The televised adaptation of Every Year After, released in June 2026, currently maintains a 6.3/10 rating on IMDb, signaling a fragmented response from both longtime readers of Carley Fortune and new audiences. The series—a departure from the source material’s title Every Summer After—has faced pointed criticism regarding its structural pacing and character consistency.

Central to the audience’s dissatisfaction are several narrative shifts:

Narrative Omissions: Viewers have noted gaps in the protagonist’s history, specifically regarding the revelation of the affair between Percy and Charlie, Sam’s brother.
Character Agency: The portrayal of Percy and Sam has been labeled "unbearable" by critics who feel the characters’ long-term separation and motivations remain unconvincing on screen.
Structural Intent: Showrunners have defended the changes, stating the series aims to look "beyond one summer" and "one book," implying an attempt to pivot the franchise toward a larger, multi-year arc rather than a faithful singular adaptation.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release Date | June 2026 |
| IMDb Rating | 6.3/10 |
| Key Criticism | Choppy editing, unresolved subplots |
| Showrunner Stance | Narrative expansion for franchise growth |
The Friction of Adaptation
The transition from page to screen has created a rift between the author’s intent and the audience’s reception. While Carley Fortune famously distanced herself from social media discourse during the show’s debut, production insiders and showrunners maintain that the script’s alterations were deliberate, specifically regarding the handling of "summer mistakes" and the complexities of the central romance.

The adaptation attempts to broaden the scope of the narrative, effectively turning what was a contained, beloved literary work into an ongoing, serialized drama. Whether this shift toward franchise-building is responsible for the lukewarm critical reception remains a point of contention among viewers who argue that the show sacrifices the intimacy of the original story for the sake of potential longevity.
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Contextualizing the Drift
The divergence in plot—specifically the varying ways Sam discovers Percy’s past—has served as a flashpoint. Where the original book focused on a tight emotional timeline, the 2026 show appears to treat its primary couple as an ongoing experiment in romance. As of today, 04/07/2026, the industry continues to monitor whether the audience’s rejection of these "choppy" edits will impact the renewal of what was clearly intended to be a multi-season effort.