This is such a gorgeous book. Carley Fortune is able to create the most nostlagic, tender atmosphere, and the sweetest love stories. Highly recommend!

Fans of Beach Read and Dirty Dancing will love MEET ME AT THE LAKE! I’d been waiting with bated breath for Carley’s sophomore novel and it did not disappoint!🙌🏼

22-year old Fern Brookbanks spent an unforgettable 24 hours in Toronto with a mysterious, attractive artist named Will Baxter. They make a pact to meet a year later, only for Will to ghost her when the time comes.

Fast forward ten years, Fern returns home to run her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort, Brookside, after she passes away unexpectedly. The resort is in complete disarray when she arrives, and unbeknownst to her, her mother had hired Will to help Brookside return to its former glory before she died.

Being back at Brookside fills Fern with unresolved feelings as she misses her mom and comes to terms with this new normal. Those feelings are further intensified and even tinged with anger when she’s forced to face Will, wondering where he’s been the past ten years.

As the truth comes out, Fern forgives Will, and they begin what they were supposed to start nine years ago. However, Will doesn’t share more than necessary and seems like he is holding something back. What he is not telling Fern? Will he leave her high and try again?

The book, told in dual timelines, toggles between the past and the present. This character-driven novel was full of emotion and touched upon some very serious topics. Carley’s Author’s Note at the end was a nice touch; it put a lot of the book into perspective as she channeled her own postpartum mental health experiences into the book.

The character development was phenomenal and I loved all of the characters - even Will, though he frustrated me to no end!🤣 That being said, Carley is a fantastic storyteller and I absolutely love her writing! 4⭐️

A huge thanks to @berkleypub for the gifted book, and @prhaudio for the complementary audiobook! MEET ME AT THE LAKE releases on May 2!💕

I may have just read the best book of 2023.

10 years ago Fern and Will met one blistering hot day in Toronto. It was completely random but it was also fate. After 24 hours together they made a pact to meet on a one year anniversary of their first meeting at the lake of Fern's family resort. However, he never showed. Now, with their lives in turmoil and after much has changed, 9 years later they meet again.

Last year Carley Fortune stole my heart with her book "Every Summer After" about flawed best friends-to-lovers. I loved her craft, her flowy, effortless storytelling and how her characters weren't polished perfections but people who screwed up, sometimes time and time again. Her debut was nostalgia with angsty coming of age all in one. It was a book that made me feel so much and cry so hard. One of my favourite reads of 2022.

Therefore, expectations for "Meet Me at the Lake" were - naturally - sky high.

I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw an email invite to read an eARC of this book just casually sitting in my inbox awaiting my attention. Carley Fortune's 2nd book? Before the pub date?! But I am no one important!

Now, not to be dramatic, but Fortune's second novel solidified her as an auto-buy author for me from now on. It delivered on the promise of yet another summer nostalgia story but somehow made it even more poignant and meaningful. The writing was just as flowy and immersing. It is a testament to the writer's skill when their work reads so effortlessly and I know it is not an easy task to accomplish that. It may flow through one's mind like a river but it is hard work that makes it so during the writing process!

Not to exaggerate but the main characters of this book had me by my throat. I sympathized with their struggles, doubts about the future, the outbursts of rage or the bouts of anxiety. I felt it all. They were human, I saw them with my mind's eye as so fully fleshed out and realistic as if they were standing in front of me or as if I were reading someone's true account of their lives. They were flawed and beautifully so.

The last chapter and the epilogue (yes, there is one!) of the book, I read while I was walking from work to the train station. I do that sometimes when I am so hooked on a story that the thought of putting it down if only for a few minutes seems unbearable. It was unbearable. I couldn't put it down, I couldn't stop reading, I had to know everything immediately. I ended up walking onto the train's platform with my eyes glistening with tears.

Convinced yet?
Go grab it NOW.

**thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for reaching out with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I was so nervous/excited about this book. Excited because Fortune's writing is stellar and Every Summer After was so good. Nervous because Every Summer After is so good AND I was a smidge worried about the cheating thing....But my worries were baseless. All was better than I could have imagined.

I believe we are in a run of books with dreamy heroes and I am absolutely here for it. I loved watching their love story unfold. I love watching them get to know each other both then and now. I liked the setting and the Dirty Dancing references (without it being too much). This felt second chance, and kind of it was, but it was so filled with longing and unanswered questions and so much growth that the second chance part was almost secondary. Fortune pulled my heart into this world and I am so glad for it.

Meet Me at the Lake has everything you want in a summer read. Swooning romance, brooding tension, and a summer setting to die for. Carley Fortune just has a way of recreating the nostalgia and allure of summer while adding the emotions of a tortured romance that makes her books unputdownable.

Fern and Will met 10 years ago, and that one day they spent together changed their lives forever. They left that day with nothing but memories and a promise to meet at the lake one year later. However, life happens, and they find themselves in a chance encounter once again. This time, with a lot more baggage and a lot more to gain...or lose.

So many things about this book were enjoyable. I loved the complexities of Fern's life - both at the lake and as she figures out how to navigate her loss while figuring out her future. Will had his own challenges with his family, and I found this to be so relatable. No way after 10 years could they come together without there being some kinks to work out, and boy do they have them. But this does not take away from the sheer chemistry of the two, I just kept rooting for them to figure things out for themselves and each other!

The side characters in this one were great too - that's the lake/camp aspect that I really enjoyed. That feeling of summer camp, in particular the staff who know each other and are connected by years of service to the lake and to each other.

Thank you to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Full review on my IG @manis.and.manuscripts close to pub day!

A summer love story, where the set up will instantly hook you in.

Ten years ago, our main character, Fern, meets Will, an aspiring artist, and they end up spending an entire day together. But at the end of the day, Fern never gets his full name or number. Only a promise to meet at her mother’s resort the next summer.

When Will no shows, we jump ten years later to the present.

I loved the way the author weaved in the timelines, tugging us back and forth to that one day that lit the spark between Fern and Will like a match.

But….

I would have loved a second POV. We never get Will’s perspective and that would have been helpful. He’s too mysterious in the present and not in a good way. It feels creepy. I lost interest in his intentions because I had no idea if he was really invested in a relationship with Fern. AND, there is way to much miscommunication. It is my least favorite trope. It’s aggravating to see two people who know they care for each other, who want a future together, but can’t figure out how talk to each other 3/4’s of the novel.

This could have been avoided if we had Will’s POV. I know what the author was trying to do with the reveal towards the end, but I think Will would have been a more appealing character had we fully understood his mental health, his backstory, and his attachment to his family.

A somewhat instant love story, with a sort of second chance romance (Will and Fern only met for one day and hadn’t seen each other for a decade), Carley Fortune’s sophomore novel transports you to a beautiful setting in Canada, with quirky hotel characters, and a main character who is desperate to try and figure out what she wants with her life.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune is a heartwarming contemporary romance novel that will tug at your heartstrings. The story is about two strangers who meet for a daylong adventure in Toronto, make a promise that one keeps, and the other breaks, with life-changing effects.

The protagonist, Fern Brookbanks, is a thirty-two-year-old woman who is struggling to find her place in life. She's back home, running her mother's Muskoka lakeside resort, which is in disarray. Fern's ex-boyfriend is the manager, and she doesn't know where to begin. But her lifeline comes in the form of Will, a man who arrives nine years too late, with an offer to help.

The chemistry between Fern and Will is palpable, and the story is full of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages. The characters are well-developed, and the writing is beautiful and engaging. You'll find yourself rooting for Fern and Will to find their way back to each other, despite the obstacles they face.

Meet Me at the Lake is a perfect blend of romance and contemporary fiction, making it an excellent read for fans of both genres. Carley Fortune's writing style is captivating and will transport you to the beautiful lakeside resort in Muskoka. If you're looking for a heartwarming and uplifting story about love, second chances, and finding your way in life, then Meet Me at the Lake is the book for you. Highly recommended!

4.5 Stars!

Another wonderful hit from author Carley Fortune!

Meet Me at the Lake follows the story of Fern and Will. Fern meets the alluring, Will, and spends an unforgettable 24hrs with him. With plans to meet up the following year, Fern feels on top of the world…that is until unforeseen circumstances keep these two apart. Now, 10 years have passed and fate has thrown the two of them together once again…

From the moment I picked up this book, I was absolutely consumed by Will and Fern. Told in present and past tense, readers will get a real look at who these characters are. Neither Will nor Fern could have predicted the path that their lives were going to take and the mistakes that would be made along the way. I enjoyed getting to see how Will and Fern met and just how intense their connection was. I wanted to know more about the circumstances that kept them apart and if there was any hope for them to find their way back to each other. The road to happily ever after wasn’t an easy one for Will and Fern, but the journey was so worth it.

Meet Me at the Lake is a well-written and heartwarming second-chance romance. Fern and Will will capture you from their very first encounter and will leave you begging for more. I had the absolute best time getting to know these two characters and couldn’t help but fall head over heels for them. In the end, Meet Me at the Lake left me with a huge smile on my face.

I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future!

Fern Brookbanks is struggling to keep her mother's Canadian summer resort open after her mother's death. She is exhausted and giving up hope - when Will Baxter shows up unexpectedly to help. Fern's mother hired him before she died. And Will is the person who saved Fern's life 10 years ago - and she hasn't seen him since. They had made a pact to meet one year later - but Will never showed. What is he doing here now??

I remember that Every Summer after by Fortune was a little slow to get into and I think this one was too. Being very emotional and character-driven, it is worth the wait. I liked the characters and felt the plot was believeable.

A great summer read!

Meet Me at the Lake, like Every Summer After, is a second chance romance with alternating timelines. We follow the story of Will and Fern as they randomly meet in Toronto and spend the day together, falling for each other in a short period of time. They have to say goodbye, but agree to meet again a year later at Fern's family resort in Muskoka. Will fails to show, though, and in the process he breaks Fern's heart. When they meet again, the truth begins to surface and we learn what really happened all those years ago.

I thought Carley Fortune did a fantastic job slowly introducing us to various aspects of Fern and Will's relationship. As we worked our way through both timelines (the day they met to present day) we learn more about each character and their personal histories. I think this story is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, which I love.

Carley also covered the topic of mental illness very well. I thought it was done in a sensitive and realistic way, and I found myself relating to the characters because of the accurate portrayal of anxiety.

I did struggle to like Will, though. I honestly couldn't see what would make Fern pine for him all those years later. But I'm also not very into the artsy types, so it could be a me problem. I also got very frustrated with the miscommunication on Will's end, but the author gave us an explanation for that in the end so that helped a bit.

All in all, I enjoyed this story! I think it was beautifully written and easy to follow. I find myself still thinking about these characters even several days later. I'm excited to see what Carley writes next!

I’ve never had to do this before, but Carley Fortune’s newest book has put me in a quandary. Do I review it with my head or with my heart? Let’s do a two-parter. Sorry, it’ll be a bit longer! I’ll give you my “head” review first, then share my “heart” review after. Sound good?

First a little synopsis:

Thirty-two year old Fern Brookbanks recently lost her mother, Maggie, the owner and proprietor of Brookbanks Resort on Smoke Lake in Canada, which has been in their family for over fifty years. As an only child, she grew up on the property, yet resented all the time her single mom spent working there. This led to a rebellious teen phase where Fern told Maggie that she didn’t want a future at the resort as was always planned and assumed after her graduation. This decision was further solidified the day she met Will Baxter.

While at university and working her shift at a coffee shop one day, she meets Will, a recent art school grad there to paint a mural on the wall. They spend a whirlwind day together while he paints and on a day-long tour through Toronto afterwards, where they quickly bond over less than ideal family situations, among other things. Unfortunately, they also discover that they’re both in relationships, and Fern is moving back home to Brookbanks in a week. Clearly attracted, they agree to meet exactly one year later at Brookbanks resort on a dock by the lake. Will never shows up.

Nine years later, with Fern trying to manage the resort that Maggie’s death has left behind, in walks Will. Why is he there and what will this mean for Fern? Can she forgive being stood up nine years ago and let him back into her heart? Are they even the same people they were then?

All right. Let’s jump into my “head” review:

Carley Fortune is a wonderful writer. She’s SO good at capturing a mood, a feeling, an atmosphere that puts the reader right there with the characters. I could almost smell the fresh air and hear the rippling lake and sounds of resort guests enjoying the property. The resort very much felt like its own character, and the guests and staff their own special family. If you’re like me, and you’ve seen Dirty Dancing several dozen times, you’ll love her nods to it.

Just as in her amazing debut Every Summer After, she writes nuanced characters that you feel for. They have depth and a reason for their behaviors, both good and bad. Fern and Will are both likable, but emotionally complicated. I loved Peter, the pastry chef, who was like a surrogate dad to Fern, Fern’s lovable ex, Jamie, her best friend Whitney and Will’s sister, Annabel.

As for the romance, the spice level is moderate - mainly one multi-page extended play-by-play, but you can easily skip over it if you don’t like that stuff.

The story is beautifully written and full of charm, and I believe most readers who enjoy contemporary romance will find this a worthy sophomore effort from the author. Please read her author's note at the end. It's really worth a moment!

My feelings about the book are a little complicated, though, so now for my “heart” review:

Do you know that feeling when you start reading something and you’re sure in the first few pages that you know exactly where it’s heading and you get all excited? Yes?

Now, do you know that feeling when you find out shortly afterwards that you had it all wrong and you’re NOT, in fact, going to get what you had planned out in your head? D’oh!

If I’d been smart, I’d have read the blurb beforehand and known where things were headed, but in my complete adoration of Every Summer After - my favorite book of last year - I went into this blind.

Perhaps it’s just me, and everyone else LOVED Will and wanted he and Fern to find their happily ever after, but this weirdo here instantly adored her ex, Jamie, from my first introduction to him and was secretly hoping all along that Fern would find her way back to him! My heart really wanted THAT story. Jamie was loyal, funny, smart, caring and largely uncomplicated, in contrast to Will’s more moody, complicated, serious side. Don’t get me wrong: Will had plenty of charm and humor too, and he’s not a bad catch by any standard, but he felt so … typical. You know: hot, tattooed, tall, lanky, mysterious, blah, blah, blah. Jamie was my guy, and he played such a relatively small part in the story. The book also never really explained why he wasn’t good enough for Fern, who still openly has fondness for him. I kinda felt like he got a raw deal!

I could still enjoy Fern and Will’s story, but the heart wants what the heart wants, right? Perhaps Jamie will get his love story in another book. *hint, hint*

Putting my head and my heart together, my head gives this 4.5 stars and my heart gives this 3.5 stars, so I’ll put this firmly at 4 stars. I adore Carley Fortune’s writing, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

★★★★

A delightful second-chance romance story to give you some summer escapism at the beach, pool, or kiddie pool in your backyard. :)

The usual trope where a misunderstanding leads to the the two main characters not seeing each other for years and then one returns to town and the book holds it's breath to see if they can make it work and save a business/home/town together.

Nothing new here, but fun to read about all the same.

Loved this book - the characters were so loveable and genuine. The setting also played a large role for me as it took place in a small town with lots of loveable characters.

This was a beautiful, beautiful book and did not disappoint at all with the high expectations Every Summer After set for me. Carley Fortune is a beautiful writer and story teller and I loooooveeee the summer nostalgia and angst she captures with her second chance romances. Her characters continue to be beautifully human and flawed (sometimes a little too flawed making me want to scream at them to get out of their own way but its okay, I’ll forgive them every time) and she creates love that feels like such a little, precious pocket of peace in a “you and me against the world mentality” that I find so beautiful and comforting. Like Sam and Percy, Will and Fern feel like soulmates. And watching soulmates find their way back to each other is such a beautiful thing I feel honored to bear witness to. Overall I thought Meet Me At The Lake was both heartwrenching and heartwarming, sentimental, nostalgic, warm, and beautifully navigates realistic portrayals of grief (something I love in romances). Carley Fortune is so talented at what she does and I look forward to reading everything she writes in the future.

I always give an author two chances before I decide whether they are "for me" or not. Perhaps Fortune is not for me. Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake both fall a little lackluster for me. When it comes to this book its the character communication that did me in. I mean in general I don't love a miscommuication "trope" but this couldn't even be considered MIScommunication, what we have here are two characters who purposefully keep information from each other time and time again and for seemingly no reason.

SPOILERS:

I mean I am sorry but there really was no point in Will lying to Ferns face about having never come to the resort ten years ago, there was no reason for Will to lie to Fern about helping his sister raise he daughter, there was no reason for Will to lie to Fern about needing to leave because his niece was in the hospital.... see what I mean?

Yeah, so Carley Fortune's ruined me for all future summer reads. This book! I'm feeling every single one of the feels. A big-hearted emotional tale sure to be the IT book of summer. The perfect words, the perfect romance, the perfect (imperfect) lovers. Readers will fall in love with Will Baxter and this story. I have.

Fern Brookbanks and Will Baxter spent one unforgettable day together before making a pact to meet one year later at her family resort on Lake Muskoka. Will does show up…nine years late. Fern is now back home running the resort, which she vowed to never do, and the place is in disarray. Will arrives with an offer to help get the resort back on its feet. But he’s clearly hiding something and Fern isn’t sure she wants to know what it is. He saved her all those years ago, can she do the same for him?

Like so many others, I immediately dropped everything to read this book! It didn’t quite have the same magic as Every Summer After did for me, but overall I still really enjoyed it. The atmosphere, Dirty Dancing nostalgia, and well-written characters are just the tip of the iceberg! Watching Will and Fern find their way back to each other made me SWOON 😍 As for side characters, Peter has my heart. He was the perfect father figure for Fern and I loved that he was a pastry chef! But my one problem for the entire book was the emotional cheating. I really never encountered that trope much in the past, but now I’ve experienced it more and really don’t like it. Other than that, I LOVED this book and it definitely needs a top spot on your summer TBR! Thank you so much to Berkley Romance, NetGalley, and Carley Fortune for my gifted e-arc. This book is out 05.02.23!

I had enjoyed this author's first novel so I was looking forward to her latest, but this one felt a little disjointed and unfinished.

22-year-old Fern and Will meet in Toronto and spend an unforgettable 24 hours together. They make a pact to meet in exactly one year at Fern’s families lakeside resort called Brookside.
Will never showed up.

Ten years later, Fern is an accomplished business owner when she receives the news that her mother passed away. Fern returns to Brookside to take over the family business when she runs into Will. Unbeknownst to Fern, A year prior Ferns's mother hired Will to help with Brookside.
Will Fern find out why she was stood up 10 years ago?
Will Fern and Will rekindle what they once had?

One of my reading goals for 2023 is to branch out and try new to me genres. I’ve had so many romance readers recommend Carley Fortune to me, so I thought to Meet Me At The Lake would be a great book to dip my toes into the romance genre.

As much as I enjoy a dark and emotional gut-punch read, I have to say that Meet Me at the Lake was a nice change of pace. Although this is a lighter read for me, the story did have some emotional elements and it was well-written. Fern was a very dimensional character and of course, I rooted for her and Will.

After reading Meet Me at the Lake, I will definitely have to pick up Fortune’s debut novel and I look forward to diving even more into the romance genre in the future. Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune will be available on May 2. A massive thanks to Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy!

After the book hangover that EVERY SUMMER AFTER caused, my expectations for this book were very high! But Carley Fortune has proven she's far from a one hit wonder. This book made me laugh and cry, and wish the book could have gone on forever. Especially appreciated the nuanced depiction of grief.