Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune is a beautiful story of friendship, missed connections, grief, and second chances. This one has all the feels. Fern Brookbanks, a new college graduate, is all set to move back home to the Muskoka lakeside resort her mother owns and operates, that is until she meets Will Baxter. Will is a 22 year old artist Fern spends 24 amazing hours exploring Toronto with. Their lives are complicated but their connection is real so they decide to meet up one year from now at the lake. Nine years later Will finally meets up with Fern but not for the reasons you’d think. Fern has some big life decisions to make as she works through the grief of losing her mother. Will might be the only one who can help. 

This story had me hooked from the start, I wanted to know everything about their 24 hours together and what happened a year later that kept them from meeting! I devoured this book switching back and forth between the paperback and the audio. A.J. Bridel did a great job narrating the audiobook. I enjoyed this book but did find it heavy at times as several difficult subjects are discussed. Overall I loved the setting, the second chances, and the found family. 

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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