That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

That Summer

Diana is fifteen that summer, the summer she’s allowed to work as an au pair for a family her parents know. They’re going to spend the summer months on Cape Cod at their palatial cottage on the sea. What a magical time it is for Diana. A magical age when her entire future lies before her like festive unopened gifts under the tree. You are right there with Diana as she discovers another life she barely knew existed. And she meets a group of older and more sophisticated young people who befriend her. And there is a boy. Older. Worldly. She’s in love. Right? And as the summer comes to a close we watch, helpless, as it becomes a tragedy….

Years pass and we meet Daisy, a woman who is seemingly happily married with a precocious teenage daughter, living in Philadelphia. Daisy teaches cooking while her husband is a lawyer. They live the good life with the big house and the cottage on Cape Cod. But something’s off. Daisy gave up her ambition to marry Hal, her husband, and we’re getting a feeling she’s not all that happy. Plus, their daughter is doing everything she possibly can to escape any of the “good” schools they get her into.

Who is Diana now? She’s a business dynamo who is single and childless. She lives on Cape Cod. And she can not get past the “past!”

We know “something” happened on that beach on that night all those years ago. Diana’s story comes out in bits and pieces through the chapters. The horror of that night changed her life completely.

When Daisy begins receiving emails meant for another person she becomes intrigued. Then she agrees to meet this woman who is so much like her, but not. They become close friends. Daisy shares her doubts about her marriage and family.

This amazing novel of friendship and resilience came at me like a rocket. Honestly, I have never read anything quite like it. It’s a helluva lot more than a summer read. Sure, it’s got summer and it’s got Cape Cod, but it’s got issues that we are facing right this very moment. Issues of class and sexuality pose very serious questions. Moral issues are put to the test. Thought provoking and insightful, THAT SUMMER is so much more than summer reading. It just could be the block-buster of the summer!

Cape Cod is such a draw for writers and readers. It’s got so much to offer. Most readers love the beach, and most readers love a good love story. Well, THAT SUMMER has all this, and so much more.

Women coming together to help each other is a big theme for me.

Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner has written dozens of novels over the past twenty years. They’ve all gone on to become super hits. I read an article where she spoke about writing this book. She wrote it during this pandemic. So there is that. But she began it in 2018 during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. She was watching on tv and couldn’t help seeing how it was affecting Kavanaugh’s wife. All of us watched these hearings play out. It was harrowing. Guilty, not guilty? Everyone has his or her own perspective. #MeToo movement was on fire. Women were stepping up and speaking out. So, Weiner decided to approach her novel from the wife’s point of view. You can’t help but see correlations between the novel and the hearings. You are supposed to. It’s a powerful novel. A very important one.

We need to feel the beach right now. This summer we should all be able to actually go to the beach if we so desire. You will definitely feel like you’re on the beach in this novel. Cape Cod beckons.

I have to thank Atria for providing the advance readers’ copy of THAT SUMMER in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, it’s one of my favorites this summer.

We have new copies of THAT SUMMER at Copperfish Books just waiting for you to come in and claim yours. It’s a beautiful cover and a fabulous story. Oh, by the way, they are discounted 20%. Hope to see you soon. I’ll be in the store later today and on Wednesday until two.