Carly Fortune 'Talks Every Summer After', THAT Big Twist & Worst Ways to Breakup With Someone
37m 1s
Carly Fortune’s new novel, *Our Perfect Storm*, centers on Frankie and George, lifelong friends who navigate a dramatic breakup just before Frankie’s wedding. George returns unexpectedly to help her heal, creating a poignant emotional journey that explores forgiveness, friendship, and self-discovery. Inspired by real-life experiences—like whale watching in Tofino and family dynamics—the story blends vivid settings with emotional depth, revealing how people’s past narratives shape their present beliefs. A key theme is the fallibility of trust and the difficulty of letting go of idealized versions of others. The narrative unfolds through time-spanning chapters, showing pivotal moments that build chemistry and vulnerability. The story also contrasts with common tropes, avoiding toxic "enemies to lovers" dynamics and prioritizing authenticity and empathy. Meanwhile, in a separate narrative thread, Uber’s Share My Trip feature allows users to share real-time ride locations with trusted friends, emphasizing safety and connection in shared journeys. The discussion around breakups in the podcast reveals diverse, realistic emotional responses—ranging from voice notes to in-person confrontations—highlighting how people process endings with varying levels of respect and vulnerability. Ultimately, both the book and the ride-sharing feature underscore the importance of trust, transparency, and human connection in meaningful experiences.
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There's some times where I've read, read, read, enemies to lovers,
where I'm just like, that didn't really hit the mark.
That's toxic.
They just hate each other.
They're actually just really mean.
It's just enemies.
Okay, what about if you're on a trip with them?
They're breaking up with you on a vacation?
Yeah.
It's like your last day on the vacation, and they're like,
hey, actually, after this, I don't want to be together anymore.
Oh, I want that done in person so I can throw a drink.
Oh my gosh, you want to replay a voice note of somebody breaking up with you?
Yeah, so you can show your friend.
I'm worried about you.
Hi, angels.
Welcome back to Booked, Blonde, and Busy.
I am Olivia Ponton, and today we are joined by Miss Carly Fortune,
aka the CEO of A Beach Read.
Today, we're going to be talking about Our Perfect Storm
and the whole Carly Fortune universe, which I'm really excited about.
So Carly, welcome to Booked, Blonde, and Busy.
Okay, so we're going to do the beverage.
We're going to do the beverage of the day because we do a beverage every episode.
So instead of Our Perfect Storm, I'm doing Our Dark and Stormy.
Our Dark and Stormy beverage.
This is ginger beer, and you're supposed to put rum in it,
but it's 11.48 on a Tuesday.
We're not drinking.
We've got 12 minutes before we can have rum.
We're just not doing that.
So cheers.
I'm going to try it.
Yeah, it just tastes like ginger beer.
Honestly, pretty fire, but that's Our Dark and Stormy.
So this book comes out May 5th.
So if you haven't read it, a little synopsis.
Frankie and George, best friends for 20 plus years.
And Frankie gets engaged to, you know, like the stereotypical nice guy named Nate.
And the night before their wedding, he, well, the morning of the wedding,
she wakes up to a letter on the bed just being like, we can't do this.
We can't do this anymore.
You know what?
I can't.
Oh, my gosh.
Well, first of all, I want to ask, like, where did that come from?
Is that inspiration from something?
Did this happen to you?
I fortunately was not dumped just before my wedding.
I did marry my fiance.
Well, I just wanted him out quickly and mysteriously.
And so he leaves her a note that is just like, I'm sorry, I can't do this.
And she has no idea.
No idea why.
Like, there was nothing that really set it off.
So there's a mystery there to solve.
When I finished the last page, I stared at the wall and I was like,
holy crap, if I got broken up like that.
So going back to the little synopsis, that happens.
Then there's this honeymoon that Nate, for some reason, is like, go on my dime, babe.
Just go enjoy yourself.
And George, out of the blue, comes back from whatever peace corps,
thing he's going, comes back and attends the, attends the trip with her.
That in itself has a lot of questions about that.
Anyways.
I think the thing with George and Frankie is like, like you said,
they've been friends forever since they were eight, but they're 30 now.
And they've kind of been drifting apart.
They had a very, very big fight recently.
And Frankie's not even sure if he's going to turn up to the wedding as her best man.
And so this trip, when George proposes they go on the honeymoon,
he wants to help her heal after this breakup.
But she sees this as a chance to kind of fix their friendship.
And I think that's kind of, you know, they both have different goals that it's setting out.
And that's, that's where we kind of start off with them.
Did you, I almost like, I feel like these people are real humans.
So my thing is like, did George know that he was going to confess his love to Frankie?
Before he was doing this whole breakup plan?
No.
Okay.
No.
So this was like, okay.
Cause that's what I was kind of understanding from while reading, but I was like, but maybe.
I don't think so.
To me, like George has kind of spent his whole life loving Frankie in different ways.
And he, I believe in the way that I was thinking about him writing this just truly was, you know,
wanted to help his friend.
He has been holding back his feelings for a very long time.
So I like, you know, my take on George is he is very patient and wouldn't have like
crossed that line unless Frank, like, you know, Frankie had to be in the right place.
So I don't think that's what he set out to do.
No.
Okay.
Short answer.
No.
Yeah.
Okay.
Gorgeous.
Okay.
So.
So Nate leaves her with this note.
George ends up telling, well, we end up finding out why.
And that was the gut punch of it is figuring out that George told Nate, I'll love her and
I'll know her in a way that you will never be able to amount.
And as a human, if someone told that to me, like the person that I was dating, I would
also probably, you know, take myself out of the equation because I'd be like, these people
are meant to be together.
How did you write George in a way that was.
It was the gut punch, but it was still forgivable because if that would happen in a real life,
I don't know how many people would be forgiving of like, I am supposed to get to marry tomorrow.
I have a whole wedding plan.
And then it just fell apart completely.
How did you write him in?
Because I forgave him.
I was like, you know what?
Yeah.
Like, it's okay.
How did you write him from that perspective?
I had different kind of versions of what happened with George and the wedding and what I think
was really important.
In the end is that George was not intending to throw a wrench in the plans at all.
And it was never his aim.
And it really like the decision to not get married was Nate's decision.
And he like used the information that he had to make a choice.
And, you know, that's that came from him.
And I think George, we just have so much empathy for George in his situation.
And I think if he had.
If he had been a different kind of character or if he like he by the time we find that
out, we know how how well he cares for Frankie and what a good friend he is.
So I think we really do have like a lot of space for him to make mistakes because he
tries so hard not to make mistakes.
I know.
And he gets drunk the night before the wedding.
Yeah.
It's like that's okay.
That is a great explanation of it because I was curious on, you know, when I brought
up, you know, trying to figure out the themes for this.
I was like, wait.
If this happened in real life, that's so selfish.
Like, I don't know if I would be able to overlook a friend or a significant other or a best
friend or in some some capacity that.
So it's really interesting.
And then for Frankie and George, their chemistry.
Yeah.
You somehow created 20 years of chemistry on paper.
Like, how do you how do you write that?
I, you know, I love writing about characters with history and I love seeing the way that
we as women evolve over time, but also how our friendships and our relationships with
our parents, with, you know, romantic interests, with our siblings change over time.
And I think the first thing I wrote in the book was the prologue.
It's the first part that you read in the book.
And it's where the characters are eight years old and when they meet for the first time.
And I had had this vision years ago of these characters.
I was watching my I have two children and I was watching them chase rabbits in our back
yard and the rabbit dove under the cedar hedge.
And I just had this vision of two children meeting through a fence where this girl sees
a pair of blue eyes on the other side of the fence.
And I was wondering about who these children were for years before they became George and
Frankie.
And then when I wrote that first chapter, I felt like I knew and this rarely happens,
but I felt like I knew everything about Frankie writing that chapter, that she was this
adventure seeking girl.
Very, very bored in living in the country, very competitive, was, you know, always trying
to keep up with her older brothers and but big, big hearted and a little little weird.
And I just like had this sense of her and then George together from the beginning.
And what I wanted to do with the book is just show little glimpses of their relationship
through time so that you get an understanding of where they are at different kind of pivotal
moments.
And I really liked that you did that because, you know, the story would be going along and
then we'd get a chapter from, you know, when they were 16 years old or 14 or so forth and
so forth.
Yeah.
And I really felt like that helped curate the understanding of the characters.
OK, that's very interesting.
See, whenever I talk to authors, I'm like, oh, it makes sense why you do this.
No, you don't even.
It makes sense after it's written.
It doesn't always make sense while we're writing.
A lot of.
This is the first time I put stuff on cue cards because there were, you know, there's seven days
where they're in Tofino. Each day of the honeymoon has a theme where George is like having a theme
for how to repair her broken heart and they do activities each day. And then at the end of each
day, there's a flashback to the past and trying to figure out what they did each day, what the
theme of each day was, and then what moment from the past you're going to get after that was a bit
of a puzzle for me. So there was a definitely like a mind map on the floor of my office trying
to piece it together. Also, the breakup plan, as one would call it, I really thought that was cute.
Oh, good. I'm so glad. I've never read any book that's had that kind of placement in it. And I
thought it was really cute. I was like, oh, transparently my sister's going through a breakup.
I don't know if I can put this in, but she's going through a breakup right now. And I almost was like,
should I copy and paste this? Should I like give her this like plan of like,
OK, day one, this is what we're going to focus on. Day two, we're going to. And honestly,
I might give her this book and be like, maybe you should. She doesn't have a guy best friend
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I just want to give you the space to process it, Michael said.
Elena paused. I don't think I want to see anybody else.
This is the love story of real hinge couple Elena and Michael,
written and read by me, Raven Smith. Listen to the free audio book now.
She could fall in love with George.
That works. So, Torfino.
Torfino.
Torfino.
What? Why there?
Why Torfino? So, Torfino is this very remote town on Vancouver Island, off the west coast
of Canada. It's about as far west as you can go in Canada. And I lived on Vancouver Island for a year
when I was in my early 20s, after I graduated from university.
Why?
Good question. So, I studied journalism.
Okay.
And my boyfriend studied journalism. We met there. And he got an internship at a newspaper
on Vancouver Island in the city of Victoria. And I didn't have a job. And he was like,
why don't you come to Victoria with me for the summer? And then I said, sure. But then,
you know, once I said yes, I got a job out there. So, I ended up living on Vancouver Island
for a year after university. And twice while I was there, I visited Tofino. And it was one of
the most incredible places I've ever been. It's where the rainforest and the beach collide. So,
there are these trees, these ancient, hundreds-of-year-old trees, rainforests,
and then it kind of smashes right up into the beach.
When you were writing that, because I'm a beach girl till I die, I've never…
No.
Like, the way you were writing that, I was like, wait, forest, great, what?
Yes.
Interesting.
And the beaches are this very, very pale white sand.
With these rocks and a lot of evergreen trees. And it's very, the mist kind of comes in in the
evening and the fog. And it feels very otherworldly. And it really, when I was there, I felt like I was
standing on the edge of the world. And you kind of are. You kind of are.
There's nothing really, I mean, there's why, but that's for ages.
Yeah. So, and it really stayed with me. And when I started writing fiction, I knew I wanted to
revisit Tofino in a story. And I was waiting for a story that had the same kind of drama
as the place. And I went, I visited my husband and I, that boyfriend I married.
We went back and I didn't have an idea for a story then. I just wanted to, like,
familiarize myself with the place again. And then after I had written a first draft of
Our Perfect Storm, we went back again so I could really, like, fill in the holes that I knew I had
with the draft.
Did you guys go surfing?
We did go surfing. Yeah.
Wow. I'm such a surf ball.
Are you?
Yeah. When I was reading it, I love when books have, like, little things that I'm already
familiar with. And we were talking about the surfing because they did two surf sessions.
They did two.
Over two different days.
Yeah.
And I thought that it's, like, just the way that you embodied, like, catching away. It was just,
like, really cute to read.
Oh my gosh. I'm so glad. I'm so glad. We did, yeah, we did two surf lessons and it was so much
fun.
Is the water cold up there?
Here, though?
Oh, it is so cold.
Like, you are, you are head to toe covered in a wetsuit and then you're still kind of
cold by the end.
So what about the whales as well? Because obviously, well, whales are a huge, huge theme
in this book. And also, I mean, on top of the love romance that's going on, she's also
fixing the relationship with her mother, which was very incredible to read. And I think you
embodied those emotions perfectly as someone who's, like, gone. Me and my mom, she's my
best friend, but, like, we have gone through it.
Yeah.
We have had a very storm-like relationship.
Yeah.
So what did the whales, where did that come from?
Yeah.
Such a good question.
I knew that I wanted them to go whale watching into, you know, that that would be one of
the activities because I had, on my third trip, my husband and I went whale watching
and it was unlike anything I could have imagined. We saw three gray whales, which are enormous,
and one was, came up quite close.
And the sound that it made when the mist kind of came from the blowhole, it was, it really
was like being in front of a dinosaur. And that stuck with me. And I, because I had lived
on the West Coast, I had seen a lot of advertisements for whale watching in my time. And I just
didn't think, I was like, that seems very touristy.
Yeah.
But then it had this profound impact on me. And when I, I knew with Our Perfect Storm
that Frankie's mom would have left for a period of time.
And that the day that she left was going to be the day Frankie met George. And I didn't
know why she left. And it was really important to me that her mom wasn't a villain. Like
we, you know, I'm a parent. We make a lot of sacrifices. We make choices that we're
not always proud of, but we feel like we need to make. And I wanted, I wanted Frankie and
her mom to really like have a relationship that was imperfect, but repairable. And so
figuring,
figuring out why her mom left was so important. And then the idea came to me that it would
be for her job. And I thought, I thought, what if she worked with whales? And it will
bring like whales kind of full circle into the book. Like Frankie, it's so funny to me
that Frankie hates whales. Like who hates whales?
That's what, when I was reading, because as someone who, I've gone whale watching, like
from a boat, but I've never been in the water with them. And I wrote, like you're
saying, every time people have this like profound moment where it's just like, you
really are the tiniest creature on earth. And seeing them up close is like, yeah, it's
just like no other emotion that you've ever felt.
It's so humbling.
Yeah. Also similar with the whales. I was like, wow, I feel like I haven't read a book
that's had this theme, I would say. And same thing with the mother. Like you're talking
about, it didn't make me hate her because I was like, I almost feel for you.
Oh, yeah.
In a way where it's like she gave up everything to be a mom and to be with the husband and
to do the whole nine yards of what society expects you to do. And then her getting to
this age of like, I have this calling, I need to fulfill this calling. And she did only
leave for a year. I mean, that's still bad, but like at least she came back. You know
what I mean?
Yeah. I think it's, I think it's something that we can see both sides of. And I, with
Frankie, one of the things I wanted her to learn in this book is that,
we are telling ourselves these stories about the people in our lives and who they are,
who they are, why they do the things that they do. She really judges her mother for
what she's done. And that is obviously, of course she does. And it's really, you know,
it was a trauma for Frankie. She also has this idea of George being perfect and flawless. And
she, as they've gotten older and older, she's really put him on this pedestal. And what she
learns throughout the book is that everybody has their own experiences. And the narrative
that we have constructed is not the same as what we're telling ourselves. It's not, that's
not Georgia's story. It's not her mom's story. And she really has to start listening to people.
To other people.
To other people. Yeah.
That's a beautiful, that's also a beautiful lesson. One might, I might take.
It's not easy. That's not easy.
Because sometimes you make these, you know, visions of people in your brain and then you
get upset when they don't act.
The way that you expect them to act.
For sure.
That's a hard lesson.
Especially people who are close with us because we kind of see, you know, our parents, our siblings,
our partners as part of us.
Yeah.
So, you know, we, we stop kind of considering their own agency and.
Like, no, you are a part of it.
Yeah. Yeah. It's true.
I have a question. So obviously you have so many incredible books.
This was a funny question I was thinking about. What comes first, the trope or the story,
storyline do you figure out like is it going to be a slow burn it's gonna be friends lovers enemies
lovers
Like, how does that work?
Neither comes first.
The setting always comes first for me.
Yes.
It's the setting 100% then the protagonist, like the female character, and then, like,
the relationship, the emotions, the kind of arc that I want to tell.
I don't think about tropes until I am like, oh, therefore it would be this kind of trope.
It's not what I go to when I'm brainstorming.
Like, I don't think, oh, I'm going to write, this is, I want to write a Friends to Lovers,
a childhood Friends to Lovers.
That's not what I think about when I'm brainstorming.
Interesting.
Because I feel like all your books have such, they all have the same DNA, but they're all
very different within, like, the love dynamics that are happening.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I hope so.
I mean, that's, like, one of the things that I'm thinking about.
With George and Frankie, I really wanted characters who were similar to each other because I hadn't
written about two people.
Who were almost like mirror images.
And they, I really wanted Frankie to be hot-headed and, because I try to write, the character
I'd written about previously in One Golden Summer, Alice, is very soft.
She is, like, a caregiver.
And I wanted to not write another Alice.
And so I was like, I want Frankie to be fiery.
I want her to be argumentative and stubborn.
And I want her best friend and her, the hero of this story to be similar.
And when I thought, when I was thinking about that, I was like, wow, that makes them like
Laurie and Joe from Little Women, who I was a major Laurie and Joe shipper.
Which you referenced many, many, many times.
Totally.
Like, it's not a retelling of Little Women, but they're, if you are a Little Women fan,
there's a lot of little Easter eggs and references.
Yeah, which I thought was really cute that you had.
Thanks.
Because I enjoy when books kind of cross over and bring things from your personal life,
like the surfing or the whales.
Yes.
Or they have other things where it may be a little bit different.
It makes you think like, oh, like I could, it makes the book feel more realistic to yourself
as a reader.
And you can actually see yourself embodying that character, which I thank you.
So what's a book?
Well, I guess if you don't write tropes, but what's something that you haven't written
yet, like in a trope, that's where I was going, if you don't write tropes, but like a friendship
dynamic or like two main characters, what's something that you haven't written yet?
Okay, something that I haven't written.
So I like, I am so. Once I have a story, I know what the tropes are, right?
And tropes can be applied to any kind of genre of story, any kind of song even.
And so when I look back at what I've done, I've never, I have not done like an enemies
to lovers or like a nemesis to lovers.
That's like the one, I haven't done any kind of fake dating.
Would you ever do those?
Either of those?
I mean, maybe.
Maybe.
Like if it felt right.
In the story, I totally would.
I love reading like an enemies to lovers story.
Love it.
I, for those, I think it's entirely depends on the author and their writing style.
Yeah.
I've read some enemies to lovers and I'm like, like I just read Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
and they weren't really enemies to lovers, it was more friends, but like obsessed with
that.
Like the writing style, I was like, wow, that was incredibly done.
But there's some times where I've read.
Read.
Read.
Enemies to lovers where I'm just like, that didn't really hit the mark.
That's toxic.
Yeah.
It's just enemies.
Yeah.
They're just bullying.
No, it hits a fine line.
And I find myself, like sometimes I set out, one golden summer with Charlie and Alice,
there was a bit of like friction there at the beginning, but then like it's always my,
I'm like, but I just kind of want them to be friends.
Yeah.
So I very like quickly.
That's what I feel about.
And like, and now they're friends.
Mm-hmm.
That's what I felt about when starting that book.
I was like, okay, I was getting enemies to lovers, but it was more so just like, he was
kind of like messing with her.
Yes.
It wasn't like actually.
No.
If that makes sense.
He's such a, he loves his, he's such a teaser.
Yeah.
And like he loves teasing people.
Which I thought that was like a cute way to bring it over from like enemies to them
just like, cause I feel like that's more realistic.
Like you mess around with your guy friends sometimes.
Yeah.
Or like, you know, that's very realistic if you're going on dates, like sometimes you
guys like make fun of each other a little bit.
Not everyone does that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
People do.
I do.
I am.
I am.
It's like something that the fortune family does is we tease the people we love and not
everybody likes being teased.
I have learned the hard way.
That is very similar in my family.
My father likes to make fun of us and I take it like a champ.
I'm like, whatever.
You think I look stupid.
Okay.
Who cares?
My sister on the other hand gets really offended.
Yeah.
Like you cannot be like, even if we're just joking, we can't be mean to her cause she'll
take it very seriously.
And I'm like, no, no, we love you.
We love you.
But it hurts.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I'm like, I'm sorry.
Okay.
You have so many adaptations going on.
We're switching up a little bit.
We have so many book adaptations going on and you're an executive producer on Every
Summer After.
Why was it so important that you were in those rooms?
Yeah.
I'm going to start with that.
That's going to be the first question.
Um, I want to make sure that any adaptation of my work really, um, ha keeps the, uh, the
heart and soul of the book.
Okay.
And adaptation is not taking a book and putting it on the screen.
I mean, particularly, um, Every Summer After is going to be a series.
It's called Every Year After.
It's on, it's on Prime June 10th.
I know.
And the casting for that is.
Oh, it's so good.
It's perfect.
It's so good.
I'm so happy with it, but you know, it's a, it's a series.
And so Every Summer After is a book with a clear beginning, middle, end.
And it's centered very closely on two, maybe three or four characters at the, like the,
the, the story really is quite tight, but a series needs to like open all of that up.
And there are changes that are made to the benefit of a TV show.
And I am so cool with that.
And I think what our showrunner Amy B. Harris has done is preserved the emotional core of
the book.
The heart of the book.
She's like found moments that fans will want to see.
They're there, but it's, it's also its own project, but it feels like it's really in
conversation with the book.
And that's, that's so important to me.
It's also really important to me as a Canadian author who's writing about Canadian places
that we are shooting in Canada, that we are like showing like how these places are so
beautiful that we're able to show that.
And I want to make sure that.
That a reader of the book, a fan is getting what they, what they want out of it.
And it's like, I try to look at the projects from, in two ways.
One is as an adaptation of like a Carly Fortune work and what are the kind of elements that
people expect.
And the other is just as like a, you know, a film or a TV in and of itself.
And is this like, is this working for me and separate of it being an adaptation of mine?
Interesting.
I also.
Saw somewhere that you like to keep specific lines from the books in the script.
Oh yeah.
How does that, like, do you go into the, I was just on my first movie set a few weeks
ago and it was crazy.
And like, do you go into like the scripting room?
I don't, I'm not sure what the rooms are, but the writer's room.
Okay.
Do you go into that and like you tell them these is, this is like my non-negotiable.
This is what has to stay in.
Or is it more of like a collaborative decision?
Every, every project is different.
Um, you know,
I think the best case is where you have a writer writers who are either so aware of
like the fan culture around the book that they already know like what the main lines
are or you have a discussion where it's like, this is what people really want to see.
This is, this is key.
Um, and then when you're, then when you're reading the scripts, you're like, Oh, in this
moment, we want to see this.
It's just a little note.
Like, and you know, ideally they're like, Oh my gosh, thank you so much because you
just want to, it's, you don't want to just, um, appeal to fans, right?
You're, you're looking for a broader audience for sure, but you want to have those moments
that feel like a little wink, a little gift to the fans of the book.
I agree.
When I'm watching book adaptations, I really appreciate when they keep like niche things
that like only if you read the book, you would understand.
And then that way when you're reading or when you're watching it with someone else who
hasn't read the book, you're like, that's in the book.
Yes.
That like insider club kind of feeling that you get, what's it like to see your characters
get casted as a real humans?
You said you love the cast.
I love the cast.
How is it to see them embody those characters?
Is that like nostalgic?
Like, is that trippy to see?
Surreal.
It was surreal.
Um, when I saw the, the audition tapes, I was really excited because I thought,
everyone was incredible.
Everyone was so incredible.
And then going on set and watching that was mind blowing.
It was both because you were seeing your characters come to life.
And in with every year after it's in a way that I think is so beautifully done.
I think that the cast is just so talented.
Um, but then you're also seeing the places come to life and Barry's Bay, the setting
of the book, it's where I grew up.
we shot in Vancouver, not in Ontario.
So they built this kind of Barry's Bay out of a little community where we shot.
And it was walking onto that set and seeing, oh, there's Stedman's General Store and there's the tavern and there's the dairy bar.
It was just so – it really was – like I couldn't get my head around it.
It was kind of an out-of-body experience.
And it was also seeing how many people bring that together.
Yeah.
And how many artists and craftspeople go into making a show.
It's very, very cool and touching and so special.
I do think about that when you go onto sets.
It's like you don't even process how many people are behind.
Like one time I was shooting for VS and we were doing their like holiday campaign.
And they built a cabin inside of the studio.
Like a full-on set design.
And I was like, how many weeks have this taken?
And they're like, oh, like two.
And I was like, two weeks for us to shoot one day at this?
I was like, it's incredible.
It's so cool.
Like all the sets that they constructed, like they constructed Percy's cottage bedroom.
And walking into that bedroom, which I write about in the book, and they've got the posters that are in the book.
They've got – it's just jaw-dropping.
It's kind of almost like walking through your imagination.
Like that's crazy.
Like that would be a crazy emotion, in my opinion.
Especially there's a set.
There's a set that they constructed for the basement of Sam and Charlie's house growing up, which has this red plaid couch.
And it's so of an era.
And that really did feel like walking into the real place in my mind.
That would be so crazy.
It was.
Wow.
What a peculiar feeling that I feel like most people will never be able to experience.
I mean, it's so wild for so many reasons.
But one of them is because what I –
I wrote that book.
It was the pandemic.
I'd never written a book before.
I was a journalist, but I really wanted to write something.
But I didn't intend to publish it.
I was just trying to write it for myself.
I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
And so to have that book, like then it was published.
Then it became this big hit.
And now it's becoming a TV show.
And it's all set in this town of 1,200 people where I grew up.
Unreal.
The people there are like, what is going on?
Why is there – is this play about us?
What's going on?
Mm-hmm.
2-5-3-8.
That way you know you're in the right car taking the right trip, and your driver knows you're the right passenger.
Make sure you're in the right car.
Elena paused.
Listen to the free audiobook now.
So now we're going to play a little game.
Okay.
So I'm going to read off.
A few ways to break up with someone.
I just want, like, your opinion on it.
Like, yes, no.
Yeah, I would do that.
No, I wouldn't do that.
Yeah, that's respectful.
Yeah.
So start off with a phone call.
How long have you been in a relationship for?
I think we should.
Let me give you a scenario.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's do that.
So you've been dating, like, like, you've been seeing each other for, like, two and a half months.
Serious, but, like, non-exclusive.
But the girl's, like, really in love with him, and he's kind of like, uh.
He's calling her to tell her, like, what?
I think that's fine.
Okay.
I would agree.
What about a text message?
Okay, I've got to go more into this.
So you've been dating for three years.
Yeah.
And you're about to move in with each other.
Yeah.
Next week.
And you get a text message saying that they don't want to move in anymore, and they actually want to break up.
No, obviously, that's absolutely terrible.
Like, TBH, I'd rather a text than a phone call.
But do you think a phone call is acceptable then, too?
Like, three years?
Yeah.
Like, you could call me.
You could also just send me a voice note, and I'd be like, okay.
A voice note?
Because you can replay the voice note, you know what I mean?
That's funny.
Oh, my gosh.
You want to replay a voice note of somebody breaking up with you?
Yeah, because then you can show your friends.
But, like, there's nothing worse than when you're, like, telling your friends a story, and you're, like, trying to recap what they said.
Like, I wish I just had it with you.
Like, a voice note would be really nice.
Yeah, you just want to back up.
And I'm like, that's what happened.
And then they could, like, do it.
We could debrief.
Okay, do you prefer that it be heinous so that you can feel righteous about?
Yeah, I'd rather you be, like, a little terrible.
Yeah, because you need a reason to hate.
But I feel like everyone's like that.
Like, if someone breaks up with you, you kind of have to flip the narrative.
And, like, my one friend's going through a breakup right now, and she has to make herself hate him, even though he really didn't do anything wrong.
It's just, like, they didn't work out.
But she's in the process.
And I'm friends with the guy, too.
And he's like, I didn't do anything wrong.
Like, we just aren't working out.
And I'm like, yeah, but she's got to hate you for a little bit.
It's part of the process.
Yeah, it's part of the process.
She'll get over it eventually.
Okay, next one.
Let me think.
You're in high school.
Okay.
You've been dating maybe, like, a year.
And they text you on Snapchat.
No, that's so bad.
You're, like, absolutely not.
Like, one high school year is, like, I don't know, 20 adults.
Honestly, yeah.
Like, that is so emotional.
Okay, what about you've been dating, like, three weeks.
No, actually, let's do this like you've been dating for six months.
Okay.
And they break up with you in person.
That's fine.
You're fine.
But wouldn't you, like, save yourself the humility and just, like, send me a text?
Wow.
That's how I think.
Like, I'm in a full glam.
I'm going to put hair and makeup on to come meet you for a date night, and you're going to break up with me.
That's what I feel.
Okay, what if they came over to your apartment with your favorite warm beverage and had a very, like, short but kind conversation?
There's nothing kind about breaking up with me.
That's my thought process.
Yeah, I don't know.
A warm beverage.
If they brought me something, I'd be like, then why are we breaking up?
Or if she's not, what's it going to be mean?
It's such a good question.
You know, do you want to be able to be alone and go through your experience, like, your emotional process?
Because then they're trying to be there for you.
I think, like, yeah.
And it's like, I don't want you to be here.
Yeah.
Like, yeah.
You just rocked my world.
Okay, but, okay, so six months, maybe we're sending a text.
What if it's six years?
If you're, like, oh, fuck.
You're living together.
Yeah.
The best way, like, oh, in person.
I feel like you got to do that in person.
You got to.
There's no other.
Then it just becomes a thing about respect, in my opinion.
Like, how much you respect the person.
Yeah.
Okay, what about, like, if you're on a trip with them?
Yeah.
Oh, I want that done in person so I can, like, throw a drink.
What if they're in the lobby, like, checking you guys out?
And you're, like, packing up in the room, and he's like, oh, let me go check out really quick.
Can you just grab the bags?
And then they just leave?
What are you talking about?
What if he told the front desk and was like, can you break up with her for me?
That's, okay, anyway.
Out of all those, what do you think is the worst?
The front desk.
Like, that's pretty.
That's.
I don't know if I want a voice memo, though.
But I think, Olivia, that's, I don't know.
Well, Carly Fortune, thank you so much for coming on Booked Blonde and Busy.
Oh, my gosh.
This was so fun.
I know.
I feel like we got to talk our crap about the breakups, but it was fun.
Thank you so much, angels, for watching this.
Please do not forget to share it with your friends if you have any other Carly Fortune lovers.
Don't forget to, like, comment and subscribe.
I love you guys.
Bye.
Mm-hmm.
Two, five, three, eight.
That way, you know you're in the right car, taking the right trip,
your driver knows you're the right passenger.
Should she say that about the kisses?
Is that weird?
She doesn't care.
She presses send.
This is the love story of real hinge couple Daniel and Roisin,
written and read by me, Rufy Thorpe.
Listen to the free audiobook now.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Uber's PIN verification ensures riders are in the correct car by requiring a unique code shared between passenger and driver, enhancing safety and trip accuracy.
The book *Our Perfect Storm* by Carly Fortune explores a friend-to-lover dynamic between Frankie and George, rooted in 20 years of friendship, with emotional depth drawn from real-life experiences like whale watching and family relationships.
The author emphasizes emotional authenticity, showing how characters’ pasts and biases shape present relationships, and highlights the importance of empathy and reevaluating narratives to heal broken bonds.
Summary:
Carly Fortune’s new novel, *Our Perfect Storm*, centers on Frankie and George, lifelong friends who navigate a dramatic breakup just before Frankie’s wedding. George returns unexpectedly to help her heal, creating a poignant emotional journey that explores forgiveness, friendship, and self-discovery. Inspired by real-life experiences—like whale watching in Tofino and family dynamics—the story blends vivid settings with emotional depth, revealing how people’s past narratives shape their present beliefs.
A key theme is the fallibility of trust and the difficulty of letting go of idealized versions of others. The narrative unfolds through time-spanning chapters, showing pivotal moments that build chemistry and vulnerability. The story also contrasts with common tropes, avoiding toxic "enemies to lovers" dynamics and prioritizing authenticity and empathy.
Meanwhile, in a separate narrative thread, Uber’s Share My Trip feature allows users to share real-time ride locations with trusted friends, emphasizing safety and connection in shared journeys. The discussion around breakups in the podcast reveals diverse, realistic emotional responses—ranging from voice notes to in-person confrontations—highlighting how people process endings with varying levels of respect and vulnerability. Ultimately, both the book and the ride-sharing feature underscore the importance of trust, transparency, and human connection in meaningful experiences.
FAQs
PIN verification ensures you're in the right car by giving you a unique code before your trip. You share it with your driver, who enters it in their app to confirm the ride is yours.
Use the PIN verification feature provided by Uber. Share your unique PIN with your driver, who will enter it in their app before the ride starts to confirm it's the correct passenger.
Yes, with Share My Trip, you can send your live trip location to people who matter, like family or friends, so they can track your journey in real time.
The PIN adds an extra layer of safety and ensures both you and your driver are confident it's the correct ride, helping prevent wrong-passenger or wrong-car situations.
Carly Fortune has not written enemies-to-lovers stories, though she enjoys the trope. She prefers realistic dynamics, like teasing and friendship, over toxic or forced conflict.
She starts with a setting and builds characters over time, using key moments from the past to show deep history. For example, she includes flashback chapters to show 20 years of friendship between Frankie and George.
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