Love can be hard to find. But making it last can be even harder. That is the premise behind Every Year After, a series based on journalist Carley Fortune’s novel Every Summer After. This new love story had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival this year and premieres on Prime Video on June 10.
Part of what makes Every Year After so compelling is how honestly it portrays the mistakes that come with growing up. After all, life can be messy, and the road to adulthood is rarely a smooth one.
The series follows Persephone “Percy” Fraser (Sadie Soverall) and Sam Florek (Matt Cornett), two childhood best friends who discover life and love together. After being away for ten years, Percy returns to the town she loves, still burdened by the guilt of a devastating mistake that changed her life forever. From there, the series uses flashbacks to gradually reveal the unbreakable bond she shares with Sam and the events that ultimately drove them apart.
This slow-burn approach to storytelling helps viewers understand the characters’ psychology and the motivations behind their choices. No one is perfect, and there is no true villain. They are simply human beings with flaws, strengths, and different ways of coping with life – ways that often involve keeping others – friends and romantic interests alike – at a safe distance.
Among these beautifully imperfect characters is Delilah (Abigail Cowen), Percy’s best friend, who has been hopelessly in love with Charlie Florek (Michael Bradway) for years. She initially seems like the stereotypical girly girl with a larger-than-life personality and qualities that might make her a frenemy. But, the more we get to know her, the more we realize she is fiercely loyal — not only to Percy, but to everyone around her. And while she occasionally falls apart, she never loses her determination, reminding us that life can be messy, but getting back up and putting on a beautiful lipstick is still a way of moving forward.
The hope of second chances is always present in Every Year After, accompanied by a romantic premise: “If you’re lucky enough to find the love of your life, never let them go.” But reality is often far more complicated. Sometimes you can meet the right person at the wrong time. Yet the question remains: do third or even fourth chances exist?
As Latinas raised on heartbreaking melodramas, we often want to believe that love can conquer anything. After all, many of us grew up watching endless tearjerker telenovelas alongside our abuelitas, where the heroine barely caught a break until the final episode, when she was finally reunited with her leading man. Yet our more self-aware – and perhaps slightly more cynical – selves encourage us to question that perspective. Telenovelas aside, we understand that we should not stay in a relationship that hurts us simply because we are holding on to a romantic promise.
Although Percy made a mistake and has spent years punishing herself for it, she seems to be the only one willing to take responsibility for her actions. Sam, on the other hand, is far from the perfect boyfriend and repeatedly pushes her away. He also seems unable to understand the damage a broken heart can cause, especially when he is the one who shattered it.
The series gives off strong The Summer I Turned Pretty vibes, an inevitable comparison considering Prime Video appears to be investing increasingly in sweeping romantic stories, including Off Campus, its latest young-adult obsession. Romantic dramas have a formula that is hard to resist, wrapping viewers in a sense of warmth and familiarity that gradually turns into a desire for more.
Perhaps we are not only captivated by the idea of true love. Perhaps we are also drawn to the breathtaking scenery and the fantasy of a simpler life during those long summer days, free from the responsibilities of work or school, that these shows offer. After all, who wouldn’t want to spend their days by a beautiful lake, seeing the person they love over and over again?
The world could definitely use a little more love, and we certainly are not going to say no to stories that speak to our hearts like Every Year After does.
