A nice light hearted read about finding yourself and love.

Both Cleo and Mack book a stay in a cabin on a small remote island. Unfortunately it ends up being a double booking and they have to learn to share the space.

In the beginning I thought this was going to be enemies to lovers, but both Cleo and Mack ended up putting their differences aside after opening up about the reasons why they were there.

They both were there to find themselves, but for different reasons. In a way they needed the others help through the process when they thought being alone was the solution.

Overall I really enjoyed this read. It’s a different kind of romance compared to my go to reads, and that’s what I liked about it.

Is there anything by Josie Silver that isn't amazing? no... not possible. I've loved her writing from book one and this book is no different. I felt like the book tackled every day issues with honesty and humor. The humor and banter is laugh out loud funny. Five stars!

What can I say this book had me hooked and loved it all from beginning to end. It was a good read and I am so hooked on Josie Silver books. This had it all. Gave me the feels. I will read anything she writes. Get and get it.

This is not a light rom com, but a romance with a heavy heart. At times I felt for the characters as they find themselves and each other, I felt a connection, but other times, I couldn't wait to finish the book. I have enjoyed other Josie Silver books and I find for most of them I felt the same. Overall, I would recommend the book and I especially liked the ending. The ending is why the score moved from a 3.5 to a 4.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy

This book was really sweet. I thought it had an original plot idea and the use of the “forced proximity” trope was nice. However, I felt a lack of connection with the main characters and this struggle with their development led me to feel unconnected to their challenges and relationship. I also felt like the pacing was off and on, and slow to start.

Sweet romance set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. It's not so much a rom-com, but there are lighthearted moments. I loved the islanders, the setting of the lodge (what we Americans would call a cottage, I think), and the relationship that builds between Cleo and Mack. I'm a big fan of Josie Silver's so far and look forward to her future books.

This is a DNF for me at page 133, which is sad because I love the way Josie Silver writes. This story is easily 5 stars for writing quality. The setting is like a character and I loved that so much! They way she described this Irish island called Salvation, I felt like I was there. The chill of the weather got into my bones. The secondary characters are amazing. I wanted to get to know them right alongside Cleo. However, the characters I didn't want to get to know were Cleo and Mack...the main characters.
At first, it was just fine. I liked the backstory that was unfolding. Cleo was a little too disgruntled and immature in her dealings with Mack, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me. No, the deal breaker came when the first portion of the book set Mack up as the heartbroken husband and father who was going through a rough patch with his wife and all he wanted was to get back to being a family together...until, without any provocation, he's making out with Cleo on the porch and she's ready to bang his brains out. She knows he's married. She knows his heart is broken from missing his sons. The only thing close to an explanation for this shift in their antagonistic relationship is that they sit back to back on the floor and that amount of physical contact with her gets him all hot and bothered. Given his behavior until then, it seemed like it would have been a wake up call to work through things with his wife, who he seemed to still be in love with up to that point.
Once Cleo felt hurt and embarrassed because Mack rejected going further with her physically...not hurt and embarrassed that she was ready to do it with a married man she didn't know or care for, I couldn't root for Mack and Cleo as a couple. Nevermind the fact that Cleo is 29, about to turn 30, and Mack told her he'd been married with two kids by 29...so how old is this guy? (I think he said his oldest son was 12...so 41? Not that it's robbing the cradle, but the age difference hadn't been mentioned at all by that part of the story.)
I couldn't buy into it. It wasn't sweet. Cleo and Mack had done nothing to make this sudden shift in their relationship believable.
The setup for the story was excellent...these particular two characters were the wrong choice for me.

Who doesn't love a good forced proximity trope meets enemies to lovers? Great pick for fans of romance!

I found the story pretty bland and both characters infuriatingly annoying. This “romance” had very little actual romance and the two characters had zero chemistry.

This was fine. It didn’t feel like a rom com at all, but I enjoyed the wholesome village vibes that were throughout this book. I thought the main characters were relatable, especially the female character— we are the same age. Overall this book was pretty okay if you need a quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book.

One of my last books of the year was One Night on the Island by @josiesilverauthor! This was a beautiful story of two people who wanted solitude but ending up finding so much more.

Cleo and Mack meet each other in the cutest way; they both have rented the same studio cabin on a small remote island in Ireland, called Salvation Island. They actually met earlier on the ferry, but it didn’t go well. Cleo is a Brit, who turning 30 and she’s still single. She is here on assignment for her magazine column, Finding My Flamingo. Mack is American and reeling from a whirlwind separation from his wife. Since the ferry doesn’t run often and there are both other accommodations, they are forced to share the cabin for a night. Soon they realize they they can share and begin to get to know one another. They venture out on small adventures to the pub, just getting fresh air and we meet the wonderful townspeople.

While I really enjoyed the romance, I was especially drawn to the demise of Mack’s relationship. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear his kids so upset. It was so visceral, I definitely shed a tear at this part. I did find the whole “marry yourself” part a little hokey, but I get that it was a moment that Cleo needed to be able to accept the way her life has turned out.

Thank you so much to @randomhouse and Josie for my gifted ebook. If you feel a little lost in life, I think this one would be a good read.

A dating column writer, Cleo, feels lost. She’s the baby of her family and has never had the chance to know her dad. She dreams of finishing writing a novel. Anddddd she's tired of suffering through her current love life. At least she has her editor pushing her to challenge herself. So she finds herself running away from her crowded and protective family’s surprise birthday party, leaving for her self-couple ceremony and working to complete each entry to her bucket list on a remote island called Salvation. How poetic.

The problem, a charismatic but brooding American insists on staying in the room he reserved to connect with his ancestors in the place his family manages. Did I mention the room he reserved is also the room she's staying in?


As you may guess: both parties are too stubborn to leave and due to the weather, the boats aren’t operating. So they’re trapped .....together.

This is not your typical, predictable romcom. Mack is estranged from his wife, who thinks she's not happy with him anymore. He has two sons in Boston that he misses. And he's struggling to balance his attraction for this new stranger with his faithfulness to his wife. The emotions are raw and real and the characters flawed. But It's easy to empathize with them as they are honest and genuine. And even when they annoyed me, I rooted for them. I did not like the ending, because I usually like my stories to have a neat bow on them in the end. But I can forgive that here because I think it's an unusual but fitting ending.

I also find the cover a little misleading. The story is not really light and cheerful in tone, which I think the cover leads you to expect. Cleo is also explicitly stated to have dark hair several times in the story and she has blonde hair on the cover. But alas the cover drew me in and made me read a story I enjoyed, so I guess I can't be too mad.

Big thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital arc with me in exchange my honest review!

I was not a huge fan of this book and that made me really sad because I usually do love Josie Silver's work. This was just not for me.

3.5 stars!

This was my first book by Josie Silver, and I hate to say it but I was severely disappointed. I did not really like the main character, and I really did not care about the relationship between her and the love interest. I think that I would definitely read more by Josie Silver, but unfortunately this wasn't the one for me to start with.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. Made it halfway through before giving up. It just felt like it was trying too hard to be deep and the romance felt really disjointed and awkward to me. I also thought Cleo was unnecessarily rude from the beginning and her reasons to stay didn’t come close to Mack’s. It just wasn’t for me.

Josie Silver’s books always make me cry and this was no different! The sisterhood in this book was so sweet and lovely.

Josie Silver can do no wrong in my opinion! I really loved this story. The alternating viewpoints, the slow build. My only complaint is that I wanted MORE of the characters!!!

I got this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.If you're looking for a lovely story of life, love, and all of the complications that brings, then this novel is perfect .

Oh my gosh, what a perfect little meet cute and romantic comedy overall. Can this be made into a movie already?! I loved Cleo and Mack's "opposites attract" love story and though I have some questions on the practicality of their future lives together, I am totally and completely in support of their happily ever after. All of the supporting characters on the small island are also so lovable.

A joyful delight!

I do think the title is a hair deceiving though.

Cleo is on a self coupling adventure as she approaches 30 and she travels to a remote island off of Ireland called Salvation. She arrives though to find that her cozy cottage is a lot cozier because an unexpected mix up in scheduling has Mac (the American!) arriving at the same place for the stay.

With a remote island and separate from the comforts of daily life, Mac and Cleo must work together to survive their unexpected living arrangements.

I really loved this book once it got going. It is not a rom com but a deep love letter to loving oneself and the journey to do so.

Mac and Cleo are adorable but also both broken and in need of some support to foster their necessary growth.

This book had the best side characters and I would love to know what happens to them. One of my favorites was Delta.

Truly a delight of a book that will make you run the gamut of emotions but also hopefully teach you something new as well.

4 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read this one. I was so pleased for the opportunity!