When Every Year After premiered on Prime Video, Carley Fortune made a deliberate choice: she stayed off social media. The author, now on her fifth novel and an executive producer of the TV adaptation of her debut book, knew what was coming. Real-time fan reactions. Heated debates about casting choices. Discourse about Percy's controversial decision in the story. So she simply opted out for a day.
Fortune's approach to managing the intensity of BookTok-era fandom reflects a broader challenge facing contemporary romance authors. The genre has exploded on screen in recent months, with adaptations of Heated Rivalry, Off Campus, and Maxton Hall joining Fortune's series in the streaming lineup. But unlike previous eras of publishing, readers now dissect scenes, debate plot points, and share their opinions instantaneously online.
"The show came out yesterday, and I was like, I'm just gonna pretty much stay away from social media today," Fortune explained in a recent conversation. "I try to put the phone down and then do something else." For her, that means focusing on her family: her two young sons and her husband provide the distraction she needs when the noise gets overwhelming.
The urgency to disconnect stems partly from the reaction to what fans call "Percy's Mistake." In the story, Percy sleeps with her boyfriend's brother, a plot point that has sparked surprisingly intense backlash. Some readers view the act as unforgivable, while others see it as a relatable mistake rooted in a teenager's insecurity and feeling undervalued in her relationship.
Fortune has observed something troubling in the online response: an almost disproportionate hostility directed at her female protagonist. "I found it so sickening that is the level of hostility that people have towards women who make mistakes," Fortune said, describing videos she's seen where people joke about extreme violence in response to Percy's actions. The intensity of fan reaction has become difficult to ignore, even for the most successful authors.
Before becoming a novelist, Fortune worked as an editor at Refinery29 Canada, where she covered entertainment and pop culture. That journalism background has shaped how she approaches her work as a writer. Working alongside other writers taught her about deadlines, the struggle of the first draft, and the importance of getting words on the page. But it was the informal conversations about romance, attraction, and what makes a compelling love scene that proved most influential.
"When I was writing sex scenes, I wrote them with you in mind," Fortune recalled about her time at Refinery29. "Would this person find this hot?" That question, playfully posed as "Is it horny enough?" became a touchstone for her approach to writing romance that feels both emotionally authentic and genuinely sensual.
Her involvement in the Every Year After adaptation gave Fortune a chance to advocate for creative choices that mattered to her. The original script, written two and a half years ago before showrunner Amy B. Harris joined, was set in Barry's Bend, Wisconsin. Fortune fought to keep the story in Canada, recognizing that the setting itself is essential to the book's emotional core. "It's a story about coming home, and how we change so much, but we're always still who we were when we were young," she explained. The lake, the summer location, the nostalgia for a place that readers may never have actually experienced but feel deeply connected to: these elements define the narrative.
Once Harris came on board, Fortune made a decision to trust the showrunner's vision for the secondary characters. Where she might have held tight to every detail from the book, she instead became a reader herself. "I got to that part and I was like, now I get to be a fan," Fortune said. That balance between protecting her core story and allowing new creative voices to expand it proved successful, particularly with character dynamics like Chantal and Jordie that weren't as developed in the original novel.
With Every Year After now confirmed for a second season, Fortune is already thinking about how to weave in One Golden Summer, another novel for which Amazon holds the rights. The expansion of secondary characters on screen opens possibilities that didn't exist in the books, and she's hopeful about blending multiple stories into the next chapter of the show.
Despite the ugliness that can emerge in passionate fan communities, Fortune acknowledges the beauty of having readers who are unapologetic about loving romance. The intensity of fan investment, the willingness to dissect every scene and debate character choices, reflects genuine engagement with stories that matter. The key, she's learned, is knowing when to step away. Sometimes that means putting the phone down and being silly with her family instead.
Author Jessica Williams: "Fortune's decision to disconnect on day one of her show's release isn't avoidance, it's survival in an era where fan feedback can become weaponized against female characters who aren't perfect."
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