If you’re new to Barry’s Bay, pick up Fortune’s book, published May 6th, 2025, by Berkley. It’s available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats, at your local library, or through the Libby app.

“Good things happen at the lake.”

Alice Everly is a photographer who feels comfortable on the sidelines behind her camera. Her superpower is making others shine. When her grandmother, Nan, shatters her hip, Alice rearranges her schedule to care for her. To lift Nan’s spirit, she decides they both need a summer at the cottage.

The only other time she spent at the cottage was at seventeen when Nan brought her to Barry’s Bay for one magical summer. She received her first camera and captured a photo of three carefree teens in a yellow speed boat, the first she ever sold. Being back in Barry’s Bay is nostalgic in ways Alice didn’t anticipate. It rekindles the youth she was too afraid to embrace and inspires a list her seventeen-year-old self would be proud of.

Charlie Florek is the boy next door, the caretaker of the cottage they’re staying at, and one of the teens captured in that long-ago photograph. He still has an easy smile, but for readers returning to Barry’s Bay, they’ll find his carefree attitude weighed down by years of grief and self-loathing. This new side of Charlie is as endearing as his flirty, sure-of-himself one. And both are in contradiction, a constant struggle raging beneath his jester’s mask.

Alice brings out his serious, protective side and restraint. Fortune plays this like a fine-tuned fiddle. He pulls her in just enough and releases her when real emotions surface. It’s heartbreaking that he genuinely believes he doesn’t deserve affection. He listens, carries Nan down thirty-two steps so she can take a boat ride, and builds a castle of a treehouse for his unborn niece or nephew. How can this man believe he is unworthy?

This love story transcends generations, from Alice’s grandmother to Charlie’s parents. Fortune captivates her audience with layers of uncomplicated friendships blossoming into more. If you’re a fan of Abby Jimenez, Ali Hazelwood, or Emily Henry, this book is for you. A true gem of a 4-star read.