Book Review: This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

I have never been to Prince Edward Island (PEI), but reading this book makes me want to go ASAP. So credit to the author Carley Fortune for bringing out such vivid details of Atlantic Canada.

the front cover

The way Lucy describes Felix from the very first time she saw him, it just felt like she already liked him more than any feelings he would have for her in their future. The infatuation was on steroids, and that's why she did not trust herself to resist getting down with him when he was just another stranger deep in his bowl of seafood. That was risky behavior! At some point, I think it was more of a physical interaction going on than anything else I tried to believe. Too much bed gymnastics happening; I just kept wondering if it could be anything more. Lucy could have stopped seeing Felix the first time she discovered he was Bridget's brother, but she was so attracted to him that she kept up with the feeble attempt anytime he came up to her.

Lucy, every time she sees Felix

She kept mentioning rule number 3—"Don't date my brother", but whatever she and Felix had going on was progressing, but I wouldn't call it love. It was FUN for a long while. Those two even had to test the waters with others and reunited.

But how is Lucy surprised that Bridget knew when she eventually summoned the courage to tell her? It was obvious from the way she was blushing around him, being unnecessarily uneasy....There should not be any surprise there. All that her "stop it, i like it" shenanigans with Felix were not going to waste, eh!.

Lucy trying to pretend

I would have loved some kind of extended monologue from Felix about Lucy. He seemed to say very little outside but had a mouthful when they were intimate. This was some adult romance, but the narration felt like teenage love (and there is a lot of the awwnn, hmmm, haaa.... those kind of feelings we never outgrow as adults)

Back cover view

Lucy is such an amazing personality, but it felt to me like she kind of shrank herself in many ways because of how much she wanted to be with Felix, who was still trying to figure out what he wanted in life.

Trying to figure things out

Finally, a shout-out to Bridget for having the courage to run away even though the invitations were already out. That was something difficult to get through, and one cannot deny how the entire quagmire impacted her friendship with Lucy and her relationship with her family. The book gave me some of that—big-town girl is smitten with a small-town handsome man - boy meets girl-ish—"Safe Haven" movie vibes (the movie starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel).

I look forward to reading other books by this author. So fingers crossed.