Review of That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

If you liked Big Summer, what will you think of That Summer? Well, it’s a different kind of story altogether. Check out all the details on my review of That Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

Jen’s Quick Take on That Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

• While it SEEMS to be a sequel to Big Summer, That Summer is a completely different story with a different tone
• I think it’s trying to be in the vein of Little Fires Everywhere, which featured a disruptive outsider who calls the white middle class privilege of a main character
• But it’s also an issue book that lectures the reader (Iike this book by another popular Princeton educated author)
• To be published on May 11, 2021 by Atria Books.
• Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

What is That Summer by Jennifer Weiner About?

This review will be spoiler free. If you’ve read the book or just want more details on the plot, check out my spoiler review and discussion of That Summer here.

When I read the synopsis of That Summer, I honestly wasn’t sure what I was getting.

What DID Diana want from Daisy, anyway? Was this an f/f women’s fiction romance? The pretty cover doesn’t really say “thriller” but Big Summer, Weiner’s last book (with a similar cover), had a murder mystery surprise inside. (You can read my review of Big Summer here and find my spoiler post and discussion of Big Summer here.)

The more I thought about That Summer after I finished reading, the more I thought it was meant to be fiction in the vein of Little Fires Everywhere.

Both books are stories that feature mother/daughter relationships and a disruptive outsider who calls the white middle class privilege (and in the course of the book’s Hulu adaptation, the racism) of the family and their community into question.

Like that book, That Summer is about two women connected by a secret from the past. At times it really does seem about to veer into thriller territory as a revenge story. But then it abruptly pulled back from that, which confused and disappointed me. Even if the book didn’t want to be a thriller, the book set up a reckoning that fizzled.

Review of That Summer:

I think the greatest strength of Last Summer is Diana and her story. Jennifer Weiner excels at creating (white, upper middle class) characters that feel relatable and familiar to the readers of that background. Strangely, I had the most issues with Daisy, a character with whom had a lot in common with (married young, mother, always wished she had a career) but who never really felt fully realized to me. The book’s third main character is Beatrice, Daisy’s daughter, who, based on her inclusion as a POV character, I thought would play a much greater role in the end of the story.

For me, the greatest weaknesses of this book were the way issues were incorporated and the ending. It’s hard to write an “issue book,” but to me, the greatest pitfall is letting the book dip into lecturing-the-reader territory. I think a more effective tactic is to make the characters care about the issues and the reader care deeply about the characters. As for the ending, the book seemed to be poised and ready to move into dramatic territory and then … just didn’t.

I did enjoy reading The Last Summer. Though I had some issues with the way the story was told, I did think some of the characters and the book’s general premise were really interesting and offer a lot to discuss.

If you want to know more about the plot (I will mark the big ending spoilers) OR have read this and are dying to talk about it, come over to my Plot Summary and Spoiler Discussion for That Summer!

If you are looking for reviews of other Jennifer Weiner books:

The Summer Series

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

If you want something more chick lit:

The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner