Will and Fern spent a magical day together years ago but when they agreed to meet up again Will didn't show. Now after Fern's mom has past Will has shown up again and Fern has so many questions and wants answers ASAP!

I didn’t really understand how she still loved will after all these years and had only known him for one day at the time. That part of the book just didn’t click with my mind and kept pulling me out of the story. I loved the writing and the alternating between last and present and I truly enjoyed how they came together in the present. I just wish the past had been a little different! Looking forward to anything Carly writes!

I haven’t read Carley Fortune’s first book, Every Summer After, but I saw all the rave reviews for it here on Instagram, so when her second book was published, I was excited to get the chance to read/listen to it.
• I’m completely captivated by a second-chance romance, especially when combined with the intriguing concept of the right person/wrong time and a dual timeline with a picturesque setting of a summer lake and I’m totally hooked!
• I’m not particularly fond of insta-love or emotional cheating, so it’s worth mentioning that these elements are present in the story, so you may want to pass if that’s not your cup of tea.
• A decade ago, Fern and Will had an unexpected encounter in Toronto that unfolded into an unforgettable day of adventure. They shared an extraordinary chemistry and an immediate bond, sharing things with each other that they never shared with anyone else before! However, circumstances prevented them from being together, leading to an agreement to have no further contact but to reunite after one year.
• Fern eagerly waited on the dock for the promised reunion, but Will never showed up….Fast forward ten years and Fern’s world is turned upside down when her mother passes away unexpectedly, leaving her in charge of the lakeside resort. A consultant was hired to save the resort and to Fern’s surprise, it turns out the consultant is none other than Will, the man she shared that magical day with a decade ago!
• Now that Will has reentered Fern’s life, the question is: Are they destined to be soulmates, or is it too late?
• Overall, I found this story to be an enjoyable read, particularly due to the well-developed supporting characters. Once I overcame a few initial obstacles, I was fully immersed and if those particular elements don’t bother you, chances are you’ll love it too!
• If you’re a fan of second--chance romance, self-discovery, small-town romance, friends to lovers, dual timelines and the idyllic charm of lakeside living, this is definitely a book you should consider reading.
• AJ Bridel (@ajbridel) and Carley delivered outstanding performances as narrators of the story. Their narration skills were top-notch and their pacing was precisely on point, aligning flawlessly with the tone and rhythm of the storyline. This resulted in a smooth and immersive listening experience.

Carley Fortune has done it again with a heartfelt romance that beautifully pulls together heavier topics with a love story that will capture your heart. As a Canadian reader, I loved the references to various places in Toronto, and as someone who values time up north, I loved the setting in the Muskokas and the way it contrasted with city life for Fern. And can we talk about Will for a moment, because the representation of his postpartum anxiety was done so so well. Not only that, but the way he shows up for the people he loves is something that made him a romantic interest to root for from beginning to end.

Solid summer read - I’d give it 3.5 stars!

Read this for book club in the middle of Throne of Glass, and I’ll admit it was a nice mental break from the heavy fantasy - I read it in one day.

I loveeeed the setting and was looking up Toronto and lake houses by the end of the book, fantasizing about summers on the lake. However, I was really bothered by Will’s character and thought certain moments of their relationship were really highly unlikely. All in all, I’d say it was good, but not great.

Carley Fortune has done it again... I adored this book just as much as I adored Every Summer After. 4 stars rounded up to 4.5.

(3.5 stars)

Fern and Will have one fantastic day in Toronto together. They connect on a level that they never have before with anyone else. They both find themselves caught between what they should do w their lives and what they genuinely want to do. They make tentative one-year plans and agree to meet each other in a year at the lake at Fern's family resort to holding each other accountable. The problem? Will never shows. 10 years later, Will shows up at Fern's family resort, allegedly there to help with the resort finances. Fern's mother has just recently passed and she's still stuck between working at the resort as her mother always wanted her to, and following the future Fern always planned. When these two are reunited, they're reminded of that amazing connection from a decade before, however, it's been years, and neither of them is the same person they were so long ago. Like Fortune's debut novel, Every Summer After, this novel bounces between past and present chapters, following the start of Will and Fern's connection, and the aftermath of 10 years growing separately.

There's a lot I loved about Every Summer After. I loved Fortune's writing. I loved the way she built out her characters with so much depth and heart and their interactions were so engaging. The same is true here. I think that the writing is well done. The chemistry between Will and Fern is clear. The problem for me was the general plot itself. I find it really hard to be convinced that one day is enough to keep these two yearning for each other for a decade. Additionally!!! I was willing to overlook the cheating in Every Summer After because of the way it's set up and the resolution of it all at the end. But here, I guess I was supposed to be into some emotional cheating? idk I found it hard to deal w. I think the bright spot in this story is the characters. On their own, I found them well-developed. True to Every Summer After's legacy, Fortune can push the boundaries of romance as a genre and introduce a million different relational dynamics outside the one between the main couple. Fern's relationship with her mother, Peter, and even Jamie is explored with a lot of heart and depth. Will's relationship with his sister and the sense of duty he feels for family comes through in everything he does.

The problem was that Will started to suck. A lot. And just like Every Summer After, Fortune builds up the past and present for so long that the ending and reveal are rushed through. I can tell that she tried to take more time in this novel for the resolution at the end with an explicit scene of Fern and Will discussing logistics of what their future looks like, but god damn, Fern really had to BEG for him to apologize for treating her like shit? And he doesn't even explain himself, his sister has to do it for him. And then I'm supposed to be falling all over him? I loved Will for so much of this book, and I thought his secretive nature would be resolved by realizing he would have to be open and vulnerable, but no. no no no, Fern has to do the heavy lifting in the end. Honestly, I started this book with an aversion to Fern and liked her so much by the end that I wanted her to leave Will in the dust. She did some serious growth and Will just... was there..... idk.

Sucks. Because. I love Fortune's writing but it's also clear from this novel she tried to follow the mold of Every Summer After with a slightly different dynamic and it fell flat. The structure and pacing of Every Summer After were what worked so well to build out the tension and all the relationships of the book. That same structure doesn't work with every story and this was evidence of that.

Despite that, I enjoyed a lot of this book, probably about 75% percent of it and I can't discount that I don't think. So maybe a solid 3/3.5 stars. I hope whatever Fortune has planned next pushes her to try a new structure and format. She clearly has a great talent for characters and their relationship development, not just romantic ones. I hope she has something else in store that recaptures the magic of Every Summer After without explicitly following it to the T.

Carley Fortune had a challenge ahead of her following up "Every Summer After" -- but I really enjoyed this! I love the lake settings of Fortune's books, and she writes emotion so vividly, I find myself leaving Post-It note flags all over her books. It helps that I love a second-chance romance, so this book plays directly into my interests!

Loved this one, but I just didn’t feel it was near as good as Fortune’s debut. While I was engaged in the story, I sort of fell off towards the last 50 pages until the third act break up, which had me wondering how Will and Fern would make it work. I did feel frustrated by the break up, though. But inevitably I liked how both Fern and Will helped the other really find themselves and at different points in their life. I love how Fortune writes second chance romance so authentically and healthily. She has such big YA crossover appeal and makes both my teenage (or in this case, college) and 30’s heart feel all the feels.

I am kind of disappointed in this book because I loved her debut book SO much, but the cheating and the female MC just drive me insane. This story did have a great plot and I was ready to feel all the emotions but I cringed a few times and I just could not accept some parts of the book. I still would recommend this author and I am excited about her future books like Every Summer After, but this book was just not it for me.

While MEET ME AT THE LAKE is a romance, it’s also so much more — and I really enjoyed it!

It’s been ten years, but Fern Brookbanks can’t get Will Baxter out of her head. They spent a whirlwind twenty-four hours together and made a pact to meet a year later. But will never showed up.

I typically do not enjoy romances that fall under the “insta-love” trope because I have a difficult time believing in the love story. However, I actually found Fern and Will’s connection palpable. Would I have preferred that they spent more than a day together? Sure. But I guess who’s to say you can’t be hung up on someone ten years later after spending a magical day together?!

Carley Fortune has done it again!! I got all the feels with this book. The connection between Fern and Will both in the present day and 10 years before is so immediate and clear. I love the journey the Fern is on to finding who she is as an adult and without her mother and trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. And the way the relationship with Will unfold throughout the story, with the things that are said and unsaid, and the reason why he never showed. I would honestly read this book again right now.

This book threw me off a bit. I didn't realise how heavy it would be at times. Maybe heavier for me as I can strongly resonate with the loss of a mother.

Fern as a character was complex - sometimes to the point of frustration for me.

I also didn't quite understand the hold that one encounter 10 years ago had on these two. I just can't picture myself still pining for someone I spent 24 hours with 10 years ago - or even remembering all these minute details about them. Like when Will remembered something really specific about Fern - maybe how she has her tea or coffee? Firstly - I wouldn't remember that about someone after knowing them one day and not seeing them for a decade. And secondly - he was so confident about it. Like it's been a decade - she could have changed hugely.

That was my main gripe. Overall the book was really interesting and I enjoyed it. I just found it hard to fully immerse myself in the characters connection.

When Fern leaves her home for university in Toronto, her mother, Maggie’s expectations are that Fern will return home to help manage the family’s rustic lake resort. Fern meets Will on one of her last days working in Toronto, and what is expected of her becomes background noise as she decides to stay in Toronto. After Maggie’s sudden death, Fern returns home and is shocked at the appearance of Will, 10 years after he basically ghosted her. I enjoyed the theme of life never turning out how you would expect it to, as well as the story line and characters. There are also support characters who provide an added dimension to the story. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed listening to this lakeside love story and I thought the narrator did a great job bringing these characters to life. It didn't pull me in like Ever Summer After, but it's still a solid romance that you'll want to listen to all at once.

I really loved this book! Fern and Will's story was really sweet! I've loved both books that Carley Fortune has written, and I will absolutely be buying anything else she writes 😍 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sometimes life works in mysterious ways. Maybe you’ve spent your entire adult life trying to get out of your hometown, only to end up right back where you started. Or maybe you meet someone special and lose touch, only to reconnect with them many years later. Both of these statements are true for Fern Brookbanks, the protagonist in Carley Fortune’s sophomore novel, “Meet Me at the Lake.”

Fern spent a magical 24 hours with Will Baxter in her early twenties, traveling around Toronto and sharing secrets, and was left heartbroken after they promised to meet again in a year and he never showed up. Now, a decade later, Fern is back home and running her family’s lakeside resort — the one thing she’s spent her life trying to escape — and when she’s looking to rebrand, unbeknownst to her, Will is the one brought on to consult. Told in dual timelines, the book follows Fern as she comes to terms with her mother’s death and falls for Will once again.

At the time of writing, “Meet Me at the Lake” sits at #10 on the New York Times bestseller list, and it’s easy to see why. The lakeside resort setting is straight out of “Dirty Dancing” — and the characters all know it, considering that some of them refer to Fern as “Baby.” The chemistry between Fern and Will is electric, and the dual timelines add a satisfying tension to everything that happens in the present. It has both of these aspects in common with Fortune’s debut novel, “Every Summer After,” which is a bestseller as well. I’ve coined the term “lake read” to describe both of Fortune’s works: It’s like a beach read in that it’s perfect for vacation, but also somehow captures the more mellow, secluded vibe of being up north. As someone who spent every summer at my family’s cottage, you’ll just have to trust me on this.


“Meet Me at the Lake” is of course a romance novel, but one of Fortune’s strengths is the relationships that Will and Fern have with other characters, and how those relationships inform their own development as people and partners. The manager of the resort is Fern’s ex-boyfriend, Jamie, and they make a good team despite their history. Will lives with his sister Annabel and niece Sofia; he tells Fern that the priority he gives to taking care of his family has been a strain for past girlfriends (I see it as a massive green flag, but to each their own).

Perhaps the most important relationship is that between Fern and her mother, Maggie. Though she is rarely physically present in the book, Maggie is still personified through her journal entries, which act as interludes to some of the chapters. The journals give insight not just into Maggie as a character, but also let us see Fern’s relationship with her mother at different points, both as a younger girl who wants to make her own way, and later as a woman who is reevaluating her life after losing her family. These choices add several layers to the story and are a great way to characterize a romantic lead that isn’t simply given “mommy issues” for extra drama. I only wish that it took less than a hundred pages before these entries start appearing regularly.

In terms of the romance, Fern and Will get off to a rocky start after reuniting, but their walls come down easily. As a fan of the “second chance romance,” I knew I was in for a good time before I even cracked open the cover. Fern is afraid to let herself really fall for Will at first, and understandably so — what if she gets her heart broken a second time? It’s the age-old question with this beloved trope. But Will understands Fern on a deeper level. He’s there for her as she processes her grief and encourages her to take control of her future, however she wants it to look. He certainly makes up for not showing up at the lake all those years ago.

Daily Arts Writer Hannah Carapellotti can be reached at hmcarp@umich.edu.

4/5 stars. Every Summer After was a 5 star read for me Meet Me At the Lake wasn't the same. It was good and I had a really fun time reading it, but it wasn't amazing and it definitely didn't make me tear up like I did for Every Summer After.

The good: It felt like I was watching a Lifetime movie and sometimes you just need a bingeable romance novel (or Lifetime movie) to fall into. This was just that.

The not so great: How does Fern stay "in love" with Will for 10 years? It just seemed very "insta love" and I found myself having a hard time connecting to both of them separately and as a couple. I think Fern could've done better than Will but the ending redeemed his character a little bit.

Overall, this was a quick and somewhat light romance read.

I really enjoyed the author's debut book and props to her for once again making my heart fill with such emotion while reading this.
Our main character Fern Brookbanks has met Wil Baxter ten years ago when he was hired to do some painting at her coffee shop. She is convinced he is her soul mate after spending just 24 hours with him and not seeing again for ten years. A chance meeting at her mother's lodge has him checking in there to do some work for her mother. Fern is shocked to see him there and the past ten years she has spent entirely too many hours dreaming about him. The author has my emotions ever changing in this one. At first I was mad at Wil and going away all those years ago with no explanation. As we find out slowly, Wil's backstory he does have a reason but I still think he should have told her at the time.
I think we all love second chance romances. They both have a lot of baggage they're carrying; her mother has recently passed, and she is trying to run the lodge living up to her mother's high standards. He also has had a lot of family complications and obligations he's trying to fulfill. The summer is young, the lake is cool, and this heartbreaking emotional book may be just what you need for your next lakeside read.

Pub Date 02 May 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

After last year's book, "Every Summer After", I could not wait to read "Meet Me at the Lake". It did not disappoint. What an entertaining read- perfect for summer. Be sure to add it to your beach bag!!
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this great story!