One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Sun-soaked lake novel about memory, desire, and the courage to be seen.

Ashley (@life__with__books) picked a heart-hitter. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune is that perfect dock-day read: warm, wistful, and a little dangerous. It’s cottage weather on paper—fast to sink into, hard to shake off.

About One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Good things happen at the lake—or so Alice’s Nan says. One teenage summer in Barry’s Bay changed everything: a yellow speedboat, a single photo, three grinning faces, and a life set in motion.
Years later, Alice is a photographer who lives behind the lens. When Nan breaks her hip, Alice brings them back to the cottage for a do-over summer. Then the past shows up in a roar of that yellow boat… with Charlie Florek at the wheel—older, bolder, still disarming. Sun-lit days bleed into warm nights, easy laughter turns sharp with longing, and Alice has to decide what she’ll risk to finally step into her own frame.

Why You’ll Love It

• Lake-read catnip: cottages, night swims, and second-chance heat

• Seeing and being seen: a love story about finally letting someone look back

• Fast, emotional, discussable: perfect for book clubs

• Ashley-approved: our resident book brain says this one lingers

• Giftable cover: vibrant art that looks gorgeous on a shelf or coffee table

Lemonberry Book Club Notes (for discussion night)

• What does Alice hide behind the lens, and when does that change?

• Where’s the line between nostalgia and truth?

• Nan as compass: wise oracle or chaos agent?

Availability

Find it online or swing by Lemonberry in Aurora to snag a copy before your next waterfront day. If you’re Toronto-bound, this is a cozy companion for a stroll through The Beaches or a latte at Kensington Market—then home to the dock.