This Summer Will Be Different is a fun, beautiful, emotional read. The author wrote that fun is something she thinks most of us need more of and, I’m happy to say, she brought lots of joy with this book! The setting is gorgeous, there’s a oyster shucking contest, walks on the beach, best friends, and a forbidden romance. My only gripe is that all the characters had secrets and I felt like they held onto them for a little too long, which kept it from being a DIK for me.

The story begins when Lucy, age 24, heads out to meet her best friend and old college roommate, Bridget, on beautiful Prince Edward Island–they have two weeks to hang out together and to unwind at Bridget’s family’s beach house and get away from the city. (They both live in Toronto). Lucy is looking forward to the break–she has been stressed about telling her family that she quit her prestigious job in PR to work for her aunt at her flower shop, In Bloom, in Toronto.

Bridget is delayed and Lucy goes to a nearby restaurant and that is where she meets Wolf. One thing leads–yay!–to another and they have an incredible, passionate night together only for them to wake up and realize Wolf is Felix’s nickname and he is Bridget’s brother. Bridget had given Lucy three rules before her visit, to eat lots of oysters, leave the city behind, and not to fall in love with her brother. Lucy and Felix decide it’s better not to tell Bridget what happened between them and that they won’t repeat it. We know how that’s going to go….

The story takes place over five years and alternates between past and present. Lucy meets Bridget (and Felix-in secret) at the island a few more times over the years, leading up to the present, when they all reunite on Prince Edward Island for Bridget’s wedding. Lucy is now twenty nine years old and owns In Bloom after her beloved aunt passed away from cancer. Her business is booming and she is offered the chance to do flowers for a group of eight restaurants. She’s not sure if she should take it on because while she loves arranging flowers, she doesn’t love being a manager.

Felix and his best friend, Zach, have built up a successful business building beautiful cottages on the island that they rent to tourists. Lucy is inspired by them and dreams of building a farm and living on the island where she could grow flowers for her shop.

Felix dated a girl, Joy, for seven years but she broke up with him after he proposed because she wanted to find herself. Joy had been Bridget’s best friend and both she and Felix and their families were heartbroken when they broke up. Bridget doesn’t want a repeat of that and so she is protective of Felix. But Felix and Lucy have intense chemistry and a forbidden love. Meanwhile, Bridget is keeping a secret of her own and her wedding is only a few days away.

Bridget and Lucy’s friendship is a big part of the story. Lucy’s family isn’t close and she fears losing her friendship with Bridget if she finds out about her and Felix. Lucy makes several trips to the island over the years and these are my favorite parts of the story. She loves visiting the island and seeing Bridget, her family (and of course Felix-he’s wonderful). Felix is also an expert oyster shucker and it’s festive when we see Felix compete in the community oyster shucking competition and they all attend the party afterwards. The island is described so beautifully, I felt like I was walking along the beach with them.

I would have liked them to get together as a couple sooner in the book so we could see more of them together but it’s a sweet story and would make the perfect beach read. I think this is Fortune’s best book yet and I recommend it to readers ready to escape to an island romance.