One Golden Summer

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What were your overall impressions of One Golden Summer? What were your favorite and least favorite parts, and why?

2. If you’ve read any of Fortune’s other novels, such as Meet Me at the Lake or Every Summer After, how did your experience reading One Golden Summer compare? If you’ve read other summer romance novels, like Annabel Monaghan’s Summer Romance and/or Abby Jiminez’s Just for the Summer, what thematic, character, or plot overlaps did you notice?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How did you respond to the revelation about Charlie’s heart condition, which reorients the scope of Charlie and Alice’s future together? Have you or a loved one ever faced a medical complication that impacted how you thought you about upcoming plans or long-term dreams?

2. How does Alice and Charlie’s romance compare to your experiences? Which aspects of their relationship are most resonant for you, and why?

3. Alice experiences Transformative Power of Place at Barry’s Bay. Have you ever been in a physical setting that had a profound influence on your outlook or personality?

4. Alice comes from a big family where relationships and roles are hard to change. Do your experiences of family life reflect a similar dynamic? Have you been able to transform how your relatives see you?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novel explore authenticity, female empowerment, and beauty standards through Alice’s photography career? In what ways does Fortune confirm or subvert cultural biases?

2. Alice and Charlie’s relationship poses questions about honesty, personal trauma, and past mistakes. What commentary is Fortune making on the interplay of love and mental health? Could she have represented Alice’s and Charlie’s personal traumas more effectively? If so, how?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel is written from Alice’s first-person point of view. How would One Golden Summer resonate differently if told from Alice’s and Charlie’s alternating perspectives? What would be lost and what would be gained?

2. Compare and contrast Charlie and Trevor. In what ways are they foils of each other? What is the significance of their differing personalities? How do they each impact Alice?

3. How does the Barry’s Bay setting reflect and add to the novel’s mood? How does the natural world impact Alice’s state of mind?

4. Examine the role Alice’s and Charlie’s past plays in the present. How do previous experiences shape their opinions, decision-making, and situational understanding? What do the characters discover on reflecting on former experiences and identities?

5. Find three key symbols in the novel, such as the cottage, Alice’s camera, the tree house, or the darkroom. What do these symbols represent and how do their meanings change as the novel goes on?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine an alternate ending for the novel. How would Alice and Charlie’s lives have played out differently if Percy had never informed Alice of Charlie’s heart surgery? If you think they would still have ended up together, how? If you think they went their separate ways, what would have been the result?

2. Create a playlist that captures Alice’s personal transformation over the course of the novel. As you select your songs, consider how the settings where she finds herself, the relationships she has, and the experiences she participates in contribute to her evolving state of mind. What is your reasoning behind each chosen song?