My first read of 2023 and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would! I adored the story,loved the characters, and I definitely bawled my eyes out in the epilogue. Every Summer After was my favorite new release of 2022 and I have no doubt that Meet Me at the Lake is already in the running for 2023!

What I liked:
•Second chance romance
•Dual timeline
•The banter between our two main characters, Will and Fern, is UNMATCHED
•SO much angst in all the best ways possible
•All of the Dirty Dancing references made my heart swell
•The bits and pieces we get of Fern’s mom, Maggie, and her mom’s best friend, Peter, really completed the story for me! (I would LOVE a prequel of the two of them)
•Representation of it being okay to want different things and to outgrow your old paths and forge new ones
•Fern’s journey with her mom made me feel every emotion possible
•Will and Fern in general…they really had me kicking my feet 24/7

Typos so found:
•Page 558 of 623 - “I’m going give you some advice…”
There should be a “to” after “going” and before “give”

Enjoyable story, written well, with good twists and turns taking us to the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

MEET ME BY THE LAKE is Carley Fortune's newest second-chance romance masterpiece, and I was so lucky and grateful to be able to read this before its release. I read her debut EVERY SUMMER AFTER in early 2022, and could not put it down. This book lived up to its predecessor and went even beyond, this story was absolutely a knock-out. Fortune's writing was already stellar, but it has improved even more from her debut. This was such a heartfelt story that had the swoony but also the emotional moments which had it glued to my hand the entire time I was reading. This is absolutely a must-read book for 2023 and I cannot wait to see what Carley Fortune writes next!

Fortune wants the reader to feel invested in Will and Fern's love story but it is unearned. The chemistry found in "Every Summer After" is missing here, as well as the rich setting. It is particularly disappointing that the setting is not utilized more because the resort could have been a much better backdrop for the story. This story has hints of "An Affair to Remember" and "The Notebook" but falls short by comparison.

Carley Fortune is a goddess sent to deliver us all the romantic, nostalgic, life-affirming-yet-nuanced stories about becoming ourselves, about chance encounters setting new life courses, and about the true meaning of home. As a Toronto native particularly, I loved that so much of this story was set in (and celebrated) the city that shaped me.

Fans of Every Summer After will not be disappointed by Meet Me At the Lake, but the novel delivers where so many sophomore novels do not— it also stands on its own!

Meet Me At the Lake, you say? You bet, Carley, I’m there!!!

I recently finished reading "Meet Me at the Lake" and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the writing and the depth of the characters. Carley Fortune writes beautiful, romantic, and human stories!
One of the things I loved most about this book was the way the author captured the complexity of relationships.

Carley Fortune might be one of my favorite authors. Her writing has a way to suck you in and keep turning pages. Fern and Will’s love story hit me with all the feels. The angst, the 10 years, the reunion, the secrets, and the love! The love! Sometimes you meet your soulmate and the timing isn’t right but when the universe brings you together it’s like magic. I also loved Fern’s journey as she moves back home and deals with the feelings of changing her mind. There was just so much I could relate to.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Carley Fortune for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable and quick read, but I left feeling a little 50/50 on it. I am so sorry to say that if you are reading this, Carley! Early on, we meet our protagonist Fern, and our love interest, Will. They meet in their early twenties, both involved in unfulfilling relationships, and spend the day together with the promise that they will meet up a year later at her mother’s lakeside resort. Sadly, it does not happen…WHY WHY WHY!

For starters, I really enjoyed Will and Fern’s one day adventure and wished for more scenes of them back then. It was flirty and fun, the conversation was flowing, I learned so much about them, and loved their instant and genuine connection. Present-day Will reminded me of Jess in Gilmore Girls when he had a confrontation with Rory after not seeing her for a long while and says, “I know you. I know you better than anyone! This isn’t you!” When Will + Fern see each other again 10 YEARS LATER, Will is mysterious, gives short answers, and acts like he knows her so well. Um, sorry no! Meanwhile, Fern has built him up in her head over the years stating, “This Will Baxter is so different from my Will Baxter.” I mean...

The lakeside resort setting, the people working and living there, all the Peter + Fern scenes, and Maggie’s journal entries really was the heart of this novel. I love that the present-day storyline takes place there. Give me more of that! When I read, “I’ll love her enough for ten dads. And I tell her stories about all the people who will make up her big, wonderful family here.” TEARS! I NEED MORE MAGGIE, PETER, and MAGGIE + FERN SCENES. Ultimately, a lot is revealed at the end of the novel. If more information and things were revealed earlier, I think I would have rooted for Will and Fern more. Nevertheless, this book will leave you with smiles and happy feelings and this one will be a great summer/beach read next year in 2023!

I feel extremely lucky to have received an ARC of Meet Me at the Lake. Every Summer After was my absolute favorite book of 2022 and I had the highest hopes for Carley's second novel and couldn't wait to read it. This book did not disappoint. No one does second-chance romance like Carley. I had tears in eyes the entire time I was reading. The past and present timelines made the story of Fern and Will even more compelling and emotional and the setting was so dazzling and glittery that it was so easy to picture. I loved the way that family was at the core of this story and once again, the issues the characters faced felt extremely relatable and realistic. I loved that we got to know other people in their lives in good detail as well. Although in the past, Will and Fern only spend a day together, their connection is so magnetic, you can see why they had such an impact on each other for years to come, which made reading the "Now" chapters that much more interesting. Carley's writing style remains my absolute favorite, it is descriptive in the best ways. Another five star read. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC!
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This didn't grab me quite as hard as Carley Fortune's debut, but was an enjoyable read nonetheless. I DID want a little more of the resort vibe, but I liked Fern and Will, the main characters here.

Take me to Canadian cottage country!

This author has become popular, so I wanted to try one of her books and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything memorable either.

This was a lovely lakeside story. I felt like I wanted to hear more about the resort and less about Will. Although we did eventually find out his motivations I felt like they were too late for me to feel connected to him.

O.M.G y'all, I loved this book. I haven't read Carley Fortune before and now I want to go back and read her debut novel as well. This book had me hooked from the beginning. I loved that they spent one perfect day together and neither one of them ever forgot it. This book actually made me cry! It ripped me apart and put me back together. Fern and Will Forever! I also loved the side characters. Everyone should read this immediately, I 100% recommend this book.

Christmas came a little early this year, it came in the form of a #berkleypub approval for my most sought after book of the year.

Drumroll please….

Meet Me At the Lake

I know, my jaw was on the floor too. After you pick yours on up, come meet me in the margins.

Meet Me At The Lake was pure magic and Carley Fortune, the magician.

I read psychological thrillers. Every now and again I want to cleanse my palette with a RomCom but never a romance, who am I? I’m a Carley Fortune fan, that’s who. If you hand me a phone book and told me Fortune wrote it, I would read it . Fortune has pushed me out of my comfort zone and has me head over heels in love with her writing style.

Carley Fortune blew us away with her debut, Every Summer After. After concluding, I never thought I would ever find a book that could ever surpass the pure feelings of love that emulated my body while reading Every Summer After, until I found Meet Me At the Lake.

After meeting Fern and Will you can’t help but root for them. The instant chemistry that develops between these two is something so rare and special you can’t help but stare on from the corner in the room. Yes, that’s what it felt like reading along with their story, I felt like I was right there witnessing it unfold right before my eyes.

The Dirty Dancing references had me plagued with nostalgia ! I was completely consumed and over the moon in love with every word that glittered across my screen . I couldn’t get enough . I’m not sure I’ll ever get over this book, or that I would ever want to .

For now, I will sit here with my thoughts and try to piece back parts of my heart …

I don’t need to tell you what to do, it goes without saying… Pre-Order the book.