One Golden Summer

Name: One Golden Summer
Author: Carley Fortune

Carley Fortune

NYT Bestseller

I never anticipated Charlie Florek. Good things happen at the lake. That's what Alice's grandmother says, and it's true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it's where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life. Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she's most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she's been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry's Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it. Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he's all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice's soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart. Because Alice sees people—that's why she is so good at what she does—but she's never met someone who looks and sees her right back.

Where are you in the book?

Reveal characters and locations as you go.

Characters

Tap a face to fancast someone else.

Reader-picked casting for Charlie Florek

Charlie FlorekSam's older brother

Reader-picked casting for Nannette "Nan" Everly

Nannette "Nan" EverlyAlice's grandmother

HeatherAlice's sister

TrevorAlice's ex-boyfriend

Meet four more characters once you start reading.

Locations

Where the story takes place

Reviews

4.2 average· 1 review

Novelust user

May 18, 2025

5.0

MC in their mid thirties, careers, sabbaticals, big city meets small town life, childhood summers on a freshwater lake/river, feisty grandmothers, no storylines of pining for babies and “traditional” milestones - I am 1000% this book’s target audience 😂 THIS WAS SO GOOD. Plot, setting, characters, chemistry, supporting cast. I LOVED IT ALL. Shoutout to the young woman who wrote a blog article play by play of the entire plot of Every Summer After, as I immediately needed a juicy recap as I realized this book was about *that* Charlie Florek. If you haven’t read Every Summer After yet, read that before this one! Carley is so good at writing characters with depth. Are there real life men like this book boyfriend? Unsure, but there’s just enough flaws strategically placed to trick me into thinking yes 😇