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

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

This book deserves to be read in the sun. The story sizzles in your hands. The pages are hot coals, doused in a quick spray of water to fill the room with steam. Its pages read like a steady stream of water, yet make you feel like luxurious honey and warm sand. I love LOVE Carley Fortune’s writing style because it’s so immersive. Never have I ever Googled flights faster than to Prince Edward Island after reading only the first few chapters of this book. The way she describes the island and its (fictional) people is so beautiful. I was completely absorbed by the pace and tradition of the island. The family ties, the community, the heritage, the geography. 

While I adored Lucy and Felix’s romance and how they kept coming back to each other, it was Lucy and Bridget’s friendship that grabbed my heart and squeezed it the most. I always appreciate a romance book that features strong female relationships outside of the main romance arc, and “This Summer Will Be Different” definitely came through. I related so much to Lucy’s feelings of loneliness and frustration when she felt like her best friend was being stolen by a significant other. It’s something that is a part of life and adulthood, but it’s not always talked about so candidly. I very much felt the truth of what Bridget says at one point in the book: “… I learned that the families we make are as significant as the ones we're born into. It's how I learned that the greatest loves are not always romances.”
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