After a chance encounter, Will Baxter and Fern Brookbanks have an epic day-long adventure in Toronto that ends with Will and Fern making major decisions about their futures and promising to meet again one year later…Fern shows up, Will does not. Now, ten years later, Fern is back in Muskoka running her family’s lakeside resort (something her younger self would have never done) after her mother’s unexpected death. Much to Fern’s surprise, Will unexpectedly shows up at the resort, having previously arranged with Fern’s mother to consult on the resort’s recent struggles. Despite enjoying reconnecting with Will, Fern can’t help but feel that Will’s hiding something.
Meet Me at the Lake is a unique second chance romance telling the story of then (Fern and Will’s first meeting 10 years ago) and now (unexpectedly reconnecting at the lake). This book is reminiscent of The Summer Cottage by Annie Rains, Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, Beach Read by Emily Henry, The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, so if you’re a fan of any of these books, you should definitely check out Meet Me at the Lake. Themes present in Meet Me at the Lake include secrets and lies, love and sacrifice, work and life balance, mental health, rebellion, grief and loss, as well as family and parenthood. Trigger warnings include death via car accident, drug use, fires, abandonment, depression, sick child, and absentee parents.
First off, the cover art is just stunning and it really fits the story. Due to the huge success of Fortune’s first novel Every Summer After, I was a bit nervous to start Meet Me at the Lake as I wasn’t sure if it would live up to my high expectations. But I have to say, it actually ended up being more enjoyable! I usually don’t like books that are constantly switching back and forth between the past and the present, but it felt this way of storytelling was well-suited; it was still engaging and didn’t feel like it slowed down the pace of the story too much. It was enjoyable how, at the beginning of the novel, there were lots of gaps or unanswered questions with regards to both Fern and Will’s stories as it keeps one invested and you want to keep reading so you could uncover the mystery and piece the puzzle together. Being Canadian, I loved how this story was set in Ontario (mainly Toronto and Muskoka) as I was familiar with a lot of the places that Fern and Will visited.
Sprinkled throughout the novel are some of Fern’s mother’s diary entries. At first, I found these to be a bit confusing and didn’t really understand why they were included, but without spoiling anything, the diaries entries made more sense to me in the end and made for a really cool connection in the epilogue.
In my opinion, the smalltown, lakeside setting, and the length of the book (just over 300 pages) makes Meet Me at the Lake a perfect beach read to add to your summer TBR list!
Meet Me at the Lake is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After.
Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in the city. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.
At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.
She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.
But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?
