Our Perfect Storm

by Carley Fortune

Best friends have one week in paradise to fix their friendship or fall apart in this heart-stopping, utterly romantic new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and One Golden Summer.

Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.

Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.

Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino.

Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good.

Genres: Romance, Summer, Summer Reads, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Adult

416 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 5, 2026

About the author

Carley Fortune is the #1 New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of Every Summer After, Meet Me at the Lake, This Summer Will Be Different, and One Golden Summer. Her next book, Our Perfect Storm, comes out May 5, 2026.

Carley's books have sold more than three-million copies and have been translated into thirty languages. Every Summer After is in production as a TV series with Amazon Prime Video.

Carley spent her young life in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and in Barry’s Bay, a tiny lakeside town in rural Ontario. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons. Follow her on Instagram @carleyfortune.

Reviews

[maria]

FRIENDS TO LOVERS STAN WE WON!!🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🤭🤭🤭

Also the cover is gorgeous, I’m in love!💜

[ଘRory]

A Carly Fortune book with winter vibes and no "summer" in the title? Take my money. I was convinced the world would end in fire or ice before we got this. My frostbitten heart is ready.

[Liana Gold]

Yay! We have a cover & a purple one at that 💜

[manas (NEW YEAR)]

a title without the word summer? 👀👀

these covers will always eat 💜

[rosie (jason todd's version)]

☀︎༄.° pre-release:

OMG. OMG MS CARLEY DO NOT PLAY W ME RN. IM SCREAMINGGG THIS LOOKS SO GOOD (the cover too. i’m in shambles.)😭😭🫶🏻🫶🏻

[Casey Reads 🌸]

Yay! Can’t wait 💜

[emma ☆°｡⋆]

what’s a girl got to do to get an arc?

[EMthebooktrovert]

Friends to lovers?! Okay, I'm definitely reading this. Is it too much to ask for another Barry's Bay, Charlie Florek and Alice Everly? 🫢

[⋆⭒˚.⋆ Eloise⋆⭒˚.⋆]

OMG SO EXCITED IM SAT 🎉☺️

[ashlyn]

Carley look into the ball 🔮… it’s saying I’m destined to get the arc

[mireya grasso ₊˚ෆ]

๋ · ˚ 🖇️ ⊹ ⌇ pre-read. ⋆

new carley book?!?!? this is about to be amazinnggggg , i really enjoyed my last read by her, so this is going to be super fun <3

p.s. i REALLY would not mind a arc...i mean , it must be a HUGE burden for you guys...

[Amore Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carley Fortune really knows how to write romance that just sweeps you away. This one had all the emotions, the chemistry, and the kind of characters you can’t help but root for. The writing felt effortless and pulled me right into the story, and there were so many moments that made me grin like crazy.

It’s one of those books that makes you feel everything all at once—sweet, funny, heartfelt, and a little bit swoony in the best way. Totally the kind of story you want to curl up with and get lost in.

[Ali]

harcover release... kill me


edit: arc received tho teehee ty

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carley Fortune does not miss.

[marta the book slayer]

give it to me please Carley

[Nelly]

tbr 2026 <3

[Bethany C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was waiting for the perfect moment to read this when I didn’t have to pause to put it down because I just KNEW I would need to binge it in one sitting. And I was absolutely correct. From the first page, I was enthralled and wanted to keep reading. Fortune’s writing is enchanting. You feel like you are there with the characters and any place she writes about I want to visit. Now I want to visit Tofino because it sounds absolutely breathtaking!!!!

The plot of this book was so unique in having childhood best friends but it not being second chance and I was so intrigued how it was going to play out. These two were just meant to be together but above all they are best friends and that’s what’s so beautiful 😭 even though Fortune’s books are only in the fmc’s pov, I can feel what the mmc is feeling and that’s a talent to have!!!! The way they saw each other, the way they understood each other, it is so beautiful!!!! I loved the family dynamics and the pacing was absolutely perfect.

I just love Carley Fortune’s books and I’m already itching for what she comes out with next.

Thank you thank you edelweiss and Berkley for the arc!!!!!

[marioncoin | coin.reads]

la coverrrr 💜 vivement le 5 mai

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus}]

Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old.

Y'all hear that?! It says Frankie & George are best friends!!! Best friends to lovers. *sobs*

Yep, that’s all I need to know from the synopsis. One of ky most anticipated books for next year has been decided!!!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest from Canadian phenom, Carley Fortune was the absolute perfect friends to lovers romance! Frankie and George grew up trauma bonded - both abandoned by parents they loved and that forged a deep bond that lasted decades. Neighbors, best friends, roommates but never more, the two have always been there for each other, except now it's Frankie's wedding and George is no where to be found.

If you always cheered for Laurie when reading Little Women, this is going to be the book for you!! It's full of lush food and travel descriptions the way only Fortune knows how to do! You will feel like you're surfing in Tofino, BC right along with Frankie and George but oh my the FOOD!! Frankie is a chef and her love of food shines in these pages and reading them made me SOOO hungry!!

Another huge win that is sure to delight Fortune's leagues of fans. I couldn't get enough of Frankie and George and their beautiful love story that is definitely one for the ages. I wish we all had a George in our lives!! Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommended for fans of books like Emily Henry's People we meet on vacation.

[Raghad]

This sounds so fun!!!! 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

[Raphaela Mandel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the release date on her stories I literally screamed.

Carley - I will be pre-ordering like your bff does.

[Heather Lilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

GIMME GIMME GIMME. Everything CF writes is absolutely perfect, I need it now 😭😭

[Sophie]

COVERS EAT EVERYTIME

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC!

I’ll be back with my review.


Pubs 5/5/26

Thanks Edelweiss and Berkley.

[Erin]

TOFINO!!! 🤩🤩

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s no doubt that Fortune is a good writer. Her prose is well-done with a passionate concentration on atmosphere and scenery.

Where she lacks, though, is characters.

In this, we have childhood friends who miscommunicate over several years about their feelings…yada yada, you know the game.

Where there are some stories that make you feel so attached to characters that these mishaps seem understandable, Fortune has yet to find that and articulate it well in any of her books.

Her books, characters, plot points, and tropes always seem to be lifted from another book that did the same thing and did it better. This book pretty much reads exactly as People We Meet on Vacation.

Her last book (before One Golden Summer—I can’t remember the name) was very much Book Lovers.

It’s not that Carley Fortune’s books are bad per say, it’s just that there’s nothing in them that makes them original or gives them this soul-crushing, connective tissue that makes you think that you’ve been through the exact same thing and can feel through the page what these characters are going through.

This book, which had a beautiful setting, was contrived. There’s no reason why these characters shouldn’t have been together. The ending of the engagement was so unrealistic—financially, emotionally, logistically. The mother and her relationship to the daughter was bat-shit crazy. Never in my life would I have forgiven her for what she did.

I want more messy characters in my romance books, but I want them grounded in logic, in real life situations, in miscommunications brought on by psychology.

I know that’s a weird way to phrase it, but to write a character, you have to break them down into psychological sense: What was their childhood like, their parents childhood, their communication style, absent parent/involved parent, financially stable household?

These may seem absurd to think about—it’s just a romance book, but when you take the time to make your characters human beings with real emotions, pasts, faults, and insecurities, you get deep connections to them.

Unfortunately, I think Carley Fortune may just not be talking to enough people outside of her group of middle-upper class people who have similar life experiences.

You can tell she’s professionally written before, but can’t seem to go deeper with characterization and is fundamentally unable to make realistic plot points that dictate character action, motivation, and depth.

That was wordy, apologies, I just finished an americano and now I’m wired lol.

[Hannah Hamlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah this was so good! I’ve enjoyed all of Carley Fortune’s books, but this one is easily her best work. The next time I’m trying to convince someone that childhood friends to lovers makes for the best yearning in a contemporary I will hand them Our Perfect Storm.

First off, George and Frankie are freaks for taking so long to realize their inevitability. I loved every second of it, but these two would be insufferable to be around. She’s always cleaning his glasses, he gives her the last bite of everything he eats, and HE ORDERS FOR HER at every restaurant because he always knows what she wants. (High potential to be a weird control move, but it’s not!! It’s like a game they play and she loves it). You’re telling me that they’re dating other people and acting that way in front of their partners and then swearing up and down that there’s nothing more than friendship between them? COME ON.

While Frankie and George are admittedly infuriating, they’re also such rich compelling characters and that’s only more true in regard to their friendship. While their romantic affection for each other seems so obvious, I eventually came to understand exactly why they’re in this predicament. Some relationships are invaluable and it’s scary putting that at risk, especially with their history and miscommunication. It’s real and human. And the twist at the end made it even better.

And as usual, Carley Fortune makes me yearn for a Canadian summer. Putting Tofino on my travel list!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This stupefied me. I didn't think she could top One Golden Summer, but this one was everything. I feel so shaken. Such a fascinating pair of friends turned lovers, unraveled in that classic, past and present timeline style that Fortune has totally mastered. Also a really beautiful family arc at the heart of this novel, too. A must-read!

I received an advance copy of this title on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing access!

[Jennifer L · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat to finish the latest Carley Fortune novel just two days before Christmas when the rest of the world will have to wait until next summer! This was the first time receiving a ARC from Edelweiss so many thanks to them as well as the publisher and author!

It’s no secret that I enjoy the works of our great Canadian writers. Fortune describes Tofino so well, I felt myself being a third wheel with Frankie and George on what was supposed to have been the honeymoon of Frankie and Nate. Since I’m not much of a traveller, the only way I will get to these places is through a well written book.

I enjoyed the characters and the interesting lives they lived to shape the two best friends in this story. We meet Frankie’s parents, brothers and friends. With George, we learn about Mimi and are briefly introduced to George’s father. I think this book captured a childhood friendship so rare and interesting that even through they had to work out their feelings and then work them out some more, it would have been a tragedy if the ending had been the opposite. The chemistry between Frankie and George is unmatched by other writers, unless you are comparing with any of Fortune's novels. She just knows how to write chemistry with perfections! Her supporting characters add a level of depth to her main characters that is also hard to find elsewhere.

It was unique to dive into a ‘finding out you’re actually in love with your best friend’ story without the messiness of some other third party (Nate) getting hurt or being an equal focus in the story. But of course Fortune’s plots are always fashioned so differently, compared to the many other romance novels in today’s world!

I typically like all the additions that contribute to making her novels truly Canadian. I struggled with this one, but I did my best to ignore these and focus on the characters. The summer Canada burned, the CBC, David Suzuki, the focus of George’s journalism career. May I say the book would have been better without slipping in the details that may potentially turn off more conservative Canadian readers. Being a librarian in the oil patch of Saskatchewan, I look forward to picking the brains of my patrons about this one! Carley Fortune fans are large in number here as well and are very much anticipating the release of this amazing book! I believe they will grit their teeth through the many political affiliation triggers and try to enjoy the real story.

Since I picture the writer to be a fair journalist herself, I eagerly await the day she does some research for a book in my province and bases her characters on the hard working men and women of the prairies who currently are having a hard time being proud of this country we call home. Carley Fortune, from what I can tell, puts in a tremendous amount of effort when it comes to researching before writing her novels. I can appreciate that she would have spent time in areas where our forests were on fire in 2023 even if we do have differing opinions on the cause of them.

If I hadn’t already given this book a five star rating when I first learned it was on its way, I might be inclined to remove half a star. Because Fortune is such a popular author her books reach the hands of our reader friends to the south, they might take from this book that Canadians on a whole are all CBC followers who view climate change as a real threat. I just truly felt this novel, her fifth, contained far more of what could be controversial, political content than her usual offering. Years ago I would have loved it and gobbled it up with a sense of Canadian pride but today not so much.

That being said, the writing is flawless. This woman is one of Canada’s best. There’s not a day at the library that she doesn’t come up in conversation. I’ve worked in my role for four years now and a woman walked in over the weekend who I regularly see at my other job in the summers but I’ve not once laid eyes on her in the library in four years. She needed a recommendation and Carley was my first choice. Luckily, we had a copy of Every Summer After for her to take home that day! That woman’s daughter was in the library last night(she’s a regular) and then her granddaughter walked in (her first time in the library too!)

We had a great conversation at the checkout about how nice it was to see mom/gramma the other day. The daughter says did you know she’s reading Carley Fortune? I said who do you think went and found her the book? She mentioned she had read Colleen Hoover and I said well allow me to introduce you to Canada’s answer to Colleen Hoover, Ms. Carley Fortune! The daughter, also a fan of our Canadian romance queen was impressed. It will be nice when we have another new Fortune novel to share with our patrons at our branch! I eagerly look forward to the 5th of May, 2026!


Written many weeks ago when word first came out about this book:

I already know this book is a five star! This librarian will be on the hunt for an ARC copy! Love that the character’s name is Frankie and the setting is Tofino. My cousin named her oldest daughter Frankie Tofino. I’ll be promoting this one to both my cousin and to young Frankie who turns 18 next year!

So I still stand behind my five star rating and I also know my cousin plans to read this one when it comes out! Thanks very much for the ARC Edelweiss!