Prime Video’s “Every Year After,” adapted from Carley Fortune’s novel and built over six summers then a decade later, opens with an engagement-party promise that quickly collapses into panic. With its Seattle-to-Ontario journey, shimmering chemistry, and a sou
By the time Percy “Percy” Fraser steps up at her best friend Chantal’s engagement party in Seattle. she’s already decided what the night is going to be. Sadie Soverall plays it with a careful softness at first—like maybe the words coming out of Percy’s mouth might finally catch up with her. Then she’s distracted. then she’s drinking. then she’s hooking up with the groom’s half-brother—until the plan breaks.
A call comes through. It’s been a decade since Percy has spoken to Charlie Florek. and the voice on the other end doesn’t offer closure. Charlie tells Percy that his mom, Sue (Elisha Cuthbert), has died after a cancer battle. Percy’s invitation to Sue’s memorial service triggers a full-blown panic attack. the kind that turns a party into a collision.
The next day. Percy drives to Barry’s Bay. the fictional lakeside town in rural Ontario where she spent six summers between the ages of 13 and 18. Chantal comes with her, and the road trip isn’t just transportation—it’s a countdown to memory. The series shifts back to 2011 and carries that backward look forward toward 2016. showing what Percy remembers most clearly: bonfires with her friend Delilah (Abigail Cowen). Delilah’s brief visits for a couple of weeks at a time. Percy working at Sue’s restaurant. The Tavern. horror-movie nights. and stolen kisses with Sam (Matt Cornett).
Sam is the first love that formed in those years—and. crucially. the first love that never really stays in the past. Percy returns to the lake with beautiful recollections, but the show makes room for what those images refuse to erase. Ten years after being there. she isn’t sure she’s ready to face the choices and regrets she carried out of Barry’s Bay.
The series leans into whimsy and nostalgia. but it keeps reminding you that tragic endings don’t vanish just because the scenery is sun-drenched. The romance does feel made for swooning—especially in the shimmering chemistry between Soverall and Cornett—but the structure gives it more emotional weight than a typical teen love story. “Every Year After” tells its central timeline across nearly 20 years. with Juliette Hawk and Blue Clarke portraying young Percy and Sam. allowing viewers to sit with how people actually grow and shift. Finances change. Life events pile up. Dreams and expectations move. Instead of locking everyone into one defining decision, the show lets you watch what those decisions become.
That breadth shapes the cast too. Chantal isn’t just “the best friend who has it together”—she’s struggling to carry the mental load of her relationship and her career as a high-powered attorney. Delilah initially reads like a quintessential bitchy mean girl. but the series gradually makes clear how quickly first impressions can lie. Jordie (Joseph Chiu), Sam’s best friend, adds perspective on relationships and dreams. And even when the story centers on Percy and Sam. it’s also about the miracle of real friendship—the kind that remains even when everything else changes.
The show’s playlist also widens the feeling. with a soundtrack featuring Lana Del Rey and Dolly Parton. pulling the audience between sweetness and ache. It’s the kind of tonal choice that naturally draws comparisons to Prime Video’s YA romance phenomenon “The Summer I Turned Pretty. ” and there are overlaps—similar themes and some predictable plot beats. But “Every Year After” makes its case in the details: it gives everyone who comes into frame a refreshing amount of depth. and it insists that firsts are life-altering for a reason. They don’t just brighten your life. They haunt you. They force you to examine missteps and pain points—especially when you’re brave enough to return.
The question becomes less “Will they end up together?” and more “What happens when the past stops being a story you tell and starts being something you have to live with again?”
All eight episodes of “Every Year After” premiere on June 10 on Prime Video.
Every Year After review Prime Video Carley Fortune Amy B. Harris teen romance Barry’s Bay Percy Fraser Sam Charlie Florek Sue Florek Elisha Cuthbert Sadie Soverall