Add me to the long list of readers who love Every Summer After, the debut novel by Carley Fortune! This was another title pressed onto my reading radar by Bookstagram, and I'm so grateful. I don't usually read romance so I wouldn't have found this on my own.

Told in two timelines, this is the story of Persephone (Percy) and Sam who meet when Percy's parents buy a lakeside cottage next door to year-round residents Sam, brother Charlie, and mom Sue in Barry's Bay, Ontario. The majority of the novel chronicles the six summers they spend together, their relationship growing from inseparable best friends to more ... until it abruptly ended. The current timeline is set 12 years later when Charlie contacts Percy to share the sad news of Sue's death and encourages her to come back for the funeral.

I enjoyed the coming-of-age story, the memorable characters, and especially the sense of place. I could see the cottages and their docks, Sam and Charlie's basement, and the interior of Sue's restaurant - I loved that pierogis were mentioned several times. I became a bit frustrated to confirm my thoughts about the ending of Sam and Percy's relationship but admit that kept me eagerly reading along. I'll now think of this novel whenever I see a friendship bracelet.

This book is perfect to read in the heat of summer, or in the dead of winter when readers want to escape cold and snowy weather.

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Every Summer After by Carley Fortune has been one of my most-anticipated reads of the year and I felt confident it would be a novel I would love in all its angsty glory. Readers, I wasn't wrong. While it's a plot that isn't unfamiliarâit's even one I've read many variations of beforeâI greedily devoured every word. I'm still not sure with what magic Carley Fortune has wrought this second chance summery goodness, but she made the best-friends-to-lovers story new again!

Reading Every Summer After was a menagerie of emotions. My heart warmed, broke, and soared multiple times while reading this love story. It's my favorite kind of love story: simple but with complicated outcomes. Friends who fall in love may seem like a simple plot, but as Shakespeare told us, âthe course of true love never did run smoothâ. Our characters are dealing with big emotions they're not sure what to do with, pasts that complicate things, and hurts that haven't been healed.

Persephone (Percy) and Sam are the best of friends and have spent their summers inseparable at their neighboring lakeside cottages since they were young. Not only did I fall in love with this story, the setting of Barry's Bay, Ontario in Canada (the author's very real hometown) had me dreaming of warm, sunny days lounging by the water, quick-moving thunderstorms, and the carefree days of youth when we had hours of time with our friends.

Fortune does such a good job immersing me into the tale, I could smell the lake, hear the water lapping, and feel the sun on my skin. She transported me back to my youth when love was new and full of possibilities and the heartbreak was all-consuming.

Every Summer After is told from Percy's point of view, alternating from the past to the present, slowly revealing what has lead to our characters' rift. Usually I like having both points of view, but I didn't miss it in this one. It added to the building tension and mystery of their story.

Percy and Sam are compelling characters, as are all the side characters, each one adding to the story, well-rounded and believable. From Sam's brother Charlie, to Percy's best friendsâDelilah in the past and Chantal in the present. I so wanted to hang out with Sam and Charlie's easy-going mom Sue, a young single parent running the family's local restaurant after the death of their father. I particularly wanted to try the pierogies she was known for. It was especially hard falling for a character when I knew it was her death that has brought Percy back to Barry's Bay.

All the characters are flawed, and Every Summer After does a great job examining those flaws, reminding us that no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and forgiving each otherâas well as ourselvesâis what it takes to live life to its fullest.

There's so much more I could say about this one, so many plot aspects I'd love to discuss, but it's impossible without giving away spoilers. And everyone should go into it the way I did, not knowing anything except it's a love story about friends in the summer at the lake.

Pick this one up when you won't be distracted, because it's hard to put down. I especially recommend reading it outside, which only enhances the experience. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of Every Summer After to add to my shelf for rereading. Preferably to take on vacation at a lake.

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Great book with great characters.

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