This Summer Will be Different

“Bridget will love whatever I do. She’s my most vocal advocate, my loudest cheerleader. My only cheerleader now that my aunt is gone. She’s the one person in my life whose love and support come freely and without conditions.”

Lucy describes her relationship with Bridget, introducing the theme of Belonging and Found Family. Despite not being related to Lucy by blood, Bridget shows up for her more than her parents do and is the most consistent and supportive person in her life.

“‘Bridget is your life’s true fairy tale,’ my aunt Stacy once said, and I agreed.”

Fortune subverts the common romance-novel structure by emphasizing her protagonist’s platonic relationships. Felix and Lucy’s romance never overshadows Lucy’s friendship with Bridget. Fortune portrays Bridget as Lucy’s platonic soulmate, utilizing terms often used in connection with romantic love to describe their bond.

“This will be my fifth trip to the island.”

The narrative consists of alternating timelines and is largely segmented by summers. Each time Lucy goes to PEI, she learns more about herself, and each trip marks a milestone in her self-development.

“Summer Wind has never been polished or even overly tidy, but it has the feeling of being wholly loved, so different from my parents’ house in St Catharine’s, with its colonial furniture and formal sitting room. I never really felt at home there.”

Lucy feels a greater sense of belonging among the Clarks than with her own family, reflected in her feelings about their respective homes. The Clarks are Lucy’s family of choice, as they accept her in ways that her biological family does not.

“You haven’t taken a vacation in way too fucking long. I know I’ve said it before, but you’re doing too much, Bee.”

Though Bridget and Lucy love one another unconditionally, their ability to give each other constructive criticism is another important aspect of their friendship. Each woman helps the other grow by pointing out her flaws or counter-productive behavior when necessary.

“I don’t tell her that I feel it, too. Natural wonders. Landmarks. My aunt. Bridget, too. Ever since she met Miles, she’s become a little less mine.”

One of the novel’s key themes is Lucy’s struggle to cope with how her life changes over the narrative’s six years. She faces losses both large and small and must learn not to fear change so that she can move forward with her life.

“It wasn’t a terrible childhood, but it was quiet, and I was often lonely.”

Lucy’s description of her childhood contextualizes what Bridget and the Clarks mean to her. She has always felt like an outsider in her own family, emphasizing her need for the family she finds through Bridget.

“One last girls’ trip. We’ll make it count.”

Lucy and Bridget have an annual tradition of taking “girls’ trips” to PEI. Here, Bridget refers to their “last” trip, highlighting the way their bond has changed as they’ve grown up and hinting that her secret is something that will alter their ability to take their annual trips.

“In the past year, I’ve been so caught up with work, I’ve let my friendships dissolve. My sex life, too.”

To prove herself to her critical parents, Lucy prioritizes work over everything else, leaving her lonely when she is not with Bridget. Part of her journey to happiness involves reconnecting with herself outside of work, prioritizing friendship and romance again.

“Somehow, I always find my way back.”

Despite Lucy’s best efforts, she is inexorably drawn back to Felix. Fortune uses romance tropes like forced proximity to bring these characters together, heightening the tension in the narrative as they fight their attraction to one another. This quote also foreshadows that Lucy and Felix will ultimately end up together.

“‘Right now, it feels fresh,’ Christine said. ‘But setbacks can be chances if you look at them from the right angle.’”

This quote from Bridget’s mother plays into the theme of Accepting Life’s Changes. Christine acknowledges that big, painful changes can be growth opportunities, a statement that rings true throughout the narrative.

“I told him he’d stolen my friend and that I was jealous he spent more time with her than I did. It was supposed to be a joke, but it came out sour. Miles said that was the only logical response to having to share the best woman on the planet, and then he poured me more wine.”

This moment exemplifies how Lucy and Bridget’s friendship must change as they grow into adulthood. In college, they spent every day together, but as adults, responsibilities and relationships mean that they see one another less often. Lucy initially has difficulty processing this change, but ultimately, she values their friendship in its new form.

“So this is good news. Great news. I could double the business in a year. But there’s that quiet, questioning voice. Can I handle that? Do I want to? Who is my success for?”

Throughout the narrative, Lucy must learn to live life on her own terms rather than striving to please her parents. Occasionally, she struggles to tell the difference and is unsure what she wants out of life. Learning what makes her happy is part of her maturation into adulthood.

“Before Joy broke up with Felix, she had been Bridget’s best friend and was now her sorest spot.”

Bridget previously lost her best friend after Joy dated Felix. This information contextualizes her strong negative reaction to the idea of Lucy and Felix dating and heightens the stakes of Lucy’s secret.

“This is Lucy’s happy ending.”

This sentence, written at Green Gables Heritage Place by Felix, illustrates how he continually supports Lucy’s happiness and foreshadows the happy ending she receives at the end of the novel.

“‘I think I’d like to grow my own flowers one day,’ I said. I hadn’t told anyone this before, not even Bridget. ‘I’d like to have a farm.’”

Here, Lucy admits for the first time that she wants to run her own farm. The fact that Felix is the first person she tells this to highlights how he empowers her to self-actualize and pursue her dreams, proving himself as a worthy romantic partner.

“Our friendship is fractured, and I need to repair it—there’s nothing more important than Bridget.”

This Summer Will Be Different is an unusual romance novel in that assigns friendship the same importance as romance. Bridget and Lucy’s friendship remains her priority, and Lucy is willing to sideline everything else to ensure that it endures.

“Every part of himself that Felix offers up, every piece I allow myself to savor, is just another thing I’ll have to say goodbye to.”

Lucy’s fear of change is a roadblock in her relationship with Felix. She catastrophizes by imagining the end of their relationship before it has even begun. Her characterization of a potential love not as an exciting prospect but as something to be preemptively mourned is a reaction to the sudden loss of her aunt the previous year.

“If I could have stayed on that island forever, I think I would have. Being on PEI had a way of making life feel simpler. I breathed easier. Began to sleep better. Slowed down in a way I never could in the city.”

Fortune explores how different settings can bring out different aspects of a person’s character. On PEI, Lucy is a more relaxed version of herself, able to process her experiences and take time for herself in a way that she can’t during her busy life in Toronto.

“Farah pulls out the emergency bottle of vinho verde from the cooler, and I tell her everything that’s happened since the very first summer. I’m through with secrets.”

After opening up to both Felix and Bridget, Lucy’s improved communication skills carry over into the rest of her life, strengthening her other relationships as she is more willing to be direct and honest with all her loved ones. She has learned that secrets ultimately cause more trouble than they’re worth.

“I tell Bridget she’s my best friend. I tell her that I’ll miss her. I tell her that I love her more than anyone. And then I let her go.”

Lucy’s calm reaction to Bridget’s departure marks growth in her relationship to change. Lucy has learned how to let go of her favorite person with grace, trusting in the strength of their bond to survive the distance between them.

“I’m evolving.”

Though This Summer Will Be Different is a romance novel, Lucy’s self-actualization is a major element of the plot. On her 30th birthday, she reflects fondly on how she’s changed during the six years spanned by the narrative.

“I love you, Felix.”

Lucy’s confession of love is the culmination of her romance with Felix. All their turbulent, on-again-off-again fluctuations are behind them, and there are no more blocks in their communication. Lucy’s willingness to say “I love you” so openly indicates that she has let her guard down fully and feels secure enough to be vulnerable in her new relationship.