carley fortune is a beautiful writer, and MEET ME AT THE LAKE is full of captivating descriptions and punchy dialogue. she bounces between present day and 10 years in the past as well as fern's mother's diary, but it still flows and connects well. fortune is skilled at creating worlds full of characters and history, and the resort is that. maggie's diary gave me big mamma mia! energy and i loved it. i think i was more invested in fern's growth rather than her relationship with will, who was a well-developed character but frustrated me due to his self-deprecating and -sabotaging nature. the lack of communication at the end was hard to get through and it felt a bit rushed. overall, another emotional, family-centered second chance romance set against the backdrop of a canadian lake.