Table of Contents
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About This Summer Will be Different
As This Summer Will be Different begins, Lucy Ashby is enjoying her first visit to Prince Edward Island. On her first day on the island, she meets Felix, a charming local, and decides to throw caution to the wind for an unforgettable night with him. However, the next morning, she discovers that Felix is her best friend Bridget’s younger brother—the very brother Bridget had warned her to stay away from. Bridget had given Lucy three simple rules to follow during their time on Prince Edward Island:
- Eat your weight in oysters.
- Leave the city behind.
- Don’t fall in love with my brother.
Lucy is confident that she won’t fall in love, but she and Felix end up making three rules of their own:
- Don’t tell Bridget.
- Don’t sleep together again.
- We won’t fall in love.
Now, Lucy is overwhelmed with floral arrangements and bouquets. She’s barely finding time to sleep or take a break. Her beloved flower shop, In Bloom, is thriving, but the workload never seems to end. With only a few days left to finalize the flowers for Bridget’s wedding, chaos reigns. Just when things seem to reach a boiling point, Lucy receives an unexpected call: Bridget has fled to Prince Edward Island just days before her wedding. Lucy rushes to the island, a place filled with her happiest memories and her biggest secret, to find out why Bridget suddenly left Toronto.
Every year since that night together, Lucy and Felix have tried to stay apart with varying degrees of success. They consistently end up breaking their second rule at one point or another, convincing themselves that they are keeping feelings out of it. Last summer, a falling out left them both with bruised hearts. As they spend time together on PEI, will they be able to move on, or are they in danger of breaking their final rule?
Who Should Read This Summer Will Be Different
✅ Reasons to Read:
- A fun summer read
- Tropes:
- Best Friend’s Brother
- Forced Proximity
- Prince Edward Island is a character in itself
- Lots of Anne of Green Gables references
❌ Reasons Not to Read:
- Some spicy scenes
✏️ Books with Similar Vibes
- Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (Summer Fling, Fake Dating)
- The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther (Friends to Lovers)
- Beach Read by Emily Henry (Rivals to Lovers, Forced Proximity)
My Review
- ⭐️ Plot & Pacing
- This Summer will be Different is centered around Lucy’s friendship with Bridget and how it changes as they grow older and her secret hookups with Bridget’s brother Felix and how they change as they begin to develop feelings for each other.
- ⭐️ Characters
- Lucy
- FMC
- Lives in Toronto
- Owns In Bloom florist in Toronto
- Felix
- MMC
- Lives on Prince Edward Island
- Owns cottages he rents out
- Bridget
- Lucy’s best friend AND Felix’s sister
- Lives in Toronto
- Marrying Miles
- Lucy
- ⭐️ Prose & Style:
- The use of dual time-lines helped the story unfold in a way that keeps the reader engaged
- ⭐️ Emotional Impact
- This book is meant to be a summer read, but it does deal primarily with the character’s relationships & emotional growth.
Final Thoughts
Carley Fortune’s This Summer Will Be Different is exactly what a summer read should be. It’s a delightful escape, perfect for lazy days by the pool or soaking up some sun while listening to the waves. The characters are relatable, the setting is vibrant, and the story flows effortlessly. It captures the essence of summer, making you laugh, reflect, and perhaps even shed a tear. Whether you’re on vacation or just dreaming of one, this book is a tasty little treat that you won’t want to put down!
Free Printable
As a special thank you for reading, I am sharing a free printable of the bookmarks I created for this series. Please feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions or issues. Happy Reading!
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