A review by readandwright
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thank you Berkley Romance for my copy! All thoughts are my own. 

I crave a new Carley Fortune book like I need air. Every since I read Every Summer After in 2022, she has become a favorite author of mine. ESA gave me a perfect reading experience. While it’s hard to recreate any reading experience, I save Carley’s books for the first warm day that feels like Summer. I go to the beach, usually bringing a towel to drape over my shoulders cause there’s still a slight chill, and read for as many uninterrupted hours as I can. 

I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t love Meet Me at the Lake. I was a little nervous that maybe Every Summer After would be the only book I could connect with. But i’m so glad I was wrong because this book was pure Summer Romance wonder. I loved it wholeheartedly. I loved Lucy, I loved PEI, I LOVED Felix. I loved the writing and the setting and the pacing and the magic. A triumph of a summer read. 

Synopsis: 

“Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.
It’s easier said than done.
Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.” —NetGalley

What I Liked: 

1. The Setting—I started this book and immediately put “Prince Edward Island” into Google Maps to see how long it would take me to drive there. This book a Nancy Meyers film come to life in book form. 
2. The Writing—Carley writes the way I think. I love how everything is so visual and passionate and flavorful in her books. 
3. The Relationships/Characters—Felix an an absolute dream. Like, very quickly made his way into my top book boyfriends of all time. I loved their passion and connection. The words they said to each other were so easy to feel in my entire body. But, I also loved Bridget and Lucy’s friendship. I don’t think there’s anything better than loving a friend who knows you so well and so deeply. 
4. The Use of the 3rd Act Break Up—I don’t have 3rd break ups, but I hate when they’re not used for the right reasons. We all know what’s coming at the end so going on the journey with characters in a romance is so important. I loved how Lucy needed to really fully know herself without Bridget in order to give the best version of herself to Felix. 

What Didn’t Work for Me:

1. I wanted to read it in one sitting but life got in the way. Make sure you have hours to devote to this book because you won’t want to put it down. 

Character Authenticity: 5/5      Spice Rating: 2/5      Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

grief