Starred review from March 7, 2022
Old wounds finally get a chance to heal in Fortune’s spectacular debut. At 13 years old, Persephone “Percy” Fraser spends the summer in Barry’s Bay, Ontario, aka “cottage country,” where she meets Sam and Charlie Florek. Percy and Sam form an immediate bond and, over the next six summers, fall deeply in love—until everything goes horribly wrong. Fortune teases out what happened during that last summer to tear Percy and Sam apart as Percy, now 30, returns to Barry’s Bay for the first time in 12 years to attend the funeral of Sam and Charlie’s mother, a woman she adored. She and Sam, who haven’t spoken since things ended, must finally confront their history and find the courage to accept responsibility for their mistakes. Alternating between the past and present, the story flawlessly conveys the lovers’ growth both together and apart, and the summery setting provides an idyllic backdrop to their path back to each other. Centered on redemption and forgiveness, this sweeping, heartfelt romance proves impossible to put down. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.
March 1, 2022
DEBUT Split between "then" and "now," Fortune's debut follows the summer exploits of teenagers Persephone and Sam interspersed with their reconnection more than a decade later at Sam's mother's funeral. Their fast friendship and burgeoning romantic relationship as teens gives weight and an underlying charge to their reunion, but most of the novel's many conflicts could have been solved if she and he just had honest conversations. While the author eventually reveals the reason why Persephone and Sam stopped speaking, the payoff is drawn out and, ultimately, uninspired. Set against gorgeous scenery and closely following two people as they fall in and out of love, this novel works best when its leads are dramatic, hormone-filled teens but is overblown when they're adults. VERDICT Readers seeking a drama-free romance should look elsewhere, but hurt/comfort fans will eat it up. Recommended for those who like Sarah Dessen and K. A. Tucker.--Rachel Alexander
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2022
Fortune's debut novel is a nostalgic love story of two childhood friends turned lovers who lost touch 12 years ago. After she became a social outcast, Percy's parents purchased a summer home to find some peace for their daughter. Their neighbors were a single mother named Sue and her two sons, Sam and Charlie. Sam was Percy's age, and they became friends instantly, spending entire summers together. Readers dive back and forth from past to present to get a first-hand account of the love between Sam and Percy and the grave mistakes that drove them apart. After hearing about the death of Sam and Charlie's mom, Percy returns and is forced to deal with telling Sam the truth about why she refused to marry him years ago. Even though the years kept them apart, the moment Sam and Percy see each other again the love between them is ignited. Readers who enjoy a steamy love story in the mold of Jill Shalvis won't be able to put this novel down.
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