The Summer Place

A Novel

By: Jennifer Weiner

Narrated by: Sutton Foster

Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of That Summer comes another “must-have” (USA TODAY) beach listen about family, secrets, and the ties that bind.

When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house in Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.

But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news and must revisit the choices she made long ago. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by the challenges of the quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.

When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same in “this first-rate page-turner” (Publishers Weekly) that will whisk you to the charming beaches of Cape Cod.

©2022 Jennifer Weiner, Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

To much illicit sex!

I love Jennifer Weiner books. I became a fan with Good In Bed, because I'd never read about a plus-sized heroine before! She used to be a champion of the big girls. This story, while enjoyable, lacks the soul of many of the others, and it seems to try to make up for it by much more graphic sex scenes than before. I have to say I'm disappointed. Not the Jennifer Weiner I've come to love.

Wow

What a fantastic book. So many delicious nooks n crannies. I could not stop listening!

The summer place

This is a great book… Interesting story line… But I think every reader needs to read it or listen to it and get out of it walk away from it with how it affects your life.

Very Good

This was a very enjoyable story. A few twists and turns at the end !!!! Recommended listen to!

Narrator

Sutton foster was awesome narrator and pleasant to listen to and gave each of the many characters their own identity. Beautiful story and well written.

Perfect summer “beach listen”

A little creepy/cringeworthy at parts but, then again, isn’t life? A lesser talent could have wreaked havoc on the narration but Sutton Foster’s talent and decades of experience helped impart each character with a humanity that may have otherwise not been felt.

It’s also nice, in a summer book world always inundated by Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard to have Cape Cod at center stage.

Disappointing!

I have been a fan of Jennifer Weiner for a long time. This is the first book by her that I did not enjoy. I had to push myself to finish it. Seemed like every complication possible in a relationship was introduced to the point that it was not at all engaging or believable.

A bit over the top

The storyline felt a bit like a soap opera. I've read and enjoyed most of Jennifer Weiner's books, but this one was a little disappointing. It felt rushed and full of cliches.

Enjoyable - Unlikely

I enjoyed the story, but the plot was wildly unrealistic. That being said, Weiner keeps the reader well entertained!

What did I read?

As a big fan of Jennifer Weiner, this was disappointing. I had a hard time liking and/or caring about most of the characters. And there were so many characters! WAY too many coincidences! Everyone has a secret but there is literally no drama when the secrets come out. It's just blah, ok, cool.... you have a whole book filled with waiting for everyone to find out what's happening and then nothing. I also just found the whole Sam storyline ridiculous. I guess these are the most understanding people in the world because normal people would have not responded well to his behavior.