Sunny and charming and nostalgic - and so exasperating. I loved this book, even though it's sloooooow, and Charlie is frustrating, and Alice is sad, and a bit lost. Author Carley takes us back to the setting of One Golden Summer (although this is a standalone) and we get to see what happens with flirty funny Charlie. Alice is a photographer and she returns to a holiday house on the lake with her grandma, who is recuperating from a hip replacement. Alice spent a summer there when she was seventeen and took a picture that turned out to be the start of her career. This time around she befriends golden boy Charlie from over the lake and they embark on a summer fling, full of sunsets and swimming and yearning and nostalgia. Their backstories unfold and I liked them more and more as their summer went on. Alice knows when she's on a good thing, but Charlie runs hot and cold, and keeps his secrets. It's not totally angsty, but neither is it lighthearted, rather it's a thoughtful take on finding yourself and being open to the possibility of love. The setting is wonderful!

Good things do indeed (eventually) happen at the lake. Thank you Carley Fortune and Penguin Random House Australia for the ARC.

"He makes me bolder, and I make him softer." 🥹

Rating: 4.5/5

- summer romance
- neighbours
- friends with benefits
- 🌶️🌶️/5
- single pov

POV: A city photographer decides to spend the summer with her grandma at her grandma's friend's lake cottage… and there's a cute boy next door 🤭.

One Golden Summer is as much a tender, heated summertime romance as it is a self-discovery journey for Alice. Carley's words flow so beautifully as we see the world through Alice's lens—such a unique perspective.

Now, the man of the hour – the flirtatious Charlie Florek. It's so fulfilling seeing him get his HEA. He's a kind, fun-loving, confident playboy with a heart of gold. I love how he brought out the best in Alice, pushing her out of her comfort zone through her bucket list and supporting her dreams.

As she says, she didn't have to be her perfectly edited self around him. From the beginning, she's authentic and honest with him, and he falls hard for that version of her. In return, Alice sees Charlie for who he truly is and doesn't give up on him when he pushes her away, adamant that he's not a relationship kind of guy.

"I'm just not built for a relationship."
"You are built for ME."

Every Summer After fans will love the Percy and Sam cameos – it's very full circle. Alice's family and her role within it are also prominent features.

Overall, this is another winner from Carley, and I'm grateful to Penguin Australia for providing me with an early copy.

Oh was this good!!! I felt so immersed in this book, the summer vibes?! I could basically smell the lake and the sunscreen while reading this.

I really enjoyed Alice as a character, she was so hard on herself but so selfless when it came to everyone around her especially with her grandmother, their relationship was so cute and Alice was willing to do anything for her but I’m glad she realised that she had to start doing things for herself.

Charlie needed therapy. I loved him at many points in the book especially when he was standing up for Alice when she felt like she couldn’t, but he had a lot of trauma that continued to affect him through the entire book which was a little frustrating when he then continually pushed Alice away because of it.

I do wish this was dual pov… I wanted Charlie’s point of view so bad, I just wanted to know what he was thinking and feeling so it made it a little difficult to connect with him.

Overall I throughly enjoyed this and I’m now convinced to read Every Summer After!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia for the ARC.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune 📸

☆☆☆☆☆/☆☆☆☆☆

“I bet you’re not like anyone else, Alice Everly.”

Review:
I fell in love with Charlie Florek in Every Summer After. I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to read One Golden Summer and get to read his story. The entire time I was reading this book I had Invisible String playing throughout my head. Alice spent a summer at the lake when she was 17 and returned 15 years later with her Nan. This story was full of growth for all the characters involved. At times I was laughing out loud but then at times my heart hurt so much for the characters. Charlie and Alice were opposites in the best way, they brought the best out of eachother and the friendship that bloomed was beautiful. There was an element of family showing up for family that I thought was really beautiful as well. However, there were some really tough subjects that were dealt with in this book. A lot of grief. I’d recommend checking the trigger warnings before reading this one. Overall I was so hooked on this one I barely put it down and finished it in one day.


“You’re full of surprises, Charlie Florek”

4.9 Stars

Alice + Charlie

Alice is a photographer in Toronto. She's a bit burned out at the moment.
Her grandmother had to get a new hip and Nan is also not as happy as she usually is.
Enter Barry's Bay. Alice remembers being very happy at that lake house as a teenager many years ago. That place and the people in front of her lense made her want to be a photographer. So, she packs up Nan and off we go.

Charlie.
We remember him as Sam's big brother.
He's taking some time off from his trader job in the city.
And he's still the same super hot and fun flirty guy he used to be.
Alice and Charlie start an amazing friendship.
But it'll only be a summer lake friendship because Charlie can't/won't do anything long lasting.

Will there be a happy end for our darlings??

READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!

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Adorable!

I loved this!
We already loved Charlie in the first book. He was such a flirty and fun guy. Of course we also hated him a bit by the end too.
But he can make up for it now.
And he did. He is so amazing. He's still super hot and flirty. But he's also so sweet and nice and sad and ugh. He's just perfect.
And Alice - she's finally finding herself again with Charlie and the lake and her camera and ... it's just so adorable to watch them spend this amazing summer at the lake.
But all summers come to an end ...
Will they make it?
Charlie is convinced he can't have a happily ever after.
Is Alice strong enough to fight for it? For him?

This was an amazing summer romance with so many funny and sweet and sparky and heartbreaking moments. I loved every word and I so want to see the TV show one day!

► ONE GOLDEN SUMMER was such a sweet and adorable and funny and summery and lakey love story .... just beautiful! Run to your nearest book dealer for your own Charlie - he'll be sold out in no time!

Another amazing, cost, addictive, laugh out loud, wonderful book from Fortune!

She is definitely an auto buy author for me!

One Golden Summer is one of the best books I have ever read, and probably the best contemporary romance. I predict that this book will be a best seller because it is THAT good!

Do you ever feel that a book is meant for you and speaks to your soul? This is how I felt about One Golden Summer. Carly Fortune really outdoes herself here with a compelling plot, dynamic characters and touching, relevant themes. And the writing!!! Phenomenal.

What I loved:
- The female main character, Alice is softly spoken and so relatable! If you struggled to find yourself and maybe felt ‘invisible’ in your adolescence, you will connect with her. That said, watching her develop as a character and stand up for herself was so beautiful to read. She really came into her own, and I loved it!
- The male main character Charlie is from the first book in the series and this is almost like a ‘redemption arc’ (however, I never found that he needed a redemption but nevertheless). He is witty, confident, and charismatic. But he also has a deeper side which he reveals to Alice throughout the story.
- The banter between these two character is incredible and I was cackling (like Alice) throughout! It’s probably the best banter I’ve read, ever.
- The relationships the MCs have to others in the story is perfection! Alice in particular, had this beautiful relationship with her grandmother, whom she stays with for most of the story. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it was so heart warming to read about.
- The themes in this story hit so bloody hard! For example, Alice’s grandmother is coming to terms with loss of her mobility as she gets older. This was such a relatable experience to watch unravel as I witnessed my grandmother experience the same thing as an adolescent. Additionally there are themes of loss, connection, identity, self-confidence and self-discovery.
- The pacing is perfect and there was not a single time where I lost interest in the story and the characters.

Things I didn’t love:
Absolutely nothing! One Golden Summer has my whole heart and will be one of my top recommendations for any reader. This book had me on tenterhooks and I laughed, giggled and cried multiple times throughout.

Just go read it and see for yourself.

I was so excited to read this—Carley Fortune never misses! This book had everything: a dreamy summer setting, perfect banter, and a romance that made my heart ache.

Charlie and Alice’s chemistry was electric, but the real standout was Alice’s bond with her grandmother—so heartfelt. Carley’s writing is pure magic, transporting me straight to Barry’s Bay.

If you love summer nostalgia and love stories that feel real, this is the book for you.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC—this is the read of 2025! ☀️📖💛

4.5 stars. It’s 4am as I write this because I accidentally read this in one sitting (is there any better feeling). What a beautiful story about two perfectly imperfect people finding themselves and each other. Extra special being set in Canada while I’m currently living here! This will be the PERFECT summer read.

If you’re vibing for a summer love, this is the book for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One Golden Summer is the PERFECT book to read this upcoming summer (for you guys in the northern hemisphere). I didn’t get the chance to read Every Summer After (and ideally I should’ve) but this book still makes sense on its own.

I love how Alice is portrayed - perpetually busy and stressed city girl escaping to the countryside to find solace and herself. She’s very relatable.

Charlie is the typical the summer playboy and I LOVE EVERYTHING about him.

The characters have good chemistry and I love their banter. The slow burn was excruciating!

The plot and conflict was predictable but I still enjoyed nonetheless.

You will love this if you love:
🌊 Forced proximity
🌊 Slow burn
🌊 Summer romance