We have been swooning over #1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune’s books over the past couple of years and now we’re being swept away by her latest novel This Summer Will Be Different. We got the chance to chat with Carley about what inspired her latest book, the 2024 reads she’s most excited to take on vacation and Meghan and Harry picking up the rights to Meet Me at the Lake for Netflix.

This Summer Will Be Different

Tell us about your latest novel This Summer Will Be Different. What are some similarities to your previous novels that readers can expect and what are some new and exciting elements you’re excited for readers to be introduced to?

It’s about Lucy, who travels to Prince Edward Island for the first time and meets a charming local oyster shucker, Felix. They spend a memorable night together before realizing that Felix is Lucy’s best friend’s younger brother. They swear it’ll never happen again, but each time Lucy returns to the island for a girls’ trip with her BFF, Bridget, she can’t seem to stay away from Felix. Now, Bridget flees the city days before her wedding and heads home to the island, begging Lucy to come with her. Lucy is determined to go to the island, bring her friend back, and keep her heart safe from Felix… Both of her goals prove more difficult than she expected.

Like my previous books, Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake, This Summer Will Be Different whisks you away to a gorgeous place. But this one is not set a lake, but on Prince Edward Island, a stunning destination on Canada’s East Coast, with soaring red cliffs and sandy beaches. My previous books were both second chance romances, but this one is all about forbidden love. It’s also very much a story of female friendship and coming of age in your twenties.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

You’ve become a go-to for summer/beach reads. In your opinion, what makes the ultimate beach read?

Thank you! I look for beach reads that are unputdownable. I want to be taken on an immersive ride and transported right into a book. My hope with This Summer Will Be Different is that whether you’re reading it on the beach or not, you feel like you’ve had a vacation on Prince Edward Island. I want readers to smell the ocean air, feel the coastal wind on their cheeks, and dig their toes in the sand. I want this to be a book you can taste.

What are some of the releases you’re looking forward to reading this summer?

So many! For starters: Kennedy Ryan’s This Could Be Us, Ashley Poston’s A Novel Love Story, Kiley Reid’s Come and Get It, Tia Williams’s A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, and Emily Henry’s Funny Story.

You’ve talked about how you chose the settings for Every Summer After (based on where you grew up) and Meet Me at the Lake (where you dreamed of being during postpartum insomnia), what made you choose Prince Edward Island for this one?

I traveled to PEI for the first time with my best friend, Meredith, when I was in my early twenties. I was a fan of Anne of Green Gables, so I had a romantic idea of the island, and it more than lived up to my expectations. Meredith and I drove all over the island, ate exclusively seafood, and attended the national oyster shucking championship. The trip really stuck with me, and I’ve always wanted to set a book on the island. I returned there twice more while I was researching, and each time I visited, I fell a little more in love with it. I’ve never met nicer people, had more delicious food, or walked along such beautiful beaches.

Your last two books were second-chance romances, this time, you’re diving into “the best friend’s brother” trope. What made you interested in heading in this direction?

The idea for the book began with best friends on a girls’ trip to Prince Edward Island, then my editor, agent, and I began brainstorming who the love interest would be. I’m drawn to complicated relationships and messy situations, and a string of secret hookups with your best friend’s brother seemed inherently juicy.

Harry and Meghan’s production company in partnership with Netflix has acquired screen rights to Meet Me at the Lake! Is there anything you can share with us about this? If not, can you talk about what it was like receiving that news and what your hopes are for taking the book to the screen?

There’s not much I can say at this point, but I’m so excited. The team at Archewell is fantastic, and I know the project is in the very best hands. Meet Me at the Lake was tremendously difficult to write. It’s a love story that deals with some pretty challenging stuff, and it means so much to me that it’s found such an incredible production home.

Romance continues to be an absolute driving force of publishing. Where do you see the genre heading and what do you hope to contribute to its continued trajectory?

I try not to get too caught up in trends or forecasting. My goals are personal. I want to improve as a writer with every book. I want to build relationships with my readers. I want to give you books you can escape into. I want to explore love, in all its forms, through romance.

Can you share anything with us about what you’re working on next?

I’m working on my fourth book, a romance that will be out next year. Writing it has been a complete delight. The characters have felt fully formed from the beginning, and they are just so good together! I hope to share more about it later this summer. Stay tuned!