Best new romance books 2024, including This Summer Will Be Different, Funny Story, My Favourite Mistake and more.

Best new romance books 2024

Reading lists

New romance books to read in 2024

This Summer Will Be Different

From the million-copy #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake, Carley Fortune returns with a glorious and tantalising new escape 
Every summer forces Felix and Lucy to be together but they shouldn’t be. Can they resist temptation? 
‘Crackling sexual tension’ The Times 
‘This swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag’ WOMAN &amp; HOME 
‘Radiant’ Emily Henry 
 ---- 
This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won't give into temptation. This summer will be different. 
 
The first time Lucy and Felix met she was on vacation on Prince Edward Island. And a tour of the beaches wasn’t the only thing he showed her. But when she discovered his true identity as her best friend, Bridget’s brother, their electric night should have become a distant memory… 
 
Each year with Lucy and Bridget’s return for a summer escape, she promises herself she won’t end up in Felix’s arms, but it’s easier said than done. 
 
Not this year though. This year it will be different. With Bridget facing the biggest crisis of her life, Lucy must join her for one last trip to the island. 
 
But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, something more and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.Tropes/themes:1. Forced proximity2. Summer romance3. Best Friend's brother4. Off limits relationship5. Friends to lovers 
----‘What a dreamy and sexy summer novel. Carley Fortune knows how to tug at your heart’ 
Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age and Come and Get It 
 
‘A deep and shimmering story of friendship, sex, and – most of all – love. Be prepared to cry, swoon, ache and cheer. Stunning’ Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places 
 
‘Clear your calendar and buckle up – this one will leave you breathless’ Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of This Time Next Summer 
‘Carley Fortune is the master of the love story’ Annabel Monaghan 
 
Readers love The Summer Will Be Different: 
‘Such a perfect summer romance that you can really fall in love with’ ***** Reader Review 
‘This book has definitely put me in the summer feelings’ ***** Reader Review 
'This is hands down my favourite Carley Fortune book!' ***** Reader Review 
'The chemistry was electric. I fell in love with the characters and the story’ ***** Reader Review 
‘If you enjoyed of Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake, I’m certain you’ll love this one just as much, if not more' ***** Reader Review 
 
 
Carley Fortune, Number One New York Times bestseller, May 2023

Carley Fortune is the master of the love story

A breathtaking tale of star-crossed lovers that gripped me from page one

A sweet story about second chances, and how the future we imagine for ourselves is never quite what it turns out to

There&rsquo;s plenty of crackling sexual tension, and a beguiling sense of sleepy, oyster-loving Prince Edward Island

With its steamy moments and wistful island descriptions, this swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag

What a dreamy and sexy summer novel. Carley Fortune knows how to tug at your heart. This is a book filled with great food, lots of charm, and a young woman navigating the tricky question of how she wants to live her life.

Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age and Come and Get It

Carley Fortune perfects the nostalgia of young summer love and the choices that change us forever

A quintessential summer novel, full of longing and lost love, and hits on so many beloved tropes

&lsquo;With its &lsquo;Anne&rsquo; references, steamy moments and wistful island descriptions, this swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag&rsquo;

This Summer Will Be Different is a deep and shimmering story of friendship, sex, and-- most of all-- love. From page one, Lucy and Felix reached right in and grabbed my heart and they haven't let go. Be prepared to cry, swoon, ache, and cheer. Stunning.

Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

If this doesn't put you in the mood for summer, we're not sure what will

Carley Fortune has managed to dream up another entirely fresh, deeply layered and beautifully written romance. Except this time the chemistry between Lucy and Felix could power all of Prince Edward Island. For years. Clear your calendar and buckle up--this one will leave you breathless.

Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of This Time Next Summer

Carley Fortune is the #1 New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of EVERY SUMMER AFTER and MEET ME AT THE LAKE. Her third book, THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT, comes out May 7, 2024. Carley is an award-winning journalist and worked as an editor at some of Canada&rsquo;s top publications, including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, and The Grid. She was most recently the Executive Editor of Refinery29 Canada. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.

They can't be together, but they can't stay apart. 
 
The first time Lucy and Felix meet, she is a tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. He is the local who shows her a very good night. She has no clue that he is her best friend's younger brother. Their chemistry is off the charts, but the list of reasons they can't be together is much longer. 
 
Every summer, Lucy visits the island with Bridget for a big breath of fresh air, to gorge on oysters and vinho verde, and to soak up sunny days on red sand beaches. And each year, she promises herself she won't end up in Felix's arms. 
 
It's easier said than done. With every furtive glance and electrifying touch, she becomes more entranced by this man who wears his heart on his sleeve even as he remains completely off-limits to her. What started as a one-time thing becomes six years of keeping secrets and telling lies-to her best friend, to Felix, to herself. That's why, last summer, she broke things off for good. 
 
When Bridget faces the biggest crisis of her life, Lucy knows she needs to take her back home. One last trip to the island. One last chance with Felix. But has she ruined everything before it can really begin?

Carley Fortune

‘This swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag’

Good things always happen at the lake. After all, it's where Alice took that photo, the image that changed her life. Alice loves her career as a photographer, but sometimes she just needs to be in that magical place, back by the lake at Barry’s Bay. Charlie was only nineteen when Alice unknowingly took his picture. Now, Alice is faced with the man who helped make her career. Summer with Charlie is a balm for Alice’s soul. But one night, when she looks up and sees his piercing blue gaze on her, things start to feel different. 
 
But will the truth of their past drive a wedge between them, or bring them closer together?

Carley Fortune

Praise for One Golden Summer

'Radiant'

‘Crackling sexual tension’

‘This swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag’

'Radiant'

‘Crackling sexual tension’

‘This swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag’

'Radiant'

‘Crackling sexual tension’

‘This swoon-worthy romance is one for the beach bag’

Books by Carley Fortune

Articles featuring Carley Fortune

New romance books to read in 2024

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter