Common Sense Media Review
By Sage Moreaux
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Steamy summer romance has drinking, nudity, heartbreak.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In EVERY SUMMER AFTER, Persephone Fraser is only 13 when she and her parents start spending their summers at Barry's Bay, a small town outside of Toronto. There she meets Sam, the boy next door who becomes her best friend. Each summer, they swim, work in his mom's restaurant, and spend endless hours together reading. As the years pass, Sam and Percy's relationship grows deeper until the spark between them is undeniable. But when 18-year-old Percy makes the biggest mistake of her life, she leaves Barry's Bay, and Sam, behind. More than a decade later, Percy returns to the lake town for Sam's mother's funeral, and comes face to face with the man she never stopped loving. Will Percy be able to make amends for the decisions that drove them apart, or will their love remain a thing of the past?
Is It Any Good?
The mystery of why Percy and Sam stopped seeing each other is interesting enough to keep the reader invested as the story bounces between the past and the present. Between the slow-burn romance, the nostalgia of long summers by the lake, and the puzzle of what drove the main characters apart, Every Summer After has enough plot and character development to keep you reading. And yet, Carley Fortune's characters often make terrible decisions, and while some of the early choices feel age appropriate, as the characters age, their lack of communication and ultimate betrayals are disappointing.
The summer vibes in the early flashback chapters make for a fun beach read, but the plot becomes predictable in the second half, and the ensuing drama changes the feel of the story. Ultimately, neither character is dynamic enough to truly root for, and readers may feel a bit let down by the end. It's got enough going for it to pull readers to the inevitable romance conclusion, but it's also just an OK book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the amount of drinking in Every Summer After. Do you think the character's decisions are affected by how much they drink?
How do you feel about the amount of graphic sex in a story that includes many scenes of the main characters as young teens?
How do you feel about how long it took Percy to get up the courage to tell Sam the truth?
Do you think the parents should give their kids more or less freedom during the summer?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Berkley
- Publication date : November 22, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
- Number of pages : 320
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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