That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is an author I’ve come to love. She features strong female protagonists and tackles more sensitive subjects.  That Summer is  her latest book which published May 11 and I absolutely loved it.

Plot Summary

Diana “Daisy” Shoemaker is a woman who some would say has it all.  A beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, a husband who has provided this home and a teenaged daughter.  Her schedule is full with her cooking business and volunteer work. She has many acquaintances but no real friends since the loss of her best friend a few years ago.  Daisy knows her life is to be envied, so why can’t she sleep?

While trying to discover the root of her insomnia, she comes across a series of emails sent to her mistakenly and directed at another Diana.  This other Diana is a business woman whose emails suggest her importance in the corporate world. Daisy can’t help but to compare their two lives.  After an apologetic email, the two begin conversing and meet in person.  As their friendship deepens, it becomes apparent that their connection may not be accidental.

Book Review

This book was highly engaging and difficult to put down.  The character development of the two women was superb.  The book is written from dual narrative of each woman with their separate histories unfolding as the story progresses. The strength of friendship and level of trust between the women was highlighted. Indeed, there were times I thought the story would be taken in a different direction due to the early nature of their friendship. The conclusion of the book was highly satisfying, and I simply did not want it to end.

It should be mentioned that this book has an incident involving sexual assault which may be a trigger to some readers.

Audiobook Review

I chose the audiobook version of That Summer which was narrated by Sutton Foster.  Her expressive voice and cadence made for an excellent performance.  I would not hesitate to recommend the audiobook version of That Summer to those that appreciate this format.

What I Liked About That Summer:

• Strong female protagonists
• The sensitive manner in which a difficult situation was written
• The satisfying conclusion

I Recommend This Book To:

Those readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction with strong female protagonists.

Add That Summer to your Goodreads shelf

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Just My Luck by Adele Parks

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