Every Summer After

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune is a touching and beautifully woven tale of love, loss, and the power of second chances. This novel captures the essence of summer, evoking nostalgia with its vivid descriptions and deeply relatable characters.The story revolves around Persephone Fraser, affectionately known as Percy, who has avoided her hometown for years after making a life-altering mistake. Fortune skillfully takes readers through a dual timeline, alternating between Percy's childhood summers and her present-day confrontation with past decisions. This structure not only keeps the narrative engaging but also allows for a deeper connection with the characters.Percy’s journey back to Barry’s Bay is prompted by the passing of a loved one, forcing her to face Sam Florek, her childhood friend and first love. Their chemistry is palpable, and their shared history is rich with moments that range from heartwarming to heart-wrenching. The author's depiction of their relationship is authentic, showcasing the complexities of love and friendship.One of the novel's strengths is its setting. The lakeside town of Barry’s Bay is almost a character in itself, with Fortune's descriptive prose bringing its charm to life. Readers will find themselves transported to lazy summer days filled with swimming, boating, and the smell of pine trees.Fortune's writing is both poetic and accessible, making this book an enjoyable read for a wide audience. Her background as a journalist shines through in her attention to detail and the emotional depth she brings to her storytelling.For those who appreciate character-driven narratives with a strong emotional core, Every Summer After is a must-read. It is a testament to the enduring nature of love and the importance of forgiveness, both of oneself and others. Whether you’re lounging by the beach or curled up on a rainy day, this book promises to be a companion that stays with you long after the final page is turned.

As other reviews have already pointed out, it’s a love story. A brilliant written and heart-warming love story, which gripped me right from the very beginning, when Percy tells us about the dangers of a hair cut right after a break up. The writing is elegant and agile. The story is timeless and warm, but never getting cheap. I felt I was right there, by the lake in those hot summer months with the adorable characters.I gave it four stars because of the long sex scenes, a little boring for my liking, and the cliché line “white girl privilege”, which I think is a very simplistic view of the world and human relations and, in the book, is thrown aleatory, without any relation to the story whatsoever.

While I typically read historical fiction, this book was a nice break. It’s lighter, a love story and I found I couldn’t put it down. A perfect beach book or escape from reality. Warning there are lots of graphic sex scenes but they aren’t gratuitous and are part of the story.

this book was phenomenal!! i loved every page and i fell in love with the story and characters. it’s told in past and present timelines over the course of six summers and one weekend 12 years later. you get small town, second chance romance, childhood best friends to lovers to strangers to lovers, and more! some of my fav tropes in one book <3 i love the parallel events between the past and present chapters, seeing how percy and sam grown and matured but also stay the same throughout the years (iykyk - the friendship bracelets, “swear on it”, ice cream). their attraction and connection are undeniable! the book perfectly captures friendship, teenage angst, first love, loss, mistakes, and forgiveness. it’s also about finding your person, someone who understands you like no other.the writing was spectacular - it was so magical and enchanting as it encapsulated summer nostalgia at a lakeside cottage. i felt like i experienced every summer with percy and sam. i love how real and relatable the characters are. percy and sam are two flawed characters that let their fears get in their way, but they try their best to repair what they broke. i adore sam so so much, he’s the sweetest and kindest guy who loves really hard. the sarcasm and banter between the two were soo good too, i loved how we get a glimpse of what they were like at 13 and then at 30.this is the PERFECT summer read, i highly recommend it!! i promise you’ll love this if you love ‘love and other words’ by christina lauren! i didn’t think i’d find a book like laow that hits the same, but reading this book made my lil laow heart so happy 💞 i’m blown away by the fact that this is carley fortune’s debut novel and i hope there is more to come!

This one was a tear jerker for me but I'm very good way. Loved the story line and the ups and downs, and the emotional roller coadter, so much like real life. Cant wait to read more by Carley Fortune@

This is a great summer read. It kept my attention and was fast pace.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Nothing quite like being 16 and all the feelings that come with that. It took me back in time. I loved every second of this book, a true love story. Beautiful writing and characters. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. If you want a book to make you laugh, cry, and have all the feelings- this one is for you .

I loved loved loved this! Such a brilliant way to portray real people messing up and loving each other! Would recommend :)

This was hands-down a fabulous summer read for me, and I knew it would be based on the premise and location alone. After about halfway down the second page, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down. Reading it was like coming home. I love stories that pull on the heartstrings and let me tell you… this one did not disappoint. I’m an Ontario gal and this story takes place in Barry’s Bay, Ontario, not too far from me or from where I grew up camping and cottaging in the summers on gorgeous lakes in the Canadian Shield area. There’s just something about driving up north on your way to these beautiful places that sets your mind at ease. That certain place where the highway turns from a ridiculously busy six lanes north of Toronto to a double lane, twinned highway. The landscape changes drastically from hydro towers and pavement to trees and rivers. It’s bumper-to-bumper traffic to smooth sailing in no time at all. The air is cleaner, the sky is bluer, the lakes are shimmering, and all your troubles just melt away. It’s such a precise spot that this happens, it’s as though you cross an invisible line, and your chest gets a little lighter when you cross it.When Fortune writes about what it’s like in Barry’s Bay, living the summers on the lake, there’s so much nostalgia on the pages for me! Between that and the one-that-got-away-that-you-never-truly-get-over vibes, I was absolutely hooked. There were so many lines in the book that resonated so deeply with me for so many reasons. There were several “pause pebbles” in the story for me, which Cece Lyra (P.S. Literary agent) will know all about; those “wow” lines that make you stop reading to reflect; the ones that hit you in the feels and blow your mind a little bit (or a lot!). (And as a writer, these are the only times you want your reader to stop reading!) It was like Fortune peered inside all my most precious personal memories, fears, hopes, and wishes and wrote them on the page in the most perfect way. Reading this story was like opening a memory box, and I want to read it again and again.I had some travelling to do, so I read half the book on the planes and in the airports. The only reason I put it down was that I was forced to by boarding/de-boarding, having to walk from gate to gate, and driving home at 3am! I couldn’t wait to keep reading, and by the second day, I’d finished it. I love the way the author holds the tension, keeps us guessing at what happened in the past that affects the present so much, and leads us down memory lane. Even if you didn’t grow up going to a cottage every summer, there’s still so much about childhood and growing up, finding yourself and building relationships, that can resonate with you. It’s a little bit women’s fiction, a little bit coming-of-age, a little bit romance (with a few steamy scenes!), and all incredibly written from start to finish.This was an excellent, 5-star debut, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Sehr kurzweilige und schöne Liebesgeschichte, die Sommerfeeling verbreitet. Das Buch eignet sich perfekt als Urlaubslektüre und hat mir gut gefallen.

the book itself is extremely good. i can read it for 4-5 hours without even giving a break.

parfait