Twenty-two-year-old Ruby Danhauser has been raised by her father Eli and his wife Sarah. As the world starts to return to some level of normalcy after the height of the pandemic, headstrong Ruby decides that it's time to marry her boyfriend Gabe and he agrees. The person Ruby tells first is her step-grandmother Veronica (Ronnie) Levy-Weinberg, Sarah’s mother who was a celebrated author in the 1970s. Sarah asks if the wedding can be held at Ronnie’s large Cape Cod beach house. As the big day approaches, a series of lies and hidden secrets start to unfold. And Ronnie hasn't told anyone of her plan to sell the beloved beach house after the wedding.
You may need a scorecard to keep track of all the characters in The Summer Place and their escapades as this is one complicated, angst-ridden family. There’s lots of guilt to go around. There’s guilt over past infidelity, recent bed swapping, a fear that a DNA test will reveal some shocking results, and lots more. Three generations of women question the decisions they’ve made. And the men in the family have plenty to reconcile as well.
Author Jennifer Weiner has stated that her goal was to create a mix of Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream and a Noel Coward-like farce. Mission accomplished. This over-the-top family drama will surely appeal to Weiner fans, which I am one. Her writing is always witty and sharp. I became fully wrapped up in the story and enjoyed it while there may simply be too much going on for some. Prepare to see this book all over the beaches this summer.
Many thanks to Atria Books | Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read The Summer Place before its release.
Rated 3.75 out of 5 stars.
Contemporary Fiction / Women’s Fiction / Romance / LGBT
Publication Date: May 10, 2022.
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