Scan barcode
tanvi45's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
levzies's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.9✨
1🌶️
22% read 78% audiobook Spotify
Second chance • Soulmates •
I’d initially tabled this book in “Shelve for Later or possible DNF” but after reading “This Summer Will be Different” and loving it I decided to try picking this one up again but with audiobook this time & I’m happy I did. I think listening to the audio added to my overall enjoyment especially during parts that were a bit flat.
Whilst I didn’t feel the same whimsical summer / small town connection as I did with Carley Fortune’s other two books there were elements I enjoyed.
I couldn’t really connect with the MC’s but that’s ok. I also felt the reasoning was overly worked up for why he didn’t show up. I expected something a little more than what had truly transpired.
Fern & Will
Grief - loss of parent
Surprisingly Spicier than expected (more than her others I’d say)
Second / third chance romance
Resort / lake side vacation
Life changing events that
1🌶️
22% read 78% audiobook Spotify
Second chance • Soulmates •
I’d initially tabled this book in “Shelve for Later or possible DNF” but after reading “This Summer Will be Different” and loving it I decided to try picking this one up again but with audiobook this time & I’m happy I did. I think listening to the audio added to my overall enjoyment especially during parts that were a bit flat.
Whilst I didn’t feel the same whimsical summer / small town connection as I did with Carley Fortune’s other two books there were elements I enjoyed.
I couldn’t really connect with the MC’s but that’s ok. I also felt the reasoning was overly worked up for why he didn’t show up. I expected something a little more than what had truly transpired.
Fern & Will
Grief - loss of parent
Surprisingly Spicier than expected (more than her others I’d say)
Second / third chance romance
Resort / lake side vacation
Life changing events that
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
ofpagesandparagraphs's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
amateur_bookworm's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My summary:
Reeling in grief after the unexpected loss of her mother, Fern Brookbanks finds herself in the one place she never wanted to be: the resort her mom and family before her has ran for decades. With her ex-boyfriend as the manager, Fern is struggling with what to do next. And it’s only compounded when Will Baxter shows up, the man she spent 24 hours with ten years ago that changed the course of her life.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Carley Fortune. I had high hopes for it but it fell pretty flat for me. I do like her writing style with her descriptions and analogies. But it mostly felt like a novel length justification of cheating on her long term boyfriend with a one day fling ten years ago.
The plot moved pretty slow for me. I didn’t feel very invested in outcome for any of the characters. I was fairly bored with it through most of it. It literally spells out their chemistry but I’m wasn’t really *feeling* any chemistry. The sex scenes felt abrupt.
Jaime’s presence in the story is confusing. I thought it was initially setting up for a love triangle but, instead, Jamie’s role throughout the story was really vague.
The dialogue is hard to follow (who is speaking, what they are referring to). I was constantly finding myself having to go back a paragraph or two and reread.
The entire book just left me feeling like “what exactly did I just read?!” And the more that I sit and think about the major plot points and resolution of them (or lack of) the more confused I’m getting. This was definitely a miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
sunshinekmp's review
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
angryluna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Writing: 0.5/1
Plot: 0.5/1
Characters: 0.75/1
Misc. (setting, pace, spice): .75/1
Enjoyment: 1/1
= 3.5 ⭐️
Plot: 0.5/1
Characters: 0.75/1
Misc. (setting, pace, spice): .75/1
Enjoyment: 1/1
= 3.5 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
_meganrose's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5 ⭐️ Easy read and pretty good. Felt a little uneventful though.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
moonbeam_erin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Car accident
bookscatsandtats's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. That was a heartfelt and wildly well written book.
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Development: ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️
Setting/World Building: 🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Spice: 🌶️
Romance/Tears: 💖💖💖💖
I loved the Dual Timeline. I thought this was really well done. Will and Fern’s love story is so interesting and heartfelt. I loved how the characters deal with and learn about their grief and anxiety.
It was so interesting to weave in her mother’s journal and some of her story with Peter. The side characters were all wonderful.
The setting was just beautiful and I felt like I was wandering around the grounds for Brookbanks Resort.
This was so much more than just a summer rom-com. Truly unique storytelling and I was so invested in these characters. I couldn’t put the book down.
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Development: ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️
Setting/World Building: 🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Spice: 🌶️
Romance/Tears: 💖💖💖💖
I loved the Dual Timeline. I thought this was really well done. Will and Fern’s love story is so interesting and heartfelt. I loved how the characters deal with and learn about their grief and anxiety.
It was so interesting to weave in her mother’s journal and some of her story with Peter. The side characters were all wonderful.
The setting was just beautiful and I felt like I was wandering around the grounds for Brookbanks Resort.
This was so much more than just a summer rom-com. Truly unique storytelling and I was so invested in these characters. I couldn’t put the book down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use and Pregnancy