Golden sunsets over quiet harbors, the hum of summer nights, and the pull of the Atlantic breeze—Carley Fortune’s This Summer Will Be Different captures the magic of Prince Edward Island like no other.
Now, following the TV adaptation of Every Summer After, this bestselling novel is stepping off the page and onto the screen as Netflix announced in March 2026 that it has ordered a 10-episode series adaptation of Fortune’s third novel, This Summer Will Be Different.
For fans of the book, this is the kind of news that sends you straight back to reread the whole thing. For everyone who hasn’t picked it up yet—well, what exactly are you waiting for?
The upcoming series follows Lucy, a young woman navigating her 20s and her first forbidden love with her best friend’s brother, the one man she was never supposed to fall for. Their story unfolds across multiple summers, set against the island’s rugged beauty and timeless charm.
The novel was published on May 7, 2024, and became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. It is a standalone novel, meaning no other Fortune books are required reading beforehand.
Though we’re sure that finishing it will almost certainly send you searching for the rest of her catalog. With a Netflix adaptation now officially in the works, the book is having a very well-deserved second moment in the spotlight.
What Is This Summer Will Be Different TV Series About?
To put it simply, the story is about the particular ache of wanting someone you were never supposed to want. Lucy is a young woman navigating her twenties who has made a tradition of spending summers on Prince Edward Island with her best friend, Bridget.
The problem is Bridget’s younger brother, Felix, with whom Lucy had a very charged encounter before she knew who he was. Now she knows.
And now she has to keep going back to PEI, keep seeing him, and keep convincing herself that this year will be the year she finally resists.
What makes the story work as well as it does is that it isn’t mere romance; it’s a story about female friendship and the complicated loyalties that come with it. Lucy and Bridget’s relationship gives the novel its real emotional weight, making every near-miss between Lucy and Felix feel like it has consequences beyond the two of them.
Fortune structures the story across multiple summers, letting everything build slowly and inevitably until it can’t anymore.
Because this is a 10-episode series rather than a film, there is a real opportunity to honor the multi-summer structure of the source material in a way a movie simply could not.
If the show stays faithful to the pacing of the book, it could be one of the best summer romance series in recent memory.
Here is the official synopsis of the novel the series is based on:
Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother.
Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.
It’s easier said than done.
Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters, and crisp Vinho Verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun.
And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed.
If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it. When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island.
Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.
Casting & Production Updates:
The official cast for the TV adaptation has been announced, and production has also begun!
Sophie Nélisse has been cast as Lucy Ashby, Roby Attal as Felix Clark, and Francesca Reale will play the role of Bridget Clark.
Joining them are Jordan Rodrigues, Natalie Brown, Jude Wilson, James Tupper, Tom Barnett, and more.
Behind the camera, the series is in excellent hands. The show was created and will be co-showrun by husband-and-wife duo Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart.
The production is being handled by Sphere Media, in association with Netflix Canada. Executive producers include Clark, Stewart, Jennifer Kawaja, and Elise Cousineau—a strong lineup of Canadian television veterans.
And crucially, Carley Fortune herself is on board as an executive producer. That kind of authorial involvement tends to make a real difference in how faithfully a beloved book translates to the screen.
When Will the This Summer Will Be Different TV Series Release?
No official release date has been announced yet for the series. However, as the project has officially begun production, we can expect the series to be out sometime next year.
The earliest we might realistically expect This Summer Will Be Different on Netflix is sometime in late 2027 or early 2028. It may be sooner than that, so fingers crossed.
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