Meet Me at the Lake

By: Carley Fortune

Narrated by: AJ Bridel, Carley Fortune

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

A Most Anticipated Book by Today ∙ Oprah Daily ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ BuzzFeed ∙ SheReads ∙ Zibby Mag ∙ PopSugar ∙ BookRiot ∙ Culturess ∙ Her Campus ∙ The Everygirl ∙ and more!

A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After.

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 the city. 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 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?

©2023 Carley Fortune (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Fortune explores the aftermath of losing a beloved parent and reclaiming a relationship in this unputdownable, witty, soulful and stirring novel." —GMA

“This novel, set in Toronto and on a nearby lake, is beautiful, charming, witty, poignant, and all the things you could want in a spring read.” —Katie Couric Media

"Meet Me at The Lake is a beautiful, heart-tugging, love story about secrets, lies, missed connections and second chances. Set against the idyllic backdrop of a family hotel on a rural lake, this novel brims with the warmth of summertime and the feeling of home. An exquisite, emotional read." —Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of Stars in an Italian Sky

Transparent life

This book gave me comfort. Motherhood, life not being what you expect. True love scary love. Courage to ask for what you want. Courage to share your deepest, darkest secrets. Thank you.

Read it in a single sitting

This book made me want to go to a lake house or summer camp for adults. So sweet and light and the perfect read for your next pool or beach day!

LOVED it so much!

Carley Fortune is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I’m already anticipating her next adventure. The worlds she creates are so cozy and I love that she always includes realistic, real-life situations and struggles in her writing. I LOVED Will and Fern. I loved their interactions and the story of their first 24 hours together. I loved how all of the pieces came together in the end like a roadmap. I loved all of the beautiful characters at the resort. I loved the setting she so sweetly described - I could put myself there on the docks, walking through the property, and hanging out with Peter in his kitchen while he baked. I couldn’t stop listening.
It’s already been added to my list of go-to cozy reads (along with Every Summer After).
Also, I could listen to A.J. Bridel talk all day.
Would give this more than 5 stars if I could.
Absolutely loved it.

Loved

Loved this one almost as much as Every Summer After. Can’t wait to see what Carly has next!

sweet story

It was a bit predictable but honestly very sweet and reminded me of a similar "first date" experience I had in NY many, many years ago. I think I always sort of wished my story would have ended up like Fern and Will's, if I had written it, I would have written it this way. Very nice summer read!!!

More than just a good read!

At first glance Meet Me at the Lake may seem to be the typical story of boy meets girl, they connect and break up and then the rest of the story is about how they find one another again and live happily ever after. This book is so much more. The way the author uses Will’s character as an example of how depression can affect lives was well done. The way she described the changes in his demeanor and interpretation of life before and after, made his character real and the story quite authentic. Thank you for your epilogue and ending notes and for using your gift of writing to bring to light what depression can look like and letting people know that there is help.

Loved the story!

It took me back in time growing up at our summer camp. It was entertaining, realistic, with the ups and downs of summer love and with an ending you hope for.

Im a fan!

After reading Every summer after, I couldn’t wait for the next story. I love it! The story is beautiful and so are the characters. Carley has the gift to make male character a dream of what a perfect man is. With good and bad but in any women eyes a perfect partner.
Will was getting on my nerves until I understood he was struggling with something deeper. Loved how Fern was brave at the end for the sake of her happiness.
I can’t wait for the next story.
I also I can’t forget to mention that the male voice is so captivating, it makes the characters more real and somehow very sexy.
I love the questions at the end and I’m still trying to answer myself some.
Thank you Carley for talking hard topics and the importance of being pro choice.
Thanks you also for making my imagination flies to beautiful Lakes in Canada. While I was reading I felt I was there.

Romance

I really like the book. The on and off romance keeps you on your toes.

Slow story but beautiful writing

The storyline of this book is quite slow and meandering. The characters and plot could have been further developed to deepen the reader’s connection and interest. The narration performance is extremely well done, which helps tremendously. But that being said, it was worth the read because of the beautiful, descriptive writing. The author is very gifted in that regard, and I enjoyed the easy flow of her descriptions.