That Summer
Fiction
Atria Books
May 11, 2021
Advance reader copy
432
Free from publisher
Daisy Shoemaker can’t sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, and a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful; her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, and she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she’s got it good. So why is she up all night?
While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, Diana’s making plans to reorganize corporations. Diana’s glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet and become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?
From the manicured Main Line of Philadelphia to the wild landscape of the Outer Cape, written with Jennifer Weiner’s signature wit and sharp observations, THAT SUMMER is a story about surviving our pasts, confronting our futures, and the sustaining bonds of friendship.
I'll be the first to admit that while I love this author, I was not a fan of Big Summer (last year's release). After reading that book, I was afraid that another of my favorite contemporary writers was abandoning ship and heading for thriller writing (here's looking at you Lisa Jewell and Joshlyn Jackson). I breathed a sigh of relief after reading this one, because while it does have a mysterious vibe, it's quintessential Weiner, and I am very happy about that! Very much like a lot of her previous novels, this one tackles a timely subject (in this case the #MeToo movement). That may be the main plot point of the book, but there is always so much more to delight within the context of the story. The characters and settings are always spot on, and I always feel invested in what happens, to the point of inhaling the story within a couple of days. Weiner always has such great representation for plus size women, and I am here for that. She also does a great job of giving you all sides to a controversial topic, so you as the reader, while you may have an opinion, can be open to all sides of the issue and those effected by it. I was satisfied with the ending of this one, and so happy to add another enjoyable Weiner to my shelf.
This one will be big for the beach this summer, as it has all the great qualities this author is known for.....a gripping ripped from the headlines plot, fabulously written characters and settings, and an unputdownable vibe. Also, does this cover not scream summer read?
