Create a free Bookclubs account to organize your book club, get reading recommendations, view hundreds of discussion guides, and more!
Meet Me at the Lake
A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After.
Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in the city. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn't.
At thirty-two, Fern's life doesn't look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern's back home, running her mother's lakeside resort--something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend's the manager, and Fern doesn't know where to begin.
She needs a plan--a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern's going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern's not sure she wants to know what it is.
But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?
A full book club kit is available from the author's website.
Book club questions for Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Fern and Will develop a close bond over just a day. Have you ever felt that kind of strong, fast connection with another person, whether platonic or romantic? If so, what do you attribute it to?
How did Fern’s and Will’s life stages play into their friendship when they first met? Do you think they would have been as drawn to each other at another time in their lives?
In Chapter Five, Fern thinks to herself that secrets are a key ingredient in close friendships. Do you agree? Do you think Fern still believes this by the end of the book?
How did you see Whitney and Fern’s friendship evolve? Have any of your long-lasting friendships had similar ups and downs?
What do you make of Fern and Jamie’s relationship, both in the past and the present? Do you think they would have stayed together if Fern had never met Will?
Will learns that his sister is pregnant after the twenty-four hours he spends with Fern. Do you think their time together affected his decision to move back to Toronto and help his sister with the baby?
In her thirties, Fern is on hiatus from relationships because she doesn’t think they’re worth the effort. But she decides to give her relationship with Will a chance despite his actions and the secrets he’s kept. Would you have done the same?
Fern carries around a lot of guilt when it comes to her mother. What do you think of Maggie and Fern’s relationship? Do you think Fern’s decision to stay on at the resort is driven by guilt or by something else?
Do you think Maggie and Peter’s love story is a sad or a happy one?
The fact that life doesn’t always work out as we plan is a theme of this book. Does your life look the way you pictured it when you were younger?
Meet Me at the Lake Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the Meet Me at the Lake discussion questions