Deeply nostalgic. Reading this book felt like a trip back to adolescents in the best way. 

I strongly disliked many aspects of this book.

The author failed to provide compelling reasons for me to care about the characters. I found all the characters to be uninteresting and shallow. Both the young and old versions of Sam were unlikeable, and I cannot comprehend why Percy was initially drawn to him.

I was frustrated by how easily Percy gave in to Charlie, which indicated immaturity on her part (to be fair, both Sam and Percy displayed immaturity and should have listened to their parents). I also disliked Charlie's arrogant attitude. The book seemed to trivialize the act of cheating, particularly when Sam quickly forgave Percy and even apologized to her for supposedly giving her a "reason" to cheat.

The plot was tedious and the pacing was slow. The twist in the story felt forced, and I was not too fond of the way cheating was portrayed as justifiable. The dialogue felt repetitive, and the descriptions lacked depth. The romantic interactions between Sam and Percy were cringeworthy, making the book feel more like young adult fiction rather than adult fiction. The buildup to the dramatic revelation felt prolonged, only for the author to hastily conclude the story.

This book felt like a ripoff of Love and Other Words, with the added twist of the female main character

cheating with the male main character's brother.

Overall, I would not recommend this book.

This was a sweet coming of age love story spanning over years of summers by the lake. If you liked ‘Love & Other Words’ and ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ then this is for you, because if I’m being truly honest it was very similar. 

It was pretty angsty and emotional, with an undercurrent of ‘will they, won’t they’ and if so when. I love the ‘it’s always been you’ trope. I think it’s so cute and endearing. And I just love that whole idea that there’s someone out there just perfectly meant for you. This book did that really well.

It spans over a large time period, flicking between then and now. Which I think added to the build up of tension running throughout.

Things I didn’t like though: 
-the plot twist for me was predictable. I kind of didn’t love exactly how it was done either, and added a pretty sad note to the last 100 or so pages of the book.
-I got a bit annoyed with the severe lack of communication between the characters as adults. No one, not even the side characters even sent emails. You’re adults, reach out at least, please. Save the stress and torment. 

Other than that, I think it was a quick and easy sweet teenage love story. Perfect for summer! 

i fell in love immediately with Percy and Sam, I liked being able to go between the past and present povs, it helped give the story the details and feelings it needed, a second chance summer romance what’s better than that 

After hearing a Friend fall in love with this book and kindly gifting me a copy for my birthday I decided that it was time to pick it up off the shelf and dive in and this one left me feeling a lot of emotions while reading it that it’s so worthy of the 5 stars! It deserves them all!  Breathtaking, emotional, vulnerable, tender, intense, beautiful, funny and just real! This is a stunning debut novel from Carley Fortune, 

 

Percy (Persephone) Fraser and Sam Florek meet when they’re 13-years old and her family buys a summer lake cottage in Barry’s Bay next to the one he lives in year-round with his mom, Sue, and older brother, Charlie. They become best friends, spending summers and holidays together each year until Percy returns to Toronto for school. Her independence and wit complement Sam’s intelligence and sensitivity, and together they bond over her writing and love of horror movies, swimming, working together at Sue’s restaurant, and their ritual “three updates” they offer one another every time they talk after an absence. For six summers their friendship evolves and deepens until their future looks clear … until something happens, and it isn’t. 12 years have passed and when 1 event means that Percy returns to Barry Bay it’s time for her to come face to face with her feelings once again. 

 

This is a story about real life and while reading it you can’t help but fall in love with the characters but also just get lost in their story and the world created. This book does an amazing job at switching between the present day and the summers gone by to let you the read go on the journey with them to discover summers gone by that have left to what both characters are feeling now. The past timeline captures the curiosity, confusion and hunger of being young and seeing friendship become something more, and the present one explores what happens when love has to find its way back. 

 

If you love a character-rich, emotionally evocative, BEAUTIFULLY written story that explores what love feels like, both good and bad, this is one you won’t want to miss! I laughed, my heart raced, sometimes it truly hurt, but at every single moment I was experiencing this book as if I was there, and it’s such a rare book that takes me to that place.