Join our Instagram channel to discuss our book of the month, One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, as we read it. From every-thought-you-had-while-reading to exclusive notes from the author, there’s a lot to unpack here.
After the heft (literal and emotional) of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, we thought it was time to switch gears for our February 2026 pick. This one’s an out-and-out romance, complete with a meet-cute, small-town setting, and a slow-burn trope. You can almost feel the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair while reading it. It’s the one that’s made the rounds of most best romance lists of 2025: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. (On Goodreads, one reader has likened the book to spending a day under an umbrella on the beach, while another has called it a “shimmering love letter to memory, grief and healing”.)
So, what is so special about One Golden Summer?
“Good things happen at the lake.” That’s a direct quote from the book, and boy does it ring true (mostly). The protagonist, Alice, burnt out from her job as a photographer, takes her grandma to spend the summer at the lake, a spot filled with old memories for the both of them. Enter Charlie Florek, resident lake hottie (picture washboard abs, piercing green eyes, and a killer smile), with whom Alice has a meet-cute at the town’s only grocery store. Of course, he’s also the guy assigned to taking care of the cottage Alice is staying at. Flirty banter ensues despite each character dealing with their own issues. While Alice is getting over her own heartbreak and professional setbacks, Charlie is hiding a secret, and if that isn’t a recipe for a good romance novel, I don’t know what is.
Why should I pick it?
While this is a standalone novel, it’s the second in the Barry’s Bay series, the first being the Canadian author’s debut novel, Every Summer After, which is also set in the town where she grew up. We recommend speed-reading the first book and then picking up this one—you’ll love Charlie, a secondary but important character in the first novel, so much more. Pick One Golden Summer for the reason you pick a romance novel—to escape into a world where nothing bad can happen and a happily-ever-after is guaranteed. Pick it up for banter that’ll make you giggle, plus a hero and heroine that’ll make you swoon. Or if you’re just looking for a shot of romance to tide you over until season four, part two of Bridgerton drops. But mostly, pick it up for Alice and Charlie.
About the author
Carley Fortune is the #1 New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of Every Summer After, Meet Me at the Lake, This Summer Will Be Different, and One Golden Summer. Her next book, Our Perfect Storm, comes out May 5, 2026. Carley is an award-winning journalist and has worked as an editor at some of Canada’s top publications, including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Toronto Life. She oversaw the launch of Refinery29 Canada and led the team as its Executive Editor until she left journalism to write fiction in 2021. Carley holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. She spent her young life in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and in Barry’s Bay, a tiny lakeside town in rural Ontario. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.
