Every Summer After

(I had a perfectly worded review of this. Then went to publish it and then it said “oh it looks like you've stumbled upon a bad link”. I am annoyed lol)

A love like theirs was no typical summer love, although that was the setting for their romance over the course of 6 summers. It was a love for the ages, two best friends falling for one another lakeside, it was destined to be. But she messed it up. Badly. She left it dead 12 years ago, but will it resurrect? Returning home, she's forced to relive her memories, the bad, the good, the ugly, and the downright hot. In the present, she must learn if old habits just die hard or if their love transcends.

Persephone Fraser and Sam Florek were instant best friends when Percy moved into the cottage next door. Inseparable besides the school years between their fairytale: summer. Unsurprisingly, although a painstakingly long limbo of teenage hormones and indecision, the two finally dive in. Into each other, a love unbreakable. Or so they thought. 12 years after a fateful night that ended it all, we find a Percy who is not unhappy with life but she lives life coasting, thinking of what it could be. The memories are painful, she avoids them at all costs. Until she receives bad news that shakes her world, the life she's built away from Barry's Bay and away from him comes to a halt. She rushes home where she is reminded of what was and what could have been, a harsh reality. Will Percy's mistake cause Sam to shy away from her forever, as she did to him all these years? Or does their summer love transcend time?

This story is about mistakes, young love that never dies, and learning to forgive, whether it's yourself or the one you love the most.

Carley Fortune's debut novel is beautiful. I am not one for competing timelines most of the time, but the story's setting over 6 long summers and one fateful weekend, is perfect for the characters and their love story. We learn about why Percy is the way she is, and we see why she's so damaged without Sam. And in the present, we see her redeem herself and although there are minor setbacks, we see her conquer the world and Sam.

Something that I appreciated throughout this story is the portrayal of anxiety and its realness, its descriptions of how a panic attack feels, and how it was not just in passing or thrown around carelessly. As someone who struggles with mental health, I applaud Fortune for her work in bringing that to mainstream media.

Another aspect I appreciated was how the sex in this novel added to the chemistry and build-up of the characters. Rather than just adding sex in just for fun, Fortune uses it to enhance the love story, creating sweetness and sometimes even sadness within their encounters. It was tasteful while at the same time being sexy.

I loved this book. However, it wasn't a five-star for me. That's because what Percy did was completely out of character for her to do and I felt as if things were left unresolved at the end of the novel. Charlie's character seemed a little forgotten towards the end as well. that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it!