One Golden Summer

One Golden Summer (2025) is a contemporary romance novel by Carley Fortune that recounts the friends-to-lovers relationship of Alice Everly and Charlie Florek. The summer Alice turns 33, she takes her grandmother Nan to Barry’s Bay in Ontario, Canada, to stay in a friend’s cottage for the season. While here, she meets Charlie, who’s taking time off work to revel in the Kamaniskeg Lake landscape. Alice and Charlie initially agree to keep their relationship platonic, but the more time they spend together, the more undeniable their feelings for each other become. Told from Alice’s first-person point of view, the novel explores The Freeing Power of Love, The Transformative Power of Place, and The Importance of Finding One’s Voice.

This guide is based on the 2025 Berkley Romance paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this study guide include cursing, substance use, sexual content, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

Thirty-two-year-old Alice Everly lives in Toronto, Canada, where she works as a professional photographer. Although invested in her artistic future, Alice feels overwhelmed by all of her vocational demands. Even the jobs that align with her values compromise her artistic vision. Moreover, Alice is still healing from her breakup from Trevor six months prior. She now knows she and Trevor weren’t meant to be together, but often feels lonely and trapped in her barren condo.

Then one day, Alice’s dad texts that Alice’s grandmother Nan is having hip surgery. Alice stays by Nan’s bedside until she recovers. Then, sensing Nan’s despondency about going home, Alice decides not to leave Nan, arranging for them to stay in their friend John’s cottage in Barry’s Bay for the summer.

Alice is thrilled to return to Barry’s Bay. The cottage is as homey as she remembers. Nan and her late husband summered there for years, and brought Alice and her siblings along when Alice was 17. Studying the lakeside view, Alice remembers what it was like to be a teenager.

Alice settles Nan and goes for a solo boat ride on Kamaniskeg Lake. She takes her old camera with her and photographs all the beautiful views. While relaxing on a small island, she studies a group of teenagers having fun in the water and writes a bucket list for the summer. Back in the boat, Alice gets caught on a rock and runs into a handsome man in a familiar yellow boat. He introduces himself as Charlie Florek, the caretaker of John’s cottage. Alice is shocked to discover that Charlie is in a photo she took on the lake 15 years prior. Charlie offers Alice a ride home. At the dock, Nan spots Charlie and invites him in. The three have tea. Alice learns that both of Charlie’s parents have died, he has a brother, and is on sabbatical from work. Before he leaves, Nan invites him to Alice’s upcoming birthday party.

Charlie comes over with a homemade cake for Alice’s birthday. She’s amazed by how friendly, helpful, and convivial he is. At the end of the night, Charlie’s brother Sam and his wife Percy appear on their boat and invite Alice and Charlie to come watch the Canada Day fireworks. The night is pleasant and Alice enjoys herself.

Over the following weeks, Alice and Charlie start spending all of their time together. They go swimming, jump off rocks, go on boat rides, and cook dinner—checking off many of the items on Alice’s list. Delighted with Charlie, Alice is convinced that they’re developing feelings for each other. However, every time she and Charlie are about to kiss, Charlie pulls away. Finally one night, he explains that he’s afraid of ruining their friendship.

Not long later, Alice confronts Charlie about their dynamic. She assures him that if they become physically intimate, nothing has to change between them. Charlie finally agrees, so they make out and have oral sex.

Meanwhile, Alice fields work concerns, communicating with editors from afar, while also taking photos on her own. Near the end of the summer, Charlie invites Alice to develop her photos at the local high school. She is surprised when she sees how intimate the images of her and Charlie are from over the past months. She brings Charlie into the dark room and they have penetrative sex for the first time.

Alice and Charlie’s relationship deepens over the final summer weeks. However, when Alice tells Charlie she wants a real relationship once they return to Toronto, Charlie insists he can’t commit to her. He refuses to advance their relationship beyond a summer fling. A heartbroken Alice flees in tears.

Alice and Nan return to Toronto earlier than planned. Alice blocks Charlie’s number and tries to heal from her sorrow by devoting herself to her work. By the middle of the fall, she feels a bit better. Then one day, Percy calls to say Charlie is in the hospital—he was diagnosed with a heart condition months ago and just had open-heart surgery. Alice rushes to his bedside, where they make amends and profess their love to each other.

One year later, Alice and Charlie are in a committed relationship and living together. Charlie’s health has improved and the couple has also bought John’s cabin. Meanwhile, Alice has reinvented herself as an artist. One night, she and Charlie attend her gallery opening. Alice feels proud of herself and thrilled to have Charlie by her side.