Every Summer After
Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic story of love and the people and choices that mark us forever.
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Readers say *Every Summer After* by Carley Fortune is a nostalgic, summery friends-to-lovers romance with a dual timeline that many find heartfelt and...
Is this one of the greatest pieces of literature, no. BUT, if you can overlook a few annoying writing quirks like repetition of the same phrases, or unclear transitions within chapters of flashbacks or time lapses, it's a fun breezy summer read.
I'd categorize the plot as a cute friends to lovers romance. About 80% of the book was predictable but the surprise twist in the final few chapters that explains the distance between Percy and Sam over the years was an interesting additive! Granted, sure you could have guessed it earlier on if you were really fixated on why these two stopped talking for 10+ years. But if you choose to read it as (I expect intented) a reminiscent time to teenage romance, it takes you by surprise.
I am glad the author showed a modercum of resistance when approaching potential sex scenes. It was definitely not needed in the context of this story, so very happy Fortune chose to keep it relatively PG in that respect.
I'd categorize the plot as a cute friends to lovers romance. About 80% of the book was predictable but the surprise twist in the final few chapters that explains the distance between Percy and Sam over the years was an interesting additive! Granted, sure you could have guessed it earlier on if you were really fixated on why these two stopped talking for 10+ years. But if you choose to read it as (I expect intented) a reminiscent time to teenage romance, it takes you by surprise.
I am glad the author showed a modercum of resistance when approaching potential sex scenes. It was definitely not needed in the context of this story, so very happy Fortune chose to keep it relatively PG in that respect.
Like: Able to finish it in a day
Dislikes: just a few things first Sam, the nickname percy, and the secret (the whole time we are leading up to this moment and that moment is SO Predictable and then they have the nerve to wrap it all up, rush it out the door, and place a band aid on it). No thank you.
Dislikes: just a few things first Sam, the nickname percy, and the secret (the whole time we are leading up to this moment and that moment is SO Predictable and then they have the nerve to wrap it all up, rush it out the door, and place a band aid on it). No thank you.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune has been one of my most-anticipated reads of the year and I felt confident it would be a novel I would love in all its angsty glory. Readers, I wasn’t wrong. While it’s a plot that isn’t unfamiliar—it’s even one I’ve read many variations of before—I greedily devoured every word. I’m still not sure with what magic Carley Fortune has wrought this second chance summery goodness, but she made the best-friends-to-lovers story new again!
Reading Every Summer After was a menagerie of emotions. My heart warmed, broke, and soared multiple times while reading this love story. It’s my favorite kind of love story: simple but with complicated outcomes. Friends who fall in love may seem like a simple plot, but as Shakespeare told us, “the course of true love never did run smooth”. Our characters are dealing with big emotions they’re not sure what to do with, pasts that complicate things, and hurts that haven’t been healed.
Persephone (Percy) and Sam are the best of friends and have spent their summers inseparable at their neighboring lakeside cottages since they were young. Not only did I fall in love with this story, the setting of Barry’s Bay, Ontario in Canada (the author’s very real hometown) had me dreaming of warm, sunny days lounging by the water, quick-moving thunderstorms, and the carefree days of youth when we had hours of time with our friends.
Fortune does such a good job immersing me into the tale, I could smell the lake, hear the water lapping, and feel the sun on my skin. She transported me back to my youth when love was new and full of possibilities and the heartbreak was all-consuming.
Every Summer After is told from Percy’s point of view, alternating from the past to the present, slowly revealing what has lead to our characters’ rift. Usually I like having both points of view, but I didn’t miss it in this one. It added to the building tension and mystery of their story.
Percy and Sam are compelling characters, as are all the side characters, each one adding to the story, well-rounded and believable. From Sam’s brother Charlie, to Percy’s best friends—Delilah in the past and Chantal in the present. I so wanted to hang out with Sam and Charlie’s easy-going mom Sue, a young single parent running the family’s local restaurant after the death of their father. I particularly wanted to try the pierogies she was known for. It was especially hard falling for a character when I knew it was her death that has brought Percy back to Barry’s Bay.
All the characters are flawed, and Every Summer After does a great job examining those flaws, reminding us that no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and forgiving each other—as well as ourselves—is what it takes to live life to its fullest.
There’s so much more I could say about this one, so many plot aspects I’d love to discuss, but it’s impossible without giving away spoilers. And everyone should go into it the way I did, not knowing anything except it’s a love story about friends in the summer at the lake.
Pick this one up when you won’t be distracted, because it’s hard to put down. I especially recommend reading it outside, which only enhances the experience. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of Every Summer After to add to my shelf for rereading. Preferably to take on vacation at a lake.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Shelf Awareness, Berkley, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2022 (prompt #19c - A book that takes place during your favorite season: summer)
Reading Every Summer After was a menagerie of emotions. My heart warmed, broke, and soared multiple times while reading this love story. It’s my favorite kind of love story: simple but with complicated outcomes. Friends who fall in love may seem like a simple plot, but as Shakespeare told us, “the course of true love never did run smooth”. Our characters are dealing with big emotions they’re not sure what to do with, pasts that complicate things, and hurts that haven’t been healed.
Persephone (Percy) and Sam are the best of friends and have spent their summers inseparable at their neighboring lakeside cottages since they were young. Not only did I fall in love with this story, the setting of Barry’s Bay, Ontario in Canada (the author’s very real hometown) had me dreaming of warm, sunny days lounging by the water, quick-moving thunderstorms, and the carefree days of youth when we had hours of time with our friends.
Fortune does such a good job immersing me into the tale, I could smell the lake, hear the water lapping, and feel the sun on my skin. She transported me back to my youth when love was new and full of possibilities and the heartbreak was all-consuming.
Every Summer After is told from Percy’s point of view, alternating from the past to the present, slowly revealing what has lead to our characters’ rift. Usually I like having both points of view, but I didn’t miss it in this one. It added to the building tension and mystery of their story.
Percy and Sam are compelling characters, as are all the side characters, each one adding to the story, well-rounded and believable. From Sam’s brother Charlie, to Percy’s best friends—Delilah in the past and Chantal in the present. I so wanted to hang out with Sam and Charlie’s easy-going mom Sue, a young single parent running the family’s local restaurant after the death of their father. I particularly wanted to try the pierogies she was known for. It was especially hard falling for a character when I knew it was her death that has brought Percy back to Barry’s Bay.
All the characters are flawed, and Every Summer After does a great job examining those flaws, reminding us that no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and forgiving each other—as well as ourselves—is what it takes to live life to its fullest.
There’s so much more I could say about this one, so many plot aspects I’d love to discuss, but it’s impossible without giving away spoilers. And everyone should go into it the way I did, not knowing anything except it’s a love story about friends in the summer at the lake.
Pick this one up when you won’t be distracted, because it’s hard to put down. I especially recommend reading it outside, which only enhances the experience. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of Every Summer After to add to my shelf for rereading. Preferably to take on vacation at a lake.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Shelf Awareness, Berkley, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2022 (prompt #19c - A book that takes place during your favorite season: summer)
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