REVIEW: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

In One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, Photographer Alice Everly has to admit to herself that she’s been working to the point that she won’t be able to continue if she doesn’t have some downtime soon. Then her wonderful grandmother, Nan, falls and breaks her hip, needing someone to help her out for the summer. But Nan, who is normally upbeat and larger than life, is snippy and just not herself post-surgery. Alice decides a change of venue is in order. So, it’s off to Barry’s Bay to the cottage she remembers from her one summer at the lake back when she was seventeen. That was the place where she took her first photographs–one of which became the first print she ever sold. Alice can only hope the sun and water will help Nan get back to her normal self. And that maybe she can also find some peace after months of non-stop work.

‘I’ve been dreaming of spending a quiet summer on the water. I’ve pictured long walks and sunrises, midafternoon swims and cozy nights with a book. I’ve imagined peace and rest and catching up on work. But I didn’t anticipate Charlie Florek.’

Barry’s Bay is as calm and quiet as Toronto is noisy and fast paced. Aside from the kids laughing and the sound of the wind through the trees, the only other noise is the outrageous horn on a yellow speed boat–the same one from the summer when Alice was seventeen that made it onto her camera roll. Behind the wheel is a gorgeous guy who she swears is the same person who was driving the boat in her picture. And Alice is right: Charlie Florek, along with his younger brother Sam and their neighbor Percy, were there that summer. Now in his mid-thirties, Charlie is every bit the flirt and charmer Alice figured he’d be. But there’s so much more to him, too. He takes care of the cottage for her and Nan, spending evenings with them and taking them on boat rides. As the summer wears on, Alice hates to think of leaving the idyllic bay and her burgeoning romance with Charlie behind. Maybe, though, they can figure out a way to stay in each other’s lives afterward.

‘I will give him everything I have–my time and devotion and my heart. And I know he’ll give it right back to me. Because I know Charlie. The incorrigible flirt. The human beam of sunlight. The man I love. He’s my best friend. And he’s remarkable.’

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER might just be the perfect beach read. The lake setting, the sense of nostalgia, the characters’ personal journeys, and of course a sweet and spicy romance, Carley Fortune’s newest knockout novel hit all the marks and then some.

“Good things happen at the lake.”

It’s pretty much a guarantee when I pick up a Carley Fortune book that I’ll love it. She never fails to have characters who are well-rounded and who I’d want to hang out with in real life–plus her storylines are quick moving without overlooking the depth of emotion and the casts’ personal struggles. And in ONE GOLDEN SUMMER, Fortune brought back Charlie Florek, a fan favorite secondary character from her debut, Every Summer After. This novel can definitely be read as a standalone. But I think if you’ve read Charlie’s brother Sam’s book then this will delight and add an extra cherry on top of Sam and Percy’s already heartfelt story.

Told from Alice’s POV, we got to watch as she cared for her beloved eighty-year-old grandmother, Nan, who just had hip replacement surgery. It happened at a time when Alice was working herself into the ground to avoid feeling her feelings after a breakup six months prior. And it really seemed like the whole cast–Alice, Nan, Charlie, even Sam & Percy–were at a crossroads so there was a good bit of soul searching, remembering the past, and looking toward the future while at Barry’s Bay. What a perfect place to relax and recuperate. I just loved the close bond Alice and Nan had, the fun and mischief they got into, and how they were each other’s sounding board.

I think readers will be hard pressed to not adore Charlie. Yes, he held a few things back from Alice, but he was the perfect mix of charming, flirty, dependable, and thoughtful. I am so glad Fortune told his story–and “found” Alice for Charlie. Talk about a couple that brought out the best in each other! Alice never felt as alive or comfortable as she was with Charlie. And he just loved everything about her. It was a matchup that was perfect, but it wasn’t easy. Alice and Charlie both had personal issues to work through before they got their HEA together. When it finally happened? There might have been a few happy tears shed.

QOTD: Are there any family vacation spots you went to as a child/teen you’d want to revisit?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: May 6th, 2025 | Berkley | Barry’s Bay #2

A radiant escape to the lake from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and This Summer Will Be Different

Named a Most Anticipated book of 2025 by TODAY ∙ E! News ∙ Buzzfeed ∙ Us Weekly ∙ The New York Post ∙ SheReads ∙ and more!

I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

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.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.