"Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning:I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning.Poor chap, he always loved larkingAnd now he’s deadIt must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said.Oh, no no no, it was too cold always (Still the dead one lay moaning) I was much too far out all my life And not waving but drowning.-Stevie Smith 2.5 stars. I am truly disappointed. Not in this book (well, I am but I'll get to that) but in the fa

Six years ago wealthy Drue Cavanaugh and Daphne Berg have a serious fall out over something potentially unforgivable that Drue set up for Daphne and they have not spoken since. In the present day Daphne has carved a good life for herself as a plus size Instagram influencer. Out of the blue Drue gets in touch and begs Daphne to be her maid of honour at her Cape Cod wedding. What should Drue do? As her loyal friend Darshi rightly points out Drue is Daphne’s kryptonite. The developing story deals w...

I found Big Summer to be a mixture of drama, mystery and women's fiction all blended together. Daphne Berg has had a problem with body image and her weight for most of her life. Her insecurities and struggles have been obvious but recently, she has learned to love her body or try to. Six years ago, she had the worst night of her life and there was a video to prove it. Instead of hiding and commiserating about the event, she decides to take charge of her life and in a way to write her own sto

5 Stars!This was absolutely the right book at the right time for me! Being at home has made me want to transport myself to a Beach on an island and read. Big Summer gave me that and so much more.Daphne is a girl who is trying to make it as a social influencer online. She gets clothes, jewelry, etc. in exchange for her posting online. Growing up she went to a school where she didn't exactly fit in but was befriended by one of the rich girls in school. They had a falling out but then Daphne's frie...

Daphne Berg and Drue Cavanaugh were once best friends. Kind of. The friendship was a little one-sided and had a slight frenemies vibe but still...Until that one day where Drue pushed Daphne just way too far.Six years later, Daphne has completely (and utterly) moved on. She has a comfortable influencer life, she just made a major plus-size brand deal AND she's hit her body confidence groove.THEN DRUE WALTZES BACK IN.Apparently Drue is getting married and has not made a lot (read: any) friends

“Even if things don’t get better, you can always make them look good on the internet.”Big Summer is part chick-lit, part drama, and part mystery. It explores the dynamics of female friendship, body image, and the pretense of social media personas.Daphne’s character drew me in immediately. As a woman, I found her vulnerabilities and experiences easy to identify with. A self-described “babysitter and not-very-influential influencer,” Daphne spends a lot of time focusing on her body image and insec...

4.5 stars. Big Summer , Jennifer Weiner's newest novel, is a thought-provoking, poignant exploration of friendship, self-esteem, body image, social media, and whether people truly are capable of change.If she’s not completely happy, Daphne is at least content with her life. She’s starting to gain momentum as a social media influencer for the plus-size community, she likes her job and her apartment, and she’s even starting to feel a bit better about how she looks.When her childhood best friend

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 one more chance. Besides...

This is a Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit/Mystery/Romance. I requested this a long time ago, but I just got approved for it on Netgalley. I also had already borrow the audiobook for Libby, so I read the kindle edition I got for Netgalley and listen to the audiobook at the same time. This book really surprised me in a good way. I have to say this book did not pull me in for the beginning, but I got so pulled into the story I could not put this book down if I wanted too by the middle of the book. I am h...

3.5 stars "I would still want to be her friend, because she was everything I wanted to be." Six years after the fight (and video) that ended their friendship, Drue Cavanaugh comes back into Daphne Berg's life. Drue is as Blonde, skinny and beautiful as ever and she needs something from Daphne. She comes begging forgiveness and for Daphne to be her Maid-of-honor at her wedding. Daphne is shocked, that night besides being incredibly painful was the turning point in her life. She turned her pain

I honestly should have known this book wasn't for me, but I had heard good things and I was just looking for something light and happy and thought this might do the trick. I did not really enjoy this book at all; I found the whole book to be very shallow, predictable and full of cliches. Everything just seemed dramatic and kind of silly to me.I didn't really enjoy the main character at all. She was supposed to be all about positive body image because she was judged all her life about being overw...

It has been many years since I've read a Jennifer Weiner novel, but lately I've read several of her insightful, witty op-ed pieces in the NY Times. So I figured this would be a smart, witty beach read. Nope. It is a silly novel about shallow people stuck in adolescence. By the end it devolved into total nonsense.

Jennifer Weiner has masterfully woven together a beach read and a murder mystery and created the perfect summer read. Daphne has always struggled with her body image, and it didn’t help that even her BFF Drew made cutting remarks about her weight. But Daphne is older and wiser now and has extricated Drew from her life after she publicly humiliated her. She is also now a popular plus size Instagram influencer with tons of followers and opportunities. When Drew reaches out and asks Daphne to be he...

The first half had the potential to be a decent chick lit story - it had a lot of focus on social media influencers, frenemies drama, and body image discussions with a plus-sized protagonist. I would have given it 3 stars if it were just that, but the latter is where the story suffers as we abruptly shift over to a mystery. I actually am intrigued by the idea of switching genres halfway through a book, but the execution wasn’t great because it was clear that the author is better at writing chick...

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...4.5 Stars!!!!An entertaining, thought-provoking, extremely satisfying read. Six years ago, nineteen-year-old, Daphne Berg was out with friends for a night of fun and dancing. The night ended with Daphne making a vow to never see her "friend", Drue Lathrop Cavanaugh ever again.Six years later, Daphne is an up and coming influencer. She is excited to be starting a collaboration with another influencer. This opportunity means s...