Thank you @PRHAudio for the free audiobook and @BerkleyRomance for the digital ARC.
Fern's mom recently passed away and now she's back at her mom's lakeside resort, the place she never wanted to end up. It's not in good shape and Fern has to decide if she wants to change her life plans or sell the resort where she grew up so she can pursue her goal of owning her own coffee shop. Ten years ago, she spend 24 hours with Will Baxter. The timing wasn't right, they both were in relationships. They agreed to meet a year later, but Will didn't show up. Now he's showed up, nine years late.
Meet Me at the Lake is a dual timeline romance story, but honestly I feel like the central part of the story is really about Fern figuring out the next step in her life and reflecting on her relationship with her mom. As someone who doesn't have my mom here anymore, I really connected with this part of the story. The past timeline tells the details of the day Fern and Will spent together and how that day changed her future. In the present, there's a lot of back and forth with the two of them. There's a note from the author at the end of the book that explains part of Will's behavior. I think if I had known that explanation beforehand, I wouldn't have judged him so harshly as a love interest, but I also understand how his situation isn't something that Fern knew about until he shared it, so I get it. There are some tender moments between the two of them but their romance is hindered by hesitation and doubt. This is definitely a romance between two flawed characters who need to figure out their own paths first. Carley Fortune's debut novel, Every Summer After, was one of my top 10 books of 2022. Meet Me at the Lake didn't quite reach that status for me, but I would still recommend checking it out, especially if you like dual timeline romances with imperfect characters. The setting is beautiful and now I'm adding a lakeside cabin in Canada to my travel bucket list.

This woman has a cheating fetish I swear. This one had just as many feelings as the last one. Meet Me at the Lake was beautiful. These two characters had this incredible connection. Right person, wrong time. Fern is trying to figure out her path after her mom passed away. Will shows up with many secrets. These two felt the same way they did 10 years ago. I honestly wanted to shed a tear or two towards the end. Overall, I loved their story. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.

Absolutely loved it.

4.5 STARS OVERALL.

Will and Fern meet one day in Toronto and spend the day exploring the city. When they agree to meet one year later, on the same day, at Fern’s family’s resort in the Muskokas, Will doesn’t show. In fact when he does show he’s 10 years too late…
Themes of loyalty, family expectations, forging your own path and friendship. I loved Fern’s desire to be her own woman and do things on her terms, even when it came to her romantic relationships. And I loved Will’s vulnerability, his desire to be a good guy at all times, even when he failed sometimes.

My only issue was that it leaned into the whole Dirty Dancing thing at times. Took me out of the story a couple of times.

Read if you like:
⏳ Past and Present Timelines
💔 Love after Loss
💕 Soulmates
💃🏼 Dirty Dancing References

“For so long, Will had been my what if guy.”

Have you ever had that “what if” person in your life? What if I was single? What if they were single? What if distance wasn’t a problem?

Whatever the what if, this book will likely take you back to those feelings and memories as you get to witness the what If guy come back into Fern’s life and see how the what if’s play out 10 years after their single life changing day together.

I love the backstory of Fern and Will spending a magical day together and the depth of how they instantly fit even though timing was not in their favor. It truly felt like soulmates meeting at the absolutely wrong time for both of them which gave it so much more depth of emotion.

I loved getting bits of their day throughout the book mixed with the present day. Seeing why that day would have left a lingering impact was so important as it brought the story together and showed how pivotal that day was for Fern taking control back of her life and deciding to live it.

I loved the journal entries from Fern’s mom as well as this added such a rich depth to the emotions of the book that without it, would have been missing something special. The one point I cried in this book was during the review of Maggie’s journal and getting a better understanding for Patrick’s place in Fern’s life.

Overall, this was such a well done book and I truly can’t wait for what Carley publishes next as I know I will be reading it! Thank you so much Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another atmospheric summer romance from Fortune. This one was really enjoyable and gave the ultimate summer vibes. I thought this main character was more likable than her last and I enjoyed the older, more mature characters. I loved the past timeline of Fern and Will.

I think the overall mental health theme could have been introduced earlier in the book, so that it could have had its proper moment. I also would've really liked to get to know Will more before the third act. I think some things just could've gone deeper, sooner.

Overall, I really enjoyed MMATL and am definitely going to recommend Fortune's sophomore novel!

Pub date: 5/2/23
Genre: contemporary fiction with romantic elements
Quick summary: Fern and Will spent a perfect 24 hours together 10 years ago - now, he's back and ready to help Fern sort out her mother's lakeside resort - whether Fran likes it or not.

This is not EVERY SUMMER AFTER part 2, and I think that's a good thing. Fortune mentions in her author's note how difficult it was to write this book, perhaps because ESA came so easily and was such a monster hit. This book is also a second chance romance, but it's also about Fran and Will's relationships with their family and how they balance those responsibilities with what they really want.

The book started a little slow for me, but the back half really spoke to me as I got to know Fern and Will better. The darkness both characters went through made this feel like a story more grounded in reality than many other romances I've read. I can see a place for it in your beach bag!

Thank you to Berkley and @letstalkbookspromo for my e-ARC and @PRHAudio for my complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Meet Me at the Lake is a second chance romance with dual timelines. Despite that similar description, it has quite a different feel to Carley Fortune's first book, Every Summer After.

Fern Brookbanks has returned to her family's resort after her mother's death. She had never intended to take it over and now faces a dilemma about what to do with the failing resort much sooner than she ever expected. Will Baxter shows up as a business consultant, but he has a ten-year-old history with Fern. Only that history was just a single day together.

I really liked Fern and could relate to so many of her feelings. There was a lot going on in the story with the two timelines and then the the addition of her mom's journals as essentially a third timeline. I felt we didn't get to know Will or understand his motivations and transformation nearly as well as Fern. That made it harder to relate to him.

Carley Fortune is a great author with fabulous prose and amazing lines. I often felt I was at a lakeside resort in Canada and could see everything so clearly. For me, the best parts of this book focused on Fern in her journey with her mother, rather than on the romance either past or present.

I recommend reading this over listening to the audiobook. I didn't love the narrator's voice for Will.

After reading and loving Every Summer After last year I was super excited to dive into Carley's next book - Meet Me at the Lake. I love a second chance romance and especially one with flashbacks, so I was really looking forward to reading Meet Me at the Lake.
I got up to about 40% before I decided to put the book down. I tried really hard to feel the connection between Will and Fern, but I honestly couldn't find it. The book wasn't holding my interest and the present/past/and the incorporation of Fern's mother's diary was all getting confusing and messy.
While this book didn't work for me - I look forward to reading the next book by Carley Fortune!

✨ Book Review ✨

A big thank you to @berkleyromance @netgalley for the #gifted ARC #MeetMeAtTheLake !! Available 5/2!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

A random connection between Fern and Will leads to a daylong adventure and a missed meet up that has life-changing effects.

What it has to offer:

⏳ Dual Timelines
💋 Romance
❤️‍🩹 Second Chance
❤️‍🔥 Slow Burn

Quick thoughts:

✨ A bit of a love triangle.
✨ I wasn’t feeling the chemistry.
✨ Well developed character growth.
✨ Wanted to like it more than I did.

Overall thoughts:

📝 I loved the writing style. The chapters were the perfect length and I liked the cliffhanger style chapter endings.

⏳ Dual timelines shift focus back and forth throughout the story. I thought they were well executed. Although, I did enjoy the now timeline more than the past timeline.

💋 The romance aspect is where things get tricky for me. There was kind of a love triangle playing out which I didn’t like. In the past timeline Fern has a boyfriend named Jamie when she meets Will. I liked Jamie a lot which made it hard for me to buy into her infatuation and insta love situation with Will. Jamie is also still around in the present timeline. I found myself wanting Fern to end up with Jamie even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen.

❤️‍🩹 I usually enjoy the second chance trope but with Jamie lingering in the background I wasn’t invested in it. I also thought the reason Will missed their meet up date was a bit underwhelming.

❤️‍🔥 This is a slow burn romance but it moved at a good pace. There was also some mild spice.

💔 Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get past the Jamie factor! The potential between Jamie and Fern tainted the way I saw Fern and Will’s relationship. I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry between them.

💜 My favorite part was definitely the character growth. It was easy to see how the characters changed from the past timeline to the present timeline.

If you don’t mind a bit of a love triangle and insta love give this one a try!

4.5 Stars

Fern has returned home to her mother’s lake side resort. Her mother has recently passed away and she’s left running the resort. Unexpectedly Will shows up. Will, a man that she spent 24 hours with 10 years ago, a man that broke her heart and changed her life.

This is a story of love, second chances and forgiveness, set in a Dirty Dancing vibe lakeside resort. Told in two timelines of the present and the day 10 years ago that Fern and Will spent together. It was a heart felt read full of emotion with Fern dealing with the death of her mother and trying to navigate her new role at the resort, a job that she never wanted. Will is dealing with his own issues with his past and family. Their romance was sweet and special. It was a great love story with the perfect happily ever after.

4.5 !!

SO GOOD. i loved every summer after & this was just as good.
i did feel like it felt a little like every summer after, but it was still really good.
i loved the romance between the characters & carley just has a way of making summer feel real in books.
loved loved loved

“You remember that?” Will’s eyes search my face. Out here, the espresso brown is more like a glass of Coke held up to the light. “I remember everything.”

Fern & Will. One day together. 24 hours. And it completely changes their lives. An idea to meet at her families resort in one year. A Dirty Dancing style resort. Only he’s nine years late. Your heart will be sure to do a rockette kick!

“His voice is quiet. “I’ve never wanted anything for myself the way I want you. I’m completely in love with you.”

✨ THINGS AND STUFF ✨
-dual timelines
-family owned resort in Canada
-second chance romance
-burning CDs
-that man can wear an apron
-art & graffiti
-interlocking pinkies
-nobody puts baby in a corner
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. It’s like a boop but a kiss. And lots of Eskimo kisses.

Thank you Berkley Romance for an advanced reader copy (ebook).

🎶 Song: every single night by Fiona Apple 🎶

Meet Me By The Lake was well written. If romance is your genre, you should pick it up. I suspect you will love it as it is a good mix of story and spice with good writing.

The storyline annoyed me to no end. Ladies, if a man tells you he is going to meet you at the lake and doesn’t show up, he’s not someone to pine over. Next. And if he shows up 10 years later in your life by seeking out your mother and offering to help her, maybe that’s cute. Seems a little passive aggressive to me, but Ok. No spoilers here, but the love interest has a serious lack of commitment/ emotional IQ problem. This is a story for folks who like romantic escapism, but I can’t help but be a realist. The problem here is me.


Thank you to the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved Carley Fortune’s sophomore novel. Fern and Will were a great couple and I enjoyed the dual timelines which help the reader see how they first connect and then their reunion 10 years later. This would be a great summer read!

3.5 stars

Another past and present timeline from this author. While it worked well for me in the author's first book, it didn't in this book. Too much past chapters for me. And I get it--the whole premise is Fern and Will meeting and spending the one day together ten years ago and then him not showing up a year later at their scheduled meeting date.

What also really didn't work for me was the fact that it was insta-love. (not a fan) Will and Fern only spent ONE day together in ten years. They really didn't know each other to have such strong feelings in the present.

Besides the romance between Fern and Will this is also about Fern dealing with her feelings/emotions after her mother's sudden death. She has to decide if she wants to sell the resort her mother left her or take over the day-to-day operations herself.

While I didn't enjoy this as much as the author's debut book, I will continue to read her next book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carley Fortune burst on the scene last spring with the wildly popular Every Summer After. Meet Me At The Lake was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and while it didn’t quite fill the huge shoes of Every Summer After, it did show that Fortune is here to stay.

Fern and Will meet and spend a perfect day together. They vow to meet again in a years time at Fern’s family resort except Will never shows. 9 years later he shows up at the resort, Fern’s mother has passed suddenly and the resort is on the brink of closure. Will offers to stay and help but can Fern forgive this successful man who is a shadow of the boy she met?

The Good:

Carley Fortune is an amazing writer. She writes all stages of adulthood so well and her words drip of nostalgia. The settings she chooses in Canada should be included in travel magazines as I am over here working out how realistic it is for me to take my kids to a Canadian lake this summer.

Fortune writes grief so well. As someone who has lost her mother, Fern’s journey with her heartache over the loss of her own mom hit so close to home without seeming over the top.

The cast of supporting characters were all wonderful as well.

The Bad:

“Instalove”- it will never be my favorite but I did find Will and Fern’s instant connect to seem realistic and sweet. I struggled more with Will. He was so… vanilla. The twist in why he never met up with Fern after their promise to see each other a year later just didn’t quite resonate. I did like the mental health representation throughout his storyline and found his background to be engrossing.

Overall- I couldn’t put this book down and was very invested because of Fern. My prediction: majority of readers will enjoy this love story and this stunning cover will be seen everywhere all summer. A solid 4 star read- I recommend Meet Me At The Lake!

I loved reading about Will and Ferns love story. This is a classic childhood friends turn lovers trope and it brought all the feels. Sometimes we have to let go of those we love in order to find ourselves. And sometimes, when we have, we are lucky enough to have them come back into our lives and accept us for who we were meant to be. Insert Will ten years later. He left without a trace back then and now she needs him to save her mother's legacy. It was sweet, emotional, and definitely a go-to summer read!

After her mother died in a car accident, Fern returns home to work out what to do with her mum’s pride and joy, the family’s lakeside resort in Muskoka. As she is figuring out whether she should stay, she is shocked to run into Will, hired by her mother as a business consultant just prior to her death.
Fern first met Will in Toronto 10 years earlier, when he was an artist doing murals. He is well aware that Fern never wanted to end up back at the resort; her dream is to run a coffeeshop in Toronto.
He is also aware that after spending that wonderful day together a decade ago, they had agreed to meet a year later at the resort lake but he stood her up.
This was a highly anticipated read because I adored Every Summer After and also what a gorgeous cover. The reconnection of an old crush was a similar storyline but the chemistry and reason that kept them apart wasn’t as believable or worth however many pages to reveal. Will was sadly a bit wet, like the lake.

🎧Song Pairing: This Year’s Love - David Gray (I wanted an indie love song but intense and I settled on this one 😂 quite the conundrum)

💭What I thought would happen:

Obviously a romance at a Canadian lake setting, hoping for something similar to Every Summer After.

📖What actually happens:

Fern has returned to her family lake resort, almost the same as it’s been for decades but without one crucial thing, the absence of her mother. Fern needs to decide the next steps for the resort - sell or take over, what would her dead mother want.

There are so many memories wrapped up in the lake - one most notably being with Will, Fern’s first love and now he’s back a decade later.

🗯Thoughts:

I appreciated Carley’s note at the end how this book was a greater struggle than ESA, it took rewrites and breakdowns after a winning debut. The honesty was appreciated.

I would say this book reads like it very much reads like it was a struggle to write and that the themes were riding the coattails of the success of the first. That being said, I still adored the setting of this book. We get so few Canadian representations so yay to that!

Fern was a wonderful MC, Will however I felt to be a bland love interest. I took more delight in Fern’s relationship with her mother - that had me all kinds of misty at time.

I am fortunate to read Fortune’s second novel, after her stunner of a debut Every Summer After. The author has eloquently captured the mood, the feelings, the landscape while transporting the reader to a time and a place for the lovers. Throughout the pages, I took in the fresh air, the rippling lake and the ambiance of the cabins.

The depth of these characters was astounding as they communicated the “why” ten years ago didn’t happen quite as imagined. Fern and Will bring breath and emotion to their second-chance. This story has charm, real-life issues and a connection unlike any in a contemporary romance.

Soulmates do exist in Meet Me at the Lake.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the complimentary copy.