Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House + NetGalley for the opportunity to read One Golden Summer before it’s published. I do love a redemption arc and this was Charlie Florek’s. The question I need an answer to though is - Nan + John’s second chance at love story, when?!

Definitely read Every Summer After before picking this up, as there are mucho spoilers, an easy lighthearted read that I managed to read in one sitting. A lovely bit of escapism from 2025 reality! One Golden Summer is out on 8th May 2025 🧡

The only way to describe this book was

"A summer of love in a hug"

A heartfelt story of Alice and Charlie, two characters whose connection transcends the typical romantic narrative. Their story unfolds during a summer that acts as a backdrop.

One Golden Summer is more than a love story, a story of meaningful connections, personal growth, and the blending of past and present that beautifully intertwines romance with deeper themes of rediscovery and healing.

One of the key aspects of the story is how it brings together the old with the new, emphasising the importance of accepting one's history while moving forward. The setting, with its nostalgic and heartwarming atmosphere, plays a crucial role in evoking

Carley Fortune's writing is engaging and thoughtful, ensuring that the romance feels authentic and meaningful. The relationship that unfolds is not simply about the excitement of new love but about how two people connect on a deeper level, understanding one another in ways that are both emotional and transformative.
What I appreciated is that there were also some serious issues addressed like grief, regrets, aging and health conditions without the story going heavy.
I loved this! The nostalgia after only a few pages took me right back to the sights, sounds, smells and places of Barry's Bay and Kamaniskeg Lake.
Fortune captured the atmosphere so vividly.

Beautifully written. A portrayal of escapism, the difficulties of feeling stuck in life and retreating to the last place that made you happy.

“Here I am, days away from my thirty-third birthday, in the same spot I swam as a teenager, when my eyes began to open to a vastness of the world beyond my own.”

Alice Everly, a photographer, retreats with her grandmother to the place that brought her joy when she was seventeen. A cottage on a lake in the middle of the summer. She may be feeling stuck after a brutal break-up and lack of inspiration for her work, but it’s nothing that a few weeks of recentering by the water can’t fix.

Enter, Charlie Florek. A local, who makes Alice laugh like never before. After Alice writes what she believes is a childish bucket list of things to do whilst at the lake, Charlie comes along for the journey.

Fortune’s writing has the ability to transport you into the book. I felt like I could have been the one swimming in the lake and having cozy evenings as the sun sets. One Golden Summer is the epitome of finding yourself amongst the unexpected.

Every aspect of this book, the growing relationship, the families' dynamics and Alice’s determination to once again fall in love with the art of photography had me hooked. I drifted quickly from Team Charlie to very much Not Team Charlie so often throughout, it had me confused. But, as the plot comes to light, everything else makes sense.

It felt a little strung out. I feel as if the book could have been shorter, and that Alice and Charlie could have resolved a lot of things earlier on without impacting the initial plot.

Other than that, Charlie Florek is everything. Initially an unknown subject of what became a well-known photograph taken years and years prior, he helps Alice to put herself first. Living the summer that 17-year-old her dreamt of.

If you’re looking for a slow burn that makes you feel like you could be bathing by a lake directly under the sun, this one’s for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had hoped that this book would be the one that would make me love Carley Fortune's books. Unfortunately it didn't go well. Tbh I was bored - the storyline is something that's been done over and over, and nothing about it is refreshing. I mean, nostalgic summer, woman who questions her career, and wants to relive her teenage years for a bit? Done before, and formulaic.
People who want to read about a nostalgic summer might love this. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Almost a year to the day, and here I am again raving about Carley Fortune’s new story! Wow!

We return to Barry’s Bay lake in a kind of sequel but kind of standalone story. This time we get to hear Charlie’s story from ESA.
It was so worth the wait.

We are introduced to the main character Alice, and she is wonderful. Set at Barry’s Bay on a summer break of recovery with her Nan (who is the most adorable character), this story centres around a picture taken the summer Alice was 17 at the lake and a bucket list of things she always wanted to do.

Alice and Charlie are a match made in literary heaven, with charm and humour but also a man struggling with loss and the thoughts he doesn’t deserve his own HEA. However, putting these two together for one imperfectly perfect summer was absolutely golden.

I definitely recommend this story. It was a 4.5⭐️ for me, not quite perfection like the other novels. But I would not hesitate to read Carley’s next novel or recommend this one to anyone!

2.5/5

I love romance books but I don't think this one was for me. The main characters are in their thirties and although they've said they want a "summer spent like seventeen year olds again" it felt like the characters were fifteen. I couldn't get on board with the insta-love, the repetitive conversations that lacked any depth until right at the end and the fast paced romance. I didn't feel as though the characters had anything in common, or any emotional connection whatsoever.

I did enjoy the setting and the storyline of Alice and Nan in the summer house but after a while that started to fade and I feel like everything just became rushed to try and force the MCs to have sex and get together officially. I would've loved this if it had more descriptions, more depth and better, more adult conversations (that don't include the Charlie calling Alice by her full name or "Trouble" every two seconds... sorry, but they're in their thirties, it doesn't work for me)

Take this with a pinch of salt though. These are my opinions and I read an ARC, some of these things may change in the publishing process (possibly not) but we can't all like the same books!

Read in one sitting and was the bubble of romance required to brighten my day 🌞

Well, what can I say but that I need Charlie Florek in my life! Alice takes her Nan to the lake cottage where they spent a summer when she was 17 years old. Here she meets Charlie and spends an incredible summer.

Alice is shy and Charlie outgoing, so they compliment each other well and start to get closer. However, Carley always likes the men in her books to have some angst, so there are more depths to Charlie than initially thought.

Carley Fortune writes with heart and a vividness that brings the lake alive, together with her friendship with Charlie. You can feel the sun shining and the late water glistening.

I loved it, I love Carley’s books and am such a fan! I did not realise this was a second book in the series so will be looking to read the first as soon as possible. Can we have another in this series too please?

Well recommended for a day of escapism and feel-good vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Carley Fortune for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Due to be published on 8 May 2025.

firstly, I just want to say thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

well this might be my new favourite carley fortune book?!

I love everything about carley fortune’s books and they’re always books I really enjoy and love. as soon as I started this I just felt comfort immediately. slipping back into her writing style was so easy and it was lovely to read.

every summer after was of course my first love from this author and I absolutely LOVED coming back to Barry’s bay and also fell in love with Charlie as a character and it was such a joy to see his storyline with and from the perspective of Alice. I loved how Percy&Sam were regular side characters in this as I will always love those two!!!

Alice was an amazing FMC to follow and I felt very connected to her. I loved her relationship with her Nan, and also her personal development throughout.

Alice and Charlie are honestly perfection and I love them so much and friends to lovers will always be one of my favourite tropes!

I was smiling the entire book (unless I was tearing up and getting emotional) and it just made me so happy reading it and I’m so grateful to have already had the chance to read it! I could not recommend this enough! definitely going to be one of the best books of this summer for sure!

4.25🌟
This was so sweet, loved getting Charlie's story and it made me want a summer in a lake house so bad!

I love so much how much time was put into building the friendship first, but also Alice's relationship with her Nan, and not to mention Charlie's relationship with Alice's Nan, that was so so sweet, you can really feel the bond and Sense the genuine care for each other.

I was worried that Charlie wasn't going to address what happened in the first book, but I'm so glad he did

This is such a good one for summer 2025 i'm jealous of everyone who gets to read this for the first time in the ☀️ sun

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the ARC.

Every Summer After is one of my favourite ever love stories, so when I saw that Carley Fortune was writing a return to Barry’s Bay, I knew I had to read it.

And, despite it being a long time since I read ESA, One Golden Summer instantly transported me back into the cozy, dreamy landscape where the sun washes over your skin and the lake carries any worries about the real world away.

One Golden Summer revisits some of our beloved characters, but could be read as a standalone (I would recommend reading ESA first so you can get in all your feels!)

We meet Alice, who returns to the lake after vacationing there when she was younger, when she unknowingly took a photo of three teenagers that kickstarted her career as a photographer. In that photo was Charlie, who Alice meets (and we revisit!) as an adult. And sparks fly. But both parties insist they’re just friends. And that’s all they ever can be - can’t they?

What follows is a gorgeous story that takes your heart along for the journey. I adored seeing Sam and Percy again and I loved the new characters, especially Nan. It was really great to see little strands from Every Summer After tied up so beautifully.

Carley’s writing is absolutely stunning and had me kicking my feet, as well as bringing tears to my eyes as we followed Alice and Charlie’s story!

I’m so grateful I got to read this beautiful story, it was just what I needed for a bit of escapism! Good things happen at the lake.

Carly Fortune has a magic ability to transport you to a nostalgic, almost whimsical time of summers just out of reach, where the sun almost always shines and the pristine, glistening lake is the most beautiful place you have ever been. I felt like I was in my bikini on the inflatable unicorn and drinking tea on the deck!

I must have been the only person who hadn't read Every Summer After (having first started reading Carly Fortune's books with This Summer Will Be Different), and so I didn't know Charlie's backstory. It's only when I came to write this review that I realised who he was, and how his story has made him such a disliked figure. Hopefully, One Golden Summer, will be his redemption as this book paints him as nothing but the nicest of guys with a terrible burden that he, arguably foolishly, keeps to himself.

Charlie is cheerful, kindhearted, and despite an ego the size of Canada, he's also willing to do anything to help Alice and Nan. Alice, for her part, is at a junction in her life, having just split up with a long-term boyfriend and is questioning the direction of her photography career as well. She's the kind of person who will put everybody before herself, and so this time at the lake. She has decided to create a bucket list, much like she wished she had done as a teenager, to make the most out of her trip.

This book is full of summer nostalgia, and while both Charlie and Alice are in their mid-30s and have serious grown-up conversations, they're also enjoying the freedom of pretending to relive their late teenage years and let loose on the lake. They develop a strong friendship before they become lovers, which underpins the care and love they feel for each other. Also, there is some great silliness and banter! Charlie writes Alice a hilarious letter for when she arrives at the lake house, and they share funny text messages and are often quite silly together - including when Charlie is gently mocking Alice for her bucket list.

This is 4.5* from me, I hugely enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph / Penguin Random House for the ARC, this is my honest opinion.

This was the perfect romance book! I wasn’t a fan of Every Summer After because of a certain storyline, but I did love the writing and the characters so I was intrigued about the sequel and I just adored it!

Fresh from a terrible break up Alice takes a trip for the summer with her grandmother to Barry’s Bay, where she meets Charlie Florek, the unknowing subject of a photo she took as a teenager that launched her career.

As they spend more time together and become closer and closer friends, Alice becomes all too aware that the summer will end and she’ll have to say goodbye.

I LOVED this. It was everything I enjoyed about Every Summer After but without the bits I hated. Alice and Charlie are so clearly made for each other and reading their story had my heart melting.

Despite being set entirely in the present day there was something so nostalgic about this book, it transports you from wherever you are (for me a very rainy England) to Barry’s Bay, where you can almost smell the sea water and see Charlie’s yellow boat in the distance.

Wow, I did not expect the emotions this book made me feel!
I'm thrilled we got to have Charlie's story after reading Ever Summer After, and it was everything I hoped.
I love how Carley Fortune is able to transport us to beautiful Canadian locations with her words, I was truly able to envisage Alice and Charlie at the lake.

Breathtakingly beautiful, swoon-worthy, emotional, perfect.

4.5/5

I’m calling it this is the book of summer 2025!! Wow I loved this. The banter between Charlie and Alice was so fun and seeing them complement and show up for each other throughout made my HEART MELT 🥺❤️ mix that with the idyllic lake setting I truly felt like I needed to be reading this sipping a strawberry daiquiri by the pool. Love love love, would have been 4.75 but the third act breakup pushed it down a bit.

DID I FINISH ONE GOLDEN SUMMEER OR DID IT FINISH ME?!?When I heard we were going back to Barry’s bay I said SIGN ME UP 🙋🏼‍♀️ Did I know this book was going to have me smiling, crying, clutching my chest? I mean deep down, yes but this is my favourite Fortune book yet!!
(I see you side eyeing my previous reviews saying that was my favourite 😭 leave me)
Like everyone, I was excited for Charlie’s story and kept hope that we would get little bits of Percy & Sam too. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. I’m head over heels in love with this book but let me try and pull my thoughts together for you guys.

We know that Carley Fortune is the queen of immersive and vivid descriptions. She’s so talented that you feel like you’re experiencing one of your own memories.

Charlie and Alice as characters… both so fleshed out and both motivated by their own personal experiences. Their love story was flawless, Charlie with his flirty exterior. Alice who’s trying her best to do right by everyone but longing to find her spark again. 😭 one of the most beautiful romances, I’ve read this year.

I can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive! Thank you so much @michaeljbooks for the advance e-arc.

omg !!!?? this was SO SO good wow !! my new favourite Carley Fortune book & a new favourite summer romance read. i’m actually so in love with this, so surprised but genuinely wow this was beautiful. everything i would want in a summer romance i couldn’t put it down, will definitely be rereading

I’m so happy to be back in Barry’s Bay! It felt like I could practically soak up the sunshine through my Kindle 🥰

After binge-reading Every Summer After, I knew I had to dive into Charlie’s story, and let me tell you, it surpassed all my expectations! This book brought back all the emotions from the first one, but intensified them. I felt every bit of Charlie and Alice’s journey, and don’t even get me started on Nan—what a legend!

The chemistry between Charlie and Alice is sizzling, but their friendship is something truly special. I also appreciated how the book tackled serious themes like grief, health struggles, regret, and the passage of time, all without feeling overwhelming. I genuinely think this will be the go-to romance read of the summer!

“Good things happen at the lake.”

Big thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC. You can grab a copy on May 6th, 2025!

This book transported me straight to summer – I could practically feel the sun on my skin, even with snow outside my window. From the first page, I was hooked, completely unable to put it down. It had that magnetic pull, the kind that makes you lose track of time.

I didn’t know how much I needed Charlie’s story until I had it, and Carley Fortune delivered it flawlessly. If you’re a fan of her work, you’re going to devour this one. It’s everything you could want from a summer fling-turned-friends-to-lovers romance.

Watching two people fall for each other is always fun, but watching Charlie (who we first met in Every Summer After) and Alice do it? Absolute perfection. Their chemistry is electric, their banter effortlessly charming, and with just the right amount of spice, it hits all the right notes.

“Which is how I find myself making out with the boy across the bay on a raft on Kamaniskeg Lake. Just two people, figuring their shit out, kissing each other like there’s nothing better in this world than just kissing.”

This book brought back all the emotions from Every Summer After – I may have even teared up a few times, and I’m not even sure why. It’s not a sad book, I promise.

Now, I have one tiny gripe—one that I suspect most readers will share. I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say something happens in the third act that kept it from being a full five-star read for me. It’s not a dealbreaker, just a slight stumble in an otherwise incredible story.

It’s easy to see why this is one of the most anticipated books of 2025. It’s the perfect beach read – warm, nostalgic, and impossible to resist.

I am a huge Carley Fortune fan so was THRILLED to be given the opportunity to read One Golden Summer early and my goodness it didn't disappoint.

I love that Carley continues to set her books on the lake, bringing that nostalgic summer feel to her novels. I was immediately taken by Alice and Charlie's flirting and tension and was rooting for them to get together from the very beginning. The unexpected twist and the reason for Charlie's hesitancy had me crying at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. Five stars.

Okay, get this Mind blown! Like, instant love. Happy tears, real tears, felt everything. It's like, someone stole my brain and wrote it down. The place? Amazing! Felt like I was there. And the guy? Total crush! Funny, deep, just... perfect. All the people in the story? Real! Seriously, I'm never shutting up about this book. Carley, you nailed it! 😍