By Hayley Platt
Every Summer After is Canadian author Carley Fortune’s debut novel, which was published May 10, 2022. This love story, told through six summers in the past and one eventful weekend in the present, takes readers to the heart of summers in a small Ontario cottage town, an experience many will easily connect with.
Persephone “Percy” Fraser is 13 when her parents surprise her by purchasing a summer property in Barry’s Bay and let her know that is where they will be spending their summers moving forward. Her first day there she heads down to the dock and meets the teen brothers next door, Charlie and Sam Florek, who are year-round residents in the sleepy town
Everyone should pick up a debut Canadian novel this season, and Every Summer After is the perfect choice.
The setting of this book is extremely relatable for central Ontario cottagers. Percy’s family lives in Toronto, so Fortune was able to write from the familiar perspective of a teen who is headed to the cottage for the summer. There are many small towns in Ontario whose populations multiply in the summer months, and the experiences of both the summer-only and the year-round residents is spot on. Jumping off the dock, driving into town, and saying goodbye for ten months at a time perfectly wrap up the feeling of summer at a cottage.
In her later teen years, it is fascinating to see Percy realize that she knows Sam’s summer self really well but knows less about who he is the other ten months of the year. There is something really special about youthful summer friendships, and Sam and Percy’s builds in an attention-grabbing fashion that keeps readers glued to their books as the story progresses.
This romance is unique in that the reader gets to see the development of Percy and Sam’s relationship in both their teen years (ages 13–18) as well as the intricacies of an adult relationship in the present day sections. The long term effects of decisions they make when they are teenagers are investigated and grappled with in their adult lives. Watching the relationship build in this way draws the reader into the heart of the story and keeps them rooting for the happily ever after that we all know and love.
Fortune has beautifully captured the summer magic that ties people together and can continue to exist many years down the road.
This book is recommended for people looking for a delightful summer read, especially those wanting to experience hitting the highway on Friday after work for a weekend on the dock. It is the perfect summer read.
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy of Every Summer After in exchange for an honest review.