One Golden Summer Audiobook By Carley Fortune cover art

One Golden Summer

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One Golden Summer

By: Carley Fortune
Narrated by: AJ Bridel, Carley Fortune
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THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! ∙ A radiant escape to the lake from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and This Summer Will Be Different

As featured in The New York Times ∙ People ∙ Good Morning America ∙ The Washington Post ∙ Cosmopolitan ∙ TODAY ∙ USA Today ∙ Harper's Bazaar ∙ Glamour ∙ E! News ∙ Buzzfeed ∙ ELLE ∙ Us Weekly ∙ The New York Post ∙ FIRST for Women ∙ Woman's World ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ SheReads ∙ and more!

I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.©2025 Carley Fortune (P)2025 Penguin Audio Best of 2025 (So Far) Coming of Age Editors Select Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good

Critic reviews

"One Golden Summer was everything I wanted for Charlie and more! Alice and Charlie's chemistry is an absolute bonfire, the banter is perfection, and Nan is a treasure. Fortune's stories are rich and sparkling. She makes me believe that a summer at the lake is a necessary and formative experience in life."—Abby Jimenez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Say You'll Remember Me

"[Fans] have been begging her to give Charlie his happily ever after for years—and she’s fully delivered with a sweet, summer love story."—E! News

"Carley Fortune has a knack for making the lake the most romantic place on earth, and, as such, One Golden Summer is a delight.”—ELLE

Editorial Review

Back to Barry’s Bay
Ever since Carley Fortune made her debut in 2022 with Every Summer After, fans have been clamoring for Charlie’s book. Now, it’s finally time for Charlie’s happily ever after. In One Golden Summer, Fortune takes us back to Barry’s Bay, Canada, and introduces us to Alice, a photographer who is returning to the quaint lakeside community with her ailing grandmother. To her surprise, the teenage boy she had a crush on during her first visit 16 years ago is now the charming local she keeps running into around town. Charlie helps Alice step from behind the camera and shift the focus to her own life and happiness, and their flirtatious friends-to-lovers slow-burn is full of laughter, longing, and sexy will-they-or-won’t-they vibes. Fortune’s go-to narrator, AJ Bridel, is back to perform this one, for a nostalgic and comforting listen that feels like a reunion with an old friend. —Margaret H., Audible Editor

Engaging Storyline • Nostalgic Summer Romance • Well-developed Characters • Emotional Depth • Witty Banter
Highly rated for:
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OK, the story is very good. Narrator is OK, I did not like her male character narration. The most frustrating thing about this story is how cocky Charlie is and Alice is such a weak female character, she just falls into his.”all about how great Charlie is” attitude about just about everything. He was actually cringy to me and I would never go for a guy like that. The narration voice for the grandmother was terrible too, so forced old lady.

Good story, don’t understand the rave reviews

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This was really great! Not a 5 star for me but a solid 4 ! I loved all the characters.. all of the lake scenes

Great story

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I always love author narration because you really get more of a feel for how the author pictures it. I loved their story and I’m so glad we got Charlie’s story.

So well written

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The characters were very refreshing and the storyline was unique. I finished this book so fast.

Really enjoyed this book.

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Loved every minute! Didn’t want it to end. We need a second book continuing thier story!

Beautifully Written!

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Holy smokes. I’m a huge Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry fan, so when I ran out of their books to listen too and audible recommended Carly Fortune, I decided to take the leap. HOLY SMOKES. Dare I say, Charlie Flores is forever my book crush?! This book had me smiling and giggling within the first two hours! The story is incredible and so rich in description that I felt like I was at the lake. I felt like a giddy 17yo with a crush! I could picture the scenes and just loved the dialogue. And the narration was absolutely fantastic! This book is a 20/10. Can’t wait to devour Carly Fortune’s other books!

BIG heart eyes

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I felt it had a slow start but great ending. I enjoyed the characters and the love story.

The love story

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𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 by @carleyfortune

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📄 400

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
☀️Lake Romance
🚤Friends to Lovers
☀️Opposites Attract
🚤Forced Proximity
☀️All the Summer Vibes
🚤Photography
☀️Reformed Playboy
🚤Bucket lists

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼:
One Golden Summer is the ultimate summer/beach read. ☀️🚤💙

I was so excited to get back to Barry’s Bay for Charlie’s story and Carley Fortune delivered.
The chemistry and banter between Charlie and Alice is everything. Their reconnection, the yellow boat, and lakefront nostalgia made this one impossible to put down. He calls her Trouble and it’s the sweet thing ever.

Nan is the true star of the show. I absolutely adored Nan.💙

🎧 AJ Bridel & Carley Fortune did an amazing job with this audiobook! I thought it was so cool to have Carley bring Alice to life!

All the Summer vibes

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One Golden Summer : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recommended as “The summer book of 2025”….. I agree that this would be a great summer read. The story takes place in a summer lake area in Canada 🇨🇦 What was on your teenage bucket list that was never completed 💗 wow 🤯 five star read

Five stars

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Couldn't put it down! Great story with great characters. I couldn't get enough of the protagonists - fell in love with both Charlie and Alice and their dynamic.

Binge-worthy

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