The Summer Place

I’ll admit: I rolled my eyes at the ‘pandemic wedding’ premise. But Weiner subverts every cliché, crafting a story that’s less about the wedding and more about the seismic shifts hiding beneath polite small talk. The audiobook’s strength lies in how Foster’s narration exposes those cracks. Take the scene where Sarah confronts her ex-husband about his new girlfriend—Foster’s voice tightens just enough to betray Sarah’s hurt, but she never tips into melodrama. It’s a delicate balance, and she nails it. That said, the book isn’t perfect. The subplot involving the family’s financial troubles feels rushed, resolved too neatly in the final act. And while Weiner excels at dialogue, some monologues (particularly Eli’s) veer into *over*-explaining, as if she’s afraid we’ll miss the point. Still, the audiobook’s pacing is impeccable—Foster’s energy keeps even the slower sections engaging, and the production’s ambient touches (distant waves, a crackling fire pit) add immersion without distracting. What stuck with me most? How Weiner and Foster collaborate to make the *silences* matter. A paused response after a cruel joke, the way Foster’s breath catches when a character lies—it’s in these tiny audio moments that *The Summer Place* transcends its genre. If you love family dramas with teeth (and a narrator who knows how to bite), this is your summer listen.