Cleo is rapidly approaching thirty, and on the request of her boss she is to travel to a remote island in Ireland to recenter herself and get a new perspective for the column she writes. Mac is traveling to the same remote island his family is descended from to find out more about his roots and to think about his life after his recent separation from his wife. Unfortunately, there is a mix up and they are both booked for the same cabin, with no other options on the small island, they must make the best of their situation.

I was excited about the premise of the book after reading the summary, but shortly after I started I realized the story wasn't unfolding exactly how I thought it was going to. One of the things that bothered me when I was reading was the lack of chemistry between Cleo and Mac, although it picks up later, I didn't get that feeling from the start that they were meant for each other. The other thing that bothered me was that Mac, although estranged from his wife was married. I wish the author would have made him recently divorced instead, there was just something about it that didn't sit well with me. Even though I had issues with the book, I did enjoy the writing and the characters that Silver created. I also liked the short chapters and that it was told from Cleo and Mac's perspectives.

This book made me feel the full range of emotions! This is a heartwarming story about change, acceptance, new beginnings and bittersweet endings. I loved how the plot was more slow and emotional development was the main focus. I sometimes find this to be a bit dry but when done right it is beautiful to watch unfold and this was beautifully done!

I also think the setting of this book was perfect. The descriptions of the sweeping island views of Salvation are vivid and I felt like I was there! The community on the island also has the perfect dynamic and I desperately want to be a part of the knitting club! The island is just magic and it really stood out to me in a way most (realistic, non-fantasy) settings within books don’t.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a more emotional romance with a lot of big life changing moments and realizations!

About to be 30 and single, Cleo heads to a remote Irish island at the urging of her boss. Mack has run away to the same island to get some distance from his problems at home. And guess what? They end up double booked for the same cabin.

Sigh. I want to be the kind of person that loves rom-coms and all the sweet feels. Instead of loving this one, I was annoyed by choices each of the main characters made. I don’t think turning 30 while single is cause to run away to “self-couple” whatever that means. And I think wedding vows are binding and those accompanying issues need to be resolved before anything else happens. I actually enjoyed many of the side characters much more and would like to see their stories developed - Raff, Delta, etc.

Cleo a journalist from the UK and Mack a photographer from Boston, are both traveling to Salvation Island for work obligations. Upon arriving, they soon discover there has been a mix up with the boarding both have arranged. The next boat out of the island isn’t for days and the two must make sharing these accommodations work.

Josie Silver always has a way of pulling those heart strings and makes your heart want to burst. Thank you NetGalley, Ballatine Books and Josie Silver for this novel.

4 1/2 stars!

This truly was a beautifully written and touching book. Cleo has retreated to a remote island to "marry" herself. It's part of a story she is doing for the publication she works for. But given she's also been disappointed by the romantic world recently, it's something she feels might benefit her. A way to commit to herself and find out what she truly wants out of life again.

Her intent to spend some time alone reflecting and getting to know herself again are foiled when she gets to Salvation Island and finds that the house she's staying in was also committed to a brusque American named Mack. He's there for his own reasons. His family is from the island and he wants to explore it and get to know where he comes from. He's dealing with some difficult issues at home and needs to time away himself to reflect and figure out what he needs to do going forward.

These two start out as enemies. They both want the other to leave and give them the peace and privacy they need. However, they eventually realize that they each need to be there and find a way to co-exist. In the meantime, they also learn more about what makes the other person tick and start to respect and care about them. Before long they find that they're friends and at some point there are flickers of something more.

There is so much for each of these characters to process in their individual lives and it's real and emotional. This book was full of heartbreak, but also humor and romance. It really touched my heart and lit me up inside.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Cleo and Mack are both in a time of change in their lives and they meet on the island, sounds like your cliche' romance right? Fortunately there is more depth to the story and yet it remains quite readable. I really enjoyed this read, the characters and the place all ring true and I enjoyed going on their journey as they find out what truly matters to them and how to be true to themselves. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Almost 30 year old, Cleo, is ready to focus on herself and her career. When her boss gives her the opportunity to spend several weeks in a cabin on a remote island she jumps at the chance. Mac, recently separated and missing his sons, books his cousin's cabin on an island in order to give himself some space and perspective from the troubles at home. When there is a mix-up, Cleo and Mac are stuck sharing the close quarters of the cabin and figure out how to get along.

This is a cute romance that is more than a rom-com. I appreciate this author's skill of writing romance books that are just slightly different than the normal formula while still being feel-good reads with some heavier topics thrown in. I enjoyed this one, although it might not be my favorite the author has written. I will continue to pick up her books in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. "One Night on the Island" is available now.

I loved this book! It is such a cute love story but also a story of finding oneself and being content with who you are made to be. I want to go to Salvation Island now!!

Two people, one island, a one-bedroom hideaway....

Cleo Wilder is a relationship/dating columnist who gets sent to Salvation Island by her publisher. She is going to spend her birthday alone while self-coupling, like Emma Watson did on her birthday. But it is hard to self-couple when you find a man in the one-bedroom hideaway that you rented. A man who says he rented the cabin, and he is not leaving.

Mack has been looking forward to getting away from his life in Boston. Things are in shambles, and he needs some time to regroup. He was also hoping to learn more about where his family came from. If only there wasn't woman in his rented hideaway claiming it was her cabin!

Tension, angst begins to ebb and flow throughout the cozy little hideaway. What would you do? Both traveled to get there, and both are stuck as the ferry only comes weekly. Mix ups happen, right? But how comfortable would you be stuck with a stranger?

Well....

I found this book to be as charming as the villagers. There is a line drawn in chalk.... will it be crossed? What happens when two different people begin to work through the tension, talk and spend time together?

This was quite the journey. Both go through individual journeys while also going on a journey together. This was a book that should be savored and read slowly. Life, you never know what is going to come your way, or how things will change over time. This book is about change, taking a break, looking at your life, taking chances, accepting (and loving) yourself, amongst other things.

Josie Silver has done it again! One Day in December remains my favorite book by her, but this one does not disappoint.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is actually my first Josie Silver book and what an adorable, sweet book it was. However I was not expecting the emotion that went along with it. I loved both Cleo and Mack and am happy they found what they were searching for and got their HEA.

This book is a bit of a slow burn and leans more into women's fiction at times but its still a romance and a sweet and heartbreaking one at that. Both Cleo and Mack have baggage that they have to sort through in order to find each other. I love the forced proximity trope and what fun roommates these two made.

I will be going back and reading Silvers previous books as she has such a beautiful writing style that truly resonated with me.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for my ARC for my honest review

4.5⭐ - I absolutely loved the atmosphere in this book. I want to go live on this island. I loved the friendships, and that the romance wasn't easy/formulaic, and that I was kept on my toes the whole time wondering how she was going to wrap things up. Was beautiful!

Cleo Wilder, 29, works for “Woman Today” where she writes a column entitled “Finding My Flamingo.” Her boss, Ali, wants to do something big to mark Cleo’s upcoming 30th birthday. Therefore, she is sending Cleo to Salvation Island in Ireland. It’s cold, and has spotty Wi-FI. There, she will stay in Otter Cottage. The purpose is for her to “self-couple” which is like marrying oneself and learn to be happy with your life.

Arriving on the island, Cleo finds that an American named Mack claims that he has also rented the cottage. Since neither wants to move out, they decide to share. She will sleep on the couch and he will take the bed. Mack is a professional photographer whose grandmother had spent time on the island and he wants to photograph the beauty of it. Mack is separated from his wife and has two sons that he adores.

As Mack and Cleo learn to compromise their space in the cottage, so do they begin to open up and share their thoughts. Before long, a romance sparks that neither can deny. However, they realize that it’s just brief and not to be permanent. They meet the people of the island and their kindness and quirkiness draws them in.

The fragile love between Mack and Cleo coupled with the warmth of the friends they make on the island draws the reader in. The book is one that will touch your heart and tears are definitely going to happen. Josie Silver writes such sensitive prose that it’s as if she knows the ways of the world. I loved this book. Don’t miss it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I had a totally different opinion of the first part of this book than I did the second so today, you're getting two reviews for the price of one!

Cleo and Mack arrive on a remote Irish island to find they're both booked to stay at the same one-room cottage. Cleo is there to write a story on spending her 30th birthday self-coupling (basically marrying herself), while Mack is reconnecting with his Irish heritage to escape his broken marriage. There's nowhere else for them to go so they begrudgingly agree to make the best of it by sharing the space until the ferry returns a week later.

I had a really hard time with the first half. Cleo was extremely self-absorbed and I found her very unlikable, and I'm never a fan of the "I'm 30 and over-the-hill if I'm not married" plot line. Mack, meanwhile, left his family behind but constantly mooned over his kids. Yes, the same kids he would have been seeing had he not decided for some arbitrary reason to abandon them in the hopes of saving his marriage from across an ocean. I wasn't rooting for either of them. 👎🏻

And then I was. Mostly. I didn't love that Mack wasn't divorced, but as the two connected not only with each other but also with the interesting locals on the island, I got sucked in. (There's a knitting circle, people. How could I not?) I appreciated the evolution of Cleo and Mack's "vacation" relationship (even though her self-coupling ceremony didn't make a lot of sense once she was seeing someone) and I liked that it forced them to reevaluate their futures. The writing touched me (I even teared up!) and by the end, my opinion had changed. 👍🏻

Despite my 180, two things still bug me:
☝🏻The title (see my rant a few days ago).
✌🏻The really unbelievable timeline for publishing. I don't want to spoil anything but DM me if you want to discuss.

Thanks to Ballantine Books & NetGalley for the copy to review.

One Night on the Island is a contemporary romance that dives into small island life, self discovery, forced proximity love trope, and the meaning of home. Overall, this was my least favorite Josie Silver book and it just wasn’t for me. Both main characters were well-developed. The author has a way of creating these flawed characters in complicated situations that makes you curious about how they’ll navigate through the story, but this time it didn’t work for me. Cleo came off as immature while Mack seemed like he didn’t know what he wanted. I just couldn’t get myself to really empathize or care what was going on in the story. I should have DNF’ed but I was already 50% that I needed to figure out what happened which wasn’t worth it. If you already have it on your TBR or already read it, I’m curious to hear what you think of this one. Aside from this book, I would definitely read more work from this author as I loved her other two books.

Josie Silver does it again…a charming romance I couldn’t put down! I want to be friends with the characters!

I seriously did not want this book to END!! This EASILY had one of my favorite settings in a book, ever. Cleo travels to the small island of Salvation in Ireland to be alone & is staying in the cutest little cottage. Unbeknownst to her, the cottage is booked on accident for another guest, Mac. So we’ve got a one bed/cottage, enemies to lovers situation, literally what more could you ask for? I loved loved loved these two and the whole little island. I’m normally a romcom fan but this one was just so cute and sweet I wasn’t missing the rom com aspects. Josie really takes us on a trip to Salvation and immerses us in the island. I’ve loved all 3 of Josie’s books but this one didn’t top Lydia Bird for me. Definitely go out and snag this little cutie soon!

One Night on the Island is a quick, forced-proximity romance with each character facing challenges that lead to a journey of self-discovery.

First, let me just say that I love Josie Silver’s writing style. The story had a good premise and characters that had potential to make this a solid romance. Now, I am definitely in the minority but, this one just wasn’t for me.

There wasn’t enough depth or chemistry in the main characters to hold my attention. The situational drama was…a lot. The ending left me with more questions (and not in a positive way) and trying to understand the characters choices.

This wasn’t the type of romance I enjoy but the writing was lovely and I can see where others would enjoy! One Night on the Island definitely will not be my last Josie Silver book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed the setting of this novel, Salvation Island, a small Irish island and loved reading about the residents of the island and their close community. The main character, Cleo, a writer, is approaching her 30th birthday. Mac is a photographer from Boston. After a mix up they end up sharing a 1 room cottage on the island. It was slow moving at times, but I enjoyed the development of their relationship while sharing the cottage. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

If you like Josie Silver's other books--and there's plenty to like about them--you'll likely enjoy this one as well. Cleo is a single, about to be thirty-year old, who tries to spend some time alone on a tiny island. Of course, the wrench in her plans is a bearded, somewhat brusque Bostonian who shows up to stay in the same cottage as Cleo. Tropes about, but there isn't quite enough comedy in what would otherwise seem like a romcom formula. Cleo is sad about being alone still, or sad that she's not sad enough about it. Mack has a contentious relationship with his wife (or ex, as he later reveals), and misses his young boys. It takes them FOREVER to like each other. Definitely no sparks at first. The island is pretty quiet. There is a proverbial women's knitting group that Cleo walks in on. It has lots of small-town, island charm. It's just a very slow-moving book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you have to really hunker down. Let the characters slowly discover themselves and then each other. You know where this book is heading, and it's worth it, but you have to be in it for the journey.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.

One Night on the Island
by: Josie Silver
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books

Due to a booking error, dating columnist Cleo finds herself rooming with Mack Sullivan during her retreat to an Irish island. In this romantic comedy, Silvers delivers fun and frenzy as the two figure things out, romantically and otherwise.This book will appeal to many fans of the romance genre, as well as those who enjoy the atmosphere of international settings and travel in their reads.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.