One Golden Summer
by Carley Fortune
Summary
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.
GoodReads Nominee for Favorite Romance 2025
My Review
Carley Fortune may end up being a one-hit wonder for me. I absolutely loved Every Summer After, but the two books I have read since then have both been disappointments. This one lands squarely in the middle. It was not terrible, but it was not great either. Overall, it felt mediocre. The strong language and open-door spice scenes also pulled me out of the story and kept me from fully enjoying it.
This is a companion novel to Every Summer After and follows Charlie, the older brother. I was genuinely excited to return to this world and see more of these characters, especially knowing that Sam and Percy would make an appearance. Seeing them again was easily one of the highlights of the book, and I enjoyed getting small glimpses into their lives after the events of the first story. That said, this book did not capture the same charm, emotional pull, or cozy summer nostalgia that made the first one so special for me. The tone and pacing felt different, and something about it just felt off. The story came across as dull, predictable, and full of familiar romance tropes without much freshness or emotional depth. While this can technically be read as a standalone, I think it would lose a lot of its impact without the context of the first book.
To be honest, very little about the plot stuck with me. Nothing truly stood out as memorable, and it felt like a recycled version of many other summer romance stories I have already read. I struggled to feel real chemistry between Charlie and Alice, and their relationship often felt rushed and unconvincing. At times, both characters came across as immature, which made it hard to root for them or feel invested in their emotional journey. There was also a lot of telling instead of showing, which weakened the emotional impact and made many scenes feel flat. I found myself rolling my eyes more than once.
Overall, this book fell flat for me. There were moments I enjoyed, but they were overshadowed by long stretches of boredom and predictability. It is not a story I will remember for long. If you loved the first book and want more time with these characters, this might still be worth a try, and it could work better for you than it did for me. Personally, though, I would recommend skipping this one. At this point, I am not sure I will continue picking up books by this author, as her recent stories no longer align with my reading preferences.