If you’re planning on reading Carley Fortune books in order, you have come to the right page. In this article, you will find the perfect guide on how to read all the books written by the author!
Carley Fortune is a powerhouse in the modern romance scene, and her novels are comfort reads that are rich in emotional depth and feature unforgettable characters. Her stories pulse with nostalgia, authentic heart, and warm small-town charm, always making “just one more chapter” an irresistible thought.
She first appeared on the literary radar with her debut, Every Summer After, which was published in 2022. This tale of friendship, heartbreak, and second chances captured the hearts of readers and swiftly became a New York Times bestseller. Its picturesque setting in Barry’s Bay, drawn from Fortune’s own Canadian childhood, made it a standout among contemporary romance fans.
She followed that hit with Meet Me at the Lake in 2023, This Summer Will Be Different in 2024, and One Golden Summer, which was published in 2025. She has also announced Our Perfect Storm, her next book, which is scheduled for release next year.
Every book Carley Fortune has written has gone on to become a bestseller. Her books have sold over 3 million copies and have been translated into more than 30 languages.
Her books aren’t just standalone romances; they exist in a familiar world with recurring settings, characters, and emotional landscapes. Fans often debate whether to read in publication order or by emotional arc because each novel connects deeply, even when read alone.
That sense of community, tied together by setting, keeps readers coming back summer after summer. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to read Carley Fortune’s books in order!
All Carley Fortune Books:
The author has written only four books so far, with the fifth one scheduled for release next year. And all her books are standalone, which can be read in any order. However, I recommend reading her books in the publication order.
How to Read Carley Fortune Books in Order?
1. Every Summer After (2022)
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually, that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.
When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
2. Meet Me at the Lake (2023)
Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto.
The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.
At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend is the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.
She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit-wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago?
Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is. But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?
3. This Summer Will Be Different (2024)
Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a perfect 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. They vow never to repeat that electric night, which is 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. Again.
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.
4. One Golden Summer (2025)
Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.
Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately, though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay.
But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat and the man driving it.
Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun.
Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.
Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.
5. Our Perfect Storm (Releasing in May 2026)
Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed and come back together. Until now.
It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.
Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.
Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino.
Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship, even if it means unearthing secrets and long-buried feelings neither knows how to handle!
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