How Carley Fortune's buzzy romance books are making beloved Canadian locations seem ... sexy
CBC
The quaint, pastoral setting for Anne of Green Gables may not be what comes to mind when you imagine a steamy, sex-filled romance novel.
Same goes for a coffee shop on the busy streets of Toronto, or a lakeside cottage in Barry's Bay, Ont.
But that's exactly what buzzy Toronto author Carley Fortune has done with three best-selling romances: make classic Canadian locations sizzle. Now, fans from around the world are clamouring to learn more about places that, to the Canadian reader, might seem familiar but not necessarily sexy.
Industry experts note that may be because traditionally, romance novels written by Canadian authors tend not to be set in Canada. Even books published by Canadian publishing company Harlequin — a destination brand for romances — typically feature exotic or foreign locales, like a villa in France or Italy's Amalfi Coast.
But Fortune's massively popular books are helping to turn that tide, as she features locations like Barry's Bay, Toronto and now, Prince Edward Island.
This Summer Will Be Different, set in P.E.I., was released on May 7 and is already the No. 1 New York Times bestseller for paperback trade fiction.
"Lots of people write about where they're from or write about Canada if they're Canadian writers," said Julie Rak, a professor in the English and film studies department at the University of Alberta who researches literature and publishing.
"But this is new. This is a romance genre where you see that. These are romance books; they're not romance-adjacent. These are the real thing. And it's really unlike Harlequin, which could be set anywhere."
Fortune's fans seem to love the specificity of the settings, whether they're travelling to cottage country for an Every Summer After-inspired getaway, vying for a plate of Sneaky Dees nachos like Will and Fern in Meet Me at the Lake or planning a trip to P.E.I. to try some Cows Creamery butter, a favourite of Lucy, the main character in This Summer Will Be Different.
"Omgggg the book actually makes me want to move to PEI and I haven't even stepped into a single square space of Canada," one fan wrote in a comment on one of Fortune's Instagram posts about Point Prim Lighthouse.
There's been a lot of hype and excitement about Fortune's latest book among locals on the island, and the tourism industry is expecting to see an uptick as readers visit to seek out their favourite locations from the novel, said Corryn Clemence, the CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island.
"I think it will help to pique people's curiosity and really do what Anne of Green Gables did so many years ago, which is really excite people about coming to Prince Edward Island," Clemence said.
Romance books have been enjoying a surge in popularity in recent years, driven largely by Gen Z readers, according to NPR. On TikTok, the tag #RomanceRecs has more than 390 million views, industry group BookNet Canada notes.
BookNet Canada's research shows romance book sales in Canada jumped 54 per cent in 2022, and continue to climb. Most of the top-10 selling fiction books in Canada in 2023, according to BookNet Canada, were romance titles and "romantasy," a genre that combines romance and fantasy. (Fortune's Meet Me at the Lake made their list, the only book by a Canadian author.)
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