Although Carley Fortune’s books do not need to be read in order,[19-24] readers will get more context and continuity by reading them in publication order,[1-18] as shown below:
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Every Summer After | 2022[1-4] | Introduces Percy, Sam, and Charlie before they return in One Golden Summer. |
| 2 |
|
Meet Me at the Lake | 2023[5-8] | Follows a separate resort romance that can be read independently. |
| 3 |
|
This Summer Will Be Different | 2024[9-10] | Lucy and Felix’s Prince Edward Island story does not depend on the earlier novels. |
| 4 |
|
One Golden Summer | 2025[11-12] | Revisits Charlie and the Florek family, making Every Summer After useful background. |
| 5 |
|
Our Perfect Storm | 2026[13-15] | Follows Frankie and George’s separate childhood-friends romance during a trip to Tofino. |
| 6 |
|
Only in Summer | 2027[16-18] | Returns to Barry’s Bay for Eleanor and Owen’s standalone story. |
Works in sequence
Every Summer After is the default starting point for readers interested in recurring characters, since it introduces the relationships revisited in One Golden Summer. Readers drawn to Alice and Charlie’s lakeside romance can also start with One Golden Summer, although reading Every Summer After first adds context to Charlie and the returning Florek family.[19][22]
Meet Me at the Lake is an independent starting point for readers drawn to a resort reunion and an unresolved promise, while This Summer Will Be Different centers on a florist, her best friend’s brother, and their concealed relationship on Prince Edward Island. Our Perfect Storm offers a childhood-friends romance that develops after a canceled wedding and a trip to Tofino, and Only in Summer returns to Barry’s Bay for Eleanor Florek and Owen Kolstad’s lakeside story.[20-21][23-24]
1. Every Summer After
Every Summer After (2022)[1-4] follows Percy Fraser back to Barry’s Bay, where her return after twelve years brings her face-to-face with her first love, Sam Florek. Alternating between their formative lakeside summers and their adult reunion, this novel explores the history that still connects them.[19]
As the introduction to Percy, Sam, and Charlie, it provides useful background for One Golden Summer without being required to understand that later romance.[19]
2. Meet Me at the Lake
Meet Me at the Lake (2023)[5-8] follows Fern Brookbanks as she returns to the family resort she never intended to run and encounters Will Baxter, whom she met ten years earlier. Their reunion brings an old promise into conflict with Fern’s decisions about her mother’s business and the future she wants.[20]
Its self-contained resort and relationship story makes it an independent entry point, with no need to read the Barry’s Bay novels first.[20]
3. This Summer Will Be Different
This Summer Will Be Different (2024)[9-10] follows Toronto florist Lucy Ashby, whose attraction to Felix Clark complicates her friendship with his sister, Bridget. An urgent trip to Prince Edward Island before Bridget’s wedding brings Lucy back into a relationship the pair have tried to keep secret.[21]
Although placed third in publication order, this book follows its own couple and can be read without the earlier novels.[21]
4. One Golden Summer
One Golden Summer (2025)[11-12] centers on photographer Alice Everly, who spends the summer at a Barry’s Bay cottage while helping her grandmother recover from an injury. Her growing connection with Charlie Florek draws her into his family’s lakeside life while she reconsiders her own creative direction.[22]
Reading it after Every Summer After adds context to Charlie’s past and the returning characters, although Alice’s story remains understandable on its own.[22]
5. Our Perfect Storm
Our Perfect Storm (2026)[13-15] follows Frankie Gardiner after her wedding is canceled, when her lifelong best friend, George Saint James, accompanies her on the planned honeymoon to Tofino. Their trip tests the boundary between friendship and romance while bringing long-standing expectations and unresolved personal history into focus.[23]
This separate couple’s story can be read at any point.[23]
6. Only in Summer
Only in Summer (2027)[16-18], which will be published on May 18, 2027, follows Barry’s Bay reporter Eleanor Florek, who buys a lakeside A-frame hoping for privacy away from the town’s attention. When neighboring homeowner Owen Kolstad returns after years away, their developing connection challenges their determination not to fall in love.[24]
By returning to Barry’s Bay with Eleanor and Owen as the central couple, this book adds another standalone romance to the setting.[24]
References
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune: 9780593438534. Penguin Random House.
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. Hachette UK.
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Every Summer After: A heartbreakingly gripping story of love and loss by Carley Fortune – Books. Hachette Australia.
- Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune: 9780593438558. Penguin Random House.
- Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune. Hachette UK.
- Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Meet Me at the Lake: The breathtaking new novel from the author of EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune – Books. Hachette Australia.
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune: 9780593638897. Penguin Random House.
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Canada.
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune: 9780593638927. Penguin Random House.
- One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune: 9780593953242. Penguin Random House.
- Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Australia.
- Only in Summer by Carley Fortune: 9780593953273. Penguin Random House.
- Only in Summer by Carley Fortune. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Only in Summer by Carley Fortune. Penguin Books Australia.
- Every Summer After. Berkley. ISBN: 9780593438534.
- Meet Me at the Lake. Berkley. ISBN: 9780593438558.
- This Summer Will Be Different. Berkley. ISBN: 9780593638897.
- One Golden Summer. Berkley. ISBN: 9780593638927.
- Our Perfect Storm. Penguin Random House. ISBN: 9780593953242.
- Only in Summer. Berkley. ISBN: 9780593953273.