When Fern was in her early 20s she spent a magical 24 hours with a mural artist named Will in Toronto. The connection was undeniable but since the timing was wrong, they made a pact to meet up one year later. Fern showed up and Will did not… In the present, Fern is now 32 and her life is not what she imagined it to be- she is single, is back home running her mother’s lakeside resort and her ex boyfriend is the manager. However, everything changes when Will shows up, 9 years too late, and has plans to stay in the cabin across from her for the next month.

Carley has way of transporting you with her words and keeping you engaged. She creates characters you can easily connect with and want to route for. I will say that I feel like this plot has been done before (most recently in Before I Do), and it is not one of my favorites as I find it hard to buy into the premise of falling in love after only one day. This made the flashback chapters not my favorite. However, the chapters in the present day totally made up for what I didn’t love in the past, and I was all in for the “second chance” romance between Fern and Will. Similar to Every Summer After, this book dealt with the theme of grief as Fern was grappling with the loss of her mother. I loved how we got snippets of her mother’s perspective through journal entries, and the support Peter, a fatherly figure, provided as Fern figured out her mother's story/ what she wanted to do with the land.

Read if you like:
-Canadian lake setting
-Dual timelines
-Themes of grief
-Found family
-Complicated mother/daughter relationships
-Soulmates

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC! Pub date 5/2/23

This book was so deeply sad and sweet! I loved Fern and Will so much. I loved them at 22 and 32! I also think the author wrote about Fern’s mothers death in such a touching way.

Carley fortune seems to be a magic machine. Because I can’t explain this. After reading her debut for which I already happens to have very expectations not only she dared to exceeded them but with this one she blew my mind. I loved every single thing about it. But more than that I loved how angsty it was with all the push and pull. Also, that epilogue was plain love!!

This open door second chance romance will delight those who loved Fortune's debut, for many of the same reasons: compelling main characters, understandable but overcome-able baggage, interesting Canadian locales that hold appeal for this American reader.

Fern + Will

Ten years ago - while working in a coffee shop in Toronto - Fern met Will.
They spent amazing 24 hours together and told each other everything and so much more and not enough. He left the next day, but they made a pact to meet again one year later at her family's resort.
But Will never showed. And life went on.
Fern was always supposed to take over the resort, but she wanted to live an independant life in the big city. Which she does.
But now she's back home. Her mom died six weeks ago and she has to run the resort now. And business is not very good. That's why her mom hired this guy to help.
And that guy - you guessed it - is Will.
Here. At Fern's resort. Nine years too late.

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ...

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO FERN + WILL?
WILL WE GET A HAPPILY EVER AFTER?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT 😁

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Adorable!

Such a sweet and heartbreaking love story.
I usually hate books that go back in time a lot. But we needed to see how they met and what they did in those 24 hours. And we also get a few pages of Fern's mom's diary.
This was a really adorable book. I loved the locations so much. First the big city - Toronto - and how Fern and Will pack in a lot of touristy stuff in that one day and basically fall in love in such a short time.
And then the family lake resort. So beautiful and calm but also so very stressful. Suddenly Fern is responsible for everything and she's not even sure if she's staying.
And then there's Will. Why didn't he come nine years ago? What happened in his life? He still seems to have some secrets and mysteries about him.
I just loved reading this. I might have shed some tears here and there.
Beautiful and very touching love story.

And now I want to watch this as a kind of danceless Dirty Dancing resort movie!
GIMMEE!!

MEET ME AT THE LAKE was such a sweet and adorable kinda second-chance love story. Full of home and friends and love and fun and lake and summer and hope and heartbreak .... just full of everything a great book needs! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Will - he'll be sold out in no time!

First things first - I think this might be up there as one of my favourite covers ever. What a stunner.

I always get nervous for an author’s second book- especially when their first is as huge as Every Summer After was. I am happy to report - this one lives up to all of the hopes and expectations I had for her next book.

There are a couple similarities - lake setting, themes of grief, dual timelines - but this truly is its own beautiful story.

One of the things that is similar for me though is the feeling of how it left me when I finished. The same feeling I had after Every Summer After - the feeling that when you finish it you feel like you read something truly special. I can’t stop thinking about this book.

Fern and Will spend a day together 10 years ago - you get little snippets of this day throughout the book. I loved how the details of this day were revealed slowly. You also get a present version of Fern and Will - and with the dual timelines you get to see how they became their present selves.

The secondary characters are perfection. Peter is my true hero in this book. LOVE HIM. I also have very high hopes for a Jamie and Annabel book …pleeeease Carley?

Once again, the author transports you to feel like you are IN both of the settings of the book. I can picture every single aspect of Brookbanks Lake Resort in Muskoka and I also loved the Toronto setting.

Honestly - I could go on, but I’ll sum it up with - this book is another gem and we are so lucky that Carley Fortune keeps giving us these gifts!

I can’t thank Berkley enough for the #gifted ebook. Clear your calendars for May 2nd so you can read this one asap!

Meet Me at the Lake is a contemporary second chance romance. I loved the relatable lead character Fern Brookbanks who at 32 is having to reevaluate her life following the death of her mother. Fern has spent much of her adult life knowing what she didn't want and following a bad breakup several years ago has been stuck in a rut. Forced to go back to the resort where she grew up, she must face all sorts of things from her past, including her past crush Will Baxter. In their early 20s, Fern and Will spent a magical 24-hours together before parting ways and promising to meet up the following year at Fern's family resort. Fern showed up, Will didn't. But now Will is here at the resort, having somehow met and promised Fern's mother he would help revitalize the struggling business. As the two work closely together they are both forced to recognize the people they have become, the ideals that have been shed, and the desire that still inexplicitly exists between them. No that they're at the lake, can they put the past behind them?

A solid follow-up from Carley Fortune after her explosive debut novel, Every Summer After. I struggled a little with the idea of being hung up on someone you only spent 24 hours with, but there are those magical moments in life and whose to say if you happened back across a "almost" moment down the road things can't change? I thought Fern was a strong lead experiencing so many real emotions and having to reevaluate her life in her early 30s and be willing to make big changes. I definitely struggled more with Will, readers don't get inside his head as much and the truth behind who he is really trickles out slowly. The writing style by Fortune continues to be fantastic and will suck you in and keep you reading. I will definitely be recommending this book although I don't know that it will stick with me in the same way as Every Summer After.

First off, a HUGE thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for giving me access to this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After Fern's mother passed away suddenly, she finds herself running her family's resort in Muskoka that she never wanted to be responsible for. To make things better, her ex is now working as the general manager, and she sees memories of her mom everywhere. Imagine Fern's surprise when Will, a friend who she spent a life-changing day with in the past, shows up at the resort saying her mother had hired him as a consultant to bring the resort back to life. Fern is stuck making some big decisions over the summer that will decide the path of the rest of her life.

I truly loved this story. In the tradition of Every Summer After, the chapters alternate between the past and present. This story is very Canadian - there's frequent very specific Toronto imagery which some might find cheesy, but I really enjoyed it - I was able to picture Fern's city. I haven't read a lot of romance over the past few months but the themes in this story really drew me in, as well as the ages and life stage of the characters. I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a few moments in this story that really stood out to me and I think I will remember this book for a long time. would highly recommend picking this up when it hits the shelves on May 2!

CARLEY FORTUNE I WORSHIP AT YOUR ALTAR.

This didnt't quite reach the heights of Every Summer After, but considering that I stayed up 2 hours past my bedtime sobbing to finish that one, it was a hard act to follow.

The main thing I love about her books is the accurate Canadian culture (lol) and specifically lake country. I lived in Toronto when I was a young adult too, and I really loved reading Fern's experiences here and it felt so accurate. And then the scenes up in Huntsville were wonderful and so atmospheric.

The moment we jumped back to the first 10 year flashback I knew this book was my specific type of crack, a la People We Meet on Vacation, and UGHHHHH YES IT JUST HAD ME GOIN.

To say I had high expectations for this book would be a gross understatement. Every Summer After moved me in so many ways that I was almost positive there would be no way a second book by Carley Fortune could come close to it. While I tried to convince myself of that in the beginning of Meet Me At The Lake, Carley absolutely proved me wrong in the end, leaving me a blubbering, sobbing mess.

Not only is the title of this book the story of my current life, Fern, her past and a lot of her present really hit close to home for me. Small town, family owned resort, expectations and a wild streak all really resonated with me. I adored the pacing of this second chance romance (if you can even call it that?), I loved the flashback glimpses of how Fern and Will met and spent one incredible day together and how that plays out in their current life. I will say that there were definitely some similarities and parallels to Every Summer After, but please give this book the chance, it won’t disappoint.

Carley Fortune has this way with words that totally transports you into her books and her characters lives. You feel like you know them, want to be their best friend and want to know everything that happens in their lives. You can’t help but fall in love. Bravo, Carley, for your sophomore book being just as incredible as your debut. I can’t wait to see what else you come up with for us.

To say I had high expectations for this book would be a gross understatement. Every Summer After moved me in so many ways that I was almost positive there would be no way a second book by Carley Fortune could come close to it. While I tried to convince myself of that in the beginning of Meet Me At The Lake, Carley absolutely proved me wrong in the end, leaving me a blubbering, sobbing mess.

Not only is the title of this book the story of my current life, Fern, her past and a lot of her present really hit close to home for me. Small town, family owned resort, expectations and a wild streak all really resonated with me. I adored the pacing of this second chance romance (if you can even call it that?), I loved the flashback glimpses of how Fern and Will met and spent one incredible day together and how that plays out in their current life. I will say that there were definitely some similarities and parallels to Every Summer After, but please give this book the chance, it won’t disappoint.

Carley Fortune has this way with words that totally transports you into her books and her characters lives. You feel like you know them, want to be their best friend and want to know everything that happens in their lives. You can’t help but fall in love. Bravo, Carley, for your sophomore book being just as incredible as your debut. I can’t wait to see what else you come up with for us.

I hate to say this, especially after absolutely LOVING the author's debut, Every summer after (it was one of my favorite reads of 2022!), but this second book just didn't have quite the same magic for me as the first did.

What I did love:
-The complicated mother/daughter relationship with tons of Gilmore Girls vibes
-The Canadian setting (Toronto & Muskoka)
-The found family/friendships and resort life (plus lots of Dirty Dancing vibes)
-The flashbacks
-The EXCELLENT mental health rep (Post-partum OCD, depression, anxiety, insomnia & therapy)

What I didn't love so much:
-This was a very low steam, closed door romance
-It was only single POV
-There was a lot of miscommunication that really drove me nuts
-Parts were a tad predictable

All that said, the author included a beautiful note at the end of the book explaining how she struggled with writing this one and her own experiences with postpartum OCD and depression. You can really tell she worked so hard on making this an authentic, relatable read (I just wanted a tad more romance).

Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 rounded up

I recently read Every Summer After and I couldn't put it down. I gave that one five stars but I will have to go with four stars on this one for one reason: I wanted to know more about her mom and Peter. I felt like this one wasn't as messy as the first one but very much the same formula. Life is chaotic and that's a bonus for me. I want to read about how much of a wreck someone's love life is and the drama-filled relationships surrounding it, add a little sexy time and that is the perfect romance novel for me. Carley Fortune does that. I am not a huge romance but I will continue to read anything she writes because her first two novels were great.

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn't.

At thirty-two, Fern's life doesn't look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern's back home, running her mother's Muskoka lakeside resort--something she vowed never to do.

She needs a plan--a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern's going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit-wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern's not sure she wants to know what it is.

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?

Let me preface this review by saying that I absolutely loved EVERY SUMMER AFTER. It was one of my top romances I read in 2022. I was expecting only the best from MEET ME AT THE LAKE, but honestly it did not compare to EVERY SUMMER AFTER. The writing style and trope was the exact same, and I was excited for a storyline just as good, but I think that is where this book fell flat. The pacing of the story was off, and I was unmotivated to keep reading. I had to keep picking this book up in hope it would get better, and then putting it down because it didn't. While this is still a fun romance, it's just not as stellar as EVERY SUMMER AFTER.

This book was so lovely. It went in a different direction from what I was expecting but once I got about a quarter in I absolutely inhaled it. The mother and daughter relationship gave me the vibe of an alternate universe of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore!

Pure summer escapism.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own

I admittedly have difficulty with the second chance romance trope. An author must really sell me on a couple’s connection in the past for me to jump on board with them still having feelings for each other years later.

In Meet Me at The Lake our characters meet and spend one day together before parting ways and ultimately crossing paths 10 years later. That’s a hard sell for me and unfortunately MMATL missed the mark. I have a very difficult time believing that after spending one single solitary day with a person – and then having no contact afterward – that people can still have feelings (or whatever you call them) for that person a decade later.

I didn’t really feel a lot of chemistry between Fern and Will. I had a difficult time seeing their connection was deeper than just physical level attraction. Present-day Will hardly shared anything of himself with Fern. I kept wondering if they were actually interested in each other as their present-day selves, or just still infatuated with the person they met a decade ago. Or even, were they only in love with the idea of the person?

While I do enjoy the author’s writing style, there were certain parts of the story where I wanted to be there with the characters, as opposed to just being told what happened. Particularly a big part at the end. Overall it felt like there was too much telling and not enough showing.

Okay, let’s talk about some of the things I did like!

I really liked seeing glimpses of Fern’s relationship with Peter. I only wished he were in the story more! He seemed to be such an integral person in her childhood and young adulthood, but he didn’t seem to have as big a presence in her present day as I would have thought.

The setting sounded beautiful! I love the idea of a remote resort in the country and cabin life, and this definitely made me want to plan an escape from the city.

Fern has the universal, but not much talked about, struggle of not knowing what you want to do with your life. When you’re confronted with two very different paths to go down, it can be difficult to know which one to take. I really related to that.

Overall, while this one didn’t hit it out of the park for me, I haven’t been deterred from reading more from Carley Fortune. I’m looking forward to reading whatever she puts out next.

After reading Carley Fortune debut novel, "The Summer After", I just knew that was going to be an author I wanted to read more of and whatever she decides to do next. Meet Me at the Lake was similar to her first book, but this one held its own. I love the characters she creates and the world they live in. It all seems very real as if I'm catching up with an old friend.

10 years ago Fern and Will met in Toronto and spent 24 life-altering hours together. They promised to meet at her family’s resort in exactly one year, but Will never showed up. He never even contacted her to tell her why. Crushed, Fern is determined to move on but she never truly gets over Will.

After her mother’s sudden and tragic death, Fern returns home to take over the resort, where she checks in a surprising guest: Will. With both of them staying for the summer in adjoining cabins, they reconnect- their bond and their chemistry as strong as ever.

But Will is still keeping secrets about why he stood her up a decade ago, and despite her growing feelings for him, Fern's heart is still guarded from the hurt he caused those many years ago.

The story skips back and forth in time- a narration device Fortune wields skillfully, revealing plotlines and developing the characters slowly and satisfyingly.

This contemporary romance is an immersive second chance love story that will transport readers with its dual evocative settings of stunning rural Ontario and thrilling Toronto.

Beautiful story about a mother daughter bond. Really made me picture Dirty Dancing before it was even mentioned. Great setting, appreciate the loyalty and the instant connection. Not sure if I like the depiction of a brother feeling guilted into playing father, but I know it happens.

If you have read Fortune's Every Summer After, you'll know exactly how this story will unfold. The tone of the book, as well as the characters themselves, felt very similar to me, although I found there was much more angst in Meet Me at the Lake. So.Much.Angst. I found myself taking many breaks instead of reading straight through so I could keep my frustration level low. I wanted to shake both Fern & Will and tell them to just sit down and TALK to each other! No assumptions, no second-guessing of the other's intentions - ask the questions & listen to the answers. I'm happy with where everyone ended up but it was a painful journey to get there.