BLOG TOUR - Meet Me at the Lake

Title:  Meet Me at the Lake

Author:  Carley Fortune

Publisher:   Berkley

Genre:   Romance

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   336

Date of Publication:   May 2, 2023

My Rating:   4 Stars 

DESCRIPTION:

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's 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?

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Fern Brookbanks and Will Baxter made a powerful connection ten years ago. They agreed to meet again in exactly one year. She showed up and he didn’t. Fern was equally disappointed and heartbroken, but she moved on with her life.

Now Fern is about to take over her mother’s lakeside retreat after her death. Working at the retreat had never been Fern’s dream, but now with her mother gone, Fern is forced to step up. Shockingly, Will reappears at the retreat. A successful businessman, Will agrees to help Fern for a time. 

The connection is still there. It’s as if they had never been apart all. The timing might not have been right for them before but it does not take either of them long to wonder if now is there a chance. However, Fern needs answers. One thing she presses Will about is that he seems not to be living his own dream. Not only does Fern have a lot of questions, but she realizes that Will is holding something back. 

This book is far more than a love story between Fern and Will. In fact, Fern gets the opportunity to examine her relationship with her mother, and this helps her to make the decisions that will affect the rest of her life. This sensitive story touched on a lot of issues and it left a huge impact on me, especially considering the author’s note at the end of the book.  

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carley Fortune is the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of EVERY SUMMER AFTER. Her second book, MEET ME AT THE LAKE, comes out May 2, 2023. It’s a breathtaking love story about two strangers who come together when they need each other most. Once, in their early twenties, and again a decade later. 

Carley is an award-winning journalist and worked as an editor at some of Canada’s top publications, including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, and The Grid. She was most recently the Executive Editor of Refinery29 Canada. 

Carley spent her young life in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and in Barry’s Bay, a tiny lakeside town in rural Ontario and the setting for EVERY SUMMER AFTER. 

EVERY SUMMER AFTER was an instant international bestseller and Carley’s debut novel. 

Carley lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons. Follow her on Instagram @carleyfortune.

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