Need something meatier than a lightweight (albeit fun) read this summer? Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner is a beach book win! Coming-of-age, a budding romance, scorned friends, wealth and a flashy wedding sure to be seen in photos. This is a summer novel win!
Cast of Characters
Daphne – our main girl is a plus-size influencer and total sweetheart. She came upon her self-love after many, many years and countless struggles.
Drue – childhood friend who lives by the motto ‘eat or be eaten.’ Was she the kindest to Daphne? No. Did Daphne sometimes benefit from Drue’s friendship? You bet.
Darshi – true friend to Daphne since middle school. Not a fan of Drue’s.
Set The Scene
Daphne is in her groove. She went viral a few years ago for clapping back at someone who called her ‘fat’ and she’s become an influencer since. Brand deals, free products, endorsements. She’s starting to feel like she isn’t struggling – a far cry from her family’s social status growing up.
Drue left Daphne in the dust and it’s for the best. Until Daphne comes back right before her wedding and begs Daphne to be in the wedding. Doesn’t Drue have a zillion ‘friends’ based on her Instagram follower count? Doesn’t her luxurious, easy life afford her anyone who can literally stand by her at the alter and the months leading up to it?
Fishy
It’s wedding weekend and Daphne meets a hunky wedding guest, Nick. After a fun night together, Daphne discovers something terribly wrong has happened to Drue.
The cops have Daphne pegged as a ‘person of interest.’ And they’re moving slow.
Nick has disappeared, too. Was he involved? Were the kind words and interest he showed Daphne part of some scheme?
Was there another motive for Drue getting married beyond love?
My Vote?
Read this! I listened to 98% of the book via audio and loved the narrator! (I read the rest of the book in the dark – I never travel without a book!)
It’s meatier than a beach book but definitely a book you can pick up and put down without needing to rewind a bit to catch up.