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kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.75
Title: Every Summer After
Author: Carley Fortune
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Nostalgic • Messy • Tender
📖 S Y N O P S I S
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of spending summers in cottage country, on the glittering lakeshore of her childhood, she stays in a stylish apartment in Toronto, keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until Percy receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers during their youth, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm nights working in his family’s restaurant, Percy and Sam had been inseparable. And when Percy returns to the lake, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until she can confront the decisions she made, they’ll never know whether their love is bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Carley Fortune's debut novel Every Summer After was all over Bookstagram, and one of the summer's hottest recommendations. It was hard to avoid the hype and spoilers, yet I knew I wanted to save it for my disconnected time away at the cottage, which just felt like the perfect place to read it.
Told over six summers in the past and one weekend in the present, this coming-of-age, friends to lovers, second chance romance is tender and passionate. The alternating timelines allows for a slow burn, messy and realistic relationship. The characters are deeply flawed. They make mistakes. They weren't brought to life. Given Sam and Percy are teenagers when they first meet, it does read young - the angst and longing are certainly real.
It was the setting that truly made this a winner for me. I absolutely loved the idyllic cottage country setting. And as I mentioned above, I saved reading this until I was able to read it on a dock in Ontario's cottage country. Sometimes there is just a time and a place for certain books and this was it for me with this one. I might have even treated myself to some Kawartha ice cream to enhance the experience. Doing all of this really made the vibe of the story come to life. I loved all of the little sprinkles of Canadian cottage country.
Somewhat surprisingly, this second-chance romance worked on so many levels for me. What I really loved was the theme of finding the person that gets you unlike anyone else, the one that makes you feel seen and safe. It was the perfect example of the choices that change the entire trajectory of our lives. Every Summer After introduces a fresh, new voice into the Canadian romance realm, and I will be eagerly awaiting the release of her next novel Meet Me At the Lake next year.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a summer read
• second chance romance trope lovers
• K.A. Tucker fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Betrayals don't cancel each other out. They just hurt more."
"And not for the first time it feels like someone stole the whole script to my life story and wrote it all wrong."
"I can only keep trying to breathe."
Author: Carley Fortune
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Nostalgic • Messy • Tender
📖 S Y N O P S I S
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of spending summers in cottage country, on the glittering lakeshore of her childhood, she stays in a stylish apartment in Toronto, keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until Percy receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers during their youth, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm nights working in his family’s restaurant, Percy and Sam had been inseparable. And when Percy returns to the lake, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until she can confront the decisions she made, they’ll never know whether their love is bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Carley Fortune's debut novel Every Summer After was all over Bookstagram, and one of the summer's hottest recommendations. It was hard to avoid the hype and spoilers, yet I knew I wanted to save it for my disconnected time away at the cottage, which just felt like the perfect place to read it.
Told over six summers in the past and one weekend in the present, this coming-of-age, friends to lovers, second chance romance is tender and passionate. The alternating timelines allows for a slow burn, messy and realistic relationship. The characters are deeply flawed. They make mistakes. They weren't brought to life. Given Sam and Percy are teenagers when they first meet, it does read young - the angst and longing are certainly real.
It was the setting that truly made this a winner for me. I absolutely loved the idyllic cottage country setting. And as I mentioned above, I saved reading this until I was able to read it on a dock in Ontario's cottage country. Sometimes there is just a time and a place for certain books and this was it for me with this one. I might have even treated myself to some Kawartha ice cream to enhance the experience. Doing all of this really made the vibe of the story come to life. I loved all of the little sprinkles of Canadian cottage country.
Somewhat surprisingly, this second-chance romance worked on so many levels for me. What I really loved was the theme of finding the person that gets you unlike anyone else, the one that makes you feel seen and safe. It was the perfect example of the choices that change the entire trajectory of our lives. Every Summer After introduces a fresh, new voice into the Canadian romance realm, and I will be eagerly awaiting the release of her next novel Meet Me At the Lake next year.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a summer read
• second chance romance trope lovers
• K.A. Tucker fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Betrayals don't cancel each other out. They just hurt more."
"And not for the first time it feels like someone stole the whole script to my life story and wrote it all wrong."
"I can only keep trying to breathe."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Cancer
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Bullying, and Vomit
kshertz's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
5.0
Any book that makes me stay up until 1 am because I just have to finish it is an automatic 5 to me. I got invested in this love story and these characters immediately. I loved them as teenagers and then trying to find their ways back to each other. It felt real and it felt hopeful. At times I was like, “ this would all be solved with one long conversation. “ but then again, they were kids for at least most of the book. I think it’s definitely worth the read but be forewarned: it’s totally addictive and you can’t put it down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Bullying, Alcohol, Sexual content, Death, and Infidelity
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Persephone “Percy” Fraser and Sam Florek spend almost every summer of their teens together as best friends (and briefly more) before a series of events tear them apart. Twelve years later, Percy is back in town—but can time really heal all wounds and put back together something she has long believed is permanently broken?
I’m 90% sure I was the last person left who hadn’t read this one (shoutout to my book club for getting me to finally dive in!) and I’ve heard such good things from so many people, so I went in with pretty high expectations. There was definitely a lot to love about this book—the setting is atmospheric and nostalgic (wish I could head off to a lakeside vacation right now, thanks) and the writing is beautiful and engaging.
That said, I ultimately had a bunch of problems with the ending of this book (and the choices of one of the characters—but probably *not* the one you think, if you’ve read this!) that kept me from rounding up to the full 4 or even 4.5 stars I initially anticipated. I also saw the twist coming from the first chapter, and while that’s usually fine with me for a romance novel, I eventually found myself wishing for a bit more from the plot.
Still, is a really cute and fun summer and/or vacation read, and I know a *lot* of people have loved it, so give it a try if it sounds good to you! And, since I doubt this is the last we’ve heard from Carley Fortune—I’ll still definitely give a try to whatever she writes next.
Recommended, especially if you like: friends-to-lovers; second chance romance; nostalgic dual timeline settings.
CW: Death of parent; grief; panic attacks/anxiety; some mentions of childhood bullying.
Persephone “Percy” Fraser and Sam Florek spend almost every summer of their teens together as best friends (and briefly more) before a series of events tear them apart. Twelve years later, Percy is back in town—but can time really heal all wounds and put back together something she has long believed is permanently broken?
I’m 90% sure I was the last person left who hadn’t read this one (shoutout to my book club for getting me to finally dive in!) and I’ve heard such good things from so many people, so I went in with pretty high expectations. There was definitely a lot to love about this book—the setting is atmospheric and nostalgic (wish I could head off to a lakeside vacation right now, thanks) and the writing is beautiful and engaging.
That said, I ultimately had a bunch of problems with the ending of this book (and the choices of one of the characters—but probably *not* the one you think, if you’ve read this!) that kept me from rounding up to the full 4 or even 4.5 stars I initially anticipated. I also saw the twist coming from the first chapter, and while that’s usually fine with me for a romance novel, I eventually found myself wishing for a bit more from the plot.
Still, is a really cute and fun summer and/or vacation read, and I know a *lot* of people have loved it, so give it a try if it sounds good to you! And, since I doubt this is the last we’ve heard from Carley Fortune—I’ll still definitely give a try to whatever she writes next.
Recommended, especially if you like: friends-to-lovers; second chance romance; nostalgic dual timeline settings.
CW: Death of parent; grief; panic attacks/anxiety; some mentions of childhood bullying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying
whatripsusapart's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity
Minor: Bullying and Cancer
hopefulromanticreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Every Summer After is told from the POV of Percy, the female main character, and alternates between present day in Toronto and the past summers spent in Barry’s Bay.
It’s a summer-themed romance that allows you to revisit the magical feeling you got as a kid when you made a new friend on vacation or holiday, the excitement of a first crush, and the crushing heartbreak many of us have experience for various reasons.
This would’ve been a five star book for me, but I had an issue with the main conflict between our 2 MCs (which I’ll detail below behind a spoiler tag).
When I finished this book, I was left thinking about the fact that love is about choices, and sometimes about timing too. It’s about being imperfect and finding someone who loves and accepts your imperfections. Someone who fits perfectly with you. It also had me thinking about betrayal, guilt, and what I personally could or could not forgive. And above all, it left me with the warm embrace of nostalgia.
It’s a summer-themed romance that allows you to revisit the magical feeling you got as a kid when you made a new friend on vacation or holiday, the excitement of a first crush, and the crushing heartbreak many of us have experience for various reasons.
This would’ve been a five star book for me, but I had an issue with the main conflict between our 2 MCs (which I’ll detail below behind a spoiler tag).
When I finished this book, I was left thinking about the fact that love is about choices, and sometimes about timing too. It’s about being imperfect and finding someone who loves and accepts your imperfections. Someone who fits perfectly with you. It also had me thinking about betrayal, guilt, and what I personally could or could not forgive. And above all, it left me with the warm embrace of nostalgia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Bullying and Cancer
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Alcohol
riella_reads's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really thought I was going to love this one, and I still enjoyed my time with this but not as much as I thought. I think this was heavily due to me knowing what the big "conflict" was that didn't come out until the last 15% of the book. I unfortunately saw a spoiler review before reading this. However, I really enjoyed the summer I turned pretty vibes and I would love to read what this author writes in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Bullying, Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
cepbreed's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I fell in love with this book. My most favorite feeling is receiving a book from a person that I love and my best friend loaned me Every Summer After in all of its water damaged glory. I spent the first half of the book beach side and the second curled up in bed, and each setting was perfect. I fell in love with Sam alongside Percy and I felt her everything, her pain, happiness, frustration and confusion, to my core. She's a mess and I relate to her HEAVILY. Flawed protagonists, specifically ones that begin all innocent before their mistakes are revealed, are my favorite. By the climax I need to want to scream in their face and this accomplished exactly that. It's honestly kind of therapeutic, I see myself in Percy and therefore being angry at her is cathartic. I am angry at myself all the time, but having a vessel with similar yet different experiences is way more fun.
I was really shocked when she became friends with Delilah again, though girls friendships do kind of work that way. I was shocked further by how much I came to love her character, her genuine advice and well timed quips. The final shock was the fact that they never rekindled their friendship in the book, I'd like to think they do after the ending. Percy was hurt, but that is never an excuse to treat someone who had done nothing wrong that poorly.
Songs:
I was really shocked when she became friends with Delilah again, though girls friendships do kind of work that way. I was shocked further by how much I came to love her character, her genuine advice and well timed quips. The final shock was the fact that they never rekindled their friendship in the book, I'd like to think they do after the ending. Percy was hurt, but that is never an excuse to treat someone who had done nothing wrong that poorly.
Songs:
- august - Taylor Swift
- 21 - Gracie Abrams
- WYD Now? - Sadie Jean
- seven - Taylor Swift
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, and Grief
Minor: Medical content
mallory10100's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
i LOVED this book and especially loved how canadian it is!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual harassment
nina_readsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Grief