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Our Perfect Storm

Our Perfect Storm

Contemporary RomanceRomance
Pages
416
Published
2026
Language
English

Synopsis

Francesca "Frankie" Gardiner and George Saint James have been best friends since childhood, through awkward teenage years, through living together as young adults, through everything except romance. Two days before her wedding, Frankie's fiance calls it off. With the ceremony cancelled and a non-refundable honeymoon to Tofino, British Columbia, still booked, George makes a proposition: the two of them should go together, and he will help her recover with a meticulously planned itinerary. One week on the wild Pacific coast forces the lifelong friends to face the history, the feelings, and the one kiss they have never talked about. Moving between the present trip and flashbacks to their childhood, Our Perfect Storm is a friends-to-lovers romance about the line between the person who knows you best and the person you are meant to be with.

Prose complexity
3/10

Vibe

EmotionalHopefulNostalgicAtmospheric
Friends to LoversDual TimelineForced ProximitySlow Burn

Genres

Contemporary Romance 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

Francesca GardinerProtagonist

A thirty-year-old sous-chef whose fiance calls off the wedding, sending her on the planned honeymoon with her best friend instead.

George Saint JamesProtagonist

Frankie's lifelong best friend, who proposes they take the Tofino honeymoon trip together and helps her through the breakup.

Nate BaconSupporting

Frankie's fiance, whose abrupt departure on the eve of the wedding sets the story in motion.

All characters in Our Perfect Storm

Frequently asked questions

  • Does this book feature a single timeline or multiple perspectives?

    The narrative alternates between the present day in Tofino and flashback chapters that explore the history of the protagonists' relationship over the previous two decades.

  • When did Our Perfect Storm come out?

    It was published on May 5, 2026, and is Carley Fortune's fifth novel.

  • Are there any specific environmental themes included in the story?

    The author highlights the plight of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, incorporating information about the species and conservation efforts into the context of the book.

  • Are there literary references that help frame the relationship between the main characters?

    The dynamic between Frankie and George is frequently compared to the relationship between Jo March and Laurie from the classic novel Little Women.

  • Where is Our Perfect Storm set?

    Largely in Tofino, British Columbia, on Canada's Pacific coast, a departure from the Ontario and Prince Edward Island settings of her earlier books.

  • What is the premise of Our Perfect Storm?

    After Frankie's fiance calls off their wedding, her lifelong best friend George suggests they take the non-refundable honeymoon to Tofino together, where old feelings resurface.

  • How is the story structured?

    It alternates between the present-day trip to Tofino and flashbacks to Frankie and George's childhood friendship.

  • Is Our Perfect Storm connected to Carley Fortune's other books?

    No. It is a standalone romance and is not part of the Barry's Bay series.

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