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.

I have legitimately no words for this book. I am OBSESSED on another level. Carley Fortune writes legit masterpieces, I swear.

With #EverySummerAfter being a favourite, MEET ME AT THE LAKE had some serious shoes to fill…. and let me start off by saying it filled them, and filled them well. ⁣⁣
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Fern & Will could be my new favourite book couple ever and I mean that with my whole heart. A second chance romance with a dual timeline will always be my ideal type of love story and Carley writes this one masterfully. Tackling many deep topics so eloquently and with such grace and honesty, it’s impossible to not fall in love with the entire cast of characters in this book. ⁣⁣
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This love story is so intentionally written. Every phrase seemed so well thought out. I had tears in my eyes almost the whole way through. ⁣⁣
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I’m sure you’re all curious how it holds up when being compared to ESA - and let me be one of the first to assure you that it does - and does so with flying colours.

"Every Summer After" wrecked me emotionally so I kind of had high expectations going to "Meet Me at the Lake".

First of all, I love the cover. It's warm and welcoming, definitely fitting for a summer novel.

I also really enjoy how Fortune's novels take place in Ontario (slightly biased as an Ontarian myself). Makes it easier to get into the book. The Toronto-Muskoka placing felt familiar and I could place myself in the story.

Finally, I enjoyed the character development of Fern. Alot of us can relate to parental expectations, and while I was sad she didnt head down the coffee shop route, I am happy she ended up happy. I was not totally thrilled with Will's overall behavior and at times, was so annoyed by his development.

I cannot wait for Carly's next book.

Did I drop what I was doing and immediately read this book when I got approved? Yes!! This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was immediately immersed. The descriptive writing made me feel like I was there and that it was summer. There are some parallels to Every Summer After which may not resonate with everyone but it worked here. Overall this was a very solid sophomore novel and I can’t wait to read more by Carley.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was just fine in my opinion. Some of it read like it was written by someone much older than the main characters and they tried unsuccessfully to make their characters sound young. Loved the setting though.

4.5 stars!

I was so excited to dive into this one! Not going to lie, between the 20% - 50% mark I was somewhat bored with the story. But the 2nd half of the story had me fully invested! I go NUTS for a multi-generational story, so I loved that the book's second half was just that. The parallels between Fern and Will's story and Maggie and Peter's story really touched me. I am so in awe at how Carley writes female characters. Something about them always seems very honest and raw while not overly complicated. I also appreciated the discussion about Will's mental health and thought that was handled with much care. Also PRAISE GOD! A MAN FINALLY PROPOSED IN A CARLEY FORTUNE BOOK! The ending of this book felt very rewarding and left me excited to read whatever Carley puts out next!

This was my first Carely Fortune book. I have seen raving reviews for her debut so I was curious to see what the romance is all about.

Fern and Will's story was beautiful. Carley has high praise from me for a romance author.

What I loved so much about the story is the mixture of romance but also real life struggles that both Will and Fern are working through. Fern going through the grieving process and Will leaving everything for his family.

I loved seeing the growth and strength both Will and Fern had throughout this story. It makes the love so much stronger and beautiful.

The chemistry that flys off the pages between Will and Fern is rare and special. I was rooting for them since page one. The past and present chapters of Will and Fern made it that much more captivating. I was instantly hooked with Fortune's writing style. It's beautiful yet magnetic and unique.

Loved it! Carely is an author to add to your watch list friends. I will definitely be going back to read her debut and be preordering this one.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.