Thank you Berkley for the eARC!!

Need to review this without spoilers. Definitely think you should read every summer after. So that you get mad at CF first.

Then let like a week pass and then read this and let it completely fix you. LOL

Charlie is now 35 and he meets BEAUTIFUL ALICE. It’s so hard to find lovely FMCs like her. Shes shy and sweet but not? HER GRANDMA???? A perfect addition to the story. Nana was making me TEARYYYYYY.

The setting sounds absolutely magical. I wanna go to a lake pronto!!

I got scared about 80% through bc we know there’s a third act coming. But it’s not what I thought it would be. This book healed something in me through Alice! This book also felt nostalgic and sweet and wistful? Kinda how the summer I turned pretty makes me feel?

I’m so happy with this book years later after ESA. And I’ve already ordered my physical copy.

Some stories take their time sinking in, this one wrapped around me fast!

Freelance photographer Alice brings her Nan back to Barry’s Bay to lift her spirits after hip surgery…a place they haven’t visited since Alice was seventeen.

Photographs can stir up the past in unexpected ways. One image from that old trip includes someone else-Charlie Florek. He’s still in Barry’s Bay, helping ready the cottage for their stay. And he’s impossible to ignore: funny, grounded, thoughtful, and disarmingly good with lists.

The beauty of this story is in its quiet layers-family dynamics, richly drawn side characters, and the emotional tension between Alice and Charlie. She’s the kind of person who shows up for everyone. He’s the kind who says he can’t stay.

Charlie is holding something back, and the slow burn of their connection is full of unspoken emotion. As the story unfolds, so does the truth behind his reluctance. And Alice, with her quiet strength, shows him that love isn’t something to shield others from…it’s a light worth reaching for, even when the road ahead feels uncertain. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fans of Every Summer After — Charlie’s story is finally here! (This is technically a sequel to Every Summer After but could be read as a standalone. Sam and Percy make appearances as well.)

Alice Everly and her grandmother are spending the summer at the lake where, years ago, Alice took the photograph that launched her career, an image of three blissful teenagers in a yellow boat. One of those subjects was Charlie, now a dreamy 35-year-old. Both are struggling in their own ways, so the two embark on a mission to tackle Alice’s summer bucket list, and along the way, they build a beautiful friendship + lots of chemistry. As Alice’s Nan says, good things happen at the lake!

These characters were so fully realized, both together and apart, and I adored their love story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy!

WOW! It felt absolutely amazing to return to Barry's Bay. This book gave me all the sparkling summer feels while perfectly weaving humor and heartache. I am forever changed by Charlie Floreck! I was blown away by Carley Fortune's debut, Every Summer After and truly thought it would be impossible to top, but this really did that!

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the ARC.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Carley Fortune has officially cemented her status as the queen of summertime heartbreak and healing. One Golden Summer is the emotional rollercoaster I didn’t know I needed—and yes, I cried. A lot.
This book is a perfect wrap-up to a series that has completely owned my summers (and my tear ducts). If you haven’t read the full lineup yet, run—don’t walk—to grab:
• Every Summer After (soon to be a Prime Video adaptation!)
• Meet Me at the Lake
• This Summer Will Be Different
• One Golden Summer (releasing May 28, 2025)
Each book is a masterclass in longing, heartbreak, healing, and love—the kind of stories that stick with you long after the final page.
Read if you like:
▪️ summer nostalgia that makes your heart ache
▪️ friends to lovers (slow burn perfection)
▪️ bucket lists, what-ifs, and second chances
▪️ witty banter that makes you laugh, then cry
One Golden Summer is everything wonderful and painful about falling in love during the brightest days of the year. 5/5 heartbreakingly beautiful stars.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this one! It was fun to revisit the lake from "Every Summer After" and for Charlie to be redeemed. I loved all the characters and the adventures they went on throughout the summer. I love the idea of Alice getting to redo her summer from when she was 17. I also loved the relationship between her and Charlie and how she saw him for who he is. After the last book, I was still mad at him, but seeing him through Alice's eyes made me grow to love him. Now I wish that I could spend my summer at the lake!

5 beautiful shining stars!! I absolutely loved this book and that Carley Fortune took us back to Barry's Bay for Charlie's story. Her writing is so crisp and detailed that I could see the entire book playing out. I adored the romance between Alice and Charlie, even if the slow burn was killing me (in a good way!!). Plus Nan, my heart!! We got the perfect amount of Percy and Sam too, it was perfect for long time Every Summer After fans (aka me!). This is my new favorite Carley Fortune!

I love Carley's books and this one was no different. I fell in love with Alice right away and even though you know there is going to be a happy ending (which is why we read them), its the journey that we love so much.

Carley Fortune delivers another lakeside gem with One Golden Summer—a heartwarming, sun-drenched story set in the beloved Barry’s Bay. Packed with summer nostalgia and irresistible charm, this friends-to-lovers romance ticks all the right boxes for a feel-good seasonal read.

Alice and Charlie are at the center of this story, reunited at the lake where everything began. Their chemistry is undeniable, their banter sharp and flirty, and their bond deepened by shared history and a summer bucket list that brings them closer than ever. Add in the magic of forced proximity, late-night swims, and quiet moments that simmer with emotion—and yes, a touch of spice (🌶️🌶️)—and you’ve got a slow-burn romance that’s as swoony as it is satisfying.

The wholesome relationship between Alice and her grandmother adds warmth and depth, grounding the story with love and wisdom across generations. And if you’re a fan of lake romances, this one brings it all: boat rides, dockside kisses, and that nostalgic feeling of being young, barefoot, and in love under a summer sky.

The audiobook narration is a delight—AJ Bridel brings Alice to life with authenticity and heart, while Carley Fortune’s own narration adds a personal, intimate layer to the storytelling.

Favorite quote? “Here I am with the boy from my photo. Only he’s all grown up. And so am I.” Swoon.

Final thoughts: One Golden Summer is a romantic, emotional escape that blends summer fun with genuine heart. I enjoyed it a lot—it’s a perfect companion for long walks, road trips, or lazy afternoons by the water.

It wouldn’t ~ almost~ be summertime without a @carleyfortune novel! I absolutely LOVED her newest, One Golden Summer 🥹🌊🌅🚤💙 Happy pub day!!!

▫️Genre: Romance
▫️Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5)
▫️Pub day: 5/6/25 — today!
#gifted @berkleyromance ily

Fortune crushes it again with the perfect, dreamy summer romance. If you’ve ever romanticized #lakelife or better yet loved her debut, Every Summer After read this book!! 🥹

Technicallyyyy you could read this as a standalone, but I definitely recommend reading ESA first. This one takes place in the same universe, Barry’s Bay. There are a lot of spoilers for ESA! While ESA felt a tad young adult-ish, this one did not! 👌 I really enjoyed how much Charlie evolved! & Alice was a darling character. It definitely gives “opposites attract” but overall this book didn’t feel too “trope-y”, which I loved. Still swooning over Charlie & Alice 🥰

Read if you like: summer bucket lists, cozy cottage vibes, sewing, lake life, medium spice, photography, single POV, opposites attract, & strong MMC 🔥

In her author’s note, Fortune says she solely wrote this book for her readers. Everyone begged her for Charlie to have his own story & she delivered 😭🙌 Hope you enjoy this one!!

Could not be more thrilled to come back to Barry's Bay with two of my favourites. This book feels like summer in the palm of your hands and it's the perfect choice for that beach vacation or day on the dock

I absolutely loved it! I’ve read all of her previous books and I think this one might be my favorite! Both characters were really well written and I absolutely loved how flirtatious Charlie was - it made for the perfect opposites attract romance! 4.5⭐️

Everything Ms. Fortune writes I love. She could do no wrong. Another cute summer romance book. I loved the return to Barry’s Bay.

One Golden Summer revolves around truly discovering oneself, and learning to trust yourself and go for what you want rather than what others want for you. It follows Alice a photographer who’s at a bit of a standstill in her life, personally and professionally. But when her grandmother injures her hip, Alice and her grandmother turn to nature to help heal her grandmother, and Alice finds herself at the lake where she first truly discovered her passion for photography. Now while at the lake Charlie is her contact to ensure that everything at the cabin is good to go, but to Alice he’s also a very arrogant man, on the phone at least. That is until she accidentally runs into him at the grocery store and meets the arrogant Charlie in person. Charlie gets on Alice’s nerves and he absolutely adores living there. But their banter slowly grows more and tension builds between the two. But Charlie isn’t looking for anything serious and Alice only does serious, so now they spend the summer together stuck in limbo with a whole lot of sexual tension. Just when things really do begin to heat up, all hope is just about completely lost. Alice leaves the lake leaving Charlie as all but a memory, but with a new grown strength she finds in herself which she uses in both her personal and professional life. But then some sudden news has her re-thinking her decision to forget about Charlie. But now that Alice has grown, and Charlie’s near, are these two about to figure out their relationship.

I loved Percy and Sam in Every Summer After, but Percy and Sam in OGS just didn’t feel the same, their presence did impact the story, but it just felt a little odd to me. Nonetheless, I did love getting to re-visit them and see where their storyline did end up.

Absolutely recommend giving One Golden Summer a read if you’re a fan of any of Carley Fortune’s works.

As always, a thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, just wow! Carley Fortune has done it again in One Golden Summer and dare I say, this might be my favorite book of hers yet?! Alice and Charlie's story was funny, romantic, angsty and just perfect, in my opinion. The banter between the two was absolutely top tier and Charlie's flirting?? Warn a girl next time!! But not only did you get the fun, playful side of Charlie like we saw in Every Summer After but we got to see beneath the layers and bravado as well. He was an absolute sweetheart and entirely too hard on himself which just made him more endearing in my eyes. It was also great to see a little glimpse of Percy and Sam's future in this book as well! Can't wait to see what Carley has up her sleeve next but I hope it has something to do with a fiery, single mother from this book!

Read if you like:
- Friends to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Summer Romance
- Lake Days
- Amazing Banter!

Our girl is BACK and I think this may be my favorite by @carleyfortune

Thank you so much @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the #gifted early reading and listening copies!

When I read Every Summer After I was VERY intrigued by Charlie and I am so HAPPY we get to know him in this one. You get to know Alice too and boy are you in for a treat!

This will definitely be one of THE romances of the summer. You get to go back to Barry’s Bay and you are going to swoon over Alice and Charlie’s story. Summer magic is in the air, there’s banter and some angsty moments, and a tree house I want to live in!

You also get to see Percy and Sam again and I LOVED that too! {If you haven’t read Every Summer After, I highly recommend you do before reading this one.} I also really, really loved Nan and honestly, Alice’s sister Heather too, even though she drove me a little nuts at first.

I really enjoyed AJ Bridel’s narration of this one! Definitely brought the story to life!

Add this one to your beach bag, lake bag, travel bag this summer! You are really going to love it!

One Golden Summer by @carleyfortune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thanks to @berkleyromance for the free eARC via @netgalley and to @prhaudio for the free ALC.

Carley Fortune’s books just keep getting better! This one had me feeling all the summer vibes. Oh to have a house by the lake to retreat to for a few months!

Fans of Every Summer After, Fortune’s debut, will enjoy returning to Barry’s Bay and getting to follow Charlie to his HEA. But this story is told through Alice’s POV, a struggling photographer who returns to Barry’s Bay to help her grandmother recover from hip surgery. Alice has happy memories of the one summer she spent at the lake as a teen and is looking forward to the time away to allow herself some of the fun she never did as a kid. What she doesn’t count on is meeting the flirtatious self assured Charlie, much less falling for him.

Because the story is told through Alice’s POV I think it would be fine to read it as a standalone if you haven’t read ESA. In fact, the experience might be better given that we know things about Charlie and his family from the book that Alice doesn’t, so some of the twists that come up may catch you more by surprise.

Either way, this is a super fun summer read. I loved the chemistry between Charlie and Alice, the relationship they have with Alice’s grandma, the summer bucket list trope, and how Alice is able to gain back her confidence.

The last act had me in tears and I think hit hard for me because of how close it comes to some personal struggles of my own recently, adding just enough drama for the reader to remember life comes with challenges summers at the lake help us forget, but eventually we do have to confront them.

One Golden Summer should be at the top of your summer romance TBR. It’s Fortune’s best yet ❤️.

This book was everything I needed and more. Every Summer After completely changed my life and in my opinion this continuation to the story is just as good as the first one.

I always had a soft spot for Charlie and getting to read about his story was an incredible experience for me. It brought me back to when I first read Every Summer After and brought so much nostalgia. Not to be dramatic but it’s books like these that truly remind me why I love reading.

The book is told from Alice’s pov who spent one summer at the lake when she was seventeen, where she discovered her love for photography. Now, she’s a professional photographer who is struggling to find her spark again. After she finds a photo she took that summer at the lake, she decides to go with her Nan back to Barry’s Bay for a summer that ultimately changes her life.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this advanced copy of the book!

One Golden Summer
By: Carley Fortune
4.5 stars

If you know me, you know that Mrs. Fortune and I have not always had a great history when it comes to her books. I usually rate her in the 3-3.5 range and find problematic things that just rub me the wrong way. Knowing that this was Charlies book had me intrigued to say the least. After his actions in Every Summer After, I truly had so much hatred in my heart for him. I am so glad I took the chance on this and read his book because I found a new level of love and understanding for Charlie.

Seeing Charlie back at Barry’s Bay as a 35 year old man really opened my eyes to everything he was going through during the events of ESA. He lost his father suddenly at the age of 14, forcing him to become the man of the family on top of dealing with grief and his teenage years. I found myself forgiving him. Seeing him interact with Sam and Percy with their cameos in the books was healing for me. The Charlie in this book was kind, caring, and just really accountable for his actions in all aspects.

Meeting Alice, our FMC, I was instantly taken by her. Her love for photography sparked when she was 17 at Barry’s Bay for the summer with her grandmother and grandfather when she took a photo of 3 kids on a golden yellow boat. She’s now a full time photographer but finding herself no longer connecting with her assignments. Everyone in her life is moving on or just charging head first while she’s picking up the pieces of a failed 4 year relationship and in turmoil with her life. When her grandmother falls and requires hip surgery, she decides to take her back to Barry’s Bay for a few months to relive the glory days of summer on the lake.

Alice was the perfect match for Charlie! Their entire meet-cute, their banter, their chemistry! Their slow burn, friends to lovers was just EVERYTHING! Alice feels like a whole new person whenever she is with Charlie. She feels alive again. Charlie goes out of his way to help Alice’s grandma, from taking her to chorus lessons and bingo, to bringing her scotch, and helping her with her rehab for her hip. He showed us a new side of him that gave the infamous playboy a new light. Dare I say, someone Alice can find a life with? While both Alice and Charlie agree to just be friends this summer, their sparks are flying and despite trying to maintain boundaries, these two are like magnets.

Alice’s journey to self discovery was beautiful to watch. Charlie completely melted my heart with his charm, witty banter, and undeniable presence. I only rated this 4.5 instead of 5 stars because of the twist at the end. While I knew something was going on with the hints throughout the book, I really could have just throttled Charlie for being such an idiot when someone like Alice was right there! Waiting for Charlies story was worth the wait and is undeniably my favorite story by her yet.

Thank you Berkely for this eARC and PRH Audio for the ALC!

Carley Fortune is doing for lovely Canadian settings what Elin Hilderbrand did for Nantucket, and I'm here for any other sweet, swoony, summery story she wants to write next. Funny, deeply emotional, and romantic, this has great characters (including, of course, previous characters from the author's books living their happily ever afters) with excellent chemistry and a connection that grows authentically.

I read the ARC of One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune and I had a really good time with this book. Our female main character, Alice Everly is going back to the lake where she spent her 17th summer to spend a couple months taking care of her grandmother as she recovers from hip replacement surgery. Alice is a photographer and a few months ago she was dumped by her boyfriend of four years because he didn't know how to make her happy. Alice and Nan, her grandmother, soon meet Charlie who is looking after the house for John, the owner, and getting the house ready for Nan with her walker so she won't trip and fall. Pretty soon sparks are flying between Alice and Charlie. But, it's complicated. Alice is afraid of all the things she has never done so she makes a bucket list for the summer, and Charlie is haunted by all the things he has already done, plus something else he won't talk about. I loved the story, the banter, the relationship. I had a really good time reading this book and I recommend One Golden Summer! Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Net Galley for my arc.