The Bookish Ashley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A Love Letter to Second Chances, Sunlit Water, and the Kind of Seeing That Changes Everything

Carley Fortune has done it again. With One Golden Summer, she offers readers a sun-drenched, heart-tugging story that shimmers with nostalgia, longing, and that unmistakable summer magic only she can deliver.

At the heart of the novel is Alice—a talented photographer more comfortable behind the lens than in the frame. When her beloved Nan takes a fall, Alice returns to Barry’s Bay, the lakeside town where everything quietly shifted during one golden teenage summer. It’s where she snapped a picture that changed her life. It’s where she met Charlie Florek. And it’s where, years later, she finds both of them waiting in ways she didn’t expect.

What follows is the kind of story that feels like stepping into warm water at golden hour: breathtaking in its beauty, soothing in its pace, and impossible not to sink into. Fortune paints Barry’s Bay with such detail you can practically hear the screen door slam, feel the boat’s motor vibrating under your feet, and taste the beer-kissed summer air.

But it’s the emotional undercurrent that sets this story apart. Charlie isn’t just the boy from the past—he’s grown, and so has Alice. Their reunion is full of flirtation, unspoken truths, and slow-burn vulnerability. Charlie sees Alice, not just the way she captures the world, but the parts she tries to hide—her yearning, her fear, her strength.

If you’ve ever looked at an old photo and felt your heart tug for the version of you that didn’t yet know heartbreak or hesitation, this book will resonate deeply. One Golden Summer is about the power of place, the clarity that can come from slowing down, and the quiet courage it takes to step into the frame of your own life.

Whether you’re lakeside or city-bound, this is a must-read for anyone who believes in the magic of summers that never really end—and the people who make them unforgettable.

Perfect for fans of:

Every Summer After (of course!) Katherine Center’s heartfelt heroines The notebook you tucked away full of past summers and what-ifs

Have tissues ready. And maybe a yellow speedboat, just in case.