One Golden Summer - Carley Fortune

One Golden Summer

By Carley Fortune

  • Release Date: 2025-05-06
  • Genre: Romance
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 685 Ratings

Description

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! ∙ A radiant escape to the lake from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and This Summer Will Be Different

As featured in The New York TimesPeople ∙ Good Morning America ∙ The Washington Post Cosmopolitan ∙ TODAY ∙ USA TodayHarper's Bazaar ∙ E! News ∙ Buzzfeed ∙ ELLEUs WeeklyThe New York PostFIRST for Women ∙ Woman's World ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ SheReads ∙ and more!

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.

Reviews

  • Perfect distraction

    5
    By rachelhpayne
    Read this in two days. Loved finishing Charlie’s story. Alice Everly was the loveliest of characters. I was so pleased with her transformation. The descriptions made me feel like I was there in the treehouse, out on a float, in the dark room, jumping from a cliff. The slow romance was fun and took me back to falling in love. Perfect book to distract me from the real world.
  • Read it in 2 days

    5
    By Tralalalolee
    Gorgeous read. Love this author.
  • Wow!

    5
    By Amybluegold
    I really liked Every Summer After and I think this book has the perfect amount of Percy and Sam, BUT I LOVED One Golden Summer! I am talking Mhairi McFarlane levels of LOVE. I too was waiting for Charlie’s love story and One Golden Summer delivered! Aliice was such a joy to read about and see the lake and Barry’s Bay through her eyes was a story I didn’t even kniw I needed. I was rooting for her from page 1. I also love how this story feels real, it feels authentic, it feels honest, and it feels refreshing. Life is full of perfectly imperfect moments and I love that Alice embraces this. I also love the idea of her photos and all of the photographs referenced throughout the story are exactly this, glimpses and snapshots into life. I also love how plans can change, expectations can change and these changes can affect all of us in different ways. I never write reviews, so this may speak to how much I loved this book! 5 STARS all the way!!
  • Eh

    3
    By BuffaloRB
    Cute story. Took a really long time to pick up steam. Very belabored & then everything was rushed and neatly wrapped up in a package with a bow.
  • So precious

    5
    By cfeda
    So so precious
  • Fantastic!!

    5
    By Kdsmith7
    Her best book yet!
  • So enjoyed this book!

    4
    By Sth yoga girl
    A perfect beach read. I couldn’t put it down!! Loved all the people in the book. What a wonderful romance of Alice and Charlie becoming such friends and falling in love.
  • love love loved

    5
    By Holyyyycowwwsgomoo
    The banter between Charlie and Alice was sooo fun and cute and this story was just so beautifully written
  • One golden summer

    2
    By yviybyiu
    A bit too trite and oversimplified characterization
  • A fantastic summer read !

    4
    By TRclose
    It has a very good story one that is hard to but down because you get caught up with all the characters. I never read the first book about Sam ,Percy and Charley. I am sure it is as good, but it’s one of the things it’s hard to read about the past when you know about the future.