Every Year After Review

I am usually very easy to please when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations. More often than not, I can separate the adaptation from the source material and enjoy it for what it is. Even when changes are made, I appreciate the opportunity to spend more time with characters and stories I already love. In fact, sometimes I even welcome plot changes because they allow me to experience something new while still inhabiting a familiar world.

What I found with Prime's adaptation of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, however, was different. The issue was not the plot changes themselves. Adaptations inevitably require adjustments, and I expected that going in. What surprised me was how many of the changes seemed to alter the characters at their core. The people on screen often felt fundamentally different from the people I had come to know in the book. For me, that made the series far less enjoyable than I had hoped.

I was so excited for this adaptation that I reread the novel just before the show premiered. In hindsight, that may have been a mistake. Revisiting the book so close to watching the show only highlighted the differences between the two versions and made it impossible not to compare them. While there were certainly aspects of the adaptation that I enjoyed, I couldn't shake the feeling that the heart of the story had been lost somewhere along the way.

That being said, if you did not read the book and are into summer romances with a bit of heartbreak, like The Summer I Turned Pretty, you will probably like this. I would imagine without the original to compare it to, I would enjoy it for what it is, and not miss what I knew it could have been.

In this post, I'll be breaking down the things I liked about the adaptation, the changes I didn't mind, and the decisions that ultimately didn't work for me. Please note that there will be spoilers for both the novel and the television series throughout this discussion.

Changes that I Liked

1. Deeper Inclusion of Chantal, Delilah and Jordie

One change that I largely enjoyed was the expanded role given to Chantal, Delilah, and Jordie.

An eight-episode television series simply has more time to fill than a novel, and because of that, the supporting cast needed to be fleshed out. What I appreciated was that the show runners chose to expand upon characters who already existed in the source material rather than creating entirely new ones. While I didn't love every storyline they were given, I understood why these characters needed richer personalities, motivations, and relationships in order to make Barry's Bay feel like a living, breathing community.

Chantal

Of the three, Chantal may have benefited the most from the adaptation.

In the novel, she remains in Seattle, and most of our interactions with her come through phone calls with Percy. In the show, however, she accompanies Percy to Barry's Bay, which I thought was a smart choice. It gave Percy someone to confide in who wasn't directly connected to the complicated history she was navigating there.

More importantly, Chantal was given an arc that felt substantial enough to support its own story. She arrives in Barry's Bay as a workaholic trapped in an engagement that no longer fulfills her. Over the course of the season, she learns to slow down, enjoy herself, and consider what she truly wants from her future. Through her friendship with Jordie, she experiences what it's like to be cared for without having to ask for it, something that was clearly missing from her current relationship.

While Chantal was always a likable character, the adaptation transformed her into someone far more memorable.

Delilah

Though this may be an unpopular opinion. The decision to bring Delilah into the present timeline was another change that I generally enjoyed.

In the novel, Delilah exists primarily in the flashback chapters. After Percy blames her for Sam drunkenly hitting on her following his breakup with Percy, their friendship falls apart. Percy doesn't attempt to repair that relationship until the epilogue, after she and Sam have already found their way back to one another.

By keeping Delilah in the present-day storyline, the show gave Percy another relationship to mend besides the ones she had with the Florek brothers. Percy arrives in Barry's Bay expecting to confront Sam and Charlie. She does not expect to find Delilah there, and that initially reinforces just how much of an outsider she has become. At the same time, it creates another opportunity for growth and reconciliation.

I wasn't a fan of the pregnancy storyline, however. It felt like drama added for the sake of drama. Because Percy discovers the pregnancy right before she and Sam are supposed to sleep together for the first time, I assumed it might influence her choices or lead to a larger conversation about responsibility and growing up. Instead, the storyline never seemed to meaningfully impact the narrative, leaving me unsure why it was included in the first place.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the divorce storyline in the present timeline. Delilah appears to have the perfect life from the outside looking in, but the reality is much messier. Her struggles create an interesting parallel to Percy's own messy situation and allow the two women to support one another in a way that ultimately strengthens their friendship.

Jordie

Show Jordie is an absolute gem and deserves the world.

In the novel, he is very much a secondary character, and if I'm being honest, I didn't particularly like him. While I understood his protectiveness of Sam and his skepticism toward Percy, I was too invested in the central romance to appreciate anyone standing in its way.

The adaptation changed my opinion of him entirely.

In the flashback timeline, Jordie is the only person who notices that Delilah is struggling with her pregnancy and gently encourages her to open up about what she's going through. In the present timeline, he instinctively gives Chantal exactly what she needs without being asked. He is observant, thoughtful, and deeply compassionate.

My favorite Jordie moment, however, comes when Percy apologizes for hurting Sam. Rather than placing all the blame on her, Jordie tells her that what happened between Percy and Sam is none of his business. When Percy points out that she hurt his friend, Jordie gently reminds her that they hurt each other. That line captures something that many of the characters, and many readers, sometimes forget. The collapse of Percy and Sam's relationship was never entirely one person's fault. By acknowledging that complexity, Jordie becomes one of the wisest and most emotionally mature characters in the adaptation.

While not every addition worked for me, the expanded roles given to Chantal, Delilah, and Jordie ultimately made Barry's Bay feel richer and more lived-in. In this case, the show used its additional screen time to deepen the world rather than simply add unnecessary filler.

2. The period scene with Sue and Percy

One change that I genuinely loved was the addition of the scene where Sue helps Percy after she gets her first period. It was a small moment, but it perfectly captured the childhood innocence and warmth that made the flashback chapters of the book so special.

In the novel, we're told that Sue was like a second mother to Percy, but I don't think we were shown that relationship as clearly as we were in this scene. Watching Sue comfort and care for Percy in such a vulnerable moment helped establish the deep bond between them in a way that felt authentic and heartfelt.

Scenes like this help viewers understand why Sue loved Percy so much, why she could envision Percy as part of her family, and why she may have wanted to leave the Tavern to her one day. It added emotional depth to their relationship without changing the spirit of the story. In fact, it reinforced something that was already there and made it even more believable.

Changes that I Didn't Mind

1. Percy's First Kiss

A change that I didn't mind was the show's decision to have Charlie tease kissing Percy during Truth or Dare rather than actually going through with it.

In the book, Charlie kissing Percy serves an important purpose. It foreshadows what is to come later in the story. Charlie is the first of the Florek brothers to kiss Percy, and eventually he becomes the first of the Florek brothers to sleep with her, even though Percy has always wanted Sam. The moment also feels very true to Charlie's character. The kiss clearly doesn't mean much to him, and throughout the novel he constantly pushes Sam's limits when it comes to Percy. Whether he admits it or not, Charlie knows how Sam feels, and many of his actions seem designed to force Sam to confront those feelings, even if the reaction comes out as frustration or anger directed at him.

That being said, I understand why the show chose to handle the scene differently. Seeing Charlie actually kiss Percy at such a young age would likely have felt uncomfortable on screen, particularly given the questions of consent surrounding the moment. By having Charlie tease the kiss instead, the show was still able to communicate the same underlying dynamic. Viewers could see that Charlie was intentionally trying to get a rise out of Sam and draw attention to feelings Sam was unwilling to acknowledge, without taking away Percy's first kiss in the process.

In this case, I think the adaptation found a good compromise. The spirit of the scene remained intact, even if the specifics were changed.

2. Sue leaving Percy the Tavern

Another change that I didn't mind was the decision to have Sue leave the Tavern to Percy.

While this plot point does not exist in the book, I thought it created some interesting drama for the series and led to one of my favorite conversations in the adaptation.

The resulting phone call between Percy and her father gave us additional insight into both Sue's motivations and Percy's personal struggles. During the conversation, Percy's father tells her about a discussion he once had with Sue after Percy began writing obituaries. Sue worried that Percy had given up on her dream and settled for something safe rather than pursuing the kind of writing she had always been passionate about.

What I loved most about this scene was that it reframed Sue's actions for me. Up until that point, I had assumed that Sue's desire for Percy to return to Barry's Bay was primarily connected to Sam. After all, Sue had always loved Percy and envisioned her as part of the Florek family. However, this conversation introduced another possibility: that Sue's decision may have had very little to do with Sam at all.

Instead, Sue may have believed that Barry's Bay was where Percy was most herself. It was where she was happiest, where she felt inspired, and where she first dreamed of becoming a writer. By leaving Percy the Tavern, Sue may have been trying to guide her back not to Sam, but to the version of herself she had lost along the way.

Whether or not that was Sue's intention, I thought it added an interesting layer to both her character and Percy's journey. It was one of the few major changes that expanded the story without feeling like it changed its heart.

Changes that I Did Not Like

1. Sam and Taylor

A change that I struggled with was the way the show strengthened Sam's relationship with Taylor.

In the novel, Taylor initially tells Percy that she and Sam have been together for two years. Later, however, Sam clarifies that their relationship has actually been off and on and that they had only recently gotten back together. More importantly, he breaks up with Taylor the very night Percy returns to Barry's Bay. The moment Percy walks back into his life, Sam realizes that if there is even the slightest chance of reconciliation, he does not want another relationship standing in the way. That is so freaking romantic! Whether that is fair or unfair to Taylor is a separate conversation, but it leaves no doubt about where Sam's heart is.

The show takes a very different approach.

Not only does Sam remain with Taylor after Percy's arrival, but there is little indication that their relationship was struggling before the events of the series. In fact, the adaptation repeatedly emphasizes how serious they are.

And then there is the ring.

A ring.

For Taylor.

Not Percy.

The show seems determined to convince viewers that Sam is genuinely prepared to move on with his life, settle down, and build a future with Taylor. While I understand why the writers may have wanted to increase the stakes and create additional tension, this change fundamentally altered my perception of Sam. One thing about Book Sam is if he is given an opportunity to pine for Percy, he is going to pine for Percy. He is a man who knows what he wants. But Show Sam is lying to himself and running away and it just is not true to who I know Sam Florek to be.

One could certainly argue that Sam is using Taylor as a way to avoid dealing with his unresolved feelings for Percy. The problem is that the show never gives us enough insight into his internal thoughts to support that interpretation. In a novel, we can often infer a character's feelings through narration and context. Television doesn't have that luxury. We only know what Sam says and what Sam does.

And what Sam says is that Percy is his past and Taylor is his present and future.

Book Sam would never.

The Sam of the novel spends ten years carrying Percy with him. He starts collecting horror movies because they reminded him of her for crying out loud. Even when he is trying to move forward, there is always a sense that part of him belongs to her. That lingering devotion is one of the defining aspects of his character.

By making his relationship with Taylor so much more serious, the adaptation weakens that idea. Instead of feeling like a man who never truly got over the love of his life, he often feels like a man who has genuinely chosen someone else and is only forced to confront his feelings for Percy because she unexpectedly reappears.

For some viewers, that may have made the love triangle more dramatic. For me, it made the eventual reunion less satisfying because it undermined one of the things I loved most about the book: the certainty that, despite everything that happened, Sam had never stopped choosing Percy.

2. Sam NOT KNOWING

If I had to choose one change that ultimately ruined the adaptation for me, it would be the decision to have Sam learn about Percy and Charlie's hookup in the present timeline rather than years earlier.

In the book, Percy confesses to Sam shortly after they sleep together for the first time as adults. She finally tells him that she slept with Charlie ten years ago. Sam's response is one of the most powerful moments in the novel: he already knows. Charlie told him almost immediately after it happened. That single detail completely changes the way we view the present timeline. Every kind thing Sam does for Percy, every conversation he has with her, every lingering look, every attempt to reconnect, all of it happens with full knowledge of her betrayal. He already knows the truth. He has already gone through the anger and heartbreak. He has already forgiven her. Most importantly, he has never stopped loving her.

The show runners clearly wanted to create more drama by allowing viewers to watch Sam unravel as he learns that the woman he still loves slept with his brother. I understand the reasoning behind that choice. The reveal creates conflict, tension, and some emotionally explosive scenes. The problem is that, in gaining that drama, the adaptation loses something far more important: Sam's character. Book Sam is defined by his unwavering love for Percy. He is hurt by what happened, but he ultimately chooses forgiveness. Show Sam, on the other hand, spends much of the show's finale episodes consumed by anger over something that happened a decade ago. He gets drunk, punches Charlie, lashes out at the people around him, and nearly throws away the relationships that matter most to him. Had this happened right after the betrayal in question, when the characters were younger and the betrayal was fresh, I might have understood that reaction. But these are adults in their thirties. The maturity and grace that made Sam such a compelling character in the novel are largely replaced by bitterness and resentment. If the show runners wanted the drama of Sam finding out and acting out, they could have given us more flash back scenes to show us details of his finding out 10 years prior. This could have expanded on the source material while still staying true to it.

Unfortunately, this change doesn't just affect Sam. It has a ripple effect that alters several other characters as well. First, there's Charlie. In the book, Charlie sees how deeply Sam is suffering after Percy disappears from his life. He tells Sam the truth in part because he believes his brother deserves answers. It doesn't fix anything, but it gives Sam some measure of closure and helps him understand why Percy left. If Charlie never tells Sam, then he essentially spends ten years watching his brother suffer while withholding information that might have helped him make sense of it all. That version of Charlie is far less sympathetic, and I hate what that implication does to his character. Even worse, though, is what this change means for Sue. In the book, Sue knows what Percy did. She knows about the betrayal, and yet she still loves Percy. She still believes Percy and Sam belong together. She tells Charlie to invite Percy to the funeral because she knows Sam will need her. Her acceptance of Percy despite her mistakes is one of the most beautiful examples of grace and forgiveness in the entire story. The show takes that away. Because Sam never knew, we have no reason to believe Sue knew either. Suddenly, we don't know how she would have felt about Percy's actions. Would she still have viewed Percy as family? Would she still have believed she was right for Sam? Would she still have wanted Charlie to bring her home? Would she still have left the Tavern to her? We don't know.

And that's what makes this change so frustrating. It doesn't simply alter a plot point. It fundamentally changes our understanding of Sam, Charlie, and Sue. It removes themes of forgiveness, acceptance, and enduring love that were central to the novel and replaces them with conflict that, while dramatic, feels far less meaningful.

For me, that is where the adaptation stopped feeling like Every Summer After.

Comment Below: What did you like and/or dislike about the adaptation?