Member Reviews
This might be my favourite Carley Fortune yet! I loved the focus on friendship alongside the love story and the setting was (as always) IMPECCABLE. 🫶
Another great summer read with all the right vibes from carley fortune! this book followed felix and lucy on their journey together in PEI. i loved the best friends brother trope! i love the relationship between lucy and bridget as well! around 15% before the end a bomb was dropped and i was super scared for the ending, but it was brilliant and had me tearing up!
A perfect summer book. The author did a great job at exploring the relationship between felix and Lucy. I loved how it didn’t feel forced, rather it was wholesome and the brother’s best friend trope worked well in this book. Overall, I i finished this book in one sitting and would definitely recommend it. 3.75/5
I found this to be a quick, easy read. This is the second book by Carley that I’ve read but I just feel myself wanting a bit more. There’s something that I want that just doesn’t register with me when I read this.
I loved the characters and their relationships. I wanted more of a plot and a twist or two put in to keep the readers attention.
Fortune is very good at writing her setting and characters. The setting was spot on, romantic, cute yet summery and airy. The book is a great summer read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Fortune and the publisher for this e-arc.
I absolutely loved this!!! I’ve posted a longer review on TikTok with more detail, but this blew me away and I was so happy to read it!
"This Summer Will Be Different" by Carley Fortune is a delightful summer read that swept me away to the picturesque Prince Edward Island. I was captivated by the dual timeline narrative, seamlessly weaving between past and present as Lucy and Felix navigate their evolving relationship. Lucy's relatable journey of self-discovery and Felix's charming demeanor made them endearing protagonists, and their chemistry sizzles off the pages.
Fortune skillfully explores tropes like forced proximity and best friend's brother, adding depth to the storyline. While I appreciated Felix's nuanced character and his patience in navigating their relationship, I found some aspects of the plot, particularly Bridget's mysterious crisis, a bit over the top if not unnecessary. Additionally, the ending felt rushed, leaving me wanting more resolution.
"This Summer Will Be Different" is a heartwarming tale of summer romance and friendship that will leave you longing for your own island getaway.
Very grateful to the publisher @ for my copy, opinions are my own
The perfect summer romance.
I loved Every Summer After, and didn’t think the friends to lovers trope could get any better. Until I read this.
The characters are just perfect but still relatable. The relationships, both romantic and friendships, are written so beautifully that I definitely got all the feels while reading. It’s emotional, touching, funny and nostalgic.
There’s some great tropes including brothers best friend and forced proximity, but this is so, SO much more than a formula style romcom.
Brilliant.
Put it on your tbr now!
4.25/5
Instantly bought the connection and was rooting for our main characters but this also had so much more?! Found family, non-romantic soulmates, family relationships. I loved the setting and enjoyed the pacing. The third act breakup threw me and after that it got a lil mushy for me but I enjoyed the ending and glad it didn’t go the *typical* (what I was expecting) way with a proposal. Fun, spicy read and would recommend!
I absolutely adored this book. In fact, it's probably one of the best romance novels I have ever read. I loved Carley Fortune's first book, and this one gave me all of the same feels and more!
Lucy and Felix have a steamy interaction when she first visits Prince Edward Island. This was before they realised they had someone in common: Bridget. Bridget is Lucy's best friend, and Felix's older sister. When the pair figure out the connection, they vow never to touch each other aagain.
Flash forward five years and Bridget summons Lucy to her parents' home on PEI, just days ahead of her wedding. Bridget is flipping out, and the only thing that will settle her is having her best friend and brother close by. As the trio spend a few days reliving their summers together on PEI, Lucy casts her mind back to the last four years, when her and Felix were drawn back together again and again, despite their promise to respect Bridget's rule that they should never fall in love.
It's a gorgeous, romantic tale, one where we see two characters be their absolute best when they're together. Lucy and Felix are a safe haven for each other, and their chemistry is off the charts! They back each other, they communicate really well, and they are both so likeable. This Summer Will Be Different isn't just a lovely story, it's also a love letter to female friendship and found family. The characters are also so well developed, and all of their interactions make for the most enjoyable and engaging rom-com!
An easy five stars...highly recommended!
First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first book by Carley Fortune (though I do own the others) and I was not disappointed.
Let's start with my favourite aspect of this book: Felix. He is the ultimate book boyfriend and I loved everything about him. He was a little too good to be true, in fact, I'm not entirely sure where his flaws were supposed to be.
Lucy on the other hand, has a few flaws, but they make her more endearing. Admire a person that would drop everything to be there when her friend needed her even when being beyond stressed.
Lucy and Felix together are perfect. Their chemistry was palpable. I thoroughly enjoyed their story, I wasn't quite ready for it to end. Their friends and family were also well fleshed out.
I initially found the dual timeline a little jumpy, but I soon got used to it. I thought the whole mystery surrounding Bridget was intriguing, but then the reveal was a bit disappointing? It just seemed a little dramatic, but the book was still enjoyable overall.
Another thing was that I couldn't quite figure out whether this book was supposed to be closed door or open door. Initially it was very closed door, but further into the book it changed.
If you are into the best friend's brother trope as well as sweet, wholesome romances, I would recommend giving this book a read.
This summer will be different @carleyfortune
Thankyou to @netgalley and @michaeljbooks for sending me this ARC!
Going into this book I already knew I would love the writing as Carley is one of my favourite authors. What I didn’t anticipate is that I would fall in love with Lucy and Miles as individuals and together. The story takes place over a period of years and the timeline was easy to follow. Bridget’s dilemma is a large part of the book and created a mystery. I learnt lots of new facts about oysters and flowers which is always a bonus. Miles may have just taken the top spot on the book BF list 🥹. This storyline stands out as the events take place in an unexpected order meaning it’s not predictable. If like me friends to lovers is one of your fave tropes you need to read this immediately!! I devoured this in 24 hours as it was so addictive.
My favourite Carley Fortune book !!!
Fortunes ability to capture the essence of a place is magical. I have never been to Prince Edward Island but I could picture it so vividly and I can’t praise her enough for that.
This book is a perfect mix of romance and platonic love. The love of my life is my best friend, we’ve gone from sharing Pizza Hut and cookie dough to celebrating our highs and lows. It was a beautiful exploration of how life yeets you and you just need to find a place to land.
Felix!!! My boy! EVERYTHING HE WAS SERVING. I WAS EATING.
Carley Fortune really is the queen of a dual timeline romance. Even though this is her third of this specific trope, all of her books have felt so different and each have their own unique plots and personalities!
Starting a Carley Fortune book is like walking into your favourite comforting memory, her writing is so beautiful and descriptive, the characters she creates are some of my favourite, by the end I always feel like I know them as a friend, if I met them in person a friendship would be instant.
This Summer Will Be Different is a beautiful book set on the equally beautiful Prince Edward Island, the perfect setting for a long awaited love story.
I love the dual timeline aspect, from the flashbacks to the past when the characters first met, to their developing complex relationship, to the present where they reconnect again and can explore their relationship in a completely different light.
I loved Lucy as a main character, she was really relatable in the sense that she didn’t know what her goal was in life, often feeling like she was stuck and unsure on how to grow and become the person she longs to be.
And Felix was the perfect male love interest, I mean who doesn’t want a man that loves to read?? I liked that he took charge of the situation their relationship was heading in, he saw the signs and knew what needed to happen for them to be together in the future. It makes a change to have a male lead that was aware of this and didn’t just want to rush into it!
There was a few parts of the book that I just felt could have been different, the whole mystery of why Bridget (Lucy’s best friend and Felix’s sister) ran back to PEI just days before her wedding in Toronto was a little dramatic. From the way she was acting and the way she begged Lucy to leave her work and join her, I thought it was going to be something more serious, so when we found out it just felt a little disappointing!
I also thought that maybe the last 20% of the book was rushed, I would have liked it to be longer and for it to be more thought out!
Overall I did really enjoy this book, Carley really captures readers hearts and creates the most perfect summer reads set in the most beautiful locations!
thank you to penguin and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars!! this was my first carley novel and with her other 2 books sitting pretty on my tbr, i can assure you that this won't be the last. i had been waiting for a sunny day to read this and when i tell you my luck was in the weekend before the week of release - i managed just this and it was everything i needed and more.
First of all, I am a sucker for a duel timeline such as a then and now kind of vibe, i don't know why but they just do it for me in books. i think it is because i like to see past connections in comparison to where our characters are in that moment in time and the then timelines did not dissapoint. the bond between lucy and felix had me smiling like a school girl and overall just blushing with the pair of them at times. i devoured their story in just 24hrs and honestly could have continued on more with what they had. i loved the friendship between lucy and bridget and hope that my friendships in my personal life give off those vibes and that when we grow into our families we create, we will still have each other like bridge and lucy have one another. i was hooked at bridgets secret and what could she have been hiding from lucy, and when it did finally come out i felt every inch of the character emotions and cried along with the pair of them, whilst it wasn't as bad as both myself as the reader and lucy as the main character thought it would be - you could really feel the emotion coming off the page. i loved this one so much.
Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to Michael Jospeh, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC.
I absolutely loved this wonderful book – a five star read without a doubt! Carley Fortune is one of my favourite authors so I was so excited to read this book, and it was as beautiful as I expected it to be.
I’ve not read a book based around the ‘best friends brother’ trope in a while, but I think it was done really in this book, and was seamlessly intertwined with other tropes such as friends to lovers and off-limits/forbidden relationship. I really love Lucy and Felix – their relationship definitely wasn’t a slow burn which I loved – I think there’s too much slow burn romance these days so I loved that the chemistry and attraction was so instant between them.
I love when books are written in first person. Seeing the story from Lucy’s perspective was great, but I do wish we maybe could have had a couple of chapters from Felix’s perspective to give us his insight into the relationship. Lucy goes through a lot of complicated thoughts and emotions so reading from her perspective didn’t only take us on the wild rollercoaster ride of her emotions, we got to understand her better as a character, and understand the importance of her relationships and friendships.
The time jumps were seamlessly integrated into the story. They weren’t all over the place or impacting the flow of the book which can sometimes happen but in this instance, they were placed well in the structure of the story.
This book is about more than just Felix and Lucy’s relationship – it’s about the friendship between Lucy and Bridget, it’s about figuring out what you want in life, working out what makes you happy. I think this is my favourite Carley Fortune book – it was a wonderful tale of love, friendship, and finding your happiness, wherever it may be. (Also bonus points were added for an Epilogue that perfectly rounded off the story).
I can’t recommend this book enough – a perfect summer read.
This was a beautiful book.
Lucy meets charming and unassuming Felix on her first night visiting her best friend's hometown. An instant connection ignites as if they had always been together. The only problem? Felix is none other than "Wolf", the only man forbidden to her. Her best friend's brother.
Five years later, and after many hidden trysts and moments, Lucy returns to the island, only to find that Felix isn't prepared to be her secret any longer. Something has changed.
The connection between these two characters was beautiful and yet realistic. Full of emotion, poignancy, and what-ifs. Timing isn't everything, but sometimes it's the difference between forever and just for now.
This was a book I am going to be obsessed over.
What a couple Felix and Lucy are. So much angst and longing which I absolutely adore and add in brothers best friend then Im all in,
This story of forbidden love captured my heart and soul and I will be thinking about it for a long, long, time. I cannot wait to pick up the paperback copy to add to my Carley Fortune collection and it will be one I will re-read again and again.
Its so beautifully crafted, the setting sounds such a perfect place to spend time, summer, autumn, winter and spring and I really enjoyed the feeling of a place so peaceful that it captures your soul. I loved the pull of a beautiful home over looking the sea and the memories and feelings of home that it brought to Lucy.
Friendship plays such a wonderful part of this book, It takes many forms in this one, the love Lucy and her best friend have and the found family feeling of those in their orbit just added to the atmosphere of this wonderful book. I loved Felix who calmly and steadfastly gave Lucy what she needed and at times wanted and did not pressure her and I found him to be a truly perfect book boyfriend.
I have enjoyed all of Carley Fortune's books, she just keeps getting better and better, this one is my favourite and I will continue to obsess over them for some time to come.
What a book. Put me right in the mood for summer. And going to sit by a lake. Just fall in love with carley fortune. Her best yet.
Best friend’s brother isn't normally a trope I enjoy but this book was super enjoyable. Lucy goes to visit her best friend house on an island she meets Felix at a bar. Bridget gave Lucy three rules rule 3 don’t fall in love with my brother. The book follows a past and present point of view so you felt like you were reading the characters through summers. . It is heartwarming and pulls at your heartstrings. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this highly anticipated romance’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
I adore Carley Fortune’s writing and this book is no different. I love the setting of this book, I’m now desperate to visit PEI. It was almost frustrating how much I wanted Bee and Felix to get together and Bridgit’s big reveal was a surprise I hadn’t guessed. My only tiny criticism is that the ending felt a bit rushed. Overall, I loved it!