daphne for forgiveness, but is she reverting to past behavior by simply needing Daphne just as she had in their teens?

This novel might not have worked if it weren’t for Weiner’s strong writing. She handles the multiple (and unexpected) twists to the plot without losing her reader. Daphne is self-depreciating in a way where the reader can easily identify with her, but at the same time, want to knock her on the head for being so hard on herself. Weiner also uses the setting to her advantage. Though there was a lot going on in this book, it was an easy, enjoyable read.

While the novel does have a mystery component, the true focus of this book is on friendship, self-love, and finding oneself in a world where every breath and step one takes is immediately shared online.
  
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks also to the publisher, Atria, and the author, Jennifer Weiner. To find out more about this book, see: Big Summer

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