Every Summer After: Summary

Some of the key themes of Every Summer After are nostalgia, forgiveness, family, and identity. The book explores how Percy and Sam’s relationship is shaped by their memories of their summers together, their mistakes and regrets, their bonds with their families, and their sense of who they are and what they want. It also shows how they cope with change, loss, and growth over time.

• How did you feel about Percy and Sam’s relationship? Did you root for them to get back together or not?
• What do you think was Percy’s biggest mistake and why? How did it affect her life and her relationship with Sam?
• How did Sam cope with his brother’s death and his mother’s illness? How did these events change him as a person?
• What role did the cottage and the lake play in the story? How did they symbolize Percy and Sam’s connection and their past?
• How did Percy’s family influence her choices and her identity? How did they support or challenge her throughout the story?
• What did you think of the alternating timelines between the past and the present? How did they enhance or confuse your understanding of the characters and their motivations?
• What were some of the themes that resonated with you the most in this book? Why?
• How did Percy and Sam grow as individuals over the course of the story? What were some of the turning points in their development?
• What did you think of the ending of the book? Were you satisfied or disappointed with how things turned out for Percy and Sam?
• If you could ask Carley Fortune one question about this book, what would it be?

• The book is a compelling exploration of how nostalgia can both comfort and haunt us, and how we can learn to let go of the past and embrace the present.
• The author uses a dual narrative structure to create suspense and contrast between Percy and Sam’s perspectives, revealing their inner conflicts and emotions in different ways.
• The book portrays a realistic and nuanced depiction of family dynamics, showing how they can shape our choices, values, and sense of self.
• The book challenges the conventional tropes of romance novels by presenting a complex and flawed relationship that is not based on idealization or perfection, but on honesty and growth.
• The book evokes a vivid sense of place and atmosphere through its descriptions of the cottage country setting, making it an immersive and captivating read.

• Betrayals don’t cancel each other out. They just hurt more."
• "I loved you so much that the word ‘love’ didn’t seem big enough for how I felt."
• "Some people are lucky like that. They know what they want and they go after it. They don’t let anything stop them."
• "Maybe we’re all just a collection of memories. Some good, some bad. Some we wish we could forget, some we wish we could relive."
• "Sometimes you have to lose something to realize how much it meant to you."

There have been no TV, film, radio, podcast or theatrical adaptations of the novel Every Summer After - yet!