After falling in love with This Summer Will be Different last year, I had high hopes for One Golden Summer, however it was just missing the magic of the previous book. It felt very similar to Meet Me at the Lake which I also rated 3 stars. Not terrible, just meh.
Things I liked:
I really appreciated how much time went into establishing the main characters’ friendship, I liked their banter and teasing. The setting was beautiful as always and the FMCs family dynamics were interesting.
Things I didn’t like:
The FMC was so embarrassing. I just couldn’t handle it after a certain point and just wanted to scream, “girl, STAND UP”. She was supposedly a wallflower shy little mouse but had no issue throwing herself at multiple men, and to keep throwing herself at Charlie even when he made his feelings clear. Charlie was very charming but he wasn’t down bad enough for me. And I hated the miscommunication towards the end. It did make sense why he kept his issues to himself but also, you’re THIRTY FIVE years old, I feel like you would have learned how to have a hard conversation like that by now but idk.
I closed this book not really caring about the characters or anything that happened. It might be a good little beach read or something as long as you temper your expectations.

I received an ARC of this book - thank you Carley and NetGalley!

The TL;DR here is that this is an immediate six star read 😭

Carley! Whatever you put in this book was pure magic. Charlie and Alice? I want more of them forever. The delicate balance between their banter and the raw, real moments they share was everything. I think we all want to be seen like that by someone. The ties and relationships between Charlie, Nan, Alice, Sam, Percy, the rest of Alice’s family were all so beautiful. The nostalgia of acting seventeen and wild and free at the lake was perfect. The way that the writing depicted every photo captured made me feel like I was really seeing that moment through the lens of Alice’s camera.

This book made me laugh, cry, and feel so many things. I fear I’ll be thinking about it forever. My favorite Carley Fortune read yet ❤️

If there was an infinity option of stars on here I would choose that.

Carley absolutely knocked this one out of the park.

Charlie and Alice have made a mark on my heart forever. They share the MOST BEAUTIFUL friendship and love story.. this is quite easily my favorite read of the year.

Their story made me feel ALL THE FEELS. I didn’t want it to end.

We see Sam & Percy and it is just absolutely beautiful the way they are incorporated in this story.

I am already daydreaming of reading it again. The emotions.. the history.. THE EVERYTHING CARLEY!!

Charlie & Alice’s story gave me everything and more. I cannot recommend enough.

*thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for my eARC*

4.75⭐️

what a welcome back to barry’s bay! Percy and Sam’s story was so special to experience last summer and it made me so happy to find out Charlie would get his long awaited happy ending.

sequels that were never originally intended to exist are difficult to accomplish with the right amount of heart and impact but oh my god did carley fortune knock it out of the park with this story! alice was the perfect person to provide a lens and give voice to this story and what a perfect fit for the lake’s golden boy! she matched his energy and charmer personality so well, it was so easy to feel their chemistry and soak in all their interactions together.

this was a slowwwww burn despite all the flirtatious banter. so much will they/wont they i actually thought i was going to explode but i’m a sucker for pain and love angst and yearning in my stories and oh they YEARNEDDDDD OK!

of course, the author’s signature descriptions of lake life that made me feel so endeared to her writing made this book so comforting and nostalgic. i can definitely see this becoming one of those quintessential additions to ppl’s summer reading lists.

while this can technically be read as a standalone, for the most emotional impact, i recommend reading every summer after first to get more context on some of the characters and their journeys from their earlier years. who doesn’t love more emotional impact anyway ;)


thank you so much to berkley for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts💌

One summer at the lake, Alice Everly took a photograph that she's never forgotten. Now, 17 years later, she meets the mystery man in the photo and finally experiences the summer she deserves.

Once again, I believe Carly Fortune has written the number one beach read of the summer. There's just something about her writing that just transports you to the lake. The chemistry between Alice and Charlie was pretty instant, and I did love their banter. It was still a slow burn romance that I loved watching unfold. This story carries on from Fortune's first book, Every Summer After. While you don't need to read Every Summer to appreciate One Golden Summer, I'd definitely recommend it as you will love seeing other character's stories evolve. The final third of the book was relatively predictable but well-executed. Add this book to the top of your summer TBR!

4.25/5⭐

I devoured this story. I was so excited to get Charlie’s story after reading about him in Every Summer After.
Alice was his perfect match. They challenged each other in every way imaginable and it was such a beautiful thing to watch. Their relationship developed so organically and I had a smile on my face the entire time. Absolutely brilliant writing from Carley, as always. Being back in Barry’s Bay was just what I needed. Oh and Nan, sweet Nan. I love that woman so much. The sweet moments between her and Charlie really sealed it for me.
This story also hit very close to home. As a mom who had a child with the exact heart conditions, it was emotional. My son is 21 and his were found in utero, so his surgery was a 7 days old. It still connected me to this story.
I loved this story so much! Thank you Carley, NetGalley, and Berkeley for the early copy to read!

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune

“Good things happen at the lake.”

Run, don’t walk, to pick this book up if you’re a romance reader who loves summer. I can’t stop thinking about it and wish I could burrow into its pages and live in Barry’s Bay.

One Golden Summer follows Alice, a photographer who is blindsided when her long-term boyfriend breaks up with her. Then her grandmother, Nan, breaks a hip. To cheer her up, Alice arranges for them to spend their summer in Barry’s Bay like they did when Alice was 17. Fresh off a breakup, Alice is determined to step out of her comfort zone. Enter Charlie (you’ll remember him as the … problematic older brother in Every Summer After), the guy across the bay who is devastatingly handsome and persistent.

This book feels like summer. Every aspect of this book nails what it feels like to be at a lake. There are puzzles, cooking, night swims, cliff-jumping, tea, and a whole lot of heart. As someone who grew up going to a lake every summer, this book made me ache for those summers when things were easy and light and the world felt like it held endless possibilities.

I adored Alice and Charlie. Their banter! Their chemistry! Nan and Alice are so precious. This is, hands down, my favorite book from Fortune. Charlie is the guy. So attractive, thoughtful, and self-assured. I loved how Alice navigates finding yourself and figuring out her needs after being let down time and again. I related to her a lot. She feels as if she missed out on things and is determined to live fully. I couldn’t put it down. I felt so locked in this story. I was kicking my feet and smiling a lot — so so good. HIGHLY recommend.

Welcome (back) to Barry’s Bay where the sun is always out and the romance is right around the corner. Good things happen at the lake.
This was a sweet summer romance. Alice is at the lake house for a good time and when Charlie shows up, he helps make her bucket list a reality. This was a sloooow burn for me and I was whole-heartedly cheering for them to get together.

The photos ❤️📷❤️ Alice captures sounded breathtaking, I kind of wish I could see them. I absolutely love the way Charlie says her name.

A couple of my favorite quotes:
“You can’t live in the what-ifs.”
“He’s always been this version of himself, he was just waiting for someone to see and love him for who he really is. “

Thank you SO much Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC. It felt so nostalgic in the best way to read about Charlie’s life with a sprinkle of Sam and Percy again! 20 year old Charlie was obviously such a menace in Every Summer After- but 35 year old grown up Charlie in One Golden Summer was everything!!!! Alice and her grandmother (Nan) are spending the summer at the lake while Nan recovers from hip surgery. Alice is a photographer, people pleaser, and a bit damaged after a bad break up. Charlie and Alice have great banter and navigate friendship while being total opposites. This book is so fun and carefree while also being intense and heartbreaking. Charlie’s story was well worth the wait!!

Alice is getting over a breakup and focusing on her photography work in Toronto. When her grandmother, Nan, falls and breaks a hip, she decides they should spend the summer in the lake house where she spent the summer when she was 17. It belongs to her grandmothers oldest friend and he agrees they can stay there for the summer. This is the place Alice took a picture of three teens in a yellow speedboat that has been so important in her career. She is surprised to meet one of those teenagers, now a gorgeous, flirty man still in the house next door. Can she have a summer with Charlie as friends without getting her heart broken?

I was so glad to be back in Barry Bay and get Charlie’s story and redemption. Alice and Charlie were both dealing with life and reluctant to have a relationship so it is suppose to be a fun, flirty, casual friendship during a relaxing, teenage like summer. Complete with a checklist of things like jump off a cliff, kiss a cute boy…. The banter and chemistry is great. It’s a perfect summer read so toss it in your beach bag this summer. If you liked Every Summer After you will get some scenes with Percy and Sam ❤️

Hands down the best book I read this year. Carley Fortune knows how to write a summer romance. The writing was beautiful. I love how summer felt like another character. I can't wait to see what's next.

4.5/5 - Alice and her grandmother return to the lake house where she spent the summer when she turned 17. Fresh off a break-up she is feeling lost in her life, including her photography business. What she doesn’t expect is Charlie, the boy featured in a photograph she took at 17. Charlie is still handsome, and is very flirtatious. Alice is determined to make this a summer about her, and finding herself, wanting to create the summer she wished she had at 17. When Charlie accidentally sees her “bucket list,” he vows to help her finish it. As their lives become intertwined they are unable to deny the chemistry they have, but decide that they cannot continue a relationship outside of the summer. When the summer ends, Alice and Charlie must decide what they want and if things have changed at all.

This book is full of lake life nostalgia. Almost every Canadian has some memory of summer at the lake, and Carley Fortune truly took me back there.

Alice is on a journey of self discovery, and I loved watching her come out of her shell, and get out of her comfort zone. Charlie was a flirty presence full of charm and banter.

The thing I did hate (and this probably a me thing) is the unnecessary break-up at the end. I think it could have gone a different way. I did love their romance, starting as friends, and moving into more.

This story was rife with awesome side characters. Some you have met before if you read the author’s first novel, and others are brand new. I loved seeing where Percy and Sam were now, as well as getting to know Alice’s family, including her grandma, Nan, and niece, Bennett.

If you want to travel back in time to summer lake adventures, this is the perfect book for you! Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Alice Everly was always the shy girl that hid behind the lens of her camera. But when work starts to drown her, and her grandmother breaks her hip, she heads to the small lake town she visited as a young girl. She's just coming out of a breakup with a man that she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with, and she knows that both her and her grandmother need a trip to bring back the good. But she never expected that the teen boy she took a photo of during the first and only summer she visited the lake would still be there and even better looking than before. Charlie Florek is just as handsome, and incredibly flirtatious.

Alice tries her best to keep him at a distance, and tries to focus on creating the perfect "seventeen-year-old summer" that she never had. But as the two cross paths more and more, Alice realizes that there's more to him than meets the eye, and she's not sure how far she can distance herself, and her heart. Charlie starts to break down every wall she has in place. He makes her laugh at every turn, helps to take care of her Nan, and most importantly, he sees her.

I adored seeing these two get the a happy ending, and a well-written, beautiful story. These two are made for each other. Where one is dark, the other is light. Where one is salty, the other is sweet. There are a million and one ways to say it, but at the base of it all, they're the ultimate yin and yang. They just fit. Alice was always the girl to play it safe, while Charlie was reckless and wild. He breaks her out of her shell, and she settles his soul.

Carley wrote a story that makes the reader fall in love with the location and the characters. You become immersed into their world and it feels as though you walk through it with them. It was the perfect summer vibe with a serene location. The book was everything and more. It's on my top book list of the year, and would give it infinite stars if I could.

What to expect:
- summer vibes
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- found family
- bucket list (get ready for this one)
- THE BEST BANTER

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer 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.

Alice gives so much of herself to everyone and everything she does. So much so, that she's lost herself so, when her grandmother needs help recovering from hip surgery, Alice doesn't hesitate to offer to take her back to Barry's Bay where Nan can recover and where Alice can hopefully find herself and figure out what she wants. Enter Charlie Florek, the ridiculously good-looking, shameless flirt, who makes Alice's Nan laugh and sees Alice for who she really is.

Carley never fails to make me want to buy a lake house! I will say that this book dragged a little in the beginning for me, but once I was in it, I could NOT put it down! I loved Charlie and Alice's relationship. I loved how easy it felt, how they made each other so comfortable, how Charlie made Nan laugh, and how he took care of both of them. It just felt so wholesome. When the dreaded third act breakup hit, I loved how Alice's family showed up for her, and while I generally despise a third act breakup and how generally immature they feel, I felt Carley did a good job with this one and brought it all back together in the end (even redeeming Charlie a little bit).

Overall, a really, really good read that you definitely need to pick up this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkeley, and Lady Carley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One Golden Summer is a story about how we sometimes need to go back so we can move forward.

I love this woman's brain! Carley Fortune puts so much care and tenderness into her characters. This story was awkward and I'm not sure I liked it but I love her writing so so much. As I said for This Summer Will Be Different, even a meh story from Carley doesn't go below 4 stars for me, sadly though, this is one of those 4-star reads.

PLOT
Alice Everly is a painfully shy doormat type who, at 32/33, still is not where she wants to be romantically or professionally. Because we're a month out from publication, I won't spoil any plot details here, but she decides to spend a summer at Barry's Bay to try to recapture that feeling she had the first time she picked up a camera.

Charlie Florek is just plain stuck. I think his massive personality is just too much for this world. When the two meet, the awkward sparks fly! They meet-cute several times before striking up an unlikely friendship. There's clearly something between them but can they both get unstuck enough to get out of their own separate ways?

MY PRE-PUBLICATION SPOILER-FREE IMPRESSIONS
Alice's development was awesome! Charlie's, not so much. As such, the romance just felt like a tease, an awkward, confusing, frustrating tease. This was not the Charlie I know and love. You have to really love Alice to be stuck in her head for an entire book as we never get a glimpse inside Charlie's and I don't think I loved Alice enough. And their opening banter would be inappropriate and creepy if we didn't know Charlie. It's only okay because we know Charlie and then Alice tells us it's easy and we have to believe her (I didn't). When Charlie stops his verbal diarrhea flirting to be deep and sweet, it catches you by surprise; there's only the two modes to him and I was off-kilter for most of the book. He seems to take nothing seriously until he does out of the blue and in either instance I found myself saying "wow! where did that come from?!"

They will-they-won't-they for the middle half of the book and then boom! HEA. And here's the thing! Everything that's written is beautiful! The way they fall is written so perfectly but for some other couple. I didn't get enough Charlie and I think I loved Alice as a person but not as a match for him. I think I loved the personal journey of Alice getting her groove back but then when you throw in a romance with a character the whole community has so much love for, who only got about one page of development, who had several opportunities for development but choose not to talk about it... I think it felt like two puzzle pieces that someone stuffed together that don't actually fit.

TL;DR
They say opposites attract but these two were too opposite for me, and the way they flip flopped back and forth was dizzying. Don't torture me and tell me it's exhilarating! But I loved her story, and I loved his resolution, and it's very easy for me to be too harsh on this author because I love her so much and I wanted a more organic romance. So, once again, 'not my favorite Carley Fortune' is still a solid 4 stars any day of the week.

I have the biggest book hangover after finishing this book! It made me want to jump in a lake and sip cocktails in a big floaty. I loved these characters so much. While we see Charlie in book one, I have to admit I don't really remember the details since it's been a few years! I was so happy to see him get the HEA he deserves. Alice is in such a rough spot when she comes to the lake with her Nan. What she thought would be a quiet summer ends up being anything but when she meets Charlie. But Charlie doesn't do relationships and Alice is a relationship girl. So they stick with being just friends, no matter how much attraction is between them.

I loved getting to see Alice come out of her shell and check off everything on her bucket list. I related a lot to her being more introverted and reserved, especially within her family. I, too, have been told to stop being so hard on myself. This book has much more substance than just a flirty summer romance, including Nan coming to terms with her aging, Alice dealing with the loss of her ex, and Charlie accepting the fact that he is the age that his dad was when he passed. All of this is tied up in a wonderful summer romance you won't regret picking up!

Read if you like a friends-to-lovers, slow-burn summer romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 5/6

Alice Everly spent one summer at Barry's Bay with her grandparents and their friends when she was 17. While there, she took a photograph of three teenagers on a speedboat that she later sold. Now Alice is a professional photographer who is burnt out taking pictures for other people and her grandmother is sulking after having surgery on her hip. Alice decides they need a summer away. so they return to the same lake house in Barry's Bay. There they run into Charlie Florek who is helping Nan's friend John take care of the house. Charlie finds Alice's list of things to do this summer to help her feel like a teenager again and decides he needs to help her make sure she gets her list completed. But Alice isn't the only one who needs a break from the real world. The two bond while spending time together but neither wants a relationship. So what happens when summer ends?

I'll be the first to say that Every Summer After is not my favorite Carley Fortune book. Not wanting to spoil it, just know that the end had me screaming at the book. But I loved coming back to Barry's Bay and getting to read Charlie's story. There was so much to love about this book - Charlie's redemption arc, Alice attempting to keep the playboy Charlie at arms length and failing, Nan and her backstory, and a cameo by Sam and Percy. Really, this should be one of, if not THE, beach read for summer. It was fun and sweet and heartwarming and had me flying through the pages. The characters were lovable but flawed and grew throughout the book. The third act was somewhat predictable but still gave me all the feels. Definitely would recommend this one to anyone looking for a beach read or a romance.

Overall: 4.5/5 (lost half a point for Charlie backstory in the first book - sorry but it was that bad that I couldn't give it a full 5). Rounded up
Spice: 1/5

I love, love, love Carley Fortune. 5 stars for sure for this one. I'm not sure what is about her novels but I can't stop reading them! That's quite a feat for someone who doesn't love romance novels. I think the playfulness of the friendship turned in to possible more is what draws me to the characters and what their relationships evolve over a summer.

Alice never anticipated Charlie Florek but her grandmother always told her good things happen at the lake. Alice spent just one summer 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 is a photographer but lately, she’s been itching for something more. 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 Charlie Florek. Charlie can make Nan laugh and Alice is longing to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun.

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.

If Carley Fortune's novels feel like a warm breeze across a sun-soaked dock, One Golden Summer is her most golden yet. Returning readers will recognize the shores of Barry's Bay, but this time the spotlight shifts to Alice Everly-a 32-year-old photographer fresh off a breakup and a burnout-who finds herself back at the lake that once changed her life.

Alice is the dependable one, always putting others first, always playing it safe. But when her beloved Nan suffers a fall, Alice trades the hustle of Toronto for a summer retreat at a lakeside cottage, hoping to lift both their spirits. What she doesn't expect is to run into the very subject of her most iconic photograph: Charlie Florek. Yes, that Charlie-Sam's older brother and the charismatic flirt who stole scenes (and hearts) in Every Summer After.

Charlie is no longer just the confident teen in a yellow boat. Now 35, he's older, a little wiser, and still packing that disarming charm. He's the kind of guy who can talk circles around anyone and leave them smiling-and Alice, despite her better judgment, is not immune. Their chemistry crackles from the start, full of tension, teasing, and late-night conversations under starlit skies. What begins as a cautious friendship soon blossoms into something neither of them expected-and something both are terrified to lose.

Fortune has a gift for tapping into nostalgia without ever leaning too heavily on sentimentality. She paints Barry's Bay with such vivid warmth that you can practically feel the sun on your shoulders and the dock under your toes. The summer setting is rich with found family dynamics, hilarious grocery store mishaps (yes, there's a cucumber scene), and meaningful moments that add layers to the romance rather than distract from it.

Alice and Charlie's story is a beautiful dance of longing, self-discovery, and second chances. Watching Alice step out of her shell and learn to ask for what she wants-especially when what she wants is the boy across the bay-was deeply satisfying. And Charlie? Well, if you didn't already love him in Every Summer After, prepare to fall hard. He's cheeky, magnetic, fiercely loyal, and vulnerable in ways that make his journey all the more rewarding.

And yes, fans of Sam and Percy will be thrilled-One Golden Summer offers glimpses into their lives post-ESA, weaving their presence in seamlessly without stealing focus from Alice and Charlie's love story. There's an undeniable magic in the way these characters connect, care, and show up for each other, making this novel feel like more than just a romance-it's a celebration of growth, forgiveness, and the kind of love that makes you feel seen.

In short: One Golden Summer is a love letter to late bloomers, nostalgic summers, and the wild, wonderful mess of falling for someone when you least expect it. It's romantic, emotionally resonant, and utterly transporting. Whether you're a longtime Carley Fortune fan or diving in for the first time, this book belongs at the very top of your beach bag.

5 shining stars.
Read it for: friends-to-lovers tension, lakeside nostalgia, slow-burn summer love, and the boy across the bay finally getting his happily ever after.

This book is one you will cherish and return to! I will be purchasing one for my favorites shelf!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for this ARC 💙

This is my favorite Carley Fortune book by far… I was hooked with Every Summer After, also ate up This Summer Will Be Different… but this one? Obsessed.

Charlie’s story really had me smiling from the start. I love how it touched on their memories from Every Summer After, but then evolved Charlie’s personality and character to show more of him. Also, loved the glimpses of Sam & Percy’s lives moving forward together.

Alice was the perfect sassy calm to Charlie’s flirty outgoing chaos. I love how their characters meshed so perfectly. Alice really grew throughout this story, despite being 32 she truly found who she was and who she needed to be for herself. I loved the mix of having fun, and feeling young again, but also serious relatable topics the characters experience.

Overall, I was obsessed, it had me hooked and feeling giddy from the moment they met over cucumbers in the grocery store. Charlie & Alice you have my heart 🩵 Highly recommend for a summer read & for all my romance girlies who love when a guy looks at you like you’re the only one in the room.