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lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was pleasantly surprised by One Golden Summer because I didn’t love Every Summer After (I know, shocking because it’s so beloved!). This book club pick was selected because everyone wanted something light and summery and this hit the mark. Carley Fortune really knows how to write a summer setting and it left me craving a Canadian lakehouse! And as much as I didn’t care for Charlie in the first book, he really warms up to you in One Golden Summer. The flirty banter is cute (for the most part) and Alice and Charlie were a fun couple to read. I ended up really liking the storyline with Alice’s Nan as well. Sometimes the charming grandma stories are a little too cliche for me, but I thought this one was done well. There were a couple of spots with miscommunication that gave me the ick and some of the photography metaphors were a bit too on the nose, but overall I really enjoyed my time. And even though I didn’t love ESA, I was happy I read it first because it gave me good context for Charlie and I really did like the followup on Sam and Percy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Things I loved:
*Audio book narration was great
*The banter was amazing
*This was the perfect book for summer, great vibes
*That Alice stopped being a doormat, you go girl ✨️
Things I didn't like:
*Alice's family, though they redeemed themselves a bit at the end, they were honestly terrible and I wanted to slap them
*The angst and miscommunication at the very end; while predictable, it was still annoying and it felt like things got resolved too quickly given how long we were yearning for them to get together
*The fact that Charlie was a cocky mf but still had that woe-is-me thing going on, idk it gave me the ick a bit
*Audio book narration was great
*The banter was amazing
*This was the perfect book for summer, great vibes
*That Alice stopped being a doormat, you go girl ✨️
Things I didn't like:
*Alice's family, though they redeemed themselves a bit at the end, they were honestly terrible and I wanted to slap them
*The angst and miscommunication at the very end; while predictable, it was still annoying and it felt like things got resolved too quickly given how long we were yearning for them to get together
*The fact that Charlie was a cocky mf but still had that woe-is-me thing going on, idk it gave me the ick a bit
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
This was a perfectly fine summer romance.
There was nothing particularly unique or interesting about it but for the descriptions of the lake alone I was sat.
Reading it during sunset by a lake did really elevate the reading experience.
I will say I hate when the MMC has a whole personality centered around being sad that he’s a pretty fuckboy bc he’s afraid that girls won’t love him like fuck offff.
Otherwise I wasn’t mad at it, did it mostly for the vibes.
There was nothing particularly unique or interesting about it but for the descriptions of the lake alone I was sat.
Reading it during sunset by a lake did really elevate the reading experience.
I will say I hate when the MMC has a whole personality centered around being sad that he’s a pretty fuckboy bc he’s afraid that girls won’t love him like fuck offff.
Otherwise I wasn’t mad at it, did it mostly for the vibes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a great summer read. Absolutely devoured it. I was holding my breath-it was giving potential Nicholas Sparks vibes. But it’s a wonderful HEA I’m happy to report!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Car accident
Moderate: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was another really good read! I love every Carley Fortune book I have read and this one is no exception. I loved going back to some of the characters I adored in Every Summer After, especially Charlie! But the story in this one was beautiful and I loved Alice and felt like she had a little bit of me in her.
Do I recommend this? Yes! If you love Every Summer After and enjoy a good romance read, this book is going to be perfect for you.
Do I recommend this? Yes! If you love Every Summer After and enjoy a good romance read, this book is going to be perfect for you.
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Car accident
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read this for the CLE gals book club and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was entertained and enjoyed that the characters were a bit older than typical romance books so I found them more relatable.
The 🌶️🌶️ was quite good but seemed to have very bold flirty moments from the start that seemed almost TOO bold which took me out of the moment.
There were a few tiny things that irked me, most notably how many times the word “hum” was used in this book.
Overall a fun summer read and will go back and read/listen to other books by this author!
The 🌶️🌶️ was quite good but seemed to have very bold flirty moments from the start that seemed almost TOO bold which took me out of the moment.
There were a few tiny things that irked me, most notably how many times the word “hum” was used in this book.
Overall a fun summer read and will go back and read/listen to other books by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy