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amanda_reads13's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fern and Will spend 24h together and plan to meet one year late at the resort Fern's mother owns. Only Will doesn't show up.
I really like the settings for this book and how it showed the contrast between Toronto and Muskoka. I also like how it flipped between the past and present. I felt like it helped me understand Fern a little better.
Fern and Will have been obsessed with each other for the past 10 years. I get that Will had anxiety and a lot going on in his life, but for him to just leave Fern hanging multiple times was a total asshole move. The complete lack of communication on Will's end drove me crazy. You cannot tell the woman you have apparently been in love with for 10 years what is going on in your life? It was very frustrating. Pick up a phone, send a text, quite literally anything!
Both characters were dealing with emotional trauma. Will knew he didn't have the capacity to handle a relationship (he says this!), yet he still persued Fern knowing this. The fact that his sister had to step in was pretty ridiculous. It demonstrates that complete lack of emotional maturity in Will's end. I feel like the HEA we got in the epilogue was unrealistic. Will would have had to undergo a huge personality change for that to have been possible.
Tropes: second chance, right person/wrong time
I really like the settings for this book and how it showed the contrast between Toronto and Muskoka. I also like how it flipped between the past and present. I felt like it helped me understand Fern a little better.
Fern and Will have been obsessed with each other for the past 10 years. I get that Will had anxiety and a lot going on in his life, but for him to just leave Fern hanging multiple times was a total asshole move. The complete lack of communication on Will's end drove me crazy. You cannot tell the woman you have apparently been in love with for 10 years what is going on in your life? It was very frustrating. Pick up a phone, send a text, quite literally anything!
Both characters were dealing with emotional trauma.
Tropes: second chance, right person/wrong time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
tinamayreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
midnightrose_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Car accident, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
alexisgarcia's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i was so disappointed by this :/ i really wanted to like this and thought it would be the perfect summer book but it felt like satire and just so immature. there was constant miscommunication, insta-love, emotional cheating, etc. i just really didn’t like this :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Infidelity
meredith_williams_'s review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Carley Fortune’s books tend to get a lot of hype as the blueprint for summer romance reads. Both of her books, while enjoyable, have fallen flat for me. Her second book, Meet Me at the Lake, is told through a dual timeline in which adult Fern reconnects with Will, a boy she spent 24 hours with 10 years prior. This is an incredibly romantic set up, but insanely unbelievable in the digital age. Fern and Will’s romantic connection and subsequent decade of pining might have been more believable if they’d spent at least a weekend together! I enjoyed Fern reconnecting with her family’s past and thought the author did a good job representing the change in dreams and ambitions that come with growing up. However, it bugged me that Will’s character seemed to have very little growth in regards to his communication. I didn’t like that everything fell on Fern when it came to their relationship. Overall, this is a nice summer read, but wouldn’t make a favorites list for me personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
thatswhatshanread's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Aw Carley Fortune, making me cry again!! This book was so sweet. And familiar somehow. I’m not a lake person, but this story made me feel like I was, like I’m the type of person who spends hours on end at the lake or the surrounding parts, always on summer time. Like I’ve lived all my summers at a family-run resort (Dirty Dancing vibes are off the chart), eating the best sourdough bread and people-watching the other regulars over tea and dancing.
I’ve decided that dual timelines are one of my favorite things for a romance novel. I loved reading about Fern and Will’s meet-cute ten years ago alongside the present of meeting again and all the secrets and feelings between then and now. While Will really frustrated me at times with his mystery, I also found him soft and gentle, a safe balance to Fern’s fire and passion. I really liked the side characters as well, especially Fern’s surrogate father figure Peter.
Ultimately, the love story was a little lacking for me. I kept waiting for more. More history there or more angst, maybe. The resolve seemed a tad flat, like more needed to be said. Still, I really related to the anxiety/depression/OCD rep and the need to be perfect for others above yourself. Both Fern and Will felt like real adults with real problems.
This was a great summer read. Fortune’s writing is breezy and comforting, sweet and coaxing, sexy when it needs to be but not overly so. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next :)
I’ve decided that dual timelines are one of my favorite things for a romance novel. I loved reading about Fern and Will’s meet-cute ten years ago alongside the present of meeting again and all the secrets and feelings between then and now. While Will really frustrated me at times with his mystery, I also found him soft and gentle, a safe balance to Fern’s fire and passion. I really liked the side characters as well, especially Fern’s surrogate father figure Peter.
Ultimately, the love story was a little lacking for me. I kept waiting for more. More history there or more angst, maybe. The resolve seemed a tad flat, like more needed to be said. Still, I really related to the anxiety/depression/OCD rep and the need to be perfect for others above yourself. Both Fern and Will felt like real adults with real problems.
This was a great summer read. Fortune’s writing is breezy and comforting, sweet and coaxing, sexy when it needs to be but not overly so. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Blood, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Alcohol, and Medical content
bringmybooks's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
oh man, this one hurts
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I loved Every Summer After. Like, LOVED. And while this book was okay (and I really did like some parts of it), it did not have that magical summer feeling of youth that Every Summer After did.
I never really connected with either of the MCs, I didn’t really care about the major present day arc of the story, and a lot of the past stuff seemed to be presented as more dramatic than it actually was - or at least out of proportion with the reasons behind it.
Super bummed because I absolutely could not get enough of Every Summer After and how nostalgic and wonderful that book was. Some of this might be having my expectations too high, but after looking at some of the reviews I feel like I’m not alone in this.
THAT BEING SAID, I will for sure be reading her third book - no questions asked. If there’s even a chance of experiencing the magic of her debut again, I’m going for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Mental illness
mrs_meg_walsworth's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
drsuzbark's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
I liked the storyline. I didn't like the open door romance scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content