A review by ashleyvharris
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.5

Every Summer After is a salty, warm hug of late summertime nostalgia that makes you feel like a kid again. Full of friendship, first love, and big feeling, this coming-of-age romance follows beautifully flawed characters trying to find their way in the world. 

Fortune absolutely nailed the setting. This makes sense given that it was inspired by her childhood spent at the same lake described in the book. Her descriptions were so detailed and transportive, from the warm summer days and the way your skin and hair feels after drying in the Sun post-swim to the crackling anticipation in the air before a summer storm. I always appreciate when an author is able to bring their setting to life in a way that makes it feel like a character in the story. 

The setting contributed in part to the overall feeling of nostalgia that lines every page of this book. It made me long for my own childhood summers chasing crabs on the beach at night or catching fireflies at dusk. Fortune captures these feelings so perfectly and in such a bittersweet way.

Fortune also manages to craft wonderful, dynamic characters that I fell in love with. The slow development of Percy and Sam’s romantic relationship as teenagers is so sweet and awkward and heartbreaking all at the same time. Both characters have flaws and insecurities that hold them back, but their hesitations and worries felt true and honest. Oftentimes, “second chance” romances feel unrealistic in how the characters magically reconcile their problems; I appreciate the way Fortune makes their reunion messy, tearful, and complicated. I love that it’s made clear that their relationship after said reunion is not perfect, but includes disagreements and difficulties to overcome. Most of all, I love what Sam says about being better about “cleaning up the mess”  together. 

My one hang up was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and too open-ended. One more chapter or a longer epilogue to really tie up some loose ends would make this a five star read for me. I would’ve loved to see more of Percy and
Delilah’s
reconciliation. They have such an interesting and evolving friendship throughout the novel that I wanted to get one more scene of them together, but as adults. Similar with Chantal, she is adult Percy’s only real friend and so clearly cares for Percy, but I wanted to get one last peek at how their friendship might’ve deepened after Percy’s return to Barry’s Bay. 

Overall, Carley Fortune delivers a beautiful debut that will have me longing for summer the whole year round. She’s managed to capture that bittersweet end-of-summer nostalgia that makes me feel like I’m 17 again. 
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