I’ll start by saying that I’ve never felt more honoured and lucky to get my hands on this arc. Carley is one of my favourite authors and I was so excited when I saw NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada approved my requests.

One Golden Summer was so perfect in every single way. I was immediately transported to Barry’s Bay and sucked into these characters lives from the very first page. I was giddy and kicking my legs in the first couple of chapters and KNEW this book would earn a spot of my list of favourite books. I was itching to pick it up as I fell in love with its characters. Alice, Charlie and Nan were so loveable and funny. I also loved the complexity to their characters and I’m already itching to pick it up again to go back to their world.

I was one of the many who were rooting for Charlie’s happy ending after reading Every Summer After and Carley did not disappoint. Charlie has easily made his way to the top of my favourite book boyfriends. The banter, flirting and acts of service were EVERYTHING. They truly are a match made in heaven.

There’s also some pride that comes along with a Canadian setting. It’s always so refreshing to to read a book set in a Canadian city, let alone have a chapter in include your hometown (hi Ottawa!).

I just loved this book so much that I don’t even know how to put it into words. I cannot wait for all my friends to read it.

This was the book I didn’t know I needed, and yet I’m not sure why I wasn’t one of those readers at the author’s event asking for Charlie’s story because I remember reading Every Summer After and thinking that Charlie was the perfect character to dig deep with… you just knew his emotions and fears were there. And under the playboy laissez faire attitude, was a little boy turned man who held a lot of grief inside.

I am also one of those readers who don’t care for series with my romance books. I like standalone ones where I can jump into love with whatever new character I turn the page on. With only a few exceptions (I’m thinking The Simple Wild by KA Tucker as one), I am not the one these series are written for.

Well… add this one to the Tucker series on my forever shelf because I loved this (kind of standalone??) duology that brought me back to Barry’s Bay.

Charlie: complicated, flirty, empath who sees everything but hides behind the saucy words that come out of his mouth.
Alice: introverted and sensitive. She’s the “good girl” of the family and needs to find her boundaries. She feels like me in so many ways. Including the relationship with her Nan.

What happens over the course of the book is the story of Charlie and Alice. We get snippets of Sam & Percy (💕) but the focus is on the friendship to lovers romance that always sucks me in.

Perfect for the summer. I suspect this new one will make a lot of CF readers very happy.
Including this one 👋🏻

Carley Fortune makes you feel every emotion with her characters. This is a beautiful book, that blends humor, and emotional depth, is a must read..easily top 5 favorite books.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and net galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOOOOOOOW. The way that Carley Fortune has the ability to write so nostalgically needs to be studied. This book brought me right back to Barry's Bay. It made ME nostalgic of my 17 year old summer in Barry's Bay, as if I was even there??? I loved every single second of this book. Every Summer After is my all time favourite book, so I went into this book with very high expectations. I wanted to learn more about Charlie, I wanted to deep dive into his thoughts. Right off the bat, the banter between Charlie and Alice was top tier. Their chemistry is unmatched! While they clicked it off right away, I wouldn't say that it was an instant romance, their romance was very well developed and had me swooning and giggling. All I'm going to say is BRING THE TISSUES!!!! The reveal near the end had me SOBBING. My heart HURT!!!

Also, as a self-claimed #1 ESA fan, it's also so sweet to get updates about Sam and Percy. I dont know why I didn't expect it but when we got a glimpse into how they're doing too, i sobbed happy tears!!!

Please please please give this book a read! You will not regret it!

One Golden Summer: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5

Pub date: May 6, 2025 - preorder now!!!

One Golden Summer is the best romance I've read in a while and it is a must read if you're headed to the lake this summer!

One Golden Summer follows Alice who is taking the summer off to spend at the lake with her grandmother, Nan, at the cottage Nan brought her to when she was a teen. The cottage belongs to John, her grandmother's friend, but it is sitting open this summer and the perfect place for Nan to recover from her recent surgery. Alice has a deep connection to the cabin, especially since the photo she took there when she was 17 happens to be one of the best prints she's made thus far in her career. Preferring to stay behind the camera has always worked for Alice, but when she meets someone enchanting on the lake this summer, she begins to step outside her comfort zone and learns to take risks and follow her heart.

There was lots I loved about this book, but most of all it was the setting. I was brought right back to days at my lake watching teens on speedboats and jetskis pass by. I really related to Alice as my experiences at the lake as a teen were not the same as some teens who party and spend the days with friends from nearby cottages, I was often watching my cousins head off to visit their friends or sitting on the dock daydreaming about finding teen love at the lake. I also really connected with the relationship between Alice and Nan, and even had to put the book down for a moment when I got a bit teary eyed thinking of my grandma and the times I spent with her at the lake.

I will definitely be packing those other Carley Fortune books in my bag next summer when I head to the lake and you should pick this one up once it is out on May 6th so you can bring it with you wherever you go this summer too!

The amazing Carley Fortune strikes again! This novel is set within the magical backdrop that is Barry's Bay, Ontario, Canada. I loved the story line with the MMC and FMC and their characters as they developed. This is a slooooow burn love story with a twist and turn that I did not see coming. This will be a perfect addition to the top of your TBR for this summer!

Thank you Net Galley, Carley Fortune and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
One Golden Summer will be available May 6, 2025 pre-order today!

I liked this a lot. I would say it was my favorite of Carley’s, BUT - nonetheless I loved getting a glimpse into Charlie’s life and thoroughly enjoyed everything that went down with him and Alice. I cruised through this book, first bit of it I found was a slower start and maybe not as much depth as I would have liked to see, and the last part of the book I ended up walking around with my kindle in my hands because I used every second to finish it. Adored the ending so much.

The formatting to kindle was not great - I’m not sure why hit it messed up a lot of the writing, so I resorted in the end to just reading from my Netgalley app which was perfectly fine.

Thank you SO MUCH to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for the chance to read this book early for an honest review. I had this book pre-ordered, and I will proudly display on my bookshelf once I get it. I can see myself reading this again 🤍

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Carley Fortune for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was well worth the wait to get Charlie story! It was so fun to be back there again and get to see Charlie with sprinkles of Percy and Sam as well. I was so happy to see their development and it felt like checking in on old friends. Alice was a great addition and I loved seeing Alice and Charlie interact: how they both made each other shine, be brave, and open up with each other. I can see myself reaching for this book over and over again and as always, Carley has created a great summary read that will have you escaping the city or your everyday enjoying her characters at the lake. 🚤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5. 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

First of all, I want to thank the authour Carley Fortune, the publisher Penguin RandomHouse Canada and NetGalley for offering me this advanced readers copy in exchange for the following honest review.

I have read and loved all Carley Fortune’s books, but One Golden Summer is by far my favourite!

Alice and Charlie are perfection. So much opposite and so much the same, both the things each other didn’t know they needed. In fact the opposite of what they were both looking to find. This story is a beautiful combination of friends to lovers romance, finding yourself, the power of family and friends and how loss affects us, affects friendships and affects families. Yes there is some apice but it is mild, the characters relationship drive the story more. The tease is a big part of the fun, and the idea of acting like a teenager again. Which makes the spicy scenes a bit more youthful then full out hot and heavy.

Yes we get to see Sam and Percy again, and yes we love them, because they are adorable. Percy is chatty and just the right bridge for parts of the story. Sam is just as in love. But once I met Alice and Charlie they became my favourite!

I feel like One Golden Summer goes to a place a bit deeper than Every Summer After. We dive into how our young lives can severely impact our adult lives but also how hard it is to face the possibility that we might be more the. What we let ourselves think we deserve because of those young selves. It looks at family dynamics and how they affect the people we become and also the people we think we should be.

As Alice and Charlie spend the summer making a mess of figuring things out you will absolutely fall in love with them.

“My mom always said that trust and friendship come first” Just a moment when Charlie is bonding and giving advice to Alice’s niece. This quote wraps up the truth of so many of the relationships threaded through the book, and connects back to the themes in Every Summer After nicely.

“Let this be a lesson to you all: Don’t let wounds fester. It only gets harder to repair them.” Nan, Alice’s grandmother provides a beautiful thread to the book. She comes with pain and sadness, but hope and joy. She loves and lives with all her heart and sees the truth in what is happening between the main characters. She shows balance while also supporting the main characters to figure stuff out on their own.

For me this book became much more emotional then I expected. The loss of Sam and Charlie’s mom and dad resurface, and that feeling of loss was relatable to me personally having just lost my own mom. personally, I connected so much to this book in maybe ways especially in the theme of finding yourself as an adult, back at the lake. For me there was such an emotional tie. I haven’t felt this emotionally connected to a book in a long time. In the authors note, Carley wrote “One Golden Summer allowed me to examine what returning to the lake means to me as an adult… I was able to explore how being immersed in nature.. can give us distance to reflect in our lives.” This was emotional for me because my first highlighted quotes in the book were the following:

“I forgot how much I love the serenity of the lake.”

“I’m gliding across the water, a broad smile on my face.”

I loved both of these quotes instantly because for me it’s exactly try how I feel every time I’m up at the lake myself. My adult self knows there is something there that speaks to my soul, and I was amazed how Carley captured this exact feeling.

An absolute 5star for me!

Carly Fortune is the queen of summer time romance lately but unfortunately I didn’t actually like her first two novels. (That being said, I loved her last one so much). In One Golden Summer she returns to Barry’s Bay but this time I enjoyed my stay at the cottage.

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.

You may recognize our male character Charlie Florek from book one and I must say he’s going to be one of my fav MMCs for a long time to come. While he would infuriate me in reality, he was absolutely comical on the page. I loved his personality and how he got our girl Alice to open up. And as for Alice herself, this book is all about her personal growth and learning to stand up for herself/her beliefs and living the life SHE wants; which I was here for. I loved them together, I loved experiencing their summer adventures and anybody who has ever had a summer cottage trip will see themselves in these characters. And if you haven’t had a cottage vacation you’ll be booking one immediately.

I didn’t love the third act breakup and the way it came about it. I thought it was immature and annoying at first but unlike in her previous books; Fortune tied it all together quite nicely and actually redeemed the characters actions in the end.

I highly recommend this novel when it comes out in a couple months!

One Golden Summer follows Alice as she vacations in Barry's Bay with her grandmother. She meets Charlie and begins a whirlwind summer romance.

I identified with Alice immediately. She used to be a wallflower as a teenager, but has since grown into herself and is passionate about her career as a photographer.

Charlie is the Charlie readers know and love from Every Summer After. He’s confident and charming, though there’s something boiling beneath the surface.

One Golden Summer is significantly longer than Every Summer After. This added length is the reason I rated the novel four stars instead of five. I thought that the story dragged at times. While I did enjoy simmering in the moment with these characters, there were points where nothing was going on.

At its core, One Golden Summer is about forgiveness and self-discovery. The events of Every Summer After still haunt Charlie, while Alice has to learn her wants and needs.

I absolutely loved seeing Percy and Sam again.

Overall, I enjoyed revisiting One Golden Summer through a completely adult lens. Barry’s Bay is just as magical and proves that good things happen at the lake.

The "cheater's story" trope is always a bit of a downer, but thankfully, there’s none of that here! A win for Carley!

I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t revisit Every Summer After because it would just stir up my dislike for Charlie, but meeting him as an older man was surprisingly okay. He’s still flirty and the same playboy, but his interactions with Alice were so charming. I’m starting to wonder if Carley wrote this as a way to redeem him in the eyes of the readers.

Alice was such a soft, loving character, and her care for everyone around her made her dynamic with Charlie all the more interesting. Their development was solid, and their mix of romantic and platonic moments was definitely my favorite part of the story.

I did dock a star, though, because I honestly didn’t care about any character other than Alice and Charlie. 😭 The subplot with her grandma felt too prominent for my taste, and I just wasn’t invested. But the romance? It definitely stole the show.

Alice and her nan stayed one magical summer in Barry's Bay. She is now grown and a professional photographer. She returns with her nan to help her recover. She falls in love with Charlie... the boy that inspired her photo that made her famous... Very magical and romantic. No major angst and just romantic... Love Charlie and Alice together.... Terrific romance... Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This was a perfect beach read. Unfortunately I read it while there was a massive, miserable rainstorm going on, but oh well.

This was fun! A sweet and touching romance that takes us back to the place we first fell in love with in Fortune's first book. I continue to love how unapologetically Canadian her writing is. I can even forgive that it's Ontario lol But this was a quick read. It was very easy to "just one more chapter" 8 times in a row. I didn't really remember much about Charlie from the first book, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this, and I think Alice was a great addition as the lead.

What kept me from loving it was a miscommunication/omission of truth thing, and also every Sam and Percy cameo. I hate when characters we already know are brought back and written like they walk on water. We know what you did.

In One Golden Summer, Fortune brings us back to Barry’s Bay and gives us the perfect sequel to Every Summer After. Alice Everly is an accomplished Toronto based photographer, who is struggling with the direction of her career. After her grandmother, Nan, takes a fall and requires a hip replacement, Alice drops everything to bring herself and Nan back to the Barry’s Bay cottage, where Nan had spent many years with her husband and their friends. Alice had joined her grandparents and younger siblings at the cottage16 years previously, during that summer Alice had taken a picture of three teenagers in a yellow speedboat that kickstarted her career.

When Alice and Nan show up at the cottage, Alice learns that one of the teenagers from the photograph is the man that the cottage owner had asked to watch out for Alice and her grandmother, Charlie. The best summer ensues.

Charlie from the first encounter is clearly charming, fun and not lacking in the confidence or ego department. The support he provides to Nan and Alice over the course of the summer was beautiful to read. Together Alice and Charlies work through a summer bucket list that Alice has put together, letting them both relive their teenage years. However, the reader learns that Charlie isn’t perfect under the surface, the sudden loss of his father at a young age, a secret medical condition and the long term guilt from taking part in a certain event from Every Summer After have all impacted him.

The relationship with Nan and both Charlie and Alice really put my love for this book over the top. Nan knows just what advice that Alice needs to hear. Whereas Charlie and Alice, particularly Charlie, are able to bring the smile back on Nan’s face after being faced with the challenge of losing some of her independence.

I was absolutely thrilled to receive an eARC of One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. This was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year and it did NOT disappoint. Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada (Adult) | Viking, NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review. Believe Nan when she says, “Good things happen at the Lake.”

As a Canadian who has frequented Ontario cottage country, the setting felt so familiar and cozy and I was hooked right away. Alice is a brokenhearted, burnt out photographer who decides to spend 2 months up at the lake with her grandma, after having spent the summer there when she was 17. There she meets Charlie, a handsome, flirty, charismatic neighbour from across the lake. Charlie and Alice become fast friends and then it evolves into something more but both agree to keep it casual. Feelings grow and so does the tension as the summer comes to an end.

I loved this book so much I read it in one sitting. Charlie was so fun and the banter was great. Alice grew so much as a character and I was so pleased to see her take control and go for what she wants, both personally and professionally.

This is an interconnected standalone with Every Summer After, but you don't have to read that one to be able to read and enjoy One Golden Summer.

Thank you so much Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced review copy.

Another standout novel by Canadian author Carley Fortune. This adventure back in Barry’s Bay was impossible to put down, and I nearly finished it all in one sitting. This novel follows photographer Alice as she cares for her grandmother who has recently broken her hip. Feeling restless and in the mood for change, Alice takes her grandmother to a magical place she spent one summer with her grandparents. This summer is a little different, as it is turned upside down by Charlie Florek, brother of Sam from Fortune’s first novel “Every Summer After”.

One Golden Summer was a beautiful story that I found had me tearing up and empathizing with Alice in her struggles of getting back what you put into your relationships with others. There was so much nostalgia for those endless summer days spent up North in cottage country. Carley does a spectacular job of immersing you right into the hazy days of summer, basking in the sun on a lakeside dock. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud at Charlie’s endless wit and flirting. I was hooked on this journey of self-discovery, grief, family, friendship, and romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the digital ARC in exchange for my review. Can’t wait for publishing day, May 6th, 2025!!

5+ Gold(en) Stars
Oh my gosh! I was so excited (and honestly, a little surprised!) to get approved for an ARC from one of my favourite Canadian authors, Carley Fortune. One Golden Summer is Charlie Florek’s story, the older brother from Carley’s first book, Every Summer After. I had to stop what I was currently reading and dive right into it because I couldn’t wait to be back in Barry’s Bay.

I finished this book in one day—I could not put it down! I immediately fell in love with summer at the cottage in Barry’s Bay all over again, and of course, with Charlie. The friendship and romance between Charlie and Alice were so well done, complete with Alice’s bucket list and her vow to be more adventurous this summer. She’s ready to let go of city life and embrace the relaxing vibes of summer at the cottage. I also loved the storyline with Alice’s grandmother, Nan. It was so heartwarming to see such a close, supportive family.

The slow-burn romance and close friendship between Charlie and Alice was swoony, for sure. Charlie is a perfect (physical) specimen but emotionally unavailable, and even so, Alice couldn’t stay away – and Charlie couldn’t either.

I have no doubt this is going to be the book of summer 2025! Highly recommend it to anyone who loves a summer romance, nostalgia, and finding the courage to be yourself.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The novel releases May 6, 2025.

Synopsis: Alice's grandmother always said good things happen at the lake, and it's true. Alice spent one unforgettable summer there when she was 17, taking a photo that changed her life. Now, as a photographer, Alice prefers staying behind the camera, but she longs for something more. When her grandmother, Nan, gets hurt, Alice plans another summer at Barry's Bay to escape. But their peaceful retreat is interrupted by a familiar yellow speedboat and the man who was in her photo—Charlie Florek. Charlie, now all grown up, is a confident flirt who makes Alice laugh and reminds her of simpler times. As the summer days unfold, Alice finds herself drawn to him, but she also begins to worry because Charlie doesn’t just see her through the lens—he looks at her and sees her for who she truly is.

This book broke me. Absolutely stunning novel. The reveal at the end. I died. I will never recover. No notes. Send it to the press. Scream it from the mountaintops. The Sam and Percy cameo’s. Perfection. Chef’s Kiss. Another absolutely brilliant book by Carley Fortune.

The fact that this isn’t my story makes me so sad. Reading this in the dead of winter in the city made me feel like it was summer, and now I’m beyond excited for the warmer days ahead.

Charlie was everything I hoped he would be, I adore him. Alice too—she was so relatable. I can easily see this book becoming a hit summer movie, one that will make the season feel even more magical. I’m already dreaming of rereading it by the lake in the summer, only to cry myself to sleep because Alice got the life she wished for at 17… meanwhile, I probably never will.

I really loved Every Summer After, and it has stuck with me ever since. Back then, Sam was my only favorite, but I wanted to know more about Charlie, and I’m so glad we finally did. It was so wonderful to return to Barry’s Bay—I hope I can visit this summer. And, of course, I’m thrilled we got to see Sam and Percy again.

I hope we all get a great summer love story like Charlie and Alice, and when this becomes a MOVIE remember who told you first!

Thank you, Berkley, for the ARC!