One Golden Summer

Since I found Every Summer After absolutely amazing, it was only a matter of time before I read the sequel. To match the atmosphere, I waited until my vacation to read it, so I could enjoy the summer heat just like Alice and Charlie. One Golden Summer shows the teenage heartthrob from back then in a completely different light: grown-up and reflective. Still, you can occasionally see glimpses of the self-assured boy he once was. But is it simply his nature that prevents his relationships from lasting long, or has he just not found the right one yet? Maybe—just maybe—he finds her in the protagonist Alice, who is not visiting Barry’s Bay for the first time. She’s the perfect mix of caring and cheeky—standing her ground with Charlie at the right moments and asserting herself in her professional life. I really enjoyed the book again, and I also loved that Sam and Percy made an appearance. Carley Fortune remains one of my favorite authors!

I read this book back in the summer of 2025, while being at the lake myself and i still think regularly about this story, the setting and the characters I‘ve learned to love. The Main Protagonist Alice returns to the Lake, where she spent one life altering summer when she was seventeen. Now in her thirty’s she tries to reconnect with that time and the person she was and dreamed about being, while managing a whirlwind romance with her Lake neighbour Charlie Florek. I loved this book because it was realistic. The characters had flaws and were so easy to relate to. They are both in their thirties and still lost, just trying to figure themselves out and the world around them. It felt so honest and relatable. Furthermore I loved Alice’s struggle to connect with her old self, her passion for photography and the desire to connect with other people to find herself again. Overall this is a great contemporary romance that has so much depth and a setting that is unbelievably beautiful. Highly recommend, especially for people who love Emily Henry.

• independent second book after "Every Summer After" / Charlie's story • strangers to friends to lovers • summer read || I loved Charlie in Every Summer After, so I was delighted to see, he has his own book, but well, that was a disappointment. I guess I'm not a fan of Carley Fortunes writing. The characters felt flat, but the summer vibes were on point! Get yourself a person who loves you and your grandmother!