Since we met him in Every Summer After, I have always hoped and prayed for Charlie to get his own love story. One Golden Summer was soooo worth the wait and everything I imagined for him and more.

I’m entirely obsessed with this story, from the way Alice and Charlie balanced each other out to their banter, their deep conversations, they’re incredibly strong emotional connection, and all of the side characters—both alive and dead—who played such a major part in the way they found and loved each other. As a certified lake girlie myself, everything about this book felt so nostalgic to me. I could easily imagine stepping into Alice’s shoes and living those endless summer days—and that gut wrenching heartbreak you experience when it’s all over.

And god, I knew Sam and Percy would be around of course, but having them play such a big part in the story and seeing them after Every Summer after ended made me SO HAPPY.

All that to say, infinity stars for this one.

Thank you so much to Berkley & NetGalley for this e-arc.

I loved this book.!!! This was a lovely, slow-burn romance, ideal for summer reading. Charlie and Alice's relationship develops in such a wonderful way, and they are both quite lovable. I enjoyed seeing how they grew in the presence of one another. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and Carley really did create magic with this book!!

The PERFECT summer read! This story transported me back to Barry’s Bay, a place with magical sunsets, cozy cottages, and unicorn floaties. Some of my favorite things about this book were the fun and flirty banter between Charlie and Alice, and the love of family at the center of the story. Definitely a top summer read!!

Loved this book! Perfect for summer, left me in a great mood and enjoying the writing style of Fortune, as usual! Def recommend for a great summer read to kick off the warm months!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A beautiful summer story that kept me reading late into the evening. Loved the setting, characters, and the story. Didn't want this one to end.

Carley Fortune 🤝 Summer reads

This gave me all the best summer vibes. I absolutely loved the lake setting and the small town coastal vibes.

Charlie… what a man. My god. I need him. I will always eat up a cocky self assured man with a touch of softness. He was absolutely perfect in this book. Oh to be you Alice 🥹💕

I absolutely adored how this tied someone who was a bit lost in her life direction (me all the time lol), soft family moments, and a slow burn relationship. I had so much fun reading this one.

Five stars to One Golden Summer, a pure escape for any romance or women's fiction reader hoping to spend the summer in a cabin by the lake. And meeting a gorgeous, cheeky, and thoughtful man wouldn't hurt, either.

Do your summer plans include time at the lake or at the beach? Hopefully I will get a week at the beach soon, but I would love to spend the summer at the lake like
, jumping into the lake, taking fast boat rides, walking through the woods and nights putting puzzles together, reading, drinking wine, eating cake…count me in!
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If you can’t make it to the lake in real life, this book will get you there! It just gave me those lazy day feels all while telling the story of Alice who returns to the lake with her grandmother hoping it lift’s her spirits. Alice hadn’t been there since she was 17, but that was a beautiful, pivotal, golden summer for her.
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Charlie (who we met in Fortune’s last book, Every Summer After) has taken a sabbatical from work in the city and is spending the summer at his family home on the lake, helping out a doing some repairs at the cottage where Alice and Nan are staying. Alice remembers seeing him out on the lake that summer years ago when she was too shy to even say hello. Now she can’t get him out of her mind.
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There is such an incredible relationship between Alice and Nan that I loved. It truly made me miss my own grandmother. Actually, relationships were key in this book, the good and the struggling. The relationship between Alice and Charlie was a good one, not without complication, but what’s a good story without a little hiccup?
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Grab this for your spring, summer, or anytime reads, especially if you already read Every Summer After. This one can stand alone too. It is another great release from this week so it is available now! Thanks @BerkleyPub for my advanced ecopy.
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After all, “Good things happen at the lake”.

Carley Fortune is back with another summer-set romance, this time with Charlie and Alice, two people taking a break from their real lives at the lake. Alice is spending the summer helping her grandmother recover from some health issues, while Charlie is taking a break from work and enjoying some free time on the water. Despite some early prickliness on Alice's part, they become friends and, eventually, more than friends, with limits to their physical relationship.

As always, Fortune creates scenes and characters that are wistful and hopeful: Alice remembers her summers at the lake as a teenager with regret, simultaneously of the friends she was too afraid to make and conversations she was too afraid to start, while simultaneously seeing all the freedom she had as a 17-year-old that she feels she no longer possesses. Charlie is outwardly lovable and friendly, and is easily one of the best romance heroes I've seen this year. He cares about Alice and her grandmother, and they manage to anchor him and get a more genuine, more trusting version of Charlie than everybody else in town gets to see. The slow movement of these two guarded people toward an open, emotional relationship was such a joy to read, and I can't wait for what Fortune does next.

Review: One Golden Summer
By: Carley Fortune
Stars: 5⭐️

🚤 Alice is an artist who hides behind her lens, taking photos and staying quiet. After being dumped by her long term boyfriend, her Nan falling and hurting her hips, Alice wants an adventure. She suggests to her Nan that they should go to the lake, where she hasn’t been since she was 17. She wanted to feel young and free again.

🚤 Charlie a flirt, who never wants to settle down or commit, takes Alice under his wing to complete her 17year old bucket list.

🚤 the two spend the summer flirting, going on adventures, learning about each other and ultimately falling in love.

🚤 But Charlie won’t let himself be in love with Alice, tensions rise, hearts break, fear strikes. But what happeneds when one won’t give up, when one fights for what is right.

🚤 I love Carley! She is such an amazing writer, I love her books, her words and her thoughts. I can’t wait for more!

Absolutely loved being back in Barry's Bay. This was such a sweet, slow burn romance, perfect for summer reading! Read this one if you like friends to lovers, an atmospheric lake setting, great side characters and a slow burn.

This book was absolutely incredible. The story. The banter. The slow burn. The family ties. I loved it. May be my favorite one by Fortune.

I had to DNF this book. It was focused far too much around body image. I personally struggle with reading about this subject. If it’s something you’re ok with then, this book will be fine. I was looking forward to Charlie’s story.

and if i cry just thinking about how much i loved Charlie? then what?
i had such a good time with this book. it swept me off of my feet and left me with a million butterflies in my stomach which is the sing of any great romance book.
i'm obsessed

Thank you @berkleyromance for the finished copy of this gem!

Every Summer After was one of my top books when it came out, and One Golden Summer is no different. I stayed up till 3 am finish this book, and if you know me, I am not one of those readers. I usually fall asleep quickly, but I just couldn’t stop reading.

Charlie Florek, the man that you ARE.

I could really leave the review at that, but i’ll keep going 🙂

This is the perfect summer romance. It made me want to take a sabbatical and rent a lake house for the summer, channel my inner 17 year old and make my own summer bucket list. I loved reading about these two stubborn goofballs who were just friends (sure,jan). I loved their friends-to-lovers story, their candor with each other and their banter.

Read this if:
You’re looking for a summer read, any of Carley’s books would work, but I can’t recommend Every Summer After followed up with One Golden Summer enough.
You love lake life
A hot man who’s handy
Friends to lovers
Great banter
Slow burn

Absolutely obsessed!! Romance of the summer!

To me this is @carleyfortune’s best work!! I reread Every Summer After in preparation for this which was 💯 the move!

I loved everything about this! The vibe, the banter, the nostalgia, the setting, forced proximity, and the ESA tie-in!

Alice was so relatable to me, and I was so obsessed with Charlie! This essentially is a perfect summer romance for me, and I need every other romance to meet this standard the rest of the summer!

Though One Golden Summer is a sequel/companion book to Every Summer After, it definitely stands on its own. I have never read ESA, but I was able to jump into OGS easily and fell completely in love with all of the characters. Charlie and Alice are both so lovable and their connection unfolds in such a beautiful way. I loved watching each of them grow in the light of one another. This was really the perfect summer read, and one I will absolutely revisit. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

4.5/5

Amazing summer read!
Carley Fortune writes some of the best books.

I loved getting to see how the Floreks have grown since the last book. Getting Charlie’s story was so great. It was also great reading about Sam and Percy too and getting a relationship update on them.
Alice is a great main character. You root for her the whole book. She really finds herself. Nan (Alice’s grandma) sounds amazing and I want to be friends with her.

This book did not disappoint!!!!!

This was utter perfection.

God I loved this book so so much!!!!! This was so nostalgic in the best possible way. It brought me back to the feeling of summer when I was a kid and I loved every single second of it.

Charlie Florek the man you are!!! I am so glad we got a redemption story and got to see his growth throughout the course of the novel. I thought that his budding friendship turned relationship with Alice was so pure and such a joy to read. I really loved how they were two strangers who needed each other to grow and distract from their regular lives.

The tension in this novel was actually everything to me. Alice and Charlie were so hot!!!!

Carley truly created magic and I absolutely loved reading every single second of this. A beautiful way to say goodbye to Barry's Bay.

Thank you Berkley Romance and Carley Fortune for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER is the *much* anticipated follow up to EVERY SUMMER AFTER, in which brother Charlie finally gets his moment.

I remember basically nothing from ESA — just that the lake vibes were great and despite all the drama, Charlie got the short end of the stick. I LOVED that OGS has a whole new character with a whole new main storyline — Alice spends her summer on the lake with her grandma who’s recovering from surgery. But, it’s not Alice’s first summer there. In fact, she’s crossed paths with our ESA love triangle before 👀

Anyways. I love Charlie. I love Alice. I loved this book — and I convinced my girl gang on this trio to read it with me!! So now I’ve made the girls trip a bookclub muahaha