One Golden Summer

By Carley Fortune

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! ∙ A radiant escape to the lake from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and This Summer Will Be Different

As featured in The New York TimesPeople ∙ Good Morning America ∙ The Washington Post Cosmopolitan ∙ TODAY ∙ USA TodayHarper's BazaarGlamour ∙ E! News ∙ Buzzfeed ∙ ELLEUs WeeklyThe New York PostFIRST for Women ∙ Woman's World ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ SheReads ∙ and more!

I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.

BUY THE BOOK

Published May 6, 2025

400 pages

Average rating: 7.86

1,263 RATINGS

|

Join a book club that is reading One Golden Summer!

The Fiction Addiction

Want new friends & good reads? Join our women's book club! Share laughter and chapters with us! Diverse books with welcoming vibes. Join us! 📚☕️

treat yo shelf WS

A monthly book club that meets at the little cake company in Winston-Salem NC! ✨

Blocker's Coffeehouse Book Club

Join us every first Saturday of the month @ Blocker's CoffeeHouse in Catasauqua, PA for coffee and book chats🙌

Community Reviews

ADobak
Jul 28, 2025
8/10 stars
This was a wonderful summer read. There was a lot of back and forth of the FMC and MMC that maybe got a little much in the middle but I really loved the storyline and the setting. Highly recommend as a fun summer read.
Cookingwithmonny
Jul 01, 2025
10/10 stars
A little too much gross sex for me, but I loved the storyline.
Larry Burns
May 12, 2025
8/10 stars
Loved the people.
annsipansy
Jun 15, 2026
8/10 stars
Great read about getting what you ultimately want and realizing everyone has insecurities and needs a camera lens to look through.
ashterr
Feb 26, 2026
10/10 stars
4.5⭐️
i neeeeeded a romance book like this.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.