Carley Fortune’s debut novel, "Every Summer After," has been adapted into a series for Prime Video, with the author serving as an executive producer. The story is set in Barry’s Bay, a lakeside town in Ontario where Fortune herself grew up, and follows Percy Fraser, portrayed by Sadie Soverall. Percy’s family purchases a summer cottage in Barry’s Bay, where she quickly forms a close bond with the Florek brothers, particularly the younger brother Sam, played by Matt Cornett. Over six summers, Percy and Sam’s relationship deepens until a pivotal mistake causes a decade-long separation. The series picks up ten years later when Percy returns to Barry’s Bay to confront her past and reunite with Sam.
Fortune emphasized the importance of preserving the Canadian setting in the adaptation. She noted that earlier iterations of the script, before showrunner Amy B. Harris joined, placed the story in a fictional Wisconsin town called Barry’s Bend. Fortune said she felt heard when the production later chose to retain the original Canadian backdrop. Additionally, she advocated for casting a Canadian actress in the role of Sue Florek, the mother of Sam and Charlie, who is played by Calgary-born Elisha Cuthbert.
Discussing the casting process, Fortune explained that while she could vividly picture the settings in her book, she did not have specific actors in mind for the characters during writing. Watching the actors bring the characters to life was a new and emotional experience for her. She recalled that Matt Cornett’s audition tape, featuring a eulogy speech, moved her to tears, and the chemistry reads conducted via Zoom between Cornett and Soverall, as well as between Cornett and Michael Bradway—who plays Charlie Florek—effectively captured the core relationships central to the story.
Despite her close involvement with the adaptation, Fortune maintains a separation between her vision of the characters in the book and the actors’ portrayals, to preserve her personal connection to the original work.
Alongside "Every Summer After," Fortune has two other novels in the process of adaptation. "Meet Me at the Lake" is being developed as a film with Netflix, in collaboration with Meghan and Harry’s production company. Although a director is attached, details remain under wraps, and the script is undergoing revisions. Her other novel, "This Summer Will Be Different," has advanced further, having been greenlit by Netflix for a ten-episode series. Filming is scheduled for the summer in Toronto and Prince Edward Island, with casting currently underway.
These projects mark a significant expansion of Fortune’s work into screen adaptations, highlighting her active role in shaping how her stories are brought to television and film.