The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Weiner, Jennifer. Big Summer. Atria Books, May 5, 2020. Kindle.

In the novel Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, plus-sized influencer Daphne Berg was thrilled when clothing designer Leela Thakoon chose Daphne as the face of her “size-inclusive” (12) line. Daphne does not know that Leela is using Daphne and Daphne’s friendship with rich girl Drue Cavanaugh to get revenge. Daphne learned that neither Drue nor Leela were the people they advertised themselves as on social media, a truth that makes Daphne reconsider her role as an influencer and dreams of social media fame.

Daphne was immediately fascinated by pretty, popular Drue when she met her in sixth grade on Daphne’s first day at Lathrop School, the private school funded by Drue’s mother’s family. The friendship was one-sided, with Drue using Daphne to do her school work, pass along the news to boys that Drue wanted to break up, or cover up for Drue when she misbehaved. Daphne believed she was done with Drue for good when Drue arranged for one of her friends to show an interest in Daphne during a girls’ night out at a local bar. Daphne, who believed the boy’s interest was sincere, was shocked when she heard him talking about her in a derogatory fashion because of her weight. She retaliated later on the dance floor by stomping on his toes. When he cursed her, she defended herself by telling him that she might be fat, but she still deserved respect. A video of the incident went viral and Daphne’s career as an influencer was born. When Daphne learned Drue’s role in what happened, she broke off that friendship.

Several years later, Drue approached Daphne again. She was getting married and had no friends willing to serve as bridesmaids. Hoping that Drue had changed, Daphne agreed to help. On the night of the rehearsal dinner, Robert Cavanaugh, Drue’s father, yelled at her in front of the guests about the amount of money she was spending on the wedding. Daphne left Nick Andros, a man who claimed he was an old friend of Drue’s and had been flirting with Daphne, to comfort her friend. After Daphne left Drue she met a strange man on the deck outside Drue’s room. He claimed he wanted to make sure that his friend Drue was okay; but, the man was so unfashionable and plain that Daphne sensed Drue would not consider him a friend. Daphne forgot about the man when she discovered that Nick was waiting for her near the outdoor hot tub shared by Drue and Daphne’s rooms. The two had a romantic evening, but Daphne woke to find Nick gone. On the deck, Drue was dead in the hot tub.

Fearing that she was a suspect in Drue’s murder, Daphne began her own investigation. She and her best friend and roommate Darshini “Darshi” Shah first found Nick. The detectives had told Daphne that Nick was not on the guest list. Nick admitted he had given Daphne a fake last name because he did not want her to associate him with the murder of his mother, Christina Killian, years prior in that same house. He joined Daphne and Darshi in their investigation into Drue’s death.

Among the people they questioned was Barbara “Barb” Vincent. Barb was the mother of Emma Vincent, one of Robert’s daughters through an extramarital affair. Nick was shocked to learn that he, too, was Robert’s child, meaning he was Drue’s half-brother. Daphne and the others also tracked down the strange man she had talked to outside Drue’s room the night the Drue was killed. It turned out that Drue was secretly in love with this man, Aditya Acharya. She only planned to marry Stuart Lowe so she could get her trust fund and use the money to help save her father’s business. Daphne realized how desperate Drue was to earn her father’s love. She considered for the first time that Drue thought Daphne was lucky because she had her parents’ love and support.

Aditya told Daphne and the others that Drue had admitted to him the way she had treated people in the past. There was one instance in which she convinced a classmate at Croft School to take the SAT for her. When the scheme was discovered, Drue blamed the girl for what had happened. That girl was punished, but Drue suffered no consequences.

In a flash of realization after seeing a picture of Drue and her classmates, Daphne realized that Leela was the girl whom Drue had tricked into taking the SAT for her. She contacted the police and Nick just before she arrived at her apartment to find Leela waiting for her. Leela said she had been following Daphne’s activities and had feared she would discover Leela was the one responsible for Drue’s murder. Leela intended to murder Daphne and make it look like a suicide. Daphne, however, used the advantage of her size and weight to overpower Leela until the police arrived.