Booktok is ablaze about the newly adapted book-to-screen adaptation: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. Naturally, curiosity got the better of me, and I just had to see what the fuss is about.
So I finished the book in 24 hours, and I am conflicted.
Let’s talk about it.
Take Note: As with all my book reviews, the last section of this post will contain spoilers. Do not scroll beyond the ‘Spoiler Alert’ heading if you don’t want spoilers.
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Every Summer After Overview
- Title: Every Summer After
- Author: Carley Fortune
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Published: 10 May 2022
- Writing style: First person (single POV)
- Tropes: Friends-to-lovers, childhood best friends, second-chance romance, the ___ trope (I mention this trope in my spoiler section because the story is build on this)
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Buy it here: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- Watch it here: Every Year After on Prime
Synopsis – Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
Percy’s parents bought a lakeside cabin outside the city. As fate would have it, it happened to be right next door to the Floreks, a mother with two boys who would change her life forever.
At thirteen, Percy and Sam become close friends. Their bond grows through daily swims in the lake, Percy’s love of horror movies and writing, and Sam’s habit of studying medical textbooks while they hang out.
Then, five years later, everything falls apart.
It’s been twelve years since that life-changing summer. Twelve years since Percy has spoken to any of the Floreks.
But when Sam’s older brother calls out of the blue to tell her that their mother has passed away, a woman Percy once considered a second mother, she finds herself returning to Barry’s Bay for the funeral.
And with that come memories she’s spent years trying to leave behind.
What she doesn’t expect is that her connection with Sam has never really faded. Despite the years apart, the feelings are still there, and the pull between them is just as strong as ever.
My Spoiler-Free Thoughts
Every Summer After wasn’t all bad. Admittedly, I enjoyed the book at the start. I even giggled out loud at some things. Thus, my conflicted feelings when I put it down and quite literally said, “What the hell did I just read?” out loud.
To give you an idea of my thought process while reading this book, here are some of the notes I jotted down in my Notes App.
- I’m conflicted
- What the hell did I just read?
- Percy kinda messy
- Probs won’t watch the show
But there is a reason for my 2.5 star rating. Let’s get into the good and the bad of this book review.
The Good
THE CHARACTERS
This will make a return in the bad section too (confliction at its finest, lol). I found the characters fleshed out and individualized, i.e., you could really differentiate their personalities in the writing and dialogue.
All in all, Percy, Sam, and Charlie (the older brother) are likeable to a degree. Their banter didn’t disappoint.
THE LITTLE THINGS
I am a sucker for little tiny details sprinkled into a book. For this book, it was the friendship bracelet. I loved how they had this thing where they’d ‘tug’ each other’s bracelets when they swore on something.
THE DYNAMICS
The awkward teenage moments were refreshing and felt real.
The Bad
I want to preface this section by reiterating that reading is subjective and these are my unfiltered opinions.
But I would love to know why everyone hype this book up when it revolves around a hated trope?
We’ll talk about the trope in the spoiler section.
THE TIMELINE
This book follows a dual timeline, alternating between the past and present every chapter, which is something I usually enjoy.
What frustrated me was that the story spans roughly 17 years, and the huge event that the entire plot revolves around gets resolved in what feels like the blink of an eye.
The present-day timeline takes place over a single weekend. After years of distance, heartbreak, and unresolved feelings, everything is suddenly unpacked, addressed, and wrapped up within a couple of days.
For a conflict that shaped so many years of these characters’ lives, the resolution felt far too quick and convenient for me.
I just couldn’t look past it, even if they had 12 years to heal.
THE CHARACTERS
Here we go again, lol.
I’m just gonna say it: Percy is messy…
I can’t say more about this without spoiling the book, so scroll to the spoiler section if you want to know what I am getting at.
THE PLOT
Ouch, this one hurts.
I adored the lake, summer, and the coming-of-age part of this book. I don’t mind the return revolving around a funeral because I can see the depth that it creates in the story with Sam and Charlie’s history.
What I do mind is…
Why on Earth does the whole thing make sense? Once again, the plot revolves around this, so I can’t tell you what happened without spoiling it.
But if you know, you know.
It doesn’t pay off. The stakes don’t make sense. Her reason for doing what she did isn’t justified in my opinion.
My Thoughts Summary
So, in short:
- I don’t feel like Every Summer After is being promoted correctly. There is a trope in here (around which the plot revolves) that isn’t loved by many. That’s why the hype is throwing me off.
- It is a 2.5 star read for me.
- Open-door romance.
- Do I still think about it? Yes, because I am annoyed.
- Will I reread it? Never.
- Will I watch the series? Nope.
- Do I recommend it? Honestly, no.
Other book-ish posts you might like:
- Just For The Summer By Abby Jimenez | Book Review
- Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood | Book Review
- 8 Books That Will Make You Cry
- The Wolf King Series By Lauren Palphreyman | Book Review
- Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams | A Book Review
- Bad Bishop by LJ Shen | A Book Review – Is It Actually Good?
SPOILER ALERT
The Plot & Trope
In case you don’t know, Percy cheats on Sam with his brother.
Let that sink in.
WHY THIS ANNOYS ME
She cheats on Sam because he got into a workshop for premed students.
Yes, he didn’t tell her he applied. He only told her he got in three weeks before leaving. I concede, this is a very shitty move.
When he gets to the workshop, he barely has time to call or email. Admittedly, that hurts.
He then sends her an email suggesting they cut their calls to once a week because it is too hard for him to hear her voice, and the loneliness is messing with his studies.
That is messed up and selfish. He didn’t handle it well.
BUT I don’t think that justifies CHEATING on him with his BROTHER.
Nonetheless, cheating can never be justified.
Anyways, yes, Charlie has been around and picked up her broken pieces when Sam left. He most likely had ulterior motives.
However, Charlie was a flirt from the start. Percy knew this. He’d call her out multiple times, and she brushed him off.
I am not saying he wasn’t in the wrong because he totally was, but he was true to the character he was written as.
And there is an instance in which I would put more blame on Charlie: If Percy didn’t invite him in after the movie. If Percy didn’t insist on a beer after he said he should go home. He asked her if she was sure, and she didn’t push him away.
Oh, and don’t get me started on the whole Buckley Mason situation.
Anyways, let’s get to my controversial opinion.
Conclusion
Every Summer After was messy and kinda toxic. It was definitely not what I expected. Let me know what you thought about the book and series in the comments below!
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Love, Steph ♥
