Too long did not read; this book is absolutely stunning, fascinating, and all the flowery words. I am obsessed with Alice & Charlie, the meaning behind the story, and every little thing. I highly highly recommend you pick this book up when it releases on May 6th!!

One Golden Summer by carley fortune will easily be in my top favorite books of 2025, it was remarkable. Her previous novel, This Summer Will Be Different, was one of my favorite books last year. So naturally, I knew I had to request this the minute it was on netgalley.

I truly do not know how to put into words how much I absolutely loved this book. It is one of those rare and amazing times where I become head over heels obsessed and in love with a book whilst reading it. It is such a euphoric feeling to absolutely immerse yourself in your current read and feel ALL the feels & One Golden Summer did that.

Carley’s writing is stunning, unique, immersive, and just flat out poetic. I love her ability to make me feel engulfed straight into the story, as if I am a fly on the wall witnessing everything unravel. Her books make me long for a life I haven’t even lived, if that makes sense. This book specifically made me feel a spectrum of emotions surrounding growing up and the powerful feeling that is nostalgia, which was so beautiful to experience.

Surprisingly enough, I have not read Every Summer After so I jumped into this book blind (note: I immediately ordered a copy and am planning to read it ASAP) but I loved that I did because it was so fresh, fun, and interesting to see the twists in turns.

Something that sticks out to me when reading Carley’s books is how well she writes her characters internal monolgue and how she represents their experiences, which in turn affect how those experiences impact those around them… etc. It is just so well done, you can tell she dedicates so much time to ensuring the voice of the character is THERE so you can truly feel every single emotion that the characters do alongside them.

Charlie Florek and Alice Everely were both incredible characters from beginning to end, their depth and how Carley dissected their character makeup was… perfection to say the least. It was so easy to find myself wrapped up in their love story obviously, but it was also extremely easy to find myself in love with both of them and relating to little pieces of who they are. The characters and the atmosphere truly just jump off the page when I read Carley’s novels and this book represented that AND more.

By the end of this book, I needed to see what happened next but wanted to savor each and every single word. I cried, I laughed, I blushed, I swooned, everything. I also read the acknowledgments and authors note after finishing because I needed more and wow did it make me tear up again. Carley, you are now one of my favorite authors and it is so special to read these stories and see how they reflect portions of your life and your favorite people & places.

‘“Good things happen at the lake”

Thank you so so so much Berkley and Netgalley for an early copy, I am now going to go plan my reread!!!!!!

This book!!!!!! Anything Carley Fortune writes, I will read, but this one is her absolute best work yet. Her writing is so nostalgic—it makes me long for endless summer days, sun-kissed skin, and being surrounded by all of my favorite people. For me, summer meant packing up the car and heading to Northern Ontario with my family. Reading these scenes, so effortlessly captured by Carley, felt less like I was reading and more like I was living inside a daydream.

Getting reacquainted with Charlie, the heartbreaker across the lake, was pure joy. This man exudes confidence, but with a cheekiness that makes everything he says come out both charming and funny. I’m not even kidding—MAJOR golden retriever energy!! The way he walks around with the biggest heart-eyes for Alice, treating her like she’s the most precious thing in the world… I honestly need an oxygen mask right now because I was SWOONING. Charlie’s attentiveness to Alice is matched only by his care for her Nan, and the moments between Nan and Charlie were some of my absolute favorites. My heart was bursting!

The entire book was told from Alice’s perspective, and I loved every second of it. Alice never wants to feel like a burden on anyone, always showing up as a version of herself that’s more palatable for others. Watching her heal and come alive in Charlie’s company, where she could truly be herself, was so special to witness.

Seeing these two fall in love, showing up for each other again and again, and being so open, honest, and forthcoming made this love story truly stand out. The way they communicated, respected each other, and wanted the best for one another made me fall HARD for them. THE YEARNING! THE FLIRTING! I was gasping for air.

I was instantly swept away by this atmospheric novel from the very first chapter. If it’s not already on your TBR, it should be added now! The perfect beach read. I can't wait to re-read it this summer! I miss them already—take me back to Barry’s Bay!!!

I read Carley Fortune's other book, "Every Summer After" and loved it, so I was so happy to receive this ARC and to see some of the characters be brought back. I was very happy to be brought back to summer at the lake. It was at times sweet and other times sexy and overall an enjoyable romantic read.

Guys this is going to be THE book of summer 2025!!! It is everything to me please enjoy my ramble of a review.

It was just special because Every Summer After was a book that really started my binging of books as an adult. I read it in less than 24 hours, like one sitting so it’s so special to see the characters again 🥲

I literally had butterflies and my stomach hurt the entirety of this book ! I really related to Alice and her being a photographer. Charlie is a flirt and I ate it up!!!! He’s so funny and cheeky and they work together so well. Also loved the relationship with her grandmother.

I truly could not put this book down. It is Carley’s best work and I already want to reread it. I was getting close to the end and I was sad bc I only had a few pages left 😔 I didn’t want to say goodbye to these people I feel like I really know.

One thing Carley Fortune is SO good at is setting a scene and making you feel like you’re there. The summer setting and atmosphere was so well done and the idea of being a teenager again is so sweet and carefree! The way Charlie took care of Alice (and her grandmother) 😭😭😭 I’m such an acts of service girly so I died everytime

Also The friends to lovers in this was just so good 😭😭😭😭

It’s been a long time since I’ve absolutely devoured a book almost in one sitting and I already want to reread this. My goodness it’s so SOO good

Thank you Berkley romance and NetGalley for the arc!!!

Guys this is going to be THE book of summer 2025!!! It is everything to me please enjoy my ramble of a review.

It was just special because Every Summer After was a book that really started my binging of books as an adult. I read it in less than 24 hours, like one sitting so it’s so special to see the characters again 🥲

I literally had butterflies and my stomach hurt the entirety of this book ! I really related to Alice and her being a photographer. Charlie is a flirt and I ate it up!!!! He’s so funny and cheeky and they work together so well. Also loved the relationship with her grandmother.

I truly could not put this book down. It is Carley’s best work and I already want to reread it. I was getting close to the end and I was sad bc I only had a few pages left 😔 I didn’t want to say goodbye to these people I feel like I really know.

One thing Carley Fortune is SO good at is setting a scene and making you feel like you’re there. The summer setting and atmosphere was so well done and the idea of being a teenager again is so sweet and carefree! The way Charlie took care of Alice (and her grandmother) 😭😭😭 I’m such an acts of service girly so I died everytime

Also The friends to lovers in this was just so good 😭😭😭😭

It’s been a long time since I’ve absolutely devoured a book almost in one sitting and I already want to reread this. My goodness it’s so SOO good

Thank you Berkley romance and NetGalley for the arc!!!

5 stars doesn’t even feel like enough for how I obsessed i am with this one! I have loved all of Carley fortune’s books, but this one is definitely my favorite and I anticipate it being my top read in 2025. Charlie Florek. I have no words. The banter and the tension Fortune creates between Alice and Charlie is like no other. This one of those books that has me still thinking about it days after I’ve finished it and moved on to my next book. It’s the one of book you want to blow through in a day but also don’t because you want to savor it and don’t want it to end!

Will post a more detailed review on IG @therunaway.readers closer to pub day

Loved this book and having a chance to go back to Barry’s Bay for Charlie’s story! Alice and Charlie’s story was a lot of fun to read and it was great getting to see where Percy and Sam are now.
One of my favourites by Carley!

Alice Everly needs a change. She was dumped and she’s feeling uninspired in her photography job, so when her grandmother, Nan, also needs a change of scenery, Alice decides they should spend the summer at Nan’s former best friends’ lake house. Alice is looking forward to revisiting the lake that she went to for one week 15 years ago, where she took a photo that, in more ways than one, changed her life. When she gets there, she meets the cocky, yet charming, and wildly attractive Charlie Florek. As Alice and Charlie end up spending more and more time together, Alice starts looking at her life back home differently and starts to reevaluate what is truly important to her.

This book was absolutely incredible! I love how the scenery was a character in the book. I truly felt like I was at Barry’s Bay with the Everlys and the Floreks. I love how the characters were written and the invisible string that tied Charlie to Alice throughout time. I was rooting for their love story the entire time and was never disappointed.

One Golden Summer was a cute summer read. I’ve read 2 other books by Carley Fortune and neither were very memorable. I suspect this will fall in the same category and that’s ok, it was still enjoyable. I loved the Canadian lake setting and do remember it from the other books. I now know what a muskoka chair is, essentially an Adirondack with a few minor differences. It was mentioned enough times I had to look it up. Love to learn new Canadian vernacular! Fans of Carley Fortune are going to love this and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a light, beachy read.

I predict (or I hope) that One Golden Summer will be in beach bags and poolside everywhere this summer, but you will know who has been reading it, because one minute they will be quietly laughing to themselves, and the next they will be crying. Carley Fortune's latest is just so perfect. It's warm and bubbly, but also just real. If you only read one romance this summer, make it One Golden Summer.

I thoroughly enjoyed it! Very entertaining, nostalgic and romantic! For me, it represented an improvement over her last book. I guess it’s just hard to quit Barry’s Bay?!

Loved Alice and really enjoyed Charlie. I still hate what he and Percy did when they were teenagers, and I know a lot of my readers and customers had a hard time with that. It is brought up again in this book because it’s the elephant in the room, but Charlie has grown up a lot since then, and there is a bit of redemption for him. I don’t think readers will be nearly as bothered by it in this story because it’s just a blip.

At any rate, I loved the setting and the flirting and the slow burn and the steam. They were great together and overall felt more mature and grown up than Fortune’s recent characters.

I anticipate this being a very popular title that almost everyone will love! I will also be able to recommend it, even if readers have not read the first novel in the pair. Of course it’s helpful to know the backstory, but this also stands alone very very well.

For fans of Carley's Every Summer After, this book would feel very nostalgic and exciting. It was definitely fun being back in Barry's Bay and having cameos from the OG characters Percy & the Florek brothers. This is, in fact, Charlie's story. Tbh, I loved Charlie in this one and thought it was nice to have him be the love interest this time. I won't say much about the book, because I think it's better to go into this blind. For me it started out ordinary and took me more than halfway through to fully enjoy stuff that was happening—I'm not a big fan of instalove or lust and have grown so tired of characters' physical features getting overly praised or of them ogling each other all the time, but some moments were touching and made me happy (having read this while I was on vacay at the beach). I also didn't like the added plot point in the end just because it felt so under-developed and I wished it was discussed further given its subject importance.

One Golden Summer is for everyone who wanted Charlie Florek to have his happily ever after. If you don't know who Charlie Florek is, I highly recommend reading Carley Fortune's debut novel Every Summer After right now before coming back to read One Golden Summer.

Our main character Alice has just gone through a horrific breakup and over the years, she's felt like she's lost herself. She's no longer happy with the photography assignments she's accepting and her home doesn't feel like hers. When her grandmother takes a nasty fall and breaks her hip, Alice steps up to take care of her. Part of that is taking her grandmother, Nan, to the lakeside cottage owned by Nan's friend John. Nan hasn't been herself since the fall and she's hoping going back to a place where she felt happiness would help break her out of the funk. It's also the place where Alice herself spent one summer as a teenager and it's where she took the photo of tow boys and a girl in a yellow banana boat that altered the course of her life forever.

Charlie Florek is in town for the summer, helping take care of John's cottage. And he's just as flirty as he's always been and has his sights set on Alice. As the summer goes on, the two get closer but can they make it work in the real world?

I adored this book so much and I loved getting to know Charlie better. And yes you do get to see Sam and Percy from Every Summer After in this book as well! (So seriously if you haven't read that yet do that first or this book will spoil it!). There are some deep conversations the two have together and I really enjoyed seeing Charlie's character growth from the first book. I also love Alice and could see myself in her shyness and desire to be bolder, to speak up for the things that matter to her.

A wonderful addition to Carley Fortune's work and I can't wait for the rest of the world to read it too. (And for my spicy book lovers.... there's a "fuck it" scene)

*Rating falls more on a 4.5 star but Netgalley won't let me do half star ratings and my five stars are given out very sparingly.

Carley Fortune’s One Golden Summer is a breathtaking, nostalgic romance that perfectly captures the magic of second chances and the allure of summers by the lake. Through Alice’s journey—from a teenage girl behind the lens to a woman longing for something more—Fortune weaves a story that is both tender and deeply evocative. Charlie Florek, with his effortless charm and undeniable connection to Alice, makes for an irresistible love interest, while the novel’s lush setting in Barry’s Bay radiates warmth and longing. Full of sun-drenched memories, aching tension, and Fortune’s signature heart-stirring prose, this novel is a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of love, timing, and one unforgettable summer.

February 5, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 ⭐️
I was extremely lucky to receive an advanced copy from NetGalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

When I learned I was receiving an ARC of this book I jumped up from my desk and screamed. I was ready to be back in Barry’s Bay, and I dove right in like I was diving off a dock on a hot August day.

It has been a few years since I read Every Summer After, which was a 10/10 book for me. The story wasn’t fresh in my mind, but I knew I loved Percy and Sam’s story, and had already built my version of Barry’s Bay in my mind. It was easy to come back to the setting, but the characters were harder for me to remember crisply.

One Golden Summer gives us Charlie’s story, and you really do fall in love with him (though I might argue he’s so wonderful it’s a little “too perfect” for me). He is a complicated character with secrets, but he loves hard and is the perfect gentleman. Alice was easy to connect with, and her relationship with her gran was heartwarming. My heart broke for Alice several times, and I cried big tears in the end when her family rallied for her.

One Golden Summer was a worthy follow up though I still enjoyed ESA more. Fortune is skilled at writing likeable, relatable characters, and readers fall instantly in love with her male love interests. My only regret is that I didn’t read this during the summer because I’m pining for a day at the lake in peak summer. Fortune fans will love this story, especially if you can read it in gorgeous weather.

There is something delightful about Carley Fortune books, she finds an emotional note that leaves the reader wanting a romance and being nostalgic for an innocence. The story is a wonderful continuation of her "Every Summer After".

Would recommend

Im so happy to be back at the lake and in Barry’s Bay! And this time, it’s Charlie’s turn!

I’ve never come across an author who consistently has such a hold on me, book after book. Consumed. Absorbed. Addicted. Obsessed. Absolutely devoured.

Drawing from her personal connection to Barry’s Bay, Fortune has an incredible talent for crafting settings that instantly transport and completely immerse readers.

Her characters are masterfully crafted, radiating charm and undeniable chemistry. They captivate from the first moment, effortlessly drawing you in and sweeping you away.

Yet again, I’m blown away by this stunning cover art! Mark my words—this is destined to be the book of the summer!

All the feels, all the stars.

*Click*

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for an early copy of One Golden Summer by @carleyfortune I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: May 6th, 2025

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

I would argue that One Golden Summer is a tad bit better than Every Summer After. We finally get to read Charlie’s story and dive deeper into how he has been doing after the events of ESA. Told from the POV of Alice, a photographer who found her calling at seventeen years old after randomly taking Charlie, Sam and Percy’s photograph on their yellow boat. She comes back to Barry’s Bay years later and officially meets the subjects of the photograph she took when she was seventeen.

Despite being shy and reserved, Alice finds her match in Charlie, who sparked her playfulness and brought out the inspiration she needed to find her vision in photography again. If you’ve read ESA, you’ll know how Charlie is the life of the party and the jokester, but we see a different side of him this time around as Fortune dives deeper into his character emotionally and how the deaths in the Florek family has affected him growing up given that he’s the eldest son.

Alice and Charlie’s chemistry really brought life into this story as they spend a memorable and remarkable summer together getting to know each other and growing together.

I really enjoyed how nostalgic I felt while reading this novel with the cameos of Percy and Sam as we also get a glimpse of what has happened between the ending of ESA and OGS. Fortune was quite descriptive with the setting of Barry’s Bay that really makes me want to jump on a plane and go there just for a swim!

One Golden Summer is a fantastic and nostalgic read! Its characters made me laugh and cry, and made me feel connected with each one of them. Pick this one up when it releases in May for a perfect summer romance!

Carley has done it again! Ever since I read “Every Summer After” I’ve been hoping for a book on Charlie and here it is! And it was everything I wanted and more! The relationship between Alice and Charlie was so sweet and also so real, I was rooting for them the moment they first interacted. I’m glad that we were able to finally learn more about Charlie and what he was dealing with during “Every Summer After”, it made me love his character more than I did, which I know is controversial but :-) I also loved how we got to see Sam and Percy, my babies! (Who also had their own baby!!) oh and I adored Alice’s relationship with her grandma. Overall, an easy 5 stars!

Carley Fortune is the queen of romance with depth.
One Golden Summer is really two stories. Yes, we're finally getting our beloved Charlie Florek's happily ever after, but we're also getting Nan. Nan is Alice's 80 year old grandmother she takes back to the lake for a summer of recuperation. All I kept thinking was what I wouldn't give for one more summer at the lake with my Mawmaw. Maybe I'm a little too raw from losing her earlier this year, but Nan and Alice getting that time together had me in my feels more than anything I've read in recent months.