Beautiful - Josie Silver is now an auto-buy author

I don’t even know where to start with writing this review, I just absolutely loved this book.
Cleo is a dating columnist, who is turning 30 and feels like her life isn’t heading in the way she expected. Her boss sends her to a remote island called salvation for a self-coupling to be included in her column. When she arrives at the island, she finds her holiday sabotaged.

Josie is able to write such an idyllic setting and build a community you wish you could be part of.
I couldn’t wait to see how the story developed.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book takes many of my favourite things and wraps them up very well. It's a cosy, romance-adjacent story that makes you want to jump right into the book! Overall, this is an easy, quick and light-hearted read.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I was pulled in right away, and fell in love with the characters! The dialogue and teasing/flirty banter between Mack and Cleo was fantastic.

The character development was really well done, and I enjoyed seeing them grow throughout the book. There’s a little “spice” but it’s mostly fade to black after the first time together.

There is technically some infidelity in the book which I wasn’t a big fan of. The middle of the story was a bit up and down with maintaining my attention but overall it was a wonderful romance book!

I’d highly recommend especially if you enjoy:
Slow burn
One bed trope
Stuck together/forced proximity
Holiday romance

Spice level: 🌶 (1/3)

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Penguin UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!! :)

I read One Day in December by Josie Silver in November 2021, so when I saw this I was very excited to read it. In my opinion, it is SO much better than ODID!! The writing was amazing and the plot had me hooked from start to finish.

Mack is a photographer who escaped to the island off the coast of Ireland to get away from the messiness of his separation from his ex-wife and to explore his roots. Cleo is a romance columnist aspiring to be a novelist, going to the island to "marry herself" and accept that at 30, she is okay with being single. After a mishap with overlapping bookings - Cleo and Mack end up staying at the same cottage whilst on the island.

This book had me sobbing (what Josie Silver does best) and I'm so happy I got the chance to read it. As well as being a cute romance, this story had a much more powerful impact on self-growth, finding yourself, and dealing with unfortunate situations when you really don't want to.

Josie Silver outdid herself with this book & I would recommend it to anyone!

What a book! I loved it and wanted to stay wrapped up in the island of Salvation for a long time after I finished the book.
The story follows Cleo and Mack who end up in the same cottage on the remote island of Salvation in Ireland. Bothe for different reasons but both essentially lost and a bit broken.
A beautiful novel with stunning surroundings, fantastic secondary characters and a fantastic story. Thank you for letting me read this

Someone said to me recently that this was possibly the best book they had ever read from netgalley and I agree 💯!! Cleo and Mack end up in the same holiday rental on a remote island. They both have their own reasons for wanting to be alone at the end of the Earth. Will sparks fly? This was such a romantic novel and I was so invested in the love story. I also loved the cast of supporting characters. If you like Women’s fiction, you don’t want to miss this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars).

Well what can I say about this book. I have read Josie Silver's previous books and I loved them but I just can't find the words to say how much I loved this one. It's that confusing state you find yourself in when you have read a good book, like the characters and story, work their way into your soul and then when you have finished, you feel lost. This is how this book left me feeling. I have a serious book hangover!
Cleo has a dating column where she is Finding her Flamingo, however, Cleo is feeling lost in her own life, she is the youngest of 4 children, who never knew her father and is fast approaching her 30th birthday. She then hears about Emma Watson's decision to marry herself and the opportunity arises for her to go to Salvation Island and plans the ceremony for her 30th birthday.
Mack is the other main character, he is on his way to Salvation Island from Boston because he too is at a crossroads in life and wants to find out more about the island where his ancestors are from.
There are many twists and turns on the run up to the ceremony but we see someone who is starting to find their way in life and how she wants things to be. Mack is unraveling all the complexities of his life too. It's not your usual romance book, we find 2 people that are lost but for very different reasons.
This book played with my emotions and I could not put it down, it made my laugh and then I cried so much, which is not something that is easy to do, I'm not much of a crier, but I sobbed. It really is special
Thank you to Josie Silver, Penguin General and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

This is the latest from the acclaimed rom-com writer, Josie Silver, and whilst not perfect, I loved it, for several reasons, including the stellar characterisations, the fabulous sense of location in the windswept, freezing, and rainy Irish Island of Salvation, and the unforgettable community, far from insular, proving to be welcoming and supportive. There are two aspects that might put off readers, the outlier concept of self-coupling and marrying oneself, and the American male lead, a photographer from Boston, is a married man with 2 children, although his marriage is in trouble, he has not lived in the family home for almost a year, a fact he ignores as he looks for any way possible to save his marriage. Almost 30 years old is London dating feature writer, Cleo Wilder, whose search for her 'flamingo' has so far ended in failure.

Pushed by her editor, Alison Stone, to self couple, Cleo arrives on Salvation after a particularly stormy trip, only to find there is an American, Mack Sullivan, who is expecting to stay at Otter Lodge too, neither is going to give way, both equally determined and stubborn. After initial hostilities, the two begin to appreciate the personal quandries each other faces, drawing chalk boundaries to facilitate the sharing of their lodge. As strangers, they find themselves confiding in each other in a way that they have not been able to do with anyone else, getting to know each other as they engage in the game of telling each other three things, often in the dark of the night. It is perhaps inevitable that the two should end up feeling attracted to each other, living in such close proximity, and it is Cleo who suggests they act on it, knowing it will be nothing more than a 'temporary' affair. However, as they discover, feelings can be hard to compartmentalise in real life.

Silver picks an absolute winner in her location as she makes Salvation come atmospherically and magically alive, with its memorable landscape, folklore and legends, the wild seas and weather, with its seabirds, otters and dolphins, its remoteness aided by the severely limited wifi coverage. Where she hits pure gold is in her depiction of the island community, including the sisterhood to be found in the knitting circle, with Ailsa and her artistic wife, Julia, Dolores, mother to the pregnant Delta, and the charismatic raconteur and pub landlord, Raff. There are not many romance writers whose books I look forward to with great anticipation, Josie Silver happens to be one of them, mostly because her writing is so sublime, even when the story might not be perfect. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Not my usual read but I'd definitely recommend, so glad I read it. Great characters and plot. Will be looking out for other titles from this author.

Wow, what a book! I absolutely loved it and couldn't read it quick enough!

Cleo and Mack come from very different places, both in terms of geography and where they are in their lives. However, they both end up, for very different reasons, on Salvation Island, a magical, remote, wild place. With only one place for them both to stay, the wonderful Otter Lodge which they both believe they have a claim to, what do they do to overcome this dilemma? Well, they have to work out a way to tolerate each other, whilst waiting for the weekly boat to return to take one of them home. But as the days go by, their relationship develops and changes. Not only that, but they both start to become part of the community of the island.

They not only start to learn more about each other but also about themselves, whilst working on what took them both to this place. They become even more involved in the local village life and it's residents, some of which are some real characters. I loved the descriptions of these people and the phrasing and style of writing by the author was brilliant. You are willing things to turn out as you would like, although this really doesn't seem likely or possible.

A really magical book which I loved. If you are looking for something a bit different (whilst still in essence being a romcom), I can highly recommend this story. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

While the title is somewhat misleading title, as the story takes place over more than just One Night on the Island, Josie Silver's novel is mostly what you would expect from the genre. Cleo gets more than she bargained for when sent on assignment to a remote Irish Island to marry herself as she finds herself with a roommate due to a double booking. I found the leading lady to be very relatable and thoroughly enjoyed how the novel was as much, if not more so, about her relationship to herself, her future and her community as it was about the relationship to the male protagonist. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys light romantic stories on blustery winter days with enemy to lovers tropes and self empowerment thrown in for good measure.

Was looking forward to reading another book by this author, and was not disappointed. This was such a lovely book very easy to read , loved the main characters was rotting for them for the start, loved how there story unfolded. An amazing book thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Cleo and Mack are strangers, but are both headed to a bolthole on a remote Irish island on their own journey of self discovery and healing. Thanks to miscommunication, the Winter weather and their own stubbornness they find themselves staying together in the same time cottage. Josie Silver takes this familiar plot (man and woman initially hate each other, but thrown together begin to fall in love) and turns it into something as beautiful and complex as the natural landscape in which the main events take place.

Cleo and Mack are such wonderful characters with their own agency; each has their own life and responsibilities that they consider must take precedence over a holiday romance, no matter how much they feel for each other. This meant that I was either getting misty eyed over their budding relationship, and the trust and respect that they show one another, or I was sobbing as they made proper grown-up decisions based on their different circumstances.

It is a beautiful, emotional read, and I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

I LOVED this! I love a 'his & hers' story so enjoyed the alternating chapters of Cleo "the stubborn, surprising English girl" and Mack "the abrasive, beardy American". I loved the characters - both Cleo who was actually really funny (as well as stubborn) and Mack who was actually kind and thoughtful (as well as beardy) and the strong supporting cast of islanders. I loved the storyline which was as much about self discovery as romance; regular people navigating regular life events in a simple, genuine and heart-felt way - some of which really resonated. And, I loved Josie Silver's writing style which is colloquial, relatable and funny but also has real depth - the clever chapter titles were a nice touch too. But, most of all I loved the ending which whilst a happy ending, wasn't the classic fairy tale ending but more realistic and fitting for the characters and their journey. So in case you haven't guessed I totally recommend this and can't wait to seek out more by this author.

This was a delightful story. A writer looks to celebrate her special birthday on a small Irish Island.. She meets up with an American photographer who is coming to photograph his familys' roots. The rest is history. Lovely, feel good story .with some amazing characters and a compelling storyline.

Unfortunately I didn't like One Night On the Island, despite loving One Day In December by this author.

I was looking forward to the premise of this, a double booking from Cleo and Mack, who both have reason to be on the tiny island of Salvation, since I had recently experienced a double booking in a motel myself. Luckily for me, there was no confrontation and i was moved to a different room. Cleo and Mack weren't so lucky, as the cottage was the only place available on the tiny island. At first they are adversaries, until they fall in love, have a holiday romance, then return to real life.

This really fell flat for me since I didn't feel the chemistry at all. I'm sure I wouldn't have minded how repetitive this was, or thought it dull, if I had felt invested in their romance, but unfortunately I just didn't. It has a split POV, which contributed to how repetitive it felt since we read events from both perspectives, who also reflect on how the other must be feeling, and they really harp on about the same things over and over.

Since I didn't much care for the romance or the characters, I couldn't care for their respective side stories so I was frequently bored. The story was too drawn out, and could've been 50-100 pages shorter. It gets 2 stars since there were parts I didn't mind and felt the writing was decent in places, and i know had I felt invested in the romance, I would've liked this more.

I wouldn't dissuade anyone from trying this, especially if you like Silver's other books and the premise, and you're looking for a cosy, predictable romance. I will say though that if you don't feel that invested in the characters/story by 100 pages in, this probably won't change.

I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING FROM JOSIE SILVER LOVE HER WRITING HER CHARACTERS HER STORYTELLING. Will always adore the way she makes me go through an a rollercoaster of emotions!!

Another really enjoyable book by Josie Silver. Set on a remote Island it follows Cleo a journalist and Mack who independently booked to stay at Otter Lodge, a one bed lodge with no other accommodation on the island. Amongst the will they won’t they storyline is relationships amongst the islanders and how they react to the interlopers. Thanks Josie her publisher and NetGalley.

Cleo believes she will never find a forever partner. She works on a dating column for a magazine and her editor decides to send her to a remote Irish island to celebrate her 30th birthday alone. she also has to marry herself - making vows and revaluating her life.
Unfortunately, the accommodation has been double booked and as there is no other accommodation available she is forced to share with a tall dark American.
They both have problems in their lives but what if ...........

I LOVED this book! Someone else has described it on NetGalley as like a hug – and I completely agree. A wonderful, escapist read.

The book is mostly set on the tiny island of Salvation off the Irish coast. The descriptions of the setting are fabulous and really evocative – and lots of typically Irish weather! I now want to go there on holiday (although would struggle with limited phone reception and internet access!!) Otter Lodge sounds just beautiful.

I did find the whole concept of why Cleo was going to the island in the first place a bit weird – but then I’m a 47 year old mother of 4, not a single almost-30 year old, so I just decided I should go with it! And actually – it was all very beautifully written.

The mish mash of people on Salvation were amazing – a real collection of characters, all well written and you wanted to learn more about them. I can totally picture knitting club, the shop, the pub – and the boulder – perfectly.

I enjoyed the fact that the book was about friendships, wider relationships and self worth – not just ‘boy meets girl’ – although that element was great as well.

Each night Cleo and Mack tell each other 3 things each whilst lying in the dark – which is very spooky, as my 10 year old and I do that every night when she’s going to bed (it was a tactic to make sure she told me if anything was worrying her after a day at school – but also to ensure it was finite so she didn’t procrastinate bedtime for ages!) The 3 things for Cleo and Mack really mean they get to know random facts about each other.

It felt like the book had concluded at about 70% – and I wondered how the rest of the story was going to evolve – but it did brilliantly, and I really enjoyed the final chunk too. It would make a really lovely Sunday night drama for TV.