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    Big Summer: A Novel
    Big Summer: A Novel
    Big Summer: A Novel
    Ebook434 pages7 hours

    Big Summer: A Novel

    By Jennifer Weiner

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    A deliciously funny, remarkably poignant “beach read to end all beach reads” (Entertainment Weekly) about the power of friendship, the lure of frenemies, and the importance of making peace with yourself through all of life’s ups and downs—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Good in Bed and Best Friends Forever.

    Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

    Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

    A sparkling, “insightful page-turner” (Real Simple) about the complexities of female relationships, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtria Books
    Release dateMay 5, 2020
    ISBN9781501133534
    Author

    Jennifer Weiner

    Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books, including The Summer Place, That Summer, Big Summer, Mrs. Everything, In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and a memoir in essays, Hungry Heart. She has appeared on many national television programs, including Today and Good Morning America, and her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among other newspapers and magazines. Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

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    Reviews for Big Summer

    3.5/5

    601 ratings40 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I read this in a day ! I really enjoy her books, especially when I want an easy, relaxing book.
    • 1/5
      A terrible book, probably her worst effort. Read one of her earlier novels.
    • 5/5
      Wow...this book blew me away. Just when I thought I knew what was going on...The story changed it's focus. It was so unexpected; I loved it!

      Daphne Berg, is a fat girl. Her whole life she's heard nasty comments about her weight. After a horrible incident happened to her by someone she considered her best friend, Drue, she stopped dieting and focused on living herself the way she is. She becomes a huge influencer in Instagram for big women. She shows them how to flatter their weight with certain clothing, etc. She has a large following and sponsors paying her to try their products as well.

      When Daphne switched schools in 6th grade, Drue Cavanaugh, daughter of one of the wealthiest families in America, befriended her. Drue was gorgeous, rich, skinny, and had everything that Daphne ever wanted. Drue basically manipulated Daphne, being nice to her, and in return Daphne would do her homework, break up with her boyfriends, etc. But Drue ran hot and cold. After spending the weekend with Daphne, she would then ignore her the following week at school. Daphne knew Drue didn't have the same living family that she had, 2 parents who adored her. Drue's father had many mistresses, and as a result children from them as well. All Drue ever wanted was her father's love, which she never got.

      Six years after their huge blow up, Drue tries to contact Daphne. She ignores ever attempt until she meets with Daphne's employers telling them she's trying to reunite with her best friend. Daphne wasn't pleased. Sure was getting married and she had no one to stand up in her wedding that was a friend. That has to do with the cruel and nasty things she did to her so called friends. Daphne turns her down. But when Drue cries, something that she's never done before, Daphne feels sorry for her and tells her she will think about it. Drue manipulated that answer on social media and now Daphne is stuck.

      As the wedding approaches, Daphne begins to notice that Drue and her fiance have no real intimacy. She laughs at his dreams and he's not around to comfort her when her father makes a scene at a party. At the wedding rehearsal dinner, her father gets drunk and causes a huge scene. Drue runs from the room while her fiancee is comforting his ex-fiancee.

      When Daphne runs after her, she finds Drue drunk and crying. Her family's broke, her parents are getting divorced, and it doesn't sound like she cares too much about her soon-to -be-groom. She thanks Daphne for being there and for being her friend again.

      The following morning, Daphne finds Drue floating in the hot tub dead. That's when all the secrets come to light and none of them are pretty.

      When the detective makes her a suspect, she needs to clear her nane. But doing so might lead her to the killer.

      A must read!!
    • 5/5
      Great summer beach read! A dash of whodunnit, romance, and the glitzy sheen of wealthy families twisty lives. The heroine is a refreshingly real character who manages to overcome her struggles and torments to achieve an honest authentic life.
    • 3/5
      While this was an easy summer read, with a nice setting on Cape Cod and NYC, it was a far less ambitious, engrossing, and satisfying novel than Mrs. Everything. I’d strongly recommend the latter.
    • 3/5
      Parts were ok. Some things to think about (e.g., the role of influencers, the performance of self), but this was a little too formulaic to me.
    • 3/5
      Well, this had me till the end. I find the two big twists implausible (the romantic one & the whodunit). The story is about someone raised in a traditional but completely toxic environment that permeates the whole story but it’s the new world order that rides in somehow at the end? A tip: Entertainment Weekly is probably not who you want reviewing your reading material. This is my second “summer read” & I’m learning the hard way to stay away from books that ultimately waste my time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      First of her summer series that I'm reading and the story line was good and kept a fast pace and I loved the setting.
    • 4/5
      Big Summer, by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, opens with a foreboding prologue set in 1994 involving a young woman named Christina who is happy raising her son on her own at her family's cabin on Cape Cod. "Her story was almost at its end, but that night, she had no idea" as she sang to her four-year-old son. The story then advances to 2018 and the focus shifts to Weiner's protagonist, Daphne, an up-and-coming plus-size Instagram influencer who has been offered a chance to showcase the clothing of Leela Thakoon. Daphne is thrilled when the attractive garments fit perfectly and make her look and feel "like the best version of" herself. A collaboration is born. In her first-person narrative, Daphne relates how she came to be a young woman who has eschewed dieting and is determined to simply be true self. As the only child of doting parents, she had no idea she was overweight until a fateful weekend with her body size-obsessed grandmother. That was the point at which her psyche was irrevocably altered, and from which she gradually "learned every trick for taking up as little space as possible and not asking for much." She describes her first day at the exclusive new school where her father taught, but a scholarship was required in order for her tuition to be paid, and meeting the other students. Two in particular play prominent roles in Daphne's story. Darshi, who, as the story opens, has been her faithful friend for many years and her roommate for the past four. And Drue Cavanaugh.Weiner describes Drue as a "thinly veiled Ivana Trump-like" character -- the wealthy and glamorous girl who is the most popular in the school. The other girls emulate her, craving her attention and approval. Shockingly, Drue embraces Daphne on her very first day at school, even inviting her to eat lunch with her and her friends. But Drue is manipulative and calculating, and Daphne details specific instances of Daphne using and abusing her. Still, Daphne remained her loyal friend throughout school, writing papers for her, keeping her secrets, covering for her when she cut class or was too hungover to function. The friendship, such as it was, endured because even though Drue repeatedly abused Daphne's generous spirit and her trust, Daphne still wanted to be like her: beautiful, funny, self-assured, and decidedly cool. At long last, however, Drue goes too far and a particularly cruel machination causes Daphne to stand up for herself and declare she has had enough. The incident is videotaped and goes viral, transforming Daphne's attitude and life. She changes the name of her blog from "Daphne's Craft Corner" to "Big Time," vows to focus on her health and well-being, rather than her weight, and six years pass during which she has no contact with Drue.But Drue reemerges, appearing in person when Daphne ignores her emails and texts. And she has a surprising request. She wants Daphne to be her maid-of-honor when she marries in a lavish ceremony on Cape Cod. She pitifully insists that she has no close female friends, has missed Daphne, and acknowledges that her past behavior was horrible. She blames, in part, her parents' dysfunctional marriage and her lack of a relationship with her dismissive father, who has had multiple affairs over the years. She even offers to pay Daphne. Daphne is torn -- resolved not to get reeled back into Daphne's life and the drama their friendship inures, but ultimately swayed by happy memories of time spent together as young girls. Daphne also recognizes that she can parlay the event into Instagram posts featuring photos taken in a stylish setting at one of the biggest social events of the summer. She relents, despite her misgivings and a strong hunch that she is being used by Drue. Daphne's number of Instagram followers grows as soon as Drue begins posting about the wedding and Daphne's role in it, and Daphne struggles to escape her uneasiness. But Darshi is direct, warning Daphne that Drue will hurt her again and when she does, she will not be there to comfort Daphne, aptly calling Drue her "Kryptonite." The story veers in a direction most readers won't see coming. The party at the estate the night before the wedding proves to be a magical one for Daphne when she meets a handsome and charming man who wants only to spend time with her. But the party is disrupted by a loud argument between Drue's parents that sends the bride-to-be retreating to her room. The book shifts from women's fiction to a murder mystery, with Daphne searching for two mystery men: the one she caught lurking outside Drue's door the previous night, as well as the one with whom she spent the night who disappears before she wakes up. Worse, Daphne, like all of the other guests, is questioned by the police, and becomes convinced that she could be viewed by the authorities as a suspect. The police are motivated to find the killer quickly, after being embarrassed by their incompetent handling of a murder that occurred in the area years ago. Darshi, being the loyal friend that she has always been, rushes to Daphne's side and they begin sleuthing, determined to unmask the murderer. Weiner pulls off the genre-switch seamlessly, her cleverly-constructed, intricate plot unfolding during the latter half of the story. She examines the dark side of social media in a credible manner, revealing the ways in which some of her characters connive to use their status as influencers -- and other characters -- to attain fame and wealth. She deftly pulls all the loose threads into a cohesive story in which every character's significance becomes apparent -- including Christina and her son, Aidan, the subjects of the prologue that most readers will have forgotten all about by that juncture. Daphne and Drue are fully developed characters, and as the story progresses, Weiner highlights the traits that differentiate them, as well as their common humanity. Weiner makes Drue a sympathetic character by exposing the truth about her family and upbringing, illustrating that outward appearances are, of course, deceiving. Readers come to understand the environment and lessons that made Drue who she is. Daphne's narration hits all the right notes as she describes her own familial relationships and home life, as well as her internal struggle to accept and love herself. Daphne is intelligent, self-deprecating, insecure, tenacious, and, most importantly, highly self-aware. She is likable, and has a strong moral center and commitment to justice. Female readers will recognize aspects of themselves in Daphne, whose emotional battles are almost universally relatable. The complicated, sometimes hilarious and frequently heartbreaking relationship between Daphne and Drue is believably and compassionately portrayed by Weiner as is her depiction of the love, envy, exasperation, and, finally, understanding and empathy Daphne feels for the woman who is so consequential in her life. Weiner has succeeded at making Big Summer a witty and enjoyable beach read, as well as an engrossing exploration of the contradictions between real and virtual life. The book is also a surprisingly thought-provoking examination of friendship and how profoundly the friends we choose can impact our lives.Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
    • 4/5
      Much more than the fluffy summer read I was expecting.
    • 4/5
      I love almost part of the book. The rich emotions displayed this writer’s amazing ability to tell a story. If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to hardy@novelstar.top or joye@novelstar.top
    • 4/5
      Big Summer is a good young adult novel. There is murder and suspense but most of all a happy ending. The book is about teen angst, friends, mean girls, jealousy and acceptance for who you are. The book received four stars in this review because the pace was kept throughout, there was a beginning, middle and an end.
    • 4/5
      Jennifer Weiner has built a solid reputation for well-crafted novels carried by likeable heroines whose ages and dress sizes are up there in the mid-twenties range. Their various journeys to claim or retain their self-worth, their very right to exist, in a world that repeatedly tells them they are too fat, too loud, too lazy, or too self-indulgent to conform to prevalent standards of feminine appearance, are anthems to triumphant endurance.Big Summer takes a little different tack here, mixing in mystery elements and a heroine who has crested the hill of self-acceptance (though she still has those moments of doubt), but there are some characterization issues with other cast members that just don’t quite make the grade. Daphne Berg, when we meet her, is cobbling together a career as an internet influencer, supplementing a still-insecure income with part-time nannying, an Etsy outlet for crafts, and the safety net of loving and supportive parents. She’s excited about a new contract with a rising young clothing designer when a voice from the past complicates her life in ways both thrilling and frightening. Drue Lathrop Cavanaugh (note the three names, as this is East Coast Codespeak for Rich & Snooty), a frenemy since Daphne’s days as a scholarship student at the equally Rich & Snooty Lathrop (again, note the name) Academy, confronts Daphne after years of estrangement, asking Daphne to be the Maid of Honor at her upcoming (you know it’s going to be over-the-top) wedding. Why Daphne, who Mean Girl Drue routinely made the butt of humiliating jokes Back In The Day? Well, it seems the worm may have turned, and beautiful, successful, über-rich Daphne has torpedoed so many friendships that no one else wants to deal with her controlling, manipulative behavior any longer. At another time, Daphne might have been able to take the high road, but she quickly realizes that Drue’s wedding to a reality-TV star, will garner tons of publicity and be the perfect showcase for the new clothing line, garnering Daphne enough new followers to push her internet presence to a whole new level. And maybe, just maybe, Drue has actually repented. So, win-win. All this is before Daphne is found floating dead in a hot tub on the morning of the big day. The rest of the book deals with Daphne’s efforts, along with her roommate bestie and a hot new guy, to clear herself of suspicion and find the real killer.Weiner has a lot of pointed things to say here about online culture, and how it has created an alternate reality that ultimately drives far too many lives. The notion that we willingly – even eagerly – lay out the most intimate and painful parts of our lives for the eyes of strangers, that we depend on the approval of those strangers in order to feel validated as human beings, that we inevitably edit our own reality so as to gain that approval, remains a phenomenon which future historians will study with equal parts of disbelief and revulsion. It’s certainly a topic that deserves a thoughtful approach.However, one is left wishing Weiner had created more consistently-drawn characters to act out the lessons, eschewed coincidence piled upon coincidence, and not fallen back on the lazy-writer’s exposition, wherein the temporarily-triumphant villain explains motivation and method in great detail just before Goodness finally Triumphs. When characters who have been utter rotters for 300 pages are suddenly revealed to have a secret life rivalling Mother Theresa’s for sheer goodness, when characters who have purposely avoided virtually all things online suddenly become experts at extracting information from the cloud, and when all the plot noodles and family secrets of the last 20-some years turn out to have been inextricably intertwined in a Dickensian tapestry … it’s just a bit too much.Big Summer is not a bad book, but it’s certainly not up to Weiner’s usual standard.
    • 4/5
      This is definitely a good summer read. It moves pretty quickly and has a light tone. I went into not reading the back of it or anything so I was stunned when it became a mystery! I don't know when I have been as surprised about the turn in genre as in this book - I really had a preconceived idea of what I was in for. That being said - it was handled quite lightly and it was a very good summer read. I didn't find it page turning though and it took me a lot longer to read it than I would have suspected. All and all - would definitely recommend to pack on a vacation - or for a plane ride.
    • 4/5
      Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner is a 2020 Atria Books publication. A Big Summer Hit!! A nasty fight between Daphne and her best friend, Drue, leads to a six- year estrangement. Daphne is now a plus-size Instagram influencer and has come a long way since her days of hero worshipping her rich and glamourous friend. But, when Drue comes barreling back into her life, begging her to be the maid of honor at her wedding, Daphne, against her better judgement, decides to give Drue on more chance. Besides, she’s been invited to Cape Cod for a wedding party, which could give her online presence a major boost, and there is sure to be a few eligible men in attendance, too. Little did she know that the weekend events would change her entire perspective on many things, including family and friendship. This is my first book by this author- though I have had a few of her books on Kindle for a while now. This one got some buzz last summer-but the wait list at the library was so long, I put it on a back burner for a while. Now, a year later, I’m finally getting around to reading it. This book took me a little by surprise. I do remember reading some reviews for the book- after all, that is what convinced me to add the book in the first place, but I didn’t refresh my memory before I started reading. It was like going in a blind- and it worked out perfectly. Things were going along pretty much as I expected, and I was enjoying the book well enough. I appreciated the way the plot exposed the mindset of reality shows/ social media/ influencers/ and how Daphne was seeing Drue through a more mature lens. Then the story took a dark turn I didn’t see coming- and suddenly I was no longer reading a chick-lit novel or contemporary fiction- I was reading a mystery/thriller too! Awesome!! What a great combination- Almost-like romantic suspense got a refreshing reboot! I loved how Daphne’s character grew, the way she learned to appreciate how rich she really was, how grateful she was for all the blessings she had overlooked. She saw her own flaws, the things she took for granted, and came away with a new outlook on life. While I would say I’m probably a little older than the targeted audience for this one- I really liked the book and will definitely read more books by this author! *Note: Content advisory- I have some online book pals who, like me, prefer the sensual scenes remain behind a closed door- So beware- this novel has some explicit sex scenes- one that seemed to go on forever- especially since I was listening to the audio version at the time and couldn’t just skip past it as I would if reading on my Kindle. I personally don’t feel the added details were necessary to the plot, but I suppose that’s a matter of taste. Just giving you a heads up.
    • 4/5
      Not a big diversion, just okay.
    • 5/5
      Daphne is a plus-size social media influencer, but still suffers from self-doubt and a badly managed "fix up" her sometimes friend Drue foisted on her. Years later, Drue emerges looking for bridesmaids and because of the social media splash, Daphne agrees. But then the bride is found drowned in a hot tub the morning of the wedding and Daphne is a suspect. Daphne and her new friend, who happens to be Drue's half-brother and her roommate solve the case.
    • 2/5
      Weiner’s Mrs. Everything was one of my top 10 books for 2019 so when this book came up as an audio book on sale, I grabbed it. What a mistake! I guess th3e author has a contract demanding a book a year, because with this volume she’s retreated from writing for grown-ups and gives us a story full of vapid characters, an unbelievable plot, and way too much product placement.The heroine, Daphne Berg, is a plus sized Instagram influencer putting up a brave face of being comfortable with her body, yet full of self-loathing. She’s had a co-dependent friendship with beautiful and wealthy Drue Cavanaugh since high school. A fight during their college years separated the two young women who haven’t spoken in years. Yet when Drue reappears and asks Daphne to be the maid of honor in her wedding she gratefully accepts. Seriously? Then throw in a murder, a hunky guy who falls for Daphne and a dysfunctional family and you have the makings of a mess. Tis is ten hours of my life I’ll never get back.
    • 3/5
      My book log tells me that I've read four other novels by Jennifer Weiner. This time I was looking for a book that was light, chick-lit, happy, maybe a "beach" read. The first half of this novel was just that, then BAM! Right in the middle, there is a twist and it suddenly becomes a mystery. I purposely had not read any reviews and I am glad I didn't.The location is Cape Cod, in June, with preparations being made for a summer society wedding between the daughter of a wealthy business owner and a TV celebrity. The protagonist is the maid-of-honor, Daphne, whose weight has always been a problem for her. She has no self-esteem and her weight alone could have been a "character" since it was mentioned constantly throughout the novel. There are several side stories which were just okay but all tied into the premise.During the second half, the mystery part, I found it unrealistic to have such a bumbling police detective that Daphne and two friends had to take over the investigation. This is not easy to review because of spoilers. You will read about the many sides of friendships, family feuds, and forgiveness. There are many lessons to be learned about the pitfalls of on-line living. Very little, if any, bad language which was refreshing. But there is a sex scene, in a hot tub no less, that certainly was not necessary. Sex can be implicated but these details were over-the-top.
    • 3/5
      While I enjoyed it (I typically enjoy Jennifer Weiner as an author), this was just ok. The parts of the ending were simultaneously surprising and expected. It also felt a little rushed in the last two chapters. Otherwise a decent pool or bath read.
    • 5/5
      I was expecting a good beach read, but this was so much more.
    • 5/5
      Perfect summer read! Made me laugh cry smile and wanting more
    • 3/5
      This is a fun beach read about complicated friendship, familial relationships, and murder. Drue Cavanaugh, rich, beautiful, and decidedly a "mean girl", is found dead on her wedding day by Daphne Berg, her maid of honor. Drue had recently tracked down Daphne and practically begged her to be her maid of honor after a falling out years ago. Daphne, always a sucker for Drue's charming ways, reluctantly agrees to be part of the wedding party. The Cape Cod wedding is over the top extravagant, however an ugly fight between Drue's parents puts a damper on the weekend. Shocked and saddened by the death of her old frenemy, Daphne embarks on solving the murder and tracking down the murderer. As is turns out, both Drue and the murdered, an old former classmate who was seeking vengeance for a prior misdeed, were using Daphne for her prowess as a social media influencer. Through the journey of discovery, Daphne comes to understand more about Drue and sees that a kinder, more down to earth side of her was beginning to emerge from her glossy exterior. Drue's home life was never warm and fuzzy like Daphne's.
    • 2/5
      I had been reading some heavy-duty books, was looking forward to a beach book, and decided on Big Summer. Although I read it in a few hours and it held my interest, I was disappointed. The characters and situations didn't seem realistic to me. I recognize that mean girls exist, and scholarship students don't necessarily have good experiences at private prep schools, but the series of events that bring Daphne to be part of Drue's wedding party didn't appeal to me as realistic fiction. Then, the interactions that Daphne has at the wedding and afterward are not all that logical. I felt that I was reading a poorly written book for teenagers rather than the well-crafted women's fiction I've come to expect from Jennifer Weiner.
    • 4/5
      I was provided with an ARC of this title by Netgalley/The Publisher in Exchange for my honest review
      Big Summer is the perfect Summer read. Equal parts mystery and women's fiction it gives a glimpse into several worlds from the influencer world, to the mega rich all while keeping a mostly down to earth protagonist that is easy to relate to and feels like a long lost friend. I am not one for mysteries ( aside from Sue Grafton novels RIP) but I really enjoyed how Weiner incorporated that element. There were times when I felt like, why are they chasing the "killer", instead of letting the police do its work but their chase added some depth to the story and characters and it didn't overshadow the other part of the story. This is one of those quintessential Beach reads for 2020. I couldn't put it down and finished it within 48 hours, staying up late to get to the end.
    • 5/5
      Such a page turner.
    • 4/5
      At least the book pointed out that most of what you see online is not true. Not sure it changes behavior. Have little sympathy for spoilt rich kids. An okay book. It would be a good movie
    • 4/5
      Not at all what I was expecting based on the title and cover, but I enjoyed it thoroughly -- right until the end. Sadly, without giving spoilers, I didn't buy how the characters got to the big climax or what they did in that moment. It felt very forced and not logical, which was really too bad because I was totally onboard until then. The main "message" was also hit on and spelled out a few too many times for me.
    • 3/5
      This book had more heart and heft than I expected it would, honestly, but it's an odd novel ... and after reading a few other reviews, I realize I'm not the only one who thought so. The first half is fairly standard chick-lit--a young woman protagonist overcomes her personal challenges to become a successful plus-size instagram influencer and begins to reconcile with her troubled, former mean-girl/BFF from high school. Then, at the half-way point, there's a death, and the book suddenly becomes a whodunnit mystery. The characters transform into intuitively capable amateur detectives, the pace picks up, and we're sped along to a conclusion. It didn't quite work for me, partly because many of the insights about our fat-shaming, diet-obsessive culture (while enlightened) didn't feel fresh or original to me, as I think Weiner intended; bestselling author Geneen Roth was writing about these issues, in very similar language to what Weiner uses, back in the 1990s. The message seems to be that our bad deeds come back to haunt us, and parental love makes the difference ... maybe a bit too pat? However, it was a quick, easy read, one day for me.
    • 4/5
      This would have gotten a 5 star from me but I was completely thrown by the *SPOILER ALERT* murder mystery portion in the second half of the novel. I really like Daphne and she seemed like a real well fleshed out (ha ha) character that I enjoyed. As a plus size lady myself she came across as authentic which doesn't always come across in books. Daphne is a plus size influencer who finally came to terms with her body about 6 or 7 years prior when her frenemy paid a man to flirt with her and then got mad when Daphne was upset. Once she cut out the frenemy (Drue) and came to terms with her body - doors opened up for her and she just landed a sweet new sponsorship for her instagram. Then out of the blue Drue comes crashing back into her life asking if Daphne will be her maid of honor because she doesn't really have any friends. Daphne gets sucked right back in because she is a sucker for a sob story and even though Drue has a mean streak - she just has that fun aura about her. First half of the book was great - second half was a little out there.

    Book preview

    Big Summer - Jennifer Weiner

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