Review: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Thank you Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
If Carley Fortune has no fans, I am dead. I’m a little in disbelief that I am finished with her latest book because I look forward to her new book each and every year. In short, I love Charlie Florek. If you haven’t read Every Summer After, you may not know this character yet. He’s been hotly debated online but personally, I love him forever and always. He is charming, he is funny, he is magnetic, he is emotional. I was so happy to get his story and meet Alice at the same time. I could really relate to Alice and seeing Barry’s Bay from her point of view felt familiar since I am an outsider to that world. Overall, this book just WORKED for me and I will forever be a fan.
Synopsis:
“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.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Setting—The lake! Summer! Nostalgia and newness. I loved it all. I grew up in New England but have spent so much time in the Adirondacks, I’ve become a lake lover. There’s just something about a lake house and a lake town.
The Characters—Alice and Charlie are amazing, I loved getting glimpses of Sam and Percy. I loved meeting Nan and Alice’s extended family.
The Pacing—I read this book in less than 24 hours because Carley’s writing just works for my brain. But I also loved how the story moved, it made me want to keep reading and I didn’t touch my phone at all.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Pace of the Ending—There’s always a little mystery/conflict that has you guessing throughout a Carley book, so when we finally had the grand reveal, things didn’t feel rushed but I just wanted a bit more discovery into it.
Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 2.5/5 Overall Rating: 5/5
Content Warnings:
death of a parent, car accident, medical content