Review: Meet Me at the Lake

I, like many romance readers, fell head over heels in love with Carley Fortune when her debut novel was published last year. Every Summer After was everything I didn’t know I needed and more (review here). It was one of those books I finished and immediately wanted to reread. So, not surprisingly, I was very, very much looking forward to reading Fortune’s sophomore novel, Meet Me at the Lake. There was a bit of worry too - would her second book live up to her first? Good news, my friends. It did. I loved everything about it.

Here’s the book’s 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?

There are some similarities between Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake. Both books are dual timeline. They both take place by a lake. They’re both full of emotions that pack a huge punch. And each one has a second chance storyline (though I’d say that’s a loose description of the trope in MMATL). But Fern and Will’s story is all their own and just as good - if not better - than Percy and Sam’s. YES I SAID IT. I think I might like Meet Me at the Lake more!

Did anyone else read Just One Day by Gayle Forman back in the day? Meet Me at the Lake gave me a lot of the same vibes - in the best possible way. As much as it ripped my heart out, I loved that Fern and Will spent one perfect day together. The sparks were there as was the knowledge that they could have had a great relationship if circumstances had been a little kinder. So the present day timeline, when they were thrown together again ten years later, was…*chef’s kiss* Right up my alley.

The location of this book felt really familiar to me. The present day timeline is set in Muskoka and I grew up in that area with my hometown being about an hour and a half south-ish from Huntsville, a town mentioned in the book. I could picture the landscape that would have surrounded Brookbanks and know what hot summer days can feel like up there. While I have no desire to move back up to my hometown, there was an extra layer of comfort while reading a book set in Muskoka for this small town girl. 

This book is more than a romance, which I expected and appreciated. Family plays a huge part in the story (which is another slight similarity with ESA), especially the role of mothers. Fern has to come to terms with a life without her mother far sooner than she ever expected to. Her best friend is a new mother. And Will had some issues with his mother as well. Make sure you read Fortune's note at the end of the book. It adds even more to the story and I appreciated how honest and vulnerable she was sharing that story.

Meet Me at the Lake was a phenomenal sophomore novel from Carley Fortune. She’s now solidified herself as an auto-buy author and I already can’t wait to reread both this one and Every Summer After. You must read this book if you love stories with all kinds of emotions that are well-crafted and well-written that end with a realistic Happily Ever After. Trust me - you’re going to love it.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*