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Chasing Summer: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26For fans of Carley Fortune, this is a funny, smart, complicated second-chance romance set in Prince Edward County
When down-on-love screenwriter Elise Hunter moves to idyllic Prince Edward County for the summer, the last thing she expects is to fall for not one but two attractive suitors. But will she find the kind of romance she’s so good at writing about? And if so, who will she choose?
Elise’s passion is making movies, but while she excels at writing romance, she’s not interested in dating losers just so she can be in a relationship—she has bigger plans.
Unfortunately, those plans fall through when she’s unexpectedly fired on set, right in front of Ben, the charming star. But a chance encounter with him during her sister’s bachelorette party presents an Ben offers to be her fake wedding date to appease her nightmare mother, if Elise will be the writing teacher at Ben’s family theatre camp in beautiful Prince Edward County. The deal is on!
She gives herself the summer to figure out who she wants to be, not to mention have some sexy experiences to fuel her writing. But on the day she moves into the idyllic lakefront summer cabin, she discovers that her neighbour is the first man she ever fell in love with. Dave is just as handsome as she remembers, but he also once ghosted her. Can she trust him again? Or is Ben the better choice?
As Elise tries to work through her unresolved feelings for Dave, her fake feelings for Ben start to feel real, leaving her torn between the love of her life and the opportunity to start over with someone new.
When down-on-love screenwriter Elise Hunter moves to idyllic Prince Edward County for the summer, the last thing she expects is to fall for not one but two attractive suitors. But will she find the kind of romance she’s so good at writing about? And if so, who will she choose?
Elise’s passion is making movies, but while she excels at writing romance, she’s not interested in dating losers just so she can be in a relationship—she has bigger plans.
Unfortunately, those plans fall through when she’s unexpectedly fired on set, right in front of Ben, the charming star. But a chance encounter with him during her sister’s bachelorette party presents an Ben offers to be her fake wedding date to appease her nightmare mother, if Elise will be the writing teacher at Ben’s family theatre camp in beautiful Prince Edward County. The deal is on!
She gives herself the summer to figure out who she wants to be, not to mention have some sexy experiences to fuel her writing. But on the day she moves into the idyllic lakefront summer cabin, she discovers that her neighbour is the first man she ever fell in love with. Dave is just as handsome as she remembers, but he also once ghosted her. Can she trust him again? Or is Ben the better choice?
As Elise tries to work through her unresolved feelings for Dave, her fake feelings for Ben start to feel real, leaving her torn between the love of her life and the opportunity to start over with someone new.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 14, 2026
*Review of ARC audiobook from NetGalley*
Chasing Summer feels like a classic a made for TV movie, where the FMC being a screen writer for Christmas romance movies and then ends up living her own romance while in Prince Edward County, a small town getaway along Lake Ontario while teaching at a Film camp. I was really looking forward to reading this summer romance but felt like the entire arc was relatively superficial. The problems Elise was having in her life, like with her mom were never truly resolved. The book continued on as though we didn’t need further explanation, meanwhile at times there was more details. It sets up to be a why choose, but I felt that one of the men never stood a chance. It was very clear throughout who she would end up with. At the end he makes a grand gesture, as with all romances, but we never get into them talking more about it or working through more of the issues that were raised - it was just we’ll deal with it. Because of this lack of depth, I wasn’t able to sink my teeth into this one as much as I had hoped I would. While I was entertained enough to keep listening and hoping that somehow she wouldn’t chose the obviously wrong man, I can’t justify rating this more than 2.5/5⭐️ rounded up for GoodReads. It’s a fast paced romance, with subtle overarching themes of self growth, forced proximity, reconnection. Good way to dip my toes into the summer romances.
Chasing Summer feels like a classic a made for TV movie, where the FMC being a screen writer for Christmas romance movies and then ends up living her own romance while in Prince Edward County, a small town getaway along Lake Ontario while teaching at a Film camp. I was really looking forward to reading this summer romance but felt like the entire arc was relatively superficial. The problems Elise was having in her life, like with her mom were never truly resolved. The book continued on as though we didn’t need further explanation, meanwhile at times there was more details. It sets up to be a why choose, but I felt that one of the men never stood a chance. It was very clear throughout who she would end up with. At the end he makes a grand gesture, as with all romances, but we never get into them talking more about it or working through more of the issues that were raised - it was just we’ll deal with it. Because of this lack of depth, I wasn’t able to sink my teeth into this one as much as I had hoped I would. While I was entertained enough to keep listening and hoping that somehow she wouldn’t chose the obviously wrong man, I can’t justify rating this more than 2.5/5⭐️ rounded up for GoodReads. It’s a fast paced romance, with subtle overarching themes of self growth, forced proximity, reconnection. Good way to dip my toes into the summer romances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 21, 2026Prince Edward County, aka one of my favourite places on earth?! Sign. Me. Up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book scratched an itch in my brain just right. It felt like comfort. There were so many nostalgia memories, 90s and 00s pop culture references and family dynamics that felt reminiscent of my own adolescence and adulthood. It felt perfectly crafted for me as a Canadian millennial.
None of the characters were as "good" (aka minimally flawed) as you'd expect in a romance novel, but also none of them were as bad as they seemed in certain moments. For me this book did what a lot of romance novels fail to do, which was make the storyline and main characters it feel genuine and a realistic representation of what off-page love looks like for most people. It felt like this could have been the (love) life of someone you knew. I just really appreciated the balance of the messiness and mundaneness and feeling the criticality of career choices during one's quarter-midlife years, that accompanied a romance that didn't feel over produced and made up of picture perfect characters.
The author also did a really good job of building out the peripheral relationships to felt natural and authentic, not forced for a trope or sub plot/conflict. I guess maybe some could say that was at the cost of the romance development. This actually felt a bit more like women's lit, Elyse had a lot to work through that summer and was building (and maintaining) relationships with her friends, family, coworkers and mentees while also juggling two love interests. So in some ways the romantic relationships felt slightly underdeveloped. But I don't mind that when I feel like the FMC has a fully developed personality and life and independence despite that's be shown in the story, regardless of the romantic outcome.
Some of my favourite moments/ references / lines:
- the obsession with float on by modest mouse (I had that song on repeat for months/ years)
- Elyse calling her sister "sissy" (same)
- Gilmore girls quotes
- the backhanded compliment about Taylor Sheridan shows hahaha
- "Ambition is not an identity"
- "what would it be like to have a parent you trusted to hold even your ugliest emotions? What a balm that would be"
I received this novel as an advanced listening copy (alc) through NetGalley. I enjoyed the narrators voice as a whole, but she didn't do any vocal shifts for different characters (male or female) so it could take a few seconds to calibrate and register who was saying what in a dialogue sequence.
All in all would recommend. Look forward to buying this for my shelf, and my sister's.
None of the characters were as "good" (aka minimally flawed) as you'd expect in a romance novel, but also none of them were as bad as they seemed in certain moments. For me this book did what a lot of romance novels fail to do, which was make the storyline and main characters it feel genuine and a realistic representation of what off-page love looks like for most people. It felt like this could have been the (love) life of someone you knew. I just really appreciated the balance of the messiness and mundaneness and feeling the criticality of career choices during one's quarter-midlife years, that accompanied a romance that didn't feel over produced and made up of picture perfect characters.
The author also did a really good job of building out the peripheral relationships to felt natural and authentic, not forced for a trope or sub plot/conflict. I guess maybe some could say that was at the cost of the romance development. This actually felt a bit more like women's lit, Elyse had a lot to work through that summer and was building (and maintaining) relationships with her friends, family, coworkers and mentees while also juggling two love interests. So in some ways the romantic relationships felt slightly underdeveloped. But I don't mind that when I feel like the FMC has a fully developed personality and life and independence despite that's be shown in the story, regardless of the romantic outcome.
Some of my favourite moments/ references / lines:
- the obsession with float on by modest mouse (I had that song on repeat for months/ years)
- Elyse calling her sister "sissy" (same)
- Gilmore girls quotes
- the backhanded compliment about Taylor Sheridan shows hahaha
- "Ambition is not an identity"
- "what would it be like to have a parent you trusted to hold even your ugliest emotions? What a balm that would be"
I received this novel as an advanced listening copy (alc) through NetGalley. I enjoyed the narrators voice as a whole, but she didn't do any vocal shifts for different characters (male or female) so it could take a few seconds to calibrate and register who was saying what in a dialogue sequence.
All in all would recommend. Look forward to buying this for my shelf, and my sister's.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was very excited to read this book because I love summer romances. This one takes place in Prince Edward County, a region I have visited before so I was expecting to feel the summer vibes and a cute romance. Unfortunately, it did not deliver for me. I felt like the story was always surface level. All the conflicts that the characters might have were resolved without deep conversations or without any conversations at all which bothered me.
Elise’s relationship with her mom is a big part of the story, but the ending was very disappointing. Once again, no real conversations about their issues took place between the two.
As for the romance, it was not my favourite. I hate miscommunication and there was a lot in this story. While the characters had conversations, once again, they didn’t go deep and try to really understand what the issue might be.
My favourites stories are when the characters undergo a lot of character growth. This story did not have that. While Elise might feel like she had a transformative summer at the Camp, she still hadn’t address the real issues with her mom and with her dad. As for the man she chooses, to raise that many issues before dating for real and then just ending without us knowing how they worked through that left me really disappointed and unconvinced by the romance.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book, opinions are my own.
Elise’s relationship with her mom is a big part of the story, but the ending was very disappointing. Once again, no real conversations about their issues took place between the two.
As for the romance, it was not my favourite. I hate miscommunication and there was a lot in this story. While the characters had conversations, once again, they didn’t go deep and try to really understand what the issue might be.
My favourites stories are when the characters undergo a lot of character growth. This story did not have that. While Elise might feel like she had a transformative summer at the Camp, she still hadn’t address the real issues with her mom and with her dad. As for the man she chooses, to raise that many issues before dating for real and then just ending without us knowing how they worked through that left me really disappointed and unconvinced by the romance.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book, opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a local, seeing Toronto and Prince Edward County rendered so vividly was a total highlight. The setting truly felt like a character of its own.
The core themes—healing from the past and self-discovery—are wonderful. I enjoyed the cast and found the characters distinct and loving in their own ways, even the difficult ones. It starts off with a very strong hook and a great premise.
My frustration was, while the ideas are solid, the execution felt a bit messy, especially in the second half. The story became weighed down by too many competing plot lines (family drama, past hurts, fake dating, and a love triangle). Conflict often felt manufactured, with communication issues arising where they didn't seem natural. I found myself frustrated with the protagonist’s circular growth; she would solve a problem only to be conflicted by the exact same issue a chapter later.
The chapters are quite long, which made the pacing feel slow. The ending felt a bit rushed and left some of the deeper issues without a truly satisfying resolution.
Great ideas and a beautiful local setting, truly set the summertime vibe, but the execution and pacing struggled to keep up.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the arc.
The core themes—healing from the past and self-discovery—are wonderful. I enjoyed the cast and found the characters distinct and loving in their own ways, even the difficult ones. It starts off with a very strong hook and a great premise.
My frustration was, while the ideas are solid, the execution felt a bit messy, especially in the second half. The story became weighed down by too many competing plot lines (family drama, past hurts, fake dating, and a love triangle). Conflict often felt manufactured, with communication issues arising where they didn't seem natural. I found myself frustrated with the protagonist’s circular growth; she would solve a problem only to be conflicted by the exact same issue a chapter later.
The chapters are quite long, which made the pacing feel slow. The ending felt a bit rushed and left some of the deeper issues without a truly satisfying resolution.
Great ideas and a beautiful local setting, truly set the summertime vibe, but the execution and pacing struggled to keep up.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the arc.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this in advance. The opinions in this review are my own.
I love that this book takes place in Canada and it has a light, summery feel to it. The main character has a lot of conflicts to navigate - a difficult boss, family drama, unhealed hurt, and romance struggles. I liked that the FMC stands up to her boss despite the backlash she knows she'll probably face. I liked watching her journey to understand herself while also trying to reconnect with her family.
However, there was a lot going on, and so I felt a bit lost through it all, and I couldn't connect with it as much. I enjoy when a character is explored at deeper levels and some layers are pulled back so that you feel like you know them better as they discover themselves. I think this was done to a certain degree, but just not quite enough for me.
The pacing also felt slow, which disconnected me further from the story. That said, it was a light, summer read, and I loved the local setting.
I love that this book takes place in Canada and it has a light, summery feel to it. The main character has a lot of conflicts to navigate - a difficult boss, family drama, unhealed hurt, and romance struggles. I liked that the FMC stands up to her boss despite the backlash she knows she'll probably face. I liked watching her journey to understand herself while also trying to reconnect with her family.
However, there was a lot going on, and so I felt a bit lost through it all, and I couldn't connect with it as much. I enjoy when a character is explored at deeper levels and some layers are pulled back so that you feel like you know them better as they discover themselves. I think this was done to a certain degree, but just not quite enough for me.
The pacing also felt slow, which disconnected me further from the story. That said, it was a light, summer read, and I loved the local setting.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✨ ARC REVIEW ✨
This book completely captured the feeling of a nostalgic summer romance. 🌊☀️ From the small-town Prince Edward County setting to the emotional pull of first love, Chasing Summer had me hooked trying to figure out who Elise would choose in the end.
Elise’s journey felt so real — caught between the comfort of a first love that never fully faded and the possibility of something new. The story really leans into the idea that first love never truly dies, and I loved how emotional and layered that felt throughout the book.
The detailed writing made the setting come alive so vividly that I felt like I was spending the summer lakeside with the characters. The tension between Dave and Ben kept me invested the entire time, and I genuinely went back and forth trying to decide who I wanted Elise to end up with. 👀
☀️ Summer romance
💌 Fake dating
🏡 Small-town vibes
❤️ First love / second chance romance
🎭 Love triangles that actually keep you guessing
This book completely captured the feeling of a nostalgic summer romance. 🌊☀️ From the small-town Prince Edward County setting to the emotional pull of first love, Chasing Summer had me hooked trying to figure out who Elise would choose in the end.
Elise’s journey felt so real — caught between the comfort of a first love that never fully faded and the possibility of something new. The story really leans into the idea that first love never truly dies, and I loved how emotional and layered that felt throughout the book.
The detailed writing made the setting come alive so vividly that I felt like I was spending the summer lakeside with the characters. The tension between Dave and Ben kept me invested the entire time, and I genuinely went back and forth trying to decide who I wanted Elise to end up with. 👀
☀️ Summer romance
💌 Fake dating
🏡 Small-town vibes
❤️ First love / second chance romance
🎭 Love triangles that actually keep you guessing
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5⭐️
It’s always fun when a story is set in a place you know. Prince Edward County is a beautiful backdrop for this lovingly Canadian romance.
Sometimes it feels the world just throws you in the right place at the right time. Elise is given an opportunity that allows her to heal parts of her past, while building towards the future.
Although I understand the role Ben plays in the story, I just never felt like I actually knew him as a character, no real depth to him. So the decision points with him never truly felt real to me. At time Elise’s decision points were frustrating and seemed based in very little.
That said, I enjoyed this little romp through PEC and getting to meet all the fun and loving people who surround Elise, she has an amazing support system with an eclectic group of characters. If they learn some lessons along the way, they only become stronger for it.
It’s always fun when a story is set in a place you know. Prince Edward County is a beautiful backdrop for this lovingly Canadian romance.
Sometimes it feels the world just throws you in the right place at the right time. Elise is given an opportunity that allows her to heal parts of her past, while building towards the future.
Although I understand the role Ben plays in the story, I just never felt like I actually knew him as a character, no real depth to him. So the decision points with him never truly felt real to me. At time Elise’s decision points were frustrating and seemed based in very little.
That said, I enjoyed this little romp through PEC and getting to meet all the fun and loving people who surround Elise, she has an amazing support system with an eclectic group of characters. If they learn some lessons along the way, they only become stronger for it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I loved the premise of this one, and was drawn to the familiar setting - living just a stone’s throw from the County made it a fun read! The writing was quite spare for the genre, but I found that refreshing. I loved the layers beyond the romance element, with ride-or-die friendships, a complex mother-daughter relationship, and career ambition. And let’s not forget the cat! I don’t consider myself a cat person per se, but all the stars for Okanagan!
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was my first fake dating romance and now I totally get the hype 😂 The Canadian setting in Prince Edward County was honestly one of my favourite parts. Cozy lake vibes, summer romance, complicated feelings, and a love triangle that actually kept me invested the whole time.
I loved watching Elise try to figure out what she really wanted while balancing her past with the possibility of something new 💛
I loved watching Elise try to figure out what she really wanted while balancing her past with the possibility of something new 💛
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This story is delightful, its like being in a hallmark movie. Its a feel good story about a woman who is going through a bump in the road and ends up teaching writing to some theater summer camp kids. Here she is faced with her first love and a new live interest.
Its fun watching her navigate her past while exploring the new her. Add in some family drama/trauma?, some farm animals, and christmas movie references and you have the perfect summer love story.
Its fun watching her navigate her past while exploring the new her. Add in some family drama/trauma?, some farm animals, and christmas movie references and you have the perfect summer love story.
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