Meet Me at the Lake: The breathtaking new novel from the author of EVERY SUMMER AFTER

I'm so glad I found this book , such a great storyline with lots of twists and turns. I will definitely be looking for more books by Carley.

Every Summer After was one on my favourite reads of 2022, so to say I was excited to read this book is an understatement. I did however patiently wait until I was on holiday before reading.Carley writes romance unbelievably well and I continuously find myself captivated by the plot and characters. The Dual Timeline that she incorporates within her structure is a favourite of mine as I personally adored uncovering aspects of the characters’ history; their first encounter and the nine years between their first meeting in small instalments.The diary entries from Fern’s mother were so heartfelt throughout and the link in the Epilogue was such a sweet touch.In my opinion, Every Summer After is still my favourite book by Carley but Meet Me at the Lake is still a good read.Synopsis:After a chance encounter, Will and Fern spend the day together there’s an instant connection between them and they both don’t want the day to end. With them both in a relationship, the set themselves goals for the year and agree to meet at the lake a year later. When Will doesn’t show up Fern is hurt and left with no explanation of why he didn’t make it to the lake. After the death of her mother, Fern is back at the resort when Will turns up, nine years late.Read if you enjoy:•Second Chance Romance•Dual Timeline•Insta Love•Soulmates

Following the sudden death of her mother, Fern's life is turned upside down. She finds herself back at Brookbanks Resort, the family business that has now been left to her, but that she had never wanted, and even worse, it is now in trouble. Still it is the final straw when Will Baxter turns up to announce he is here for the summer, as arranged with her mother, to offer his expertise to help with the business. Will and Fern met ten years ago, shared one glorious day together, after which he failed to show up to meet a year later as arranged. It was enough that he broke her heart all those years ago, such that she couldn't possibly stand to have him around now, and yet it turns out she might just need his help enough to have to put up with him.I loved Fortune's debut novel, Every Summer After, and was very much looking forward to her follow up. I will say from the off, that this for me at least, was not a patch on the former. It did share certain similarities with Every Summer After, in that for the most part the story alternates between past and present, and much of the setting is at a Canadian lake-side resort, giving the book a very summery vibe.I did for the most part still enjoy this book, though the pace did rather drag at times, especially in the present day setting, and one of my main gripes was that I didn't really find the situation between Will and Fern believable. Their day together in the past is fun to read, and I did think they had great chemistry, however, it was a bit too insta-love, and frankly a bit hard to believe that Fern would be so hung up over him for so long when he didn't show up a year later, after just that one day, not to mention that neither ever made any attempt to reach out to the other on social media at any point.Then in the present day, the author's reasoning for why Will is now so changed and mysterious, and why he continues to keep Fern at arm's length just lacked conviction for me. The mental health aspects I could understand and appreciate, however, I don't necessarily think they were explored as well as they could have been. Will just comes across in the present day as blowing very hot and cold a lot of the time, and to be honest the author's reasons came across as somewhat forced.Much of the book, both in past and present time frames, deals with life choices in general, the complexities of pleasing those you love and yet also living the life you want. This particularly applies to Fern, but also to Will in the present day. I did generally appreciate this theme, and the way that, at different times in their lives, Will and Fern are able to help each other when they are struggling with these choices. It did, however, at times feel a bit repetitive and as if we were going around in circles, as in the past and present Fern is very much facing the same question, does she take up the business at Brookbanks or live her own life in the city?There were some fun side characters such as Jamie and Whitney, and I liked Peter in particular, however, their roles were quite minor.The book also looks at coping with loss, and there is a thread throughout regards to what was Fern's often complex relationship with her late mother, which I thought was rather bitter-sweet. I'm not sure how much actually having her mother's diary entries added for me personally though, nor the focus on her relationship with Peter. It wasn't that I didn't like the idea, it was just the execution that fell a little flat and overall just felt somewhat clunky.Overall, this book probably had a more melancholy and reflective vibe than Every Summer After, that I could appreciate, however, aspects of the pacing let it down, and whilst parts of the romance were sweet, it didn't have me as invested as her debut.

I was really late to the party with Carley Fortune! For some reason it took me ages to get to reading her first novel Every Summer After so I decided to not wait quite so long to read her next release (although I’m still a bit late!).This one follows the story of Fern Brookbanks who has temporarily moved home to her family’s holiday resort following the death of her mother. An unexpected guest arrives at the resort bringing up more of Fern’s past.The dynamic between Fern and Will is strained in the beginning, partly due to everything Fern is dealing with and partly due to their shared history. Fern is at a crossroads and has a lot of life decisions to make which is explored throughout the story.There is a dual timeline throughout which helps to build up the beginning of Fern and Will’s relationship. It is an emotional journey from start to finish so prepare yourself for that!There are definitely some similarities with Every Summer After so if you enjoyed Carley’s debut then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too. I will absolutely be rereading this again, infact I think I might try the audio!

I've read a few by this author now and have been good. Some bits quite predictable but a few twists along the way

I fell in love with the book and the way it was written. It's beautiful and heartbreaking.

I read this after reading Every Summer After, my favourite read in the last year! This was a really nice read and kept my interest but didn't quite measure up to her first novel for me.

For me this book didn't have a magical, swoon worthy romance feel like some other books do!It was a realistic romance about two people who met at the wrong time and had to find themselves before finding their way back to each other. The love is messy and imperfect and i loved that the book presented it in this authentic way.I love a book that's read in summer and gives amazing summer vibes. The book is beautifully written i was just so frustrated with characters at times I couldn't rate it any higher! ☀️🏝️

Moving and entertaining and real. And love the Toronto and Muskoka setting! Great read opening her next one now can’t wait

This is the first time I’ve read a Carley fortune book and I loved it! The story was not just some hard to believe romance, but felt real and the situations the characters went through felt like they could actually happen and the way they dealt with it was very real. Great book, great and quick read

Comprei pra minha mulher, continua lendo

I loved it, it looked so real.The plot was si nice !Thanks for this !I need more I was hoping something and I found better

I have read both Meet me at the lake and Every summer after and i can definitely say that Carley Fortune is an amazing writer! Ferm and Will fall in love in just one day but life events take them apart. Years later they find each other again. They are not the same people they used to be. Will their love overcome their life struggles ?