I adored this book, it is a solid 4.5 stars for me. With its setting in idyllic Ontario cottage country, it is the perfect vacation read. Being Canadian and being familiar with many of the locations mentioned I felt right at home in Barry’s Bay. I was drawn in by the author's writing, it was honestly hard to put this book down as I really loved both main characters.

This is a dual-timeline story told from Percy’s POV. She meets Sam Florek when her family buys a cottage next door to his home when they are both 13. That summer and every summer after they develop a beautiful friendship. As one might predict deeper feelings start developing, especially as they get a bit older. This is a beautiful story of first loves, heartbreak and second chances. The sweet teenage love story of the past is offset but the heavier subject matter of the present. After no contact with each other for over a decade Percy finds herself back in Barry’s Bay for Sam’s mother's funeral. The big question is will they be able to overcome their mistakes of the past and rekindle their love.

** spoilers **
I absolutely loved the arc of this story, the deep friendship, the tug and pull between them, the sexual tension but most of all the found family and how supportive they were of each other. I would have loved to give this 5 stars but when we finally found out what happened between Sam and Percy all those years ago I was left disappointed. It seemed so out of character for them. I guess no one really knows how they would react in such a situation but personally, this level of betrayal is plain unforgivable. It also broke my heart that they shared such a deep love for each other but all of their first were with other people.

I would highly recommend this book to those who love the genre or are looking for an emotional vacation read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book will break your heart in the best possible way, and if you are listening to it on audio, sobbing in your car as you drive home from work on a Thursday... or that might just be me.

I waited a long time to read this because I knew that I would probably be doing some crying. Your heart will break a little, but you will also be left with so much hope for Sam and Percy.

Great to see a romance set in Canada in TO and Northern Ontario if you are getting tired of reading romances set in big towns.

The spice level is nice, mostly reserved for the final third of the novel, doors open and lights on ;) I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone who reads the genre!

I really enjoyed this one! I'm not a huge fan of romance usually but the background of the story and setting of this one really pulled me in. A great summer cottage read for sure and I have been recommending to friends and actually purchased a copy so that I can re-read it.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“ I loved you so much that the word 'love' didn't seem big enough for how I felt” —

I ABSOUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! Carley Fortune being a Canadian author was such a bonus! 🇨🇦This was the perfect summer book and it was so damn good, I can go read it for another time or maybe 3 times. Sam and Percy’s beautiful friendship blossoming into a relationship was everything I needed this summer. It was so refreshing of Carley bringing the cottage life in Ontario to life, it almost felt like I was feeling the sun burn my skin, the cold water tickling my feet. And I’m a huge fan of POV’s, bouncing back and forth from past to present between Percy and Sam! I shed some real tears and some good laughs, *chefs kiss*.

Such a beautiful story of second chances, first love, heartache and loss. Everything about this book tugged at my heart strings and I’m forever going to recommend this book. I cannot wait to see what else Carley Fortune has in the future because she’s going to be a automatic BUY for me. Cant wait what else she has in store for the future! AND YES, I’ll be purchasing a physical book 😏 it’s gotta be on my shelf.

This novel was one I truly couldn't put down. With romance, loss, humor and secrets, this book had me reading into the wee hours of the morning wanting to know more. Carley Fortune does an incredible job setting the scene and developing the main characters, Percy, Sam and Charlie, to make them relatable and realistic. One moment you are rooting for Percy and Sam, and the next you're seeing a different more serious side of Charlie that makes you see him in a whole new light. If you are a fan of The Summer I turned Pretty series, then you will love this novel - but be prepared for some juicy adult content.
I would highly recommend to anyone with a love for romance and happy endings.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I finally read this one! With more than thirty thousand reviews on GR, everything has been said so I'll keep it brief.

First half: 4🌟 / second half: 3🌟
Final rating: 3.5🌟

I really loved the setting and enjoyed the feeling of nostalgia. It was a fast read and I had a nice time! On the other hand, the plot was too predictable and I got tired of the back and forth between the two characters.
Note that it's practically a YA novel (I don't mind, but it's worth mentioning).

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Canada, Viking and Netgalley for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! As a Canadian, I found the setting, the descriptions, the seasons, etc so relatable!
I didn’t have much in common with the characters, but they were so well written I felt like I could have been reading my own life story. I enjoyed the back and forth dual time lines; I felt like it added depth to the story.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was everything! I could not put this down! The atmosphere is what really made this one golden for me. Fortune does an amazing job of setting the classic summer lakeside cabin vibes. I wanted to live in this book and take a trip back in time to weekends and vacation weeks spent at our trailer. With each turn of the page I turned back the hands of time. I was so invested in this that I read it all in one sitting.
My only complaint was the reveal of what happened between the main characters. The whole book is filled with this tension and the vibe that there’s still a connection that has been left without closure. However, when I found out what had actually happened I was a little dissatisfied. Overall, this was fun and I can’t wait to pick it up again in the summer! I feel like this is one I will come back to over and over again!

Thank you for the advanced copy NetGalley and the publisher.

I wanted to love this book more than I did- Toronto, Muskoka, and romance all in all one book written by a Canadian.

I know that many will enjoy this book as a beach read or vacation book, and it will be popular for those who live a romance that is light, well-paced with likeable characters.

"Every Summer After," by Carly Fortune is a sweet story about Percy and Sam, two young adults who spent six summers together in Ontario, Canada's cottage country. After their initial, slightly awkward meeting, they slowly become inseparable. As the years progress, their friendship turns into something much deeper until each have significant experiences that tear their relationship apart.

Ten years later, Percy is invited to the funeral of Sam's mother, a woman with whom Percy had a meaningful relationship. When Percy arrives back in this same small town and reconnects with Sam, their inexplicable draw to each other recurs but with concern they may not be able to overcome their pasts.

While the relationship berween Percy and Sam was heartwarming, some of their dialogue felt too contrived for their young-adult selves. And, after 10 years apart, I thought there would have be even greater trepidation to rekindle anything. This being said, the book is a nice, feel-good story about how bonds can be rebuilt despite previous challenges.

Thank you Netgalley and Viking for the ARC

I received an e-arc of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher over a year ago, but I just decided to pick it up now.

I think once you’ve read one “teen and her family spends their summers at the beach or lake, next door to a family with boys the same age”, you’ve read them all. Which isn’t a bad thing if you enjoy that storyline, but for me, it ruined my enjoyment. Everything was too predictable.

I almost set this book down multiple times as I was first getting into it. The Canadian-ness of the book seemed too forced, and name-droppy. There was also something about the writing I didn’t love, but I can’t put my finger on it.

I’m a little shocked by how popular this book is, and how I saw it everywhere after it was released. I feel betrayed, in a way, because I didn’t get the vibes and reaction I had hoped for from reviews I read.

It’s definitely not a bad book, and I liked it enough to finish it! It just wasn’t what I was hoping

Every Summer After is a fun escape to cottage country that offers just the right vacation vibes. I'll be looking for more books from this author in the future!

This book was THE book of summer 2022, and I loved it. I grew up close to Barry's Bay and one of my cousins in law lives there now. I adored this debut and can't wait to read Ms. Fortune's next boom.

I did not read this book in time for my NetGalley ARC, but I finally got my hands on it, well after the publication date, and it was so much more than I wanted it to be.
Carley Fortune’s ‘Every Summer After’ was such a joy to read. The story unfolded like a perfect summer day, the hope of never ending sun soaked days, where anything and everything is possible, and the magic of finding a place in the world that is just your own.
I thought Fortune captured perfectly the naïveté and wonder of finding your place as a teenager, and how you ultimately return to that place as you find yourself as an adult.
In every sense this book was a love story, following Percy through her summers at her family cabin, and her friendship with the boy next door. It’s a love story in the nostalgic sense, the way the time at the cabin has this shimmer to it, and of course, the love of finding that in your very best friend. Wrought with heartache, humour, intense connections and cheeky banter, this book had it all.
Considering the ‘bad decision book club’ badge I put on it, staying up ‘til nearly 3am reading, and then up early to finish it within a day of beginning it, I think that says it all. Exactly the escape I needed (and need!)

This book broke my heart in the best way. I'm always just a little skeptical of books that are the toast of TikTok, but this one lived up to the hype. I recommend it to those looking for a spicy second-chance with a little bit of an edge.
After 17 years Percy is going home. Not to the Toronto neighbourhoods she's from, but the Barry's Bay cottage and the neighbours that have always felt like family, that is until they didn't. About first loves, first heartbreak and big mistakes, this book hits all the right notes if you're looking for a melancholy, beautiful read to remind you about all those summers at the cottage. If you're from the GTA, you'll definitely appreciate the references.
Keep tissue with you — this is a crier.

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

This is an engaging coming of age, young love, best friends to lovers, redemption/second chance story. How’s that for covering all the bases? Not to make light of it, this is a well-executed and emotionally charged coming of age love story that I really enjoyed ❤️

Sam and Persephone (aka Percy) meet when they’re 13 years old, when Percy’s family buys a place on the Ontario lakeshore, where Sam and his family live year round. The story is told in dual time lines, an inciting event in the present day sends Percy back to Barry’s Bay where she sees Sam for the first time in 12 years; and flashback chapters show us in beautiful heart-warming detail the development of their unique friendship and, ultimately, young love. Things get complicated when they reach college age and a poor choice by Percy brings an end to the most important relationship in both of their lives.

Fortune created two very compelling characters in Sam and Percy, full of hopes and vulnerabilities and flaws, and a supporting cast that’s interesting and multi-dimensional as well. She writes well about teenage insecurities and first love, and brings to life the beauty of idyllic Ontario cottage country.

Fans of Emily Henry (who blurbed this one) will likely enjoy this book and if you’re looking for a nostalgic second-chance love story, give this one a try (out May 10).

I enjoyed reading in the Acknowledgements that Fortune, a journalist, had long had an ambition to write a novel but it was the outbreak of the pandemic that had her “asking Big Life Questions” and she decided not to put if off any longer. Good for her! Covid changed our lives in so many negative ways it’s nice to see the occasional story of something good coming from it.

Another excellent book which I couldn't put down. This book is about a woman who spent several summers whilst growing up by the seaside wth two brothers. Unfortunately both men fell in love with her, and she with only one of them. Having made a mistake with the second brother but only once, she left the scene and sent several years trying to forgive herself and trying to find herself. But the unexpected passing of the brothers' mother demands her return to the funeral. The truths come out over the next week and luckily the couple reunite. I loved the book and didn't realize that I was holding my breath as I was reading it. Well written. A must for everyone.

If you have ever had a young broken heart, then you will resonate with Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. It’s a reminder if days gone by, puts us in touch with the pain most of us have felt, and brings us back to how we’re survived. Grab your Kleenex, and cozy blanket as you journey along on this emotional ride.


Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publisher for this digital copy for review.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune is an incredible debut novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I did so rather quickly. The current-day chapters kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat as I waited to discover why Percy and sam no longer talk. The alternating chapters created a perfect balance of anticipation and nostalgia. The past chapters were by far my favourite, and I've never wanted to have a lake house more in my life. Those chapters on their childhood invoked such a deep sense of longing and nostalgia, and I honestly could have read a whole book reflecting on the past. In contrast, I did find myself disappointed in the reason for Percy and Sams falling out (spoiler alert ahead), as cheating is typically an immediate no for many readers. The fact that it was isolated to the last couple of chapters was a benefit. Overall, a very enjoyable and easy read.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. There are two timelines, one following Persephone's summers at the cottage as a teenager and the second her adult life. In the earlier timeline, we get to see her relationship with Sam develop through the years. In the current timeline, she is estranged from Sam after some big mistake she committed 12 years earlier. I was a quite concerned because the "big mistake" was fairly obvious from the start, but as I kept reading I was convinced that there's no way my assumption is what actually happens as it makes absolutely no sense given their relationship and is pretty unforgivable. About halfway through I started to get bored with the story, as nothing was really happening in the past timeline except for Persephone complaining and acting immature. Which was to be expected since she is a teenager I guess? She started to get very annoying. In the future timeline nothing really happens either. Then the big mistake is revealed which was exactly what I was expecting but with even fewer reasons for it to be plausible than I could have imagined and it further cemented Persephone as immature and selfish. Back in the future, the mistake is revealed and then literally the next page, Sam is like I'm over it. No real discussion, nothing happens, the end. The ending really ruined this one for me, which was unfortunate because the beginning was great.