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One Golden Summer

One Golden Summer

a novel
Contemporary RomanceRomance
Pages
401
Published
2025
Language
English

Synopsis

Alice Everly is most comfortable behind a camera, letting other people take the spotlight. The summer she turns thirty-three, she brings her grandmother Nan to Barry's Bay, the Ontario lake town where Nan once spent a golden season of her own. Their quiet stay is upended by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it. Charlie Florek is all grown up now: a shameless flirt who makes Nan laugh and makes Alice long to feel seventeen again. As one slow lakeside summer unfolds, Alice has to decide whether to stay safely behind the lens or step into a picture of her own. A warm, nostalgic romance that returns to the world of Every Summer After while standing fully on its own.

Prose complexity
1/10

Vibe

RomanticNostalgicHeartwarmingHopefulLighthearted
Writing4.0Impact5.0Characters4.0Plot4.0Atmosphere5.0
Spice level
3.0 avg spice

Genres

Contemporary Romance Romance Small-Town Romance

About the author

C
Carley Fortune

Carley Fortune is a Canadian author and former journalist whose contemporary romances are set against Canada's lakes and coastlines. Before writing fiction she spent more than a decade in magazines, working as an editor at The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Toronto Life, and launching Refinery29 Canada, which she led as Executive Editor until leaving journalism in 2021. She holds a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her debut novel, Every Summer After (2022), became an inst...

Characters

Alice EverlyProtagonist

A guarded photographer more comfortable capturing others than being seen herself.

Charlie FlorekProtagonist

A charming, shameless flirt who grew up on the lake and pulls Alice out of hiding.

NanSupporting

Alice's grandmother, who once spent a formative golden summer in Barry's Bay.

Sam FlorekCameo

A returning face from the earlier Barry's Bay story.

All characters in One Golden Summer

Frequently asked questions

  • Is One Golden Summer connected to Every Summer After?

    Yes. It returns to Barry's Bay and centers on Charlie Florek, Sam's older brother, though it reads as a standalone.

  • Has One Golden Summer been optioned for screen?

    Yes. Amazon optioned it alongside Every Summer After, and the showrunner of the Prime Video series Every Year After has described Charlie's story as a blueprint for a potential second season.

  • Who is the love interest in One Golden Summer?

    Charlie Florek, the older Florek brother whom readers first met in Every Summer After.

  • Was One Golden Summer Carley Fortune's 2025 release?

    Yes. It was her fourth novel, published in 2025.

  • Do I need to read Every Summer After before One Golden Summer?

    It is not required, but reading Every Summer After first deepens the Florek-family context that One Golden Summer builds on.

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