So, about that body! When Drue was found dead, the story took a pretty dramatic departure from my expectations. I knew Drue wasn’t being honest about the wedding, but I just thought she had a secret boyfriend, or secret debts, or maybe even another terrible grenade-jumper for Daphne to pose with in wedding photos. I was NOT prepared for murder!
In fact, I was so unprepared for it that I was pretty sure Drue looked dead, but was actually going to be airlifted to a top-class hospital and be saved by money. I didn’t think she was actually dead, just comic-book dead, sure to be saved in the dramatic next scene.
And, one more spoiler. Throughout Big Summer, I barely even considered Leela as a character! I thought the opening of the novel, was plot exposition about Daphne’s life and work as plus-size influencer! I saw Leela’s whole company as a device to give Daphne the perfect clothes for every situation, just another body-posi moment for our cute and chubby Insta influencer. I thought Daphne deserved pretty clothes, and really enjoyed when she tired things on and even found a flattering bathing suit, and Leela was basically the vehicle for that. I didn’t even mildly suspect her as the villain!
I also loved her harsh comments about gullible shoppers really wanting wanting to believe in sustainable, artisan fashion. It was such a counterpoint to the too-perfect sponsor company in the opening of Big Summer.