Every Summer After

At first I thought this would be a 4 star read because it seemed to be taking longer than necessary to find out what happened. What changed my opinion is I didn’t see it coming when it finally came out.

I just finished Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, and overall, I liked it—but didn’t totally love it. The setting was definitely my favorite part. The little lake town of Barry’s Bay felt so real and nostalgic—it really pulled me into the story and made me wish I had spent my own summers in a place like that. I also really enjoyed the flashbacks and the slow build of Percy and Sam’s relationship as teenagers. Their chemistry felt natural, and those early love scenes were sweet and believable. That said, some parts of the book didn’t quite land for me. The storyline was a bit predictable, and I found myself getting frustrated with the characters—especially when the big reveal finally came. I get what the author was going for with the emotional payoff, but it didn’t quite hit as hard as I wanted it to. There were moments where the back-and-forth between timelines started to feel repetitive too. Still, I enjoyed the overall vibe of the book. It was an easy, atmospheric read—great for summer. If you like second-chance romances or books with a bit of The Summer I Turned Pretty energy, it’s worth picking up. I just didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.

2.75⭐️ rounded to 3
-might change or add more later

Seriously? 500+ pages of best friends who are PERFECT for each other, sexual tension but restraint and a mystery of a tragedy that tore it all apart. Then we finally get the big reveal and she slept with Charlie?!? But nothing was weird with Charlie when she comes to town? This is both predictable and unbelievable and infuriating. It felt like the teenage romance never grew up. Page after page of the same thing waiting for the big reveal. Could have been so much better.

Is it Love & Other Words with a hint of The Summer I Turned Pretty? Yes. Was it an easy listen while doing chores around the house? Also yes. Not super original but I did like the characters and writing style, although I have a couple notes for the editor on the overuse of the word "rasp." But we do like a guy who knows his way around an anatomy textbook.