Every Summer After

2.5

Look, I know what you're going to say: "If you don't like standard, formulaic romance books, why are you reading Carley Fortune's debut lakeside romance?"

Fair point. But this was my bookclub read and here is my counterargument: a book doesn't have to redefine a genre to feel authentic. It just has to feel honest. Unfortunately, Every Summer After left me feeling fundamentally cold, because it relies on the exact same exhausting, predictable loop that plagues so many modern romances.

I will give credit where credit is due. The "Then" timeline captures something genuinely human. Fortune nails the terrifying, high-stakes stress of trying to hold a relationship together while going through massive, terrifying life transitions. Watching Percy and Sam navigate the messy shift from effortless childhood best friends to hormonal, insecure teenagers trying to figure out college and long-distance felt real. That ache of growing up and realizing your favorite person is suddenly a complicated stranger? That worked.

But everything else? No. Just... no.

The writing itself felt stiff and overly engineered. Like the author was trying too hard to manufacture "nostalgia" rather than letting it happen naturally. The dialogue lacks any real wit or organic banter. Instead, we get pages of overthought internal monologues that culminate in a massive, deeply toxic third-act reveal.

The Spoiler: The reason they didn't speak for twelve years is because Percy, hurt by Sam being distant during a college prep course, hooks up with Sam's brother, Charlie.

This isn't just a mistake; it's a structural bomb dropped on the narrative. And how does the book handle a decade of trauma and a literal betrayal by a sibling? By having Sam essentially say, "Oh, I actually found out about that years ago and I already forgave you. Let's get married."

It’s completely unearned. It takes a massive, deeply messy human conflict and wraps it up in a neat little bow within a few pages just to secure a Happy Ever After (HEA). If you're going to drag me through a decade of angst, give me the raw, ugly communication to match it. Don't give me instant, glossy amnesia.

,A lot of reviewers on Goodreads love this for the "nostalgic lake-house vibes," and if you just want to shut your brain off and look at a pretty setting, I get it. But if you want a second-chance romance that feels raw, unpredictable, and earned, this isn't it. It's a copy-paste formula that prioritizes a neat ending over real human psychology.