There’s never been a better time to be a fan of book-to-movie adaptations of summer romance novels. Between Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, and the upcoming series based on Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After, we’re up to our eyeballs in core-shaking first loves—and loving every second of it.
Deadline reported in July 2024 that Amazon MGM Studios is adapting a series based on Fortune’s debut novel, Every Summer After, which follows two teens falling deeply in love, one magical lake house summer at a time. The series is one of the streamer's many romance projects in development and will be titled Every Year After.
Set in Canada’s Barry’s Bay—a.k.a. Fortune’s own personal Cousins—the show will follow Percy and Sam, childhood besties-turned-lovers who were inseparable until a dark secret tore them apart. Considering the book spent 14 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers List and has sold more than 1 million copies, it's safe to say the adaptation is highly anticipated.
As we wait for the romance show to hit our screeners, we're rounding up everything we know about the Every Year After series.
What is 'Every Summer After' about?
Every Summer After is about that over-the-moon, first kiss, fireworks exploding in the sky kind of love that hits you like a ton of bricks as a teenage girl. For Persephone “Percy” Fraser, that love is Sam Florek—a.k.a. the boy she’s spent every summer with at her family's Barry's Bay lake house. However, their blossoming romance comes to a screeching halt when Percy makes an irreparable mistake.
Now, as an adult, she’s being called back to the picturesque scene of their love, where she’ll have to face the man she left behind, along with her heart, all those years ago.
When will the 'Every Summer After' TV adaptation, 'Every Year After,' be released?
As of now, it’s unknown when the Every Summer After TV adaptation will be released, though Prime Video did tease that the show was “coming soon” in a video for its most recent July update. The post revealed that the show is "now in production," so filming took place throughout summer 2025 and may continue into the fall. If the series wraps by late 2025, it's feasible that episodes could be released in 2026. We're just speculating, but it sure would make for some binge-worthy summertime viewing!
Why does 'Every Year After' have a different title than the book it's based on, 'Every Summer After?'
If you’re wondering why the show’s title is different from that of the book, you’re not alone. Fortune herself explained the decision in an interview with Swooon, saying, “The thinking behind that was that Every Summer After was, like, too confining as a season for a series, and Every Year After allowed them to open this up to a broader story." If it means Prime Video is eyeing multiple seasons of swoon-worthy TV, we'll take it!
Who is in the cast of 'Every Year After,' the 'Every Summer After' TV show adaptation?
In mid-July, Amazon MGM Studios announced its cast on Instagram: Newcomer Sadie Soverall will play Percy, Disney alum Matt Cornett stars opposite her as Sam, and Chicago Fire’s Michael Bradway has been cast as Charlie.
Since then, the cast has continued to fill out, with Elisha Cuthbert landing the role of Sam's mom, Sue, as reported by Deadline in late September.
What has Carley Fortune said about the 'Every Summer After' TV adaptation, 'Every Year After?'
Fortune shared the good news that her book was being made into a TV series back in July 2024. “I’m wildly excited to announce that I’m going [to be] working with Amazon Studios to turn ESA into a series for Amazon Prime,” she wrote on Instagram. “This project has been in the making for two years, and I’m so delighted to be able to shout about it.”
For the author, who penned the novel in July 2020 before its spring 2022 release, the announcement was a full-circle moment. “I was at the cottage then, and it’s where I am right now,” she explained.
Fortune closed her message to fans by saying, “I can’t wait to see Percy and Sam’s love story expand and evolve for the screen.”
She also shared a more official statement, per Deadline: "Every Summer After holds a very special place in my heart and in the hearts of readers all over the world who deeply connect with Sam and Percy’s love story...I’m excited to partner with Amazon to take their journey even further—beyond the pages of the book, onto the screen, and into the hearts of audiences across the globe."
She's also assured fans that one beloved scene won't be found on the cutting room floor. While speaking to Swooon, the writer said it's essential to her that the line, "You came home," makes it in. "When Sam says, ‘You came home,’ that is so, so important," she shared.
While nothing is confirmed, Fortune has also alluded to the sequels to ESA being adapted. "I mean, I would love to see Alice and Nan on the screen," she told Swooon, referring to the characters in One Golden Summer. We'd love it, too!
Who else is involved in the project?
In addition to Fortune, who will serve as the show’s executive producer, Deadline listed Leila Gerstein, a.k.a. the mastermind behind The CW hit Hart of Dixie starring Rachel Bilson, as the writer of the show’s screen adaptation, its showrunner, and its co-executive producer.
“With Leila Gerstein’s vision, the audience will go through an exploration of this remarkable narrative in a way that captures its essence and emotional depth,” Amazon MGM Studios Head of Television Vernon Sanders said in a statement.
Which of Carley Fortune's other books are being adapted?
Every Summer After isn't Fortune's only novel we'll be seeing on screen. Her 2023 novel, Meet Me at the Lake, is being made into a film by Archewell Productions, the production company helmed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Yes, you read that right—we’ll soon be getting a royal take on one of Fortune’s romances!
“[It’s] still in development, so that is moving along really nicely behind the scenes,” the writer told Swooon of the project in June 2025. “There’s a beautiful script. It’s moving along.” We can't wait!
