Thank you Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

If Carley Fortune has no fans, I am dead. I’m a little in disbelief that I am finished with her latest book because I look forward to her new book each and every year. In short, I love Charlie Florek. If you haven’t read Every Summer After, you may not know this character yet. He’s been hotly debated online but personally, I love him forever and always. He is charming, he is funny, he is magnetic, he is emotional. I was so happy to get his story and meet Alice at the same time. I could really relate to Alice and seeing Barry’s Bay from her point of view felt familiar since I am an outsider to that world. Overall, this book just WORKED for me and I will forever be a fan.

Synopsis:

“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.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—The lake! Summer! Nostalgia and newness. I loved it all. I grew up in New England but have spent so much time in the Adirondacks, I’ve become a lake lover. There’s just something about a lake house and a lake town.

The Characters—Alice and Charlie are amazing, I loved getting glimpses of Sam and Percy. I loved meeting Nan and Alice’s extended family.

The Pacing—I read this book in less than 24 hours because Carley’s writing just works for my brain. But I also loved how the story moved, it made me want to keep reading and I didn’t touch my phone at all.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Pace of the Ending—There’s always a little mystery/conflict that has you guessing throughout a Carley book, so when we finally had the grand reveal, things didn’t feel rushed but I just wanted a bit more discovery into it.

Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 2.5/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

death of a parent, car accident, medical content

I love a good summer read and that’s exactly what this is! Cute guy, girl getting over a breakup who thinks he’s too good looking for his own good and a grandmother who thinks is there might be more to him than her granddaughter is willing to believe. Summer moves along and things progress, but is it just a fling or is it more? Do either of them want more?
So much fun, I didn’t want to put it down!
Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the digital ARC!

Alice spends her life behind a lense. She loves her job but has been itching to step out from the sidelines lately. When her grandmother takes a fall Alice comes up with a plan. They’re going to spend another golden summer together in Barry’s Bay. Where good things happen.

I’ve been waiting for this sequel for two years and let me tell you it was worth the wait. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

Personally I really enjoyed watching Alice character growth through the summer. Exploring and living in the now. Obviously the romance is great, slow burn in the best way.

I love the summer vibes, cottage setting, callbacks to Every summer after, Alice family and especially her grandmother.

Read this if you like
💙Friends to lovers
☀️Summer romance
🫶🏼Found family
🌼Character growth & healing

I don’t think I will ever not love a Carley Fortune book. There is just something about each of them that just gets me. I am so excited that she decided to write Charlie’s story and I loved him so much!!

Alice was not my favorite. I thought she was a little unnecessarily mean in the beginning and I hated how she treated her grandmother with kiddy gloves no matter how many times she asked her not too. She did grow on me though! Around the 20% mark was where I started to like her.

Perfect summer read as always! And I already can’t wait for the next Carley book💖

One Golden Summer feels like sunshine and nostalgia in the form of a novel. Alice decides to taker her grandmother back to the lake she took Alice to as a teenager to help her recuperate after a hip replacement. While there, she has a meet-cute moment with Charlie Florek: the boy driving a yellow boat in her favorite picture she’s ever photographed. They establish a friendship where he will help her cross off items on her summer bucket list and she’ll let him join her in her “seventeen year old summer.” The tension that builds between the two could be cut with a knife, as they flirt and banter with the ease of life on the lake as their background. Charlie digs his heels in over forming a romantic relationship with Alice that could be seen past the summer, but Alice’s photography from the summer becomes substantial proof of what really is happening, because “good things happen at the lake.” Swoon-worthy and heated, One Golden Summer is the perfect summer-time read.

Another FIVE star read by the wonderful Carley Fortune.
I have never wanted to spend a summer at lake, until I read this masterpiece! The way I felt immersed into this story was unreal.
I had a connection to each and every character.
I laughed, I cried, and I loved…🫠😍

THIS!!! THIS IS THE ONE!!! THE EASY 5 STAR FEELING!!! this book has me all in my feels and with a sense of nostalgia. Charlie Florek the man that you are!!! I absolutely LOVED this book so much. Carley Fortune has been an auto-read author for me since Every Summer After and finally getting Charlie’s story feels so full circle. Even at 35, he’s still as charming, witty, and full of humour as he was in his teenage years. Being back at Barry’s Bay felt like coming home.

Knowing how charming and funny Charlie’s character is, I wasn’t expecting the story to be quite so vulnerable and emotional. Alice Everly… big forehead kisses for you my girl. A girl who puts others needs before herself, who cares for those she loves to a deep degree, who will spend a summer with her grandmother at her old friend’s cottage just to cheer her up. Her and Nan had a beautiful grandmother/granddaughter dynamic. They both learned from each other about letting things go, living without regrets, and forgiving others. Plus Nan was a fantastic comedic relief character!!

The way Alice showed up for her people was so beautiful. She brought out that inhibited, teenage side to Charlie while he brought out a more reckless, spontaneous side of her. They were able to develop a true, deep friendship, then more, while spending time together and creating memories.

Charlie Florek felt like he hasn’t changed a bit, while also realizing he’s changed a lot. The sweet, sunshine boy with a small-town charm. He does EXACTLY what he needs to do. The tension between him and Alice was palpable!!!! I wanted to scream through my kindle!!!! I love the shenanigans they would get into, checking off the bucket list one-by-one. I absolutely adored them!

This entire story felt so deeply real. I felt like I was in Barry’s Bay, on that yellow boat travelling across the lake without a care in the world. Seeing the story through Alice’s eyes and camera lens brought a whole different view to the way i pictured it. A truly feel-good, emotional, summer read with the most lovable characters. Can’t recommend this one enough!! It will go down as one of my favourite reads of 2025. Thank you Berkley for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Omg!!!!!! The perfect summer read🚤🩵 We are back in Barry’s Bay for Charlie’s story, with little snippets of Sam & Percy, for one more golden summer on the lake. I LOVED this one, it was so nostalgic and filled with emotion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Alice Everly is ready for a fresh start, and what better way to do that than to spend the summer at the lake with your grandma in the house you went to as a teen? And of course, none other than Charlie Florek, 17 year old Alice’s dream crush, is also residing next door for the summer in the same house as their youth. Now, Alice and Charlie are in their 30’s and keep having perpetually flirty run-ins that are causing trouble in denying their connection as their lives and families become more intertwined. Summer was always supposed to end but does that mean everything that comes with it has to also?

Barry’s Bay and Kamaniskeg Lake is such an immersive setting, I had lots of fun reading Alice and Charlie’s story. While lighthearted and flirty, deeper themes come up throughout the summer that put you on a rollercoaster ride of emotion. Also some spicy scenes and the chemistry is SO good!!!

Thank you Berkley’s Publishing, NetGalley and the author Carley Fortune for the E-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

If Carley Fortune writes a book, I'm going to read it. I always enjoy her books and often recommend them to patrons. I loved Every Summer After, so I was thrilled when I realized I'd get to catch up with some of the characters from that book. Alice and her whole family were really fun to read about. I would have enjoyed spending more time with the twins, but I understand why that didn't happen in this book (I'd read another book just about them). I love Nan so much, I want to be Nan when I'm older. This book made me feel so many feelings, I loved every minute of it. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

My most anticipated read of the year did not let me down. Receiving an ARC of this book was a dream come true, and I will be sharing so much more about it post release on my booksta @shelfworthywords

Is this Carley Fortune’s best book yet? I think so!

Fortune masterfully captures what it’s like to be a Canadian visiting cottage country. As someone who’s crossed the Burleigh Falls Bridge and stopped at the Kawartha Dairy in Bancroft for Moose Tracks ice cream more times than I can count, I couldn’t help but smile and feel all the nostalgia.

Charlie Florek made me blush by page 22. He’s rumoured to be a bit of a Casanova (one look or one conversation with him and you’d get why), but he’s got layers. He’s cheeky and confident, delivering some of the best banter Fortune has ever written. If you met him in Every Summer After, you might not have been his biggest fan—but that’s what I appreciated about this book. It’s a realistic reminder that people mess up in their twenties, and that growth is possible when you own your mistakes and put in the work. That’s exactly what Charlie does, and it only makes him more lovable.

Alice Everly has always been the dependable one—the quiet overachiever, the “good girl” her family leans on. She’s a gifted Toronto-based photographer, known for going the extra mile for her clients, never ruffling feathers, never asking for too much, and being reliable to a fault. As a teenager, she snapped a photo in Barry’s Bay of three carefree teenagers in a yellow speedboat, and it sparked her love of photography. That spark has dimmed, and she’s going through the motions—until the perfect opportunity arises to head back to the lake with her nan, who’s recovering from an injury and could use a change of scenery.

I went into this book excited to see Charlie again, but everything changed when Alice said, “I’m an excellent listener and a vault when it comes to secrets.” Same, girl. Same. That one line instantly connected me to her. I adored everything about her character—her quiet strength, her loyalty, her heart. I’m glad this wasn’t a dual POV novel—being entirely in Alice’s head gave me the space to really understand her, root for her, and see the small, brave ways she starts to choose herself. She’s on a journey of self-discovery, reminding us that we don’t need to have it all figured out in our thirties. Sometimes you need to feel alive again, and complete the things you wrote on a silly little bucket list at 17.

Non-filtered ramblings:
- Nan is genuinely an incredible character and adds depth to this story. Her commentary and wisdom are a beautiful reminder of what a gift it is to age.
- The way I yelled “HECK YA, ALICE!” when she said “Sorry, that one’s mine.”
- Percy and Sam meeting Alice for the first time was everything!! I couldn’t help but smile at seeing their names on a page again.
- 🥒🥒🥒 iykyk
- THE TREEHOUSE

Thank you to Berkley Publishing | Berkley Romance | Carley Fortune for the ARC of One Golden Summer in exchange for an honest review.

It’s back to Barry’s Bay in Carly Fortune’s latest. This novel tells the story of Alice Everly and Charlie Florek. Alice is on the lake for the summer with her grandmother as she recovers from hip replacement surgery. Charlie is spending a sabbatical on the lake and is the caretaker of the house where Alice and Gran are staying. He’s alluring and infuriating, and it isn’t long before Alice and Charlie are attached at the hip. I love everything about this story. The romance, the family dynamics, Alice learning to find her voice. I adore this novel and cannot wait to see what Carley Fortune writes next.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my review.

Wow! I loved being back at Barry’ Bay. This is such a great addition to Carley’s other work. You will fall in love with the characters. Once you finish the book you will want to start from the beginning because it is that good.This book will be the book to read this summer! I can’t wait for more from Fortune!

I had the chance to read an ARC of One Golden Summer, having never read one of Carley’s books before—and I absolutely LOVED it (4.5/5 ⭐️)! Alice and Charlie were such a joy to follow, and their chemistry made the story so engaging. The dialogue felt natural and witty, and the plot was refreshingly original—something that feels increasingly rare in romance these days.

I also adored the Canadian setting—Toronto and Barry’s Bay! As a Canadian, there’s something extra special about seeing familiar places come to life on the page.

The only reason I’m giving it 4.5 instead of 5 stars is that the pacing felt a little slow at the very beginning and end. But overall, this was such a heartfelt, charming read, and I’ll definitely be picking up more of Carley’s books in the future. If you’re considering it—read it!

Carly Fortune just never misses. Her books always make me feel nostalgia and giddiness all at once. I ride hard for forced proximity, and this one delivered!! The banter of these two was also superior!! I was laughing out loud one minute and then fanning myself the next. Also can’t forget all the tears shed at Charlie’s story🥹 this one had all my favorite things and I can’t wait to be rereading it again on a beach in July!

"Good things happen at the lake."

One Golden Summer is my favorite Carley Fortune book to date! This is a spin-off sequel to her first novel Every Summer After, and takes readers right back to Barry's Bay in Ontario, Canada. I had to refresh my memory about what happened in that book, but I remember really enjoying Sam and Percy's love story. This one tells the story of Charlie (Sam's big brother), and Alice, a 32 year old burned out photographer. Alice brings her grandmother to a cottage at the lake while she heals from a broken hip. It's the first time she's been there since she was a shy 17 year old, when she took the photo of three teenagers on a boat that sparked her career. She decides to make a bucket list and give herself the summer she never had back then. However, she never expected to run into Charlie, one of the teens in her photo, and that he would become such a big part of her story so many years later.

I loved escaping into this one- it made me feel all the things! Carley Fortune does a great job at setting the scene to make you feel like you're right there with them at the lake. I became completely immersed in the story and the nostalgic summer vibes. I felt very connected to both Charlie and Alice (and Nan!) and was rooting for them to find happiness. I was sad to see it end - maybe there will be a third book?!

This book will be released on May 6th and will be a perfect summer read!

WHOA!

That’s what Alice Everly said when she first met the gorgeous Charlie Florek.

And, it’s what I said when I finished this book!

It’s the kind of Summer Romance that makes you feel DESPERATE to finally reach the HAPPILY EVER AFTER that we are all reading this genre for!

“Good things happen at the lake”.-That’s what Alice’s grandmother Nan has always said.

So when her Octogenarian grandmother falls and breaks a hip while dancing to the Abba song “Dancing Queen”, the now 33 year old Alice comes up with a plan to cheer her up-return to Barry’s Bay for a Summer of rest and rehabilitation.

Alice spent just one summer at a cottage in Barry’s Bay with Nan when she was a shy seventeen year old-hiding behind the lens of her camera. But it happens to be where she took the photo, that started her career as a photographer-the one of three teenagers speeding across the lake in a yellow boat.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar, though she never knew his name. He is still driving the restored yellow speedboat, but he’s all grown up now and against all odds-he just happens to be the person who prepared the cottage for their arrival and stay.

The story counts down from Friday, June 27th-their first day at the lake-through their last day there, and we get to see a beautiful friendship unfold between Alice and Charlie.

And, eventually-a deeply emotional love story, though of course it isn’t always smooth sailing!

We first met Charlie Florek in the author’s DEBUT novel, “Every Summer After” which was his brother Sam’s love story-and quite frankly-I didn’t think this character was one we would ever see getting his own book-but I am so glad that we did.

Not only was it fun to catch up with Sam and Percy (yes, SHE is still rocking her break-up bangs!)

BUT also because I MUCH PREFERRED this story to that one-which felt too YA for my taste. I loved “goody two shoes” Alice and her grandmother Nan.

In fact this is MY FAVORITE book by Carley Fortune to date!

Publication Date: May 6, 2025 just in time for Summer beach bags!

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

"One Golden Summer" was my first Carley Fortune read (I know, I know....), so I came in with pretty high expectations based on her reputation.

While overall vibe definitely fits the "easy summer read" category, I found the pacing slower than I expected and the plot was a little too played out - there wasn't enough to differentiate it from other beach reads for me. It took me a while to get through, and I wasn’t exactly racing to pick it up each day. That said, I can totally see this being a great book to read poolside, lakeside, whatever —something light, a little nostalgic, and reflective. I might just not be in the summer mindset yet. I also probably would’ve connected more with the story or characters if I’d read "Every Summer After" first, since there seemed to be some emotional backstory I might’ve missed.

Still, I’m glad I gave it a shot, and I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy. Big thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up.

This is the perfect summer read. The one you bring to the pool or beach and read while the sun’s rays beat down on you. The plot is good, there are lovable characters, sweet details and a sprinkle of spice to complete this romance. Not only that, the pacing is great and the building of Alice and Charlie’s friendship is perfect.

Advanced reader copy provided by Berkley and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Alice returns to Barry’s Bay with her Nan for a much needed break from the world of photography. There, she meets Charlie, the charming and quick witted caretaker of their cottage, whose humor and warmth make him impossible to resist.

This is hands down one of the best summer romances I’ve ever read! If you loved Every Summer After, you already know Charlie, but this book lets you really get to know him. He’s the ultimate book boyfriend: kind, funny, and just an all around amazing person. The friendship (with benefits) he builds with Alice is so heartfelt and refreshingly honest, and honestly, I don’t think there’s another couple out there with their kind of chemistry and dynamic. Alice’s grandmother brought so much LIFE to this story (think Betty White in The Proposal). She was not only a rock for Alice, always offering wisdom and unconditional support, but she also formed such a sweet, hilarious friendship with Charlie that made me love him even more.

Read if you like:
-Friends to lovers
-Mutual pining
-Lakeside setting
-Bucket lists
-Summer flings

Perfection. I absolutely adore Carley Fortune's writing, her depth of characters, in her themes of friendship, family & love that always go so deep into her stories. Definitely the perfect summer read, and the ending... wow.