Carley Fortune can do no wrong when it comes to writing and this book is just another wonderful example of her beautiful writing that captures many of us always and forever! Loved it!

I love a story of missed connections and this one was definitely one. This book was full of romance, grief, and growth. I loved the found family aspect and accepting ones feelings. I really liked to see Fern still friends with her ex and him actually still caring for her and being her friend and supporter was lovely. The romance was cute and lovely to see play out. No cheating in this one so we love that.

This is going to be another best seller for Ms. Fortune.

The making of a great summer/beach romance novel. Young love, unrequited love, lakes and summertime.

Being a Canadian and having spent time in Muskoka it is a pleasure to read about places that I live and have visited. Can’t wait to read what is next for Ms. Fortune!

A cute, heartfelt story that kept me wanting to read more and was full of nostalgia and summer cottage vibes.

Following her mother’s tragic passing, thirty-two-year-old Fern Brookbanks has just moved home to take over her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort - something she never wanted to do. Things get even more unexpected when Will shows up at the resort, 9 years late.

10 years ago Fern and Will spent one life-changing day together where they shared their hopes and dreams and promised to meet again in one year at the lake. Except Will never showed.

I really liked this story from the plot to the writing and, while I see the points some are making about Fern and Will’s one day together (and subsequent years of pining) being unrealistic, I truly felt like these two were meant to be together from that day on.

This is a perfect read for the summer, especially if you live/visit/cottage in Muskoka! The scenery totally transported me back to visiting my grandparents there when I was growing up.

This story had the same charm as Every Summer After but the chemistry between the two main characters wasn’t quite the same for me. It has a similar theme, someone dies, main character has to return to quaint home town by a lake, ex-partner is on the scenes, the story alternates between past and present, you get the idea!

I really liked her first book so much better. Maybe the 3rd one will be better.

I wasnt fond of either main characters. Im not sure why. I've sat and thought about it but nothing is coming up. My favourite character was the chef. I wanted to spend some time with him in the kitchen and learn :)

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This one fell into the liked but didn’t love camp for me, despite how much I wanted to love it. Some parts worked much better for me than others.

I really loved the present day storyline but the perspective from 10 years ago just fell a little short for me and I felt that part of the story dragged a little. I usually enjoy a second chance romance but here I couldn’t quite feel the chemistry in the timeline 10 years ago so I found it hard to believe the day would have made such an impact on them both. I loved the character of Fern and loved finding out more about her Mum and thought those parts of the book were really special. I also appreciate that this must have been a really tough novel for the author to write after the runaway success of her debut.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I, like many romance readers, fell head over heels in love with Carley Fortune when her debut novel was published last year. Every Summer After was everything I didn’t know I needed and more (review here). It was one of those books I finished and immediately wanted to reread. So, not surprisingly, I was very, very much looking forward to reading Fortune’s sophomore novel, Meet Me at the Lake. There was a bit of worry too - would her second book live up to her first? Good news, my friends. It did. I loved everything about it.

Here’s the book’s description:
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. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend's the manager, and Fern doesn't know where to begin.
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?
There are some similarities between Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake. Both books are dual timeline. They both take place by a lake. They’re both full of emotions that pack a huge punch. And each one has a second chance storyline (though I’d say that’s a loose description of the trope in MMATL). But Fern and Will’s story is all their own and just as good - if not better - than Percy and Sam’s. YES I SAID IT. I think I might like Meet Me at the Lake more!



Did anyone else read Just One Day by Gayle Forman back in the day? Meet Me at the Lake gave me a lot of the same vibes - in the best possible way. As much as it ripped my heart out, I loved that Fern and Will spent one perfect day together. The sparks were there as was the knowledge that they could have had a great relationship if circumstances had been a little kinder. So the present day timeline, when they were thrown together again ten years later, was…*chef’s kiss* Right up my alley.

The location of this book felt really familiar to me. The present day timeline is set in Muskoka and I grew up in that area with my hometown being about an hour and a half south-ish from Huntsville, a town mentioned in the book. I could picture the landscape that would have surrounded Brookbanks and know what hot summer days can feel like up there. While I have no desire to move back up to my hometown, there was an extra layer of comfort while reading a book set in Muskoka for this small town girl.

This book is more than a romance, which I expected and appreciated. Family plays a huge part in the story (which is another slight similarity with ESA), especially the role of mothers. Fern has to come to terms with a life without her mother far sooner than she ever expected to. Her best friend is a new mother. And Will had some issues with his mother as well. Make sure you read Fortune's note at the end of the book. It adds even more to the story and I appreciated how honest and vulnerable she was sharing that story.

Meet Me at the Lake was a phenomenal sophomore novel from Carley Fortune. She’s now solidified herself as an auto-buy author and I already can’t wait to reread both this one and Every Summer After. You must read this book if you love stories with all kinds of emotions that are well-crafted and well-written that end with a realistic Happily Ever After. Trust me - you’re going to love it.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I put off reading Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune until the very last second - not picking it up until four days before autumn began. However... although this novel gives off major summer romance vibes, there is truly no wrong season to read it.

Watermelon. I was already getting Dirty Dancing vibes with this one word and, of course, with the resort setting, only to then find out the main character, Fern, has a nick-name of "Baby." This book is everything I love about that movie, but in a novel format. It's that nostalgic longing for endless summer days that I dream about for half the year.

This one is gritty. It's raw. Reading it felt like having a glimpse into Fortune's heart (and after reading the Behind The Book inclusion, I know that to be true). There was so much about motherhood between these covers, although that's not what this book is about... but it is all at the same time.

I love Fern and Will separately, but I love how they compliment each other together. They are both good people, with hard challenges and so many internal struggles on how to be "right" both to themselves and to others. They are the perfect fictional character, and each summer, I will continue to think about them like they are old friends.

This book made me cry in the epilogue. Then I cried again with the Readers Guide. This is my favourite kind of love story, in every single way.

I kept putting off reading this book literally, all summer long, but I am so happy I picked it up when I did. I love this book with all my heart. I love Will. I love Fern. And it's perfect.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Viking for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Another great read from a Canadian author! After completely loving her first book, Every Summer After, I knew I just had to read this one. Although I didn't love it as much as her debut novel, I really did enjoy it, especially the Canadian landscapes.

Absolutely loved this book, and read it by the lake so it was just perfect. I can’t say enough great things about this Canadian author! A summer must read!

Absolutely love this book! As someone who has grown up in Toronto and spent all of her summers upnorth, it was a great read on the perfect way to kick off summer!

After reading and loving Every Summer After, I have to admit I was a bit nervous to read Meet
Me at the Lake. Every Summer After was one of my favourite reads of 2022 so I was afraid that Carley Fortune’s newest book wouldn’t measure up and meet my expectations. But I should never have doubted Ms Fortune’s writing abilities. MMATL was such a beautifully written story. I was drawn in within the first few pages. I love how it takes place in Toronto (where I was born) and references Vancouver where I now live. If you are looking for a realistic second-chance romance with feel good vibes then you must read Meet me at the Lake. Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, NetGalley and Carley Fortune for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Penguin Canada and Tandem Collective for sending me a copy of Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune.

I had high hopes for this one and while it was a good read, it just wasn’t my favourite. But that’s ok, they can’t all be top picks. I found the ending to leave a little to be desired.
The setting of a Canadian cabin in the summer and themes of second chances and mental health made this a good summer choice.

Another 5 star romance read from Carly Fortune. This was a second chqnce romance spanning a decade between the Muskokas & Toronto. As a Torontonian myself I loved the Toronto vibes that were referenced- I felt right at home. The steam between the two MC was perfect. Can't wait for her next one.

This was wayyy better than the first book, which I really enjoyed too. Carley Fortune doesn't quite fall in my favourite authors and must read right now books, but I do like her so I will keep reading her. I think her books are very sweet, and you can certainly feel the connection between the two. I think I don't feel the urge to need them to be together as much as in other favourite books, which is why it's not 5 stars. It's good, but it's missing something for me.

I have read both novels from Carley Fortune and absolutely loved them. I loved them so much that I wanted them as part of my physical collection and bought both.
The story of Fern Brookbanks and Will Baxter, how they met and how 24 hours changed them. The connection and passion they both shared and they promise each other to meet again in one year.
Unfortunately, for unknown circumstances Fern is left waiting for Will and he never showed.
Ten years later they meet again at the family resort in Muskoka where their one-year reunion was supposed to be held.
Dual timeline, heart-wrenching love story, I could not put this book down.
Have tissues near you.
Highly recommend. 5 stars

The first thing that attracted me to this book was that lovely cover and title! I couldn't wait to read about a summertime romance at a Lakeside Resort. I very much enjoyed this Canadian Author's first book, Every Summer After 🇨🇦 I thought I would love this one too yet I only ended up liking it.

The premise is good. Fern and Will are the two main characters who spent only one day together in Toronto some ten years earlier. They vowed to meet up in one year at Fern's family's Lakeside Resort, but this does not happen. The story alternates from the past to the present. In the present, now ten years on from their first meeting Fern is back at the Lakeside Resort as her mother has recently passed away. She is now running it and Will shows up there. There's a connection with her mother as to why he's there. Also in-between the past and present romance Fern is reading her Mother's old diary...

This one started off good. I very much enjoyed all the places and landmarks that Will and Fern visited in Toronto. As a resident of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) this was an extra treat and really neat for me to read about. I also loved the other locale in the story, The Muskoka Region AKA Cottage Country. A perfect setting for a Summertime Romance! I couldn't help but picture a well-known resort in the area as the fictitious Brookbanks Resort. Things were looking good....but then the story started to drag for me once Will arrived at the resort. It took a longtime to find out why he had not met up with her there nine years ago and to put it bluntly I thought it was a little lame!

I didn't quite feel the chemistry with these two. I mean they met for one day and spent the whole day together and fell madly in love? Plus ten years later they are still holding onto those feelings? I guess for me it was just unrealistic and hard to imagine. There was another aspect that bothered me about when they first met that they never really talked about! I won't spoil what it was but I didn't like it.

I know it's hard to top her first book but this one missed the mark a little for me despite that great premise and setting(s.)

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for granting me access to this Advance Reader Copy.

Available from May 2, 2023 and onwards

Meet Me At the Lake was one of my most anticipated summer reads! Any lake/cottage-country setting immediately gets a bonus star in my ratings 😉

I love that Carley Fortune set this story once again in Ontario, Canada. While Toronto may be a city known to the international bookish community, Muskoka's cottage country is a rather hidden gem to those not familiar with Ontario, and Meet Me At the Lake puts Muskoka on the map! The Canadian references throughout the story give this book a homey feel.

It's a bit difficult not to compare Meet Me At the Lake with Fortune's debut, Every Summer After. The recipe is essentially the same: cottage country and second chance romance when guy from the past decides to make a surprise appearance in girl's life.

While overall I did enjoy this book, it lacked the nostalgia and "the feels" from Every Summer After. I found there to be a bit of dullness in the dual timelines, especially in the past. There was also little history or chemistry buildup between main characters, Fern and Will, to truly feel attached... now Maggie and Peter, that would be a different story! Lastly, the ending was crammed into one chapter and felt too rushed: like everything happened all at once.

I give this book 4 stars, yet perhaps 3.5 would be more appropriate. While this was still an enjoyable read, it lacked a little extra something to make me think "Ooh I love this book and will recommend it forever and ever more!".

Read if you like:
🛶 Cottage-country settings
❤ Second-chance romance
👨‍👩‍👧 Family first stories
🇨🇦 Canadian setting and references

⚠️ Potential trigger warnings: strained family relationships, infidelity (may not be an exhaustive list)

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Carley Fortune’s second novel confirms her ability to write a solid romance. Meet Me at the Lake is a second-chance love story, and like her debut, brings all the highlights of life in Ontario’s lake country. I flew through this story, and felt fully satisfied as I turned the last pages. My only complaint, I would have loved more Peter, so sweet.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I anticipate seeing this book all over the summer reading lists this year.