One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
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 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.
Review: The follow up story we all needed after Every Summer After! In Fortune's earlier novel, Charlie is the older brother and incorrigible playboy that plays a dark role in his brother's love story. In this, we seem Charlie's redemption story and get to see him falling in love. While he didn't grow up next door to his future love, Alice has a beautiful connection to the Charlie-Sam-Percy trio from the first book. When she was 17, she spent a summer at the lake and captured an iconic photo of the trio zipping by in their boat. This photograph changed her life and launched her photography career. Little did she know that the handsome smiling teenager in the photo was Charlie Florek or that she would be brought into his orbit again years later when she returns to the lake with her grandmother after going through a bad breakup.
It may have been my mood, but it took me a little bit to go into this book. Alice and Charlie communicate by text before she arrives at the lake, since he is fixing up the cabin for her. Alice comes across as sort of curt and borderline rude while Charlie comes across as flirtatious and playful, which seemed surprisingly to me in texts with a total stranger.
But once the two were both at the lake and spending time together, I hit my groove with this! Charlie and Alice have amazing chemistry and banter. The setting at the lake, without many of the worries of their everyday life to distract them, added so much to the story. They could spontaneously jump in the lake, go for boat rides, and make out in his old treehouse and I was here for the summer vacation energy. Charlie makes it very clear from the beginning that he didn't feel like he could offer Alice a long-term commitment, but the true reasoning surprised me!
It was really fun getting to see Sam and Percy again in this book and how their relationship had continued to unfold since the conclusion of their book. I also loved Nan and the close relationship she has with her granddaughter Alice but also the bits that were shared about her own love story and the loss of her husband. However, I did not care for the rest of Alice's family, who largely flaked on their commitments and tried to manipulate Alice into doing what they want when it comes to her life.
This was a fun summertime romance, and a great continuation of the story started in Fortune's earlier novel. It was great on audio.
Stars: 4
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