This Summer Will Be Different

Wow, this is was actually a really enjoyable read!

I personally have liked both of Fortune's previous works. However, I do think her second work felt a bit forced and uninspired, more focused on hitting the same tropes or plot points as her first book without the connection between the two characters ever feeling natural. Her first work, Every Summer After, was enjoyable, though at times, a little misguided in the portrayal of the characters' long-lasting love for one another, in my opinion (I don't really get why one would wait a decade for their high school sweetheart, but, maybe I'm only so much of a romantic).

This Summer Will Be Different, in my mind, is evidence that Carley Fortune has very much grown as a writer. Although this essentially has all the same ingredients as her previous works, I think she's finally found the perfect recipe for them. A love story spanning a few years, a nice beach setting, some “great” secret that the main character or side character cannot reveal until the end of the novel (which in both this novel and Fortune's last work didn't really impact the story that much and lost a bit of its significance because of that in my view). I will say, I'm not quite sure if I felt the chemistry between these two characters, as we are shown their physical relationship right off the bat. Personally, I understand why this was used as there had to be some “forbidden” element of their relationship once we found out Felix is Bridget's brother, but I think starting with a physical relationship forces the reader to accept (rather than see the development of) the charge or driving attraction between two characters. Nevertheless, I still think Fortune wrote their story well, and I was very much in love with their love by the end of the novel.

This story seemed to expand slightly at the end as there was more focus on Lucy's growth as a person in the last 50 pages or so rather than an immediate rush to couple the main love interest. Personally, I quite liked this, though I do think more could have been done to really stress how confused Lucy felt with her life much earlier in the novel if it was going to serve as a reasonable third-act conflict rather than just one conversation changing Felix's mind. I will also gladly say that Fortune has mastered a heartwarming conclusion.

My only other critiques could really be applied to all romance/rom-com/women's-fiction-esque books. So much time is spent describing how attracted Lucy is to Felix but oh-no-they-can't-be-together-because-Bridget but I would have loved more time be devoted to Lucy and Bridget's friendship so we could really understand why Lucy was so afraid of losing Bridget. The same could be said of Lucy's relationship with her aunt - there's definitely interesting exposition there due the rift between her aunt and mother, but we only really get one scene with the aunt she loved so much.

And Bridget's secret... well, I was just glad we got the reveal at some point because Bridget was driving me crazy with her insistence to hide something like moving to Australia , especially as I wasn't sure how actually interesting or urgent this “secret” would be to the reader who, let's be honest, probably cares more about Felix and Lucy than Bridget and Lucy (though that doesn't have to be the case, see recommendations above).

So, altogether, although I think a little more depth was required in some places to really make this a perfect book for me, it was great and certainly a worthy summer romance read. I loved all the research Carley Fortune did on Prince Edward Island to write this novel, and it's clear that accurately representing the places she writes about is important to her, and I very much respect that! Because of her amazing descriptions, I certainly have PEI on my bucket list now.

Personally, although I might continue to read Fortune's works, I would love to see her branch out a bit because she has essentially written one story in three different iterations. I think she's finally sharpened her skills enough as a romance writer that it would perhaps make sense to do something different, though I can also recognize that this is her niche, she does it well, people will keep returning regardless because summer beach romances are just so enjoyable regardless. It seems she has a desire to write romances with some family drama, and I would love more than anything for her to feel free to write a book that focuses as much on a main character and their relationship with their family as it does the romance. Both can coexist, and I ultimately think it would lead to a more well-rounded story.