I thought this was going to be a more common series on my blog but I basically wrote one post and never tried it again! The idea came from the late Grace at Rebel Mommy Book Blog. I still miss her positivity in the book community and hope I can keep doing this post justice! Previous installments include Sandhya Menon, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Christina Lauren, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Today I’ll be featuring…
Carley Fortune
Now that I’ve successfully read and loved five Carley Fortune books, I thought it’d be a decent time to share my ranking of favorites! There’s a really interesting breakdown here worth exploring. Candidly, because the covers and titles can blend together for her books, I thought this would even help ME remember which ones I’ve loved the most and why, to help better recommend them to people.
5 Stars
Every Summer After // The first and probably my favorite. I know this is a very messy story that will not jive with some people, but I sat on my porch and read this thing in one sitting. It had been a long time since I’d done that and the experience of reading this really stuck with me. The plot is a bit predictable but she does such a great job of hooking you with the characters and writing.
Our Perfect Storm // The most recent Carley Fortune book takes the second place spot for me. I really love the childhood best friends-to-lovers trope and these two books completely nail it, despite very different plots. I loved the characters and the tropical setting; it was very much in line with the vibes of her other books while being more unique at the same time.
One Golden Summer // I debated where this landed among my five-star favorites from her but rereading my review made me remember that that main character in this one annoyed me a bit more than others have. I loved seeing Charlie again and experiencing his love story for sure, and he calmed her down in necessary ways.
4.5 Stars
This Summer Will Be Different // In my review I said that this was technically her best book at the time but it was a little slower for me. I loved the PEI setting and the second chance romance here. It was such a lovely story but slow-burn… very character-driven with some nice flashback chapters like her other books. A perfect book for the summer and for the readers who focus on character development.
4 Stars
Meet Me at the Lake // Everyone was jazzed up after reading her debut and was expecting perhaps a little too much from her sophomore novel – I know I’m not alone in ranking this one last. The premise of this one is right up my alley and again in line with the tropes that Fortune excels at, but I remember not loving the flashback chapters as much as her other books. Those were necessary to believe how quickly the couple moved in this one (honestly opposite of the previous book in this ranking).
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