Reviews

I adored Carley Fortune’s debut novel EVERY SUMMER AFTER so I was super excited to read MEET ME AT THE LAKE. As with most of the books I read this year, I read the audiobook and I liked the narrator a lot.

As far as the story goes, I wasn’t disappointed. I loved Fern and Will’s story. I loved the premise of them getting a second chance at love. Even though MEET ME AT THE LAKE is mostly fluff, there’s some meat to the story too thanks to the inclusion of how mental illness and the loss of a loved one can mess with our plans and intentions. It made the characters and story feel more real.

randollk's review against another edition

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3.0

I read her debut novel a year ago and rated it a 5, and I totally agree that this one doesn't hit as hard. I can also see the similarities between them, which people highly criticized, saying she essentially wrote the same novel twice. However, the stories are completely different, the setup is just very similar. Lots of back and forth in timelines searching for what went wrong. For me this book misses points because unlike her last book, I just wasn't convinced about their love. I liked their relationship/ dynamic in the "current" parts of the novel, but the rest wasn't completely believable to me. Also, the main male character does some hurtful stuff, and I feel like it wasn't completely resolved or justified. Parts of this I really liked, parts I didn't! I would still say you should read it if you enjoyed her other book, I don't think it was horrible like some people said. I will be picking up her new release. Good summer read for sure.

shadeofbooks's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

samihiggins's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

katherineharnisch's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

The vibes for this book were summer by the lake, and this book truly delivered on that front!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a light summer romance and doesn’t mind frustrating characters. Unfortunately the main characters were just a touch *too* frustrating for me, and I finished this book annoyed and a bit exhausted.

I did enjoy the back-and-forth timeline, between when Fern and Will first met and their current relationship. I also enjoyed reading Fern’s mother’s diary entries—in fact, I wish there had been more of them. I loved the setting of the lake, the forest, and the private dock. The people of the resort were touching—Peter was my favorite character in the book, and I understood exactly how Fern felt when she said she wished Peter was her biological dad.

I understood Fern’s resistance to working in the family business when she had just graduated college, but as time went on her resistance felt increasingly superficial. As for Will, if the man would just SPEAK this book would be 300 pages shorter. His actions are just straight up nonsensical and even when they are explained they don’t feel justified (leaving with no warning, leaving no note or text etc. and not answering the phone at any point???? This man is d.u.m.b.).

All of that being said, I found the author’s writing style to be easy and enjoyable. I have heard her other books may be better than this one, and I’m looking forward to reading Every Summer After soon!

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