Perfect summer read!

I just loved this book! It's a summer romance with bittersweet bits, perfect for the beach or your lounge chair in the back yard. Well written, interesting characters, but not too literary for my taste. I was so engrossed I read it in one long day.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-limited e-arc via netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

I devoured this book in a weekend! DE VOUR ED!

It all starts as 13-year old’s when Percy’s family buys a summer cabin. One evening, the good-looking teen neighbor comes over and pawns his nerdy 13-year-old brother on Percy. That would be Sam, and that would be the start of an amazing relationship between Sam & Percy. They become best friends, spending every summer and winter holidays together. Always excited to see each other at the beginning of summer, and upset when they separate at the end of summer. As each year passes, they become closer and closer, and eventually the thought of being separated becomes unthinkable.

After high school, Sam attends medical school and struggles to balance a relationship and school. Percy will abruptly drop all contact, leaving Sam to mend his broken heart. And there will be no contact between the two for many, many years…

That’s until Percy receives a phone call from Sam’s brother regarding the passing of their mother. And as tough as it is, Percy faces Sam again. When they do though, it becomes a flood of emotions, ranging from sadness to passion, frustration to joy. But the secret that tore them apart once will raise its ugly head again.

I tell ya, the writing is so good, it will have you 100% invested Sam & Percy’s relationship. I swear I felt everything they felt. And I’m not entirely sure I’ve recovered from it yet.
Love it! One of my faves of 2022!

EVERY SUMMER AFTER gives me all the nostalgia for teen summers at the lake in the best way.

It’s rare I read a book where I know every location described, but I have spent my fair share of time on a lake near Barry’s Bay, at Queens University, and in Toronto. I was a really proud 🇨🇦 reading this.

The story itself is so captivating. Percy is so lovable and this trope is one of my faves; childhood/teen love rekindled. The cottage vibes and descriptions effortlessly transported me back to summers of my own, where time feels different and the memories last so much longer. I was craving being right there on the lake with Percy, Sam, Charlie etc.

This book was so well done and I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone who
1) likes summer
2) has ever had a fond summer memory at a cottage or cabin
3) enjoys teenage love rekindled
4) is Canadian and gets giddy reading about places you’ve actually been
5) loves love
6) doesn’t mind shedding a tear or two
7) likes characters who feel very authentic

All the stars for this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I never wanted it to end.

There are no words to tell you how much I loved Carley Fortune’s debut novel. My little Love and Other Words loving heart is bursting right now, and Persephone and Sam might just give Macy and Elliot a run for their money.

Every Summer After is told between a then and now timeline when Percy returns to Barry’s Bay after twelve years away when tragedy strikes. The relationship between Percy and Sam “then” was a slow burn as they only spent summers together, but when they are reunited now, the attraction is still there but there are some outside factors, such as the reasons why the relationship imploded in the first place. I loved all the side characters, from Charlie and Delilah all the way to the boys mom Sue!

This was full of angst and tension, and a good slow burn. If you love a second chance romance as much as I do, you certainly won’t regret picking this one up!

*thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for review.

A cottage in Barry’s Bay is where my husband and I had our honeymoon so this has a very special place in my heart. I’m full to bursting thinking about summers at the lake with my family and the absolute joy that brings. Wonderful heart squeezing nostalgia that I am keeping to revisit next winter when the weather turns cold.

I don't hand out a 5 star review very easily. A book has to knock me out cold and leave me with a hangover in order to get 5 stars. For me, this was this book. A must-read for fans of Emily Henry, first loves, and having your heart broken and then pieced back together.

Percy never thought she would return to the small town where she used to summer with her family- and where she met and lost the love of her life Sam. When Percy sees Sam again she is knocked back into his gravitation pull- but can they find their way back to each other after what happened 12 summers ago?

I was invested from the first paragraph: 'The fourth cocktail seemed like a good idea. So did the bangs come to think of it' and this is the most relatable line I have read in a story ever. I think relatable is an excellent word to describe these characters. Sam and Percy's love story is just so epic.. The dual timeline weaving back and forth between their past as teens and the present was perfection. What happened 12 years ago?! Can it be fixed?! This is the second chance romance of my dreams. And the last paragraph of the book? Dead. Broke Me.

Fortune's writing style is effortless, it's hard to believe this is a debut effort. I cannot think of one thing that I didn't like about this book. If anything I just wanted more of Sam and Percy. I had so much love for the characters in this book. Percy. Sam and Sam's brother Charlie. Can the next book be about a love match for Charlie?

All around, this book delivers top notch summer vibes. As a Canadian, the nostalgia hits hard: the Hudson's Bay Blanket, R.L. Stine books, and McGill (my alma matter). For me, I was transported back to my summers at sleepaway camp in the Laurentians, making friendship bracelets, swimming across the lake and having my first kiss.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for a chance to read what I think is the love story of the summer. EVERYONE should go read this book NOW or else I will wish bangs upon you!!

Having grown up with a cottage in Ontario this book gave me feelings of nostalgia as soon as I started reading. I longed for the long summer days spent on the dock with a book and could smell the sun warmed pine needles that surrounded my family cottage. Sadly, my cottage didn't have two cute boys living next door but I could imagine what that might have been like thanks to Every Summer After.
Things that worked for me:
-the story being told in flashbacks leading up to the incident that happened 12 years before that ended Percy's friendship with Sam
- Sam and Percy's friendship
-Sam's attitude towards women (so mature at 13 when we first meet him)

Things that didn't work for me:
-Percy's full name - Persephone
- more time could have been spent on adult Sam, Charlie and Percy

Overall an enjoyable summer themed coming of age romance set in Ontario.

The cover drew me in, and Carley Fortune’s masterful writing made me stay.

Every Summer After made me FEEL. It was messy, and honest, and raw. It tugged at my heart and just felt real. It was nostalgic and reminiscent of those long summer days. It’s a complex, second chance romance with characters that will stay with me. This book IS summer.

I was so invested in the characters. They are flawed and make mistakes, but also genuine in their growth. 13-year-old Persephone ‘Percy’ Fraser meets Sam Florek when her parents buy a summer cabin next to his in Barry’s Bay. Told through Percy’s POV, it’s a dual timeline story that brings you through the six summers leading up to her and Sam’s fallout, and the weekend twelve years later that brings them a chance to get it right.

Sweet, small town vibes - check
Childhood friends - check
Second chance love - check
Gorgeous, Canadian setting - check
Spicy scenes - check
A mom I aspire to be (Sue) - check

Percy + Sam’s friendship bracelets ARGH so cute.

I highly, highly recommend this one and already bought a physical copy for my own shelves!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the digital ARC!

There is something transformative and powerful about youthful, shimmery, summers spent with friends. Percy enjoyed six summers at her family's waterfront cottage in Barry's Bay. It was there that an unexpected and profound friendship arose upon her meeting Sam, and during those summers they were inseparable. It's been twelve years since she has been back - twelve years since she has seen or spoken to Sam – and now she is suddenly being pulled back to the unassuming little town that has always held a piece of her heart. But it's too overwhelming. She's not ready to face the community she became a part of, not ready to see Sam, and not ready to face what has kept her away for so long.

Carley Fortune's novel, 'Every Summer After', is a stunning and beautiful debut that evokes nostalgia from the first page to the last. Fortune exquisitely wraps up all the feelings and experiences of summers as a teenager into a captivating story that can't be put down. Readers will be begging for her characters to see their second chance at love through as emphatically as they would if they were given the chance themselves. That's what makes this book so magical: if ever you had a summer that you didn't want to end, a summer that made you feel like a new person, a summer full of experiences so wonderful you could hardly believe they were your own, then 'Every Summer After' will offer you a glimpse back to those precious moments and pull your heart back in time.

It's an incredible talent Fortune has, creating characters that have such uniquely important roles encapsulating nostalgia at different times for the same reader - even as the book is spoken solely through Percy. As enchanting as their young summers were, I also loved how adulthood hardened these characters' personalities, but their youthful banter remained playful with each other. The timing of this story, alternating from summers past to present day, was done masterfully and created an intense desire for consuming this whole book in one sitting.

I loved this book instantly and wish I could have savored it longer, but the temptation to inhale this story was too strong. To have my emotions transported back in time is something special, and through Percy's effervescent Canadian summers spent on a lake in a small town, basking in the glow of surety and budding self-awareness, I was reminded of the comfort and warmth of my own tender Canadian summers. I wish I could verbalize what this story felt like - so personal, yet dreamlike - but it's one that will have to be experienced to be truly understood. Not wanting the firefly magic of ‘Every Summer After’ to end, I rushed to preorder my own physical copy as soon as I read the last part - hoping to revisit that warm summer glow, reminiscent of my own summers passed, whenever my heart desires.

I appreciate the both the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada/Viking Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy an electronic Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a perfect summer read! I loved all the Canadian references and the atmosphere that was created to feel like you were on the lake with the characters. The chemistry between Sam and Persephone was amazing and had me rooting for them the whole way through! Definitely read if you like complex romantic relationships.

I love this book so much!! the small town summer storyline is so much fun to read and i loved every chapter, i was hooked on this book from the beginning. this book really reminds me of people we meet on vacation by emily henry and the summer i turned pretty trilogy by jenny han, i loved both those books so it just made this story so much more enjoyable for me!!

it’s definitely a fun summer read, and the characters are so lovable. the writing of the book made me feel like i personally knew the characters and had me so interested.

this book held my interest so much, it’s such a good debut novel and i definitely want to read more books by carley fortune when she writes them!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance reader copy of this book.
I have never read a novel so fast. I read it in an afternoon, that's how hooked I was. It gave relatively the same vibe as people we meet on vacation by Emily henry but I found that it was definitely more captivating. I adored the chemistry that Sam and Percy had together, they were amazing together. I found that the slow-burn (ish) romance was extremely well written. I could like feel the tension between them from the start. I also liked how it took place in Ontario. I LOVED SUE SO MUCH!! She was so iconic. The writing was extremely descriptive and used many metaphors and literary devices, doing so improved the story so much and the quality of it. It was also ridiculously easy to follow and understand while still using some complex language. I will be honest, I was crying at the end.

I absolutely adored how this book was set across 6 years and then a weekend! Percy was such a great character and someone I could really relate to.

The connection between Percy and Sam was amazing and to see how they entwined themselves in each others lives and futures was so well written. My only complaint is the ending felt a bit rushed, but the story was so perfect I didn't mind much.

I would one thousand percent recommend this to anyone who is a romance lover or looking for a summer filled novel!

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Percy and Sam meet when they are 13 and her parents buy the cabin next door in a small lakeside town in Ontario. At 13 they become best friends and it’s clear from the start they are meant to be. The second timeline is 12 years later when clearly something happened to mess up their relationship.

I was immediately drawn into this one with the Canadian references and likeable characters.

This book perfectly captures the magic of a lake in summer. If you have ever spent a morning or an evening by a lake with the sun reflecting off the water, this book makes you feel that magic again. I completely related to living for the summer as a teen.

Even though one part of the book made me so angry, I still want to reread it and make everyone I know read it to. That’s how good the writing is, I kind of love when characters make decisions I would never make and still I can empathize with them. These characters are flawed and relatable and their emotions are so raw.

This is a perfect YA Sarah Dessen type story wrapped in a complex and emotional adult romance, with some Dawsons Creek vibes thrown in. I felt like I had a grin on my face for the majority of the book and then tears for the rest. A one of a kind book and I can not wait to see what @carleyfortune comes up with next.

A new all time favourite book that I will be shouting about to anyone who will listen. This one is out on May 10th! Thank you to @penguincanada @penguinrandomca for my advanced copy on @netgalley.

Can you tell I loved it? What’s the last book you were raving about?

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“Yet I smile to myself.
I found Sam.
And I felt it. The pull between us. The one that had been there since we were thirteen, the one that only got stronger as we got older, the one I tried to deny twelve years ago.
I didn’t break it. I broke us. I can fix it."

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

This book gets Canadian points, as books usually do. I love recognizing cities and places, especially those I’ve been to and live near.

I enjoyed this books because it reminded me so much about "People We Meet on Vacation" and "Love and Other Words." All the stories share the concept of alternate timelines of different years and adventures while the protagonists go from friends to strangers to lovers.

So, this book had a slow start and I would argue that it didn’t really pick up until a fourth in. After that when the pace picked up, I started liking the characters and the story. It was a wholesome friendship full of fun summer memories, angst, and feelings. I will say that it felt like there was more dialogue than descriptions or Percy’s thoughts. Despite that, it was enchanting to read about Sam and Percy through the summers and their eventual reconnecting.

Also a small note, I love the name Persephone.

“You came home.”

4.5/5 stars

Sometimes you are lucky enough to find a book that speaks to you, worms it’s way into your soul, and finds a home there. That’s what this book is for me. It spoke to me in a way that no book has for a very long time, and had me laughing and crying in equal measure.

Every Summer After captures the bitter sweetness of growing up, the tang of regret, and the comfort of coming home. It balances happy and sad so perfectly, and kept me engaged until the last word.

Carley Fortune has done a spectacular job, I highly recommend you pick up this book. I can’t say enough good things about it.

(I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review)

The following review was posted today, Sunday, May 8th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the publication date (Tuesday, May 10th), but the review has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to pre-order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.


“I can’t trust that you’ll love me forever when I don’t even know if you’ll love me next month.”

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions cancer, parent death, cheating, bullying, slut shaming, and panic attacks.

“Every Summer After” follows Persephone—aka Percy—and Sam—just Sam, not short for Samuel or anything like that—, two childhood-friends-turned-high-school-sweethearts who, abruptly, stopped talking 12 years prior. But now Persephone is back in the town that brought them together—the town where Sam grew up, the town where Sam’s mother’s funeral will be taking place—and she will have to face Sam again after all these years. Told through different timelines, Carley Fortune built a story that’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming (but don’t I say that about all the books I love? Apparently I’m a fan of emotional books that tear me apart). The ending was the sweetest of them all. But it wouldn’t have been as sweet if it has been an easy way there.

The characters were lovely and well-defined, all with their peculiar personalities and ways of talking and acting. I am not sure what brother I loved more, Sam or Charlie, but I must say I loved them both. I am not the biggest fan of books where cheating is involved, but in the end I was very engaged with the plot and—although unjustifiable—I could empathize with what each character did under the circumstances they did it in. We were all kids once upon a time, we all messed up.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy alternating timelines and to fans of Colleen Hoover books, especially those who have enjoyed books like “It Ends With Us” and the “Maybe Someday” series.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

“Betrayals don’t cancel each other out. They just hurt more.”

I’ve only been done this book for a few hours but I’ve already recommended it to several people and will keep talking about it!

The story is dual timeline but single POV as we follow Percy « home » to Barry’s Bay where we get to relive her teenage summers as she grows (and freckles) alongside brothers Sam and Charlie.

It’s a complex second chance romance full of Canadiana and has the small town, lakeside summer vacation feel down 100%. It’s a perfect book for reading dockside on your next long weekend!

If you are looking for a great summer romance read, this is it. I am obsessed with this book! To be honest, I won’t be able to do it justice with this review, so I just recommend you read it for yourself!

This story had everything in it, and all the feels. There were moments when I laughed, felt angry, happy and sad. Who doesn’t love a story that can both make your heart flutter and ach?

The book is told through dual timelines; past summers where we see the evolving relationship between cottage neighbours Percy and Sam, and current day when Percy returns to Barry’s Bay for the funeral of Sam’s mom. The dual timeline is what makes this book so great. As the reader, we really get to see the adorable story of how Percy and Sam grew to love each other in their teens, while at the same time knowing in current day something fateful happened one thanksgiving to end it all. Part of the intrigue of the book, is waiting to find out what happened that holiday that caused their relationship to veer off track so terribly.

The characters in the book were all very well developed and I felt like I knew them all on a personal level. Given that this book wasn’t that long, I’m impressed with how the author was able to make me feel so connected to every character. Koodos to Carley!

Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book enough. I absolutely loved it, and thought it was an amazing debut novel. I can’t wait to read more from the author!

This book takes place over a 12 year period. The chapters alternate between now and a point in time during their teen years. I suppose you could call it a coming-of-age story. It starts as
Persephone meets Sam when she and her family purchase a summer cottage. Sam lives there year round. Their relationship develops over their teens, with a lot of bumps in the road. And then, “something” happens and there is a long break.

This book was not a total hit with me. The relationship did not seem realistic. The “something” was predictable. The whole thing just seemed to be drawn out too much. It was a bit too much like a soap opera. I see from other reviews, that many have enjoyed it. Sadly, it was just not the book for me.

What I truly enjoyed was the setting. It takes place in Ontario, Canada. All the place names were places that I am familiar with. Barry's Bay is just a couple north of where I live. It was actually the town where the author grew up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy.