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 Ferns surprise, Will unexpectedly shows up at the resort, having previously arranged with Fern’s mom 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). I found this book to be like that 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/ 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 I really felt like it fit 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, I actually ended up enjoying Meet Me at the Lake more than Every Summer After. I usually don’t like books that are constantly switching back and forth between the past and the present but in Meet Me at the Lake, I felt that this way of writing was well-suited; it was still engaging, and I didn’t feel like it slowed down the pace of the story too much. I enjoyed 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 kept me invested in the story; I wanted to keep reading so that I 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 mom’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, in the end, the diaries entries made more sense to me 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!
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February 2024
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