Episode-by-episode discussion of This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune — one island, one summer every year, and the man she keeps promising herself she will not fall for. Each episode covers a stretch of the story, spoiler-free until the recap. Part of Books About Love.
One chapter per episode, in the book's own order. Each episode stands on its own.
This is Season 1, Episode 1 of our deep dive into This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. In this episode, Edith and Alan watch the spark catch. ⚠️ Spoiler warning: this series discusses major plot points and the ending. Edith covers Lucy's solo arrival on Prince Edward Island and the instant, magnetic pull toward a brooding oyster shucker with a sharp knife, a dangerous gaze, and a sadness he isn't quite hiding. She breaks down the "knowing" that passes between two strangers in a single blink — the thing romance readers live for — while Alan gleefully theorizes that "destiny" is often just a flattering word for "spectacularly bad decision-making." Alan is, of course, already invested. Edith's takeaway: Fortune opens on pure chemistry, establishing the wordless connection between Lucy and Felix before the plot's complications arrive — so that when the reasons to stay apart pile up, we already know exactly what's at stake. The hook is the heat, and it works. Content note: this series discusses a spicy adult romance, kept tasteful, with a light flag on a hurricane storyline. Otherwise a feel-good ride.
This is Season 1, Episode 2 of our deep dive into This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. In this episode, Edith and Alan recap the night that starts the whole problem. ⚠️ Spoiler warning: this series discusses major plot points and the ending. Edith covers the night a simple shared meal turns into a memorable, ocean-view encounter at a house with a yellow door. We keep this tasteful — the book brings the spice, we bring the context — and the hosts use it as a jumping-off point to debate Lucy's "casual specialty": is keeping things light her genuine superpower, or a clever shield against the messiness of actually letting someone in? Alan votes superpower; Edith suspects shield. Edith's takeaway: Fortune establishes Lucy's defining trait early. She's brilliant at pleasure with no strings — and that very skill is what lets her avoid the vulnerability she's terrified of. The fun of the book is watching that strategy meet a man it can't survive. Content note: this series discusses a spicy adult romance, kept tasteful, with a light flag on a hurricane storyline. Otherwise a feel-good ride.
This is Season 1, Episode 3 of our deep dive into This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. In this episode, Edith and Alan watch a dream night become a disaster. ⚠️ Spoiler warning: this series discusses major plot points and the ending. Edith covers the morning after, when a casual address reveal and a green ceramic lawn toad turn Lucy's five-star evening into a slow-dawning nightmare. Alan completely loses it as the penny drops: the gorgeous stranger isn't just some local — he's the one man Lucy was explicitly, specifically forbidden to so much as look at. Alan is howling at the timing. Edith's takeaway: Fortune nails the romance-novel reversal where the best night of someone's life instantly becomes the worst possible complication. The toad is a perfect comic device — a tiny, silly object that detonates the entire premise — and it sets the engine of the book running. Content note: this series discusses a spicy adult romance, kept tasteful, with a light flag on a hurricane storyline. Otherwise a feel-good ride.
This is Season 1, Episode 4 of our deep dive into This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. In this episode, Edith and Alan examine the rule at the center of it all. ⚠️ Spoiler warning: this series discusses major plot points and the ending. Edith unpacks the psychology behind Bridget's three rules — and zeroes in on the big one: don't fall in love with my brother. She explores why "don't fall in love" is such a slippery boundary, since you can't exactly command a heart to stand down. Alan raises the obvious problem: the moment Felix starts deploying a flirty "secret knock," the rule stops sounding like a boundary and starts sounding like a dare. Alan is convinced the rule is doomed by design. Edith's takeaway: Fortune builds delicious tension out of a well-meant request that's basically unenforceable. Bridget isn't wrong to want it — she's protecting two people she loves — but desire doesn't take instructions, and that gap is where the whole story lives. Content note: this series discusses a spicy adult romance, kept tasteful, with a light flag on a hurricane storyline. Otherwise a feel-good ride.
This is Season 1, Episode 5 of our deep dive into This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. In this episode, Edith and Alan witness a glow-up with consequences. ⚠️ Spoiler warning: this series discusses major plot points and the ending. Edith covers Lucy's return to the island a year later, only to discover Felix has undergone a full glow-up — a short beard, a new ease in his own skin, a quiet confidence that wasn't there before. The hosts dwell on the "undiluted electricity" that snaps back into place the instant they lock eyes at the airport, proving that a year of distance has done absolutely nothing to dim the charge. Alan is delighted by the beard development. Edith's takeaway: Fortune uses the time-jump structure to keep refreshing the tension — every reunion lets us feel the pull all over again, a little stronger each time. The glow-up isn't just eye candy; it signals Felix growing into himself, raising the stakes of what Lucy keeps walking away from. Content note: this series discusses a spicy adult romance, kept tasteful, with a light flag on a hurricane storyline. Otherwise a feel-good ride.
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5 episodes in this show, 1,100+ across the whole network, and a new one every day.
More chapter-by-chapter shows: All About Love · Heated Rivalry · Taming 7 · It Ends with Us · Things We Hide from the Light · The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Educational commentary and review only — not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Carley Fortune or the publisher. All discussion is transformative and used under Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.