Carley Fortune is on a roll. The Canadian author’s last four novels have been smash hits on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and her 2026 release, Our Perfect Storm, was no different. It even debuted at the top of the chart. So, it's no surprise that her beloved romance novels are starting to receive the adaptation treatment.
In June 2026, Prime Video released the on-screen adaptation of her first book, Every Summer After, as Every Year After. And her 2024 beach read, This Summer Will Be Different, won’t be far behind. Netflix announced in March 2026 that it's adapting the popular, sun-soaked rom-com into a 10-episode series, to be shot in Toronto and Prince Edward Island off the Eastern Coast of Canada.
“We couldn’t have found better partners to bring this love letter to both Toronto and Prince Edward Island to the screen,” directors of content for the streaming giant’s Canadian branch, Danielle Woodrow and Tara Woodbury, said in a statement.
While we’ll undoubtedly have to wait a while to see Fortune’s characters of Lucy, Felix, and Bridget come to life, we’ve done as much snooping as humanly possible to tide you over with all the information we could find. Read on for everything we know about the This Summer Will Be Different series.
What is 'This Summer Will Be Different' about?
This Summer Will Be Different is a "sweeping love story" that especially hits for anyone who's ever had a crush on their best friend's sibling.
But make no mistake: This is no vanilla romance. “If I had to rate This Summer Will Be Different on the chili scale, so, like, one chili being not so steamy, and five chilis being, ‘You need a cold shower,’ I think I would rate it a 3, although I think other people might rate it a 4,” Fortune has said. “It’s my steamiest book yet.”
The book follows two BFFs, Lucy and Bridget, who are headed on vacation to Canada’s picturesque Prince Edward Island together. Bridget has given Lucy three rules for their beach holiday: eat oysters, leave her cares behind in the city, and don’t fall in love with her hunky younger brother.
When Bridget misses her flight, Lucy falls in lust at first sight with Felix, a strapping young man with one heck of an oyster shuck, with whom she shacks up for the evening. But Felix is the one man she was supposed to stay away from, and now she’s got a secret she needs to keep from Bridget…for the next five years. It’s a task that gets harder and harder each summer that they return to the island, and Lucy returns to Felix’s charms.
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Who is involved in Netflix's 'This Summer Will Be Different' series adaptation?
Have no fear that the show won't live up to fan expectations. Like Every Year After, Fortune will serve as a co-executive producer on the project. “I see my role as being a voice for the readers—advocating for what they love about the worlds and characters,” she told Downtime about her involvement.
She's hardly the only name involved, though. This Summer Will Be Different is helmed by several Canadian TV veterans, including show creators Dane Clark (One More Time, Suze) and Linsey Stewart (Working Moms, North of North, Suze), as well as executive producers Jennifer Kawaja (Sort Of, Wayward) and Elise Cousineau (Cardinal, Small Achievable Goals). As for who's behind the camera, the episodes will be directed by a solid cohort: Karen Maine (Yes, God, Yes, Nobody Wants This), Jasmin Mozaffari (Ginny & Georgia), and Fab Filippo (Sort Of).
Fortune has also sung the praises of the team at Netflix Canada. In a July 2026 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said, "Danielle [Woodrow] and Tara [Woodbury], who [head] up Netflix Canada, we had had a drink together before they had even read it, and I loved them...Their view on TV and film just aligned so much with how I saw things." That being said, we should be in good hands!
What has Carley Fortune said about Netflix's 'This Summer Will Be Different' series adaptation?
Fortune opened up about the inspiration for her third romance novel in a statement to Netflix when news of the adaptation was announced. “I fell in love with Prince Edward Island first in the pages of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and again when I visited with my best friend in my early 20s,” she said. “That vacation, the beauty of the island, the warmth of its people, and the friendships that sustain us are the foundation of This Summer Will Be Different.”
We finally have our Lucy, Bridget, and Felix! Francesca Reale and Roby Attal are joining Sophie Nélisse in the series adaptation of Carley Fortune’s THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT! pic.twitter.com/dmb8Ij2ifMJuly 17, 2026
Who has been cast in Netflix's 'This Summer Will Be Different' series adaptation?
We have our Lucy, Felix, and Bridget! In July 2026, Netflix unveiled the first major casting for This Summer Will Be Different, revealing Yellowjackets actress Sophie Nélisse will star as Lucy. No stranger to Canada, the actress was born in Windsor, Ontario, and grew up in Montreal, Québec, and also had a role in the Canadian series/international phenomenon Heated Rivalry.
Shortly after Nélisse was cast, Netflix rolled out the other leads on social media. Roby Attal (known for roles in The Haunting of Bly Manor, Sex Lives of College Girls, and Dexter: The Original Sin) will play Lucy's crush, Felix, while Francesca Reale (Stranger Things, Dating and New York) will play his sister Bridget. We can't wait to see them bring the trio to life!
We also know who is filling out the ensemble. When production began (more on that below), Netflix announced the rest of the cast via a press release, including Jordan Rodrigues (Dance Academy) as Bridget's fiancé Miles Lam, Jude Wilson (Fellow Travelers) as Zach, Natalie Brown (Sophie) as Christine, James Tupper (Emma Fielding Mysteries) as Ken, Tom Barnett (Murdoch Mysteries) as Peter, and Celia Owen (Moonshine) as Joy.
When will Netflix's 'This Summer Will Be Different' series adaptation be released?
Netflix has not yet announced a release date for This Summer Will Be Different—but it is filming! Netflix confirmed production began in early August 2026 by sharing a behind-the-scenes shot of Nélisse, Reale, and Attal on set at a picturesque beach. There is no word from the streamer on how long filming will last, but it did confirm that the show is being shot on location on Prince Edward Island.
With filming underway and likely to last a few months, it seems the earliest episodes could land on streaming might be in summer 2027. That would make lovely timing, after all!
It would be a quick turnaround, but even before the shoot began, Fortune told THR in July 2026 that things behind the scenes were moving along swimmingly. "I've read the first episode script, and it’s great. It’s all moving very, very quickly, but it felt like it was almost like matchmaking, where you can see that this is the perfect fit," Fortune told the outlet.
