Overall Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️
Synopsis:
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune follows Frankie, whose fiancé leaves her on the day of their wedding. Hoping to help Frankie recover from the heartbreak, her best friend George suggests they take the honeymoon trip together. While Frankie initially hopes the vacation will help repair their friendship, the two are ultimately forced to confront the feelings they have long kept hidden.
Review:
Carley Fortune has become the quintessential summer author. Our Perfect Storm offers readers a beautiful escape while seamlessly weaving together romance and environmental themes. Knowing that Fortune drew inspiration from the relationship between Jo and Laurie in Little Women makes Frankie and George’s dynamic even more meaningful, as their friendship reflects many of the same qualities that have captivated readers for generations.
Fortune creates a breathtaking vacation setting, filled with towering trees and the beauty of the ocean. Her descriptions make it easy for readers to picture themselves alongside the characters. At times, however, the amount of attention devoted to the setting slows the narrative, allowing the scenery to overshadow the story itself.
From the very beginning, it is evident that Frankie and George share an incredibly strong bond. Their greatest obstacle is communication. In many ways, they resemble the classic couples from 1990s romantic comedies, where everyone but the couple recognizes that they belong together. More compelling than watching their romance unfold, however, is seeing Frankie learn to embrace herself fully instead of making herself smaller for someone else.
Ultimately, this novel is about being who you are and learning to be yourself with your people. It also serves as a thoughtful reminder to take both mental health and the health of our environment seriously.
I hope you enjoyed this review! Stay tuned for my next one! – Jules Grant, Associate Editor & Literary Critic