This book was just what I needed right now. It made me feel like I was on a remote, serene Irish island hunkering down in a cozy cabin. Both of the main characters find themselves in certain life situations that draw them to this Irish island and due to unforeseen circumstances, they end up booked in the same cabin. Both of them refuse to leave the cabin that was promised to them for the month, so they need to figure out how to live together while trying to find themselves. I highly recommend this book! It was refreshing, cozy, and perfect to curl up to. I loved imagining this cozy cabin, set against Ireland’s rainy backdrop.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. I loved the premise of the story of the Londoner writer who is marrying herself who gets double booked with the Boston photographer on the remote island in Ireland. The characters in the story were expertly built and I could feel myself being on the beautiful island while reading this story. The ending felt a little rushed but other than that I highly recommend this very engaging story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for access to this ARC

My review is published on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/CX_zdVoryNQ/ It's also published on my Goodreads page.

I adored ONE NIGHT IN DECEMBER by Josie Silver so I was super excited to read her newest book: ONE NIGHT ON THE ISLAND. Silver did it again - she got me all in the feels! Tears were shed and my heart was wrenched - but not to worry - I think readers will be pleased with the ending.

Londoner Cleo Wilder is a romance columnist that's on the cusp of turning the big 3-0. This milestone birthday has got her re-evaluating her life - with love and her career. As such, Cleo's boss tasks her to stay at a luxury cabin on the remote Irish island of Salvation Island for a month, to "self-marry" herself (basically being her own best friend and practicing some self-love).

Mack Sullivan, a professional photographer from Boston, is the proud father of two boys but unfortunately his marriage is suffering and he has since separated with his wife. Needing to take some time for himself, he decides to take a trip to Salvation Island (where he has family roots) to do some soul-searching and to find some clarity.

Unfortunately, a booking mix-up forces Cleo and Mack to share the cabin as it has been double-booked. The forced close proximity annoys them at first but they make the best of it. But as the days go by, they both realize they don't seem to mind each other's company after all - in fact, it's almost as if they need each other.

This book is so lovely - it's charming, sweet and surprisingly tender. On the surface, the book appears to be an emotional romance but it was so much more than that - it's about self-discovery, community, and defining what "home" means to one's self. I'm a big believer in fate, so I truly believe that Cleo and Mack were meant to meet for a reason. They helped each other find the clarity they were both desperately seeking of their lives.

The book was very much of a slow burn but I loved the story - the words flowed effortlessly and the characters were well-defined and likeable. I'll admit that the middle did drag a little, but by then I was already fully-invested in the story. My only true criticism is that the ending was a bit abrupt - I would've liked a little more substance there. If you're a fan of Silver's previous book, ONE DAY IN DECEMBER, then I guarantee that you will enjoy this book. I would recommend ONE NIGHT ON THE ISLAND without any hesitation.

Thanks so much, NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book a lot! However, my expectations were high because I absolutely loved One Day in December and this book ended up falling a bit short. I loved the premise and the location. Cleo takes a trip to Salvation Island for work, and Mack escapes to the island for a brief escape from his complicated family life in Boston. Mack and Cleo both accidentally book the same lodge and end up sharing the space. They develop feelings for each other pretty quickly but agree that they will just be a vacation fling. I was hooked at the beginning, but the book dragged for me at the end. I didn’t really connect to either character, but overall, I did enjoy this book

Cleo and Mack are both going to Salvation Island for some alone time. Unfortunately, they both end up at the only "inn" on the island with conflicting reservations. Cleo's work booked her for her trip to marry herself on the day she turns 30. Mack's cousin Barney owns Otter Inn and has agreed to let him stay there for awhile since is marriage is on the rocks.

This book was sweet and I really liked the characters, but it was a hard romance to get behind considering their current situations. I thought the author ended the book really well.

Well that was just the overload of SWEET I think I needed. This toes the line between contemporary romance and women’s fiction in a perfect way. We get the well loved forced proximity romance trope in a truly spectacular setting. But we also get the women’s fiction exploration of a woman figuring out who she is and what she wants and how she wants her life to play out.

Made all the better by having POVs from both our Hero and Heroine, we get the full picture of the struggles both of our characters face.

I will say I thought the last 1/4 maybe dragged on a little too much, but overall I really had a great time reading this.

Thank you to Ballantine Books, the author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

From the beginning of this book, I was instantly intrigued. I love the way that Josie created Cleo’s character. She is so relatable and honestly it’s quite a treat reading sections of the story through her perspective. I really enjoyed the timeline format of the story. The narrative feels like it occurs over quite some time, but it’s actually on a matter of days. I loved how different Cleo and Mack are. As the old saying goes, opposites attract. My favorite parts of the entire story were late at night when Cleo and Mack would list off three things about themselves. This is such a small act but allows their characters to gravitate towards each other. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If Salvation Island was a real place, I’d honestly want to take the trip myself and give myself space to reflect on my life and grow like Cleo. The island and it’s people felt very welcoming and like a place I’d like to be.

At nearly 30 years old, relationship writer Cleo is feeling burnt out on the search for her flamingo (think Phoebe Buffet’s idea of a lobster or mate for life). As a way to get her out of her funk, her editor decides it’s best for her to bite the bullet and get married...to herself. Her goal is to “self-couple” on a secluded Irish island as a way to find value in her life. While Cleo mourns the loss of a love she never had, American photographer Mack Sullivan refuses to mourn the sad reality that his marriage is over. As luck (or romance tropes) would have it, the two of them end up booked in the same cabin (there’s only one bed, if you’re wondering) on said small island and must learn to cohabitate because there is literally no life boat to take them back to the mainland. Initially, Cleo is the grumpy one to Mack’s more sunshiney, overly optimistic personality. Through a series of mishaps, including a physical chalk line drawn down the center of their shared cottage, their relationship evolves from one of resentment to holiday romance, both of them vowing that it’ll be temporary. Romantic love isn’t the only thing that blooms in the Irish greenery; both characters find love for the island, it’s welcoming inhabitants, and themself.

Overall, it’s a really story that promotes self-worth, independence, and letting go of both the expectations and goals we set for ourselves but didn’t meet and coming to terms with the disillusionment of having and losing what we thought would make us happy. Admittedly, some of the plot points and relationships felt underdeveloped, especially Cleo’s transformation from complainer to amazing companion; however, it’s as much of a romantic love story as it is a story of learning to love yourself, your choices, and your reality — arguably a bigger, if not sometimes underdeveloped but overly saccharine lesson within the novel.

The story is interesting, but lacked the same chemistry and panache we are seeing in the rom-com Renaissance. The book is a quick read that is filled with witty banter, pop culture references, and a goofy cast of B-characters. You’ll be both enamored with and frustrated by both Cleo and Mack, their perspectives alternating throughout the story. Maybe that’s the point that author Josie Silver is trying to make. Maybe we all need to let go of the visions we had for our lives and learn to appreciate the time that we have. Even if there are times that I certainly didn’t care for either character, Mack and Cleo’s micro-romance clears the path for other books that rely on “happy for now.”

Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced copy; I can only say that next time I go looking for my lobster / flamingo, I’ll remind myself that each character’s road led not just to each other, but to a better understanding of the world around them.

Josie silver does it again! I simply adore Cleo and Mack. Josie has a way of developing characters that you can relate to. I couldn’t put this down

Entertaining story of a woman who is assigned to live on an island and report on it, while a man is escaping his life on the same island, in the same cottage.

I ended up DNFing this book! Could not relate to the MC’s! Premise seemed okay, but could not get through the majority of this book!

It’s obvious that Josie silver has a way with words. There were some really beautiful passages in the story. However, I did take me about 50% in to really be invested with this story. I just couldn’t connect with Cleo or Mack and their “mico-love”. I did LOVE the setting and the side characters. The female knitting group and the friendships there…best part of the story!

I know a lot of people are going to love this book though. It’s just going to be a like for me.

I loved this book so much! I couldn't get enough of Cleo, Mack and the community on Salvation Island. The characters were so well written and I just adored each one. I especially loved that this wasn't your typical rom-com. It was about self-discovery and loving yourself. I enjoyed the sisterhood that existed between the woman on the Island and how they came together. I wish Salvation Island was a real place to visit! This was my first book written by Josie Silver and I thoroughly enjoyed her descriptive writing style. I highly recommend this book!

Upon direction of her editor, Cleo, a dating columnist, plans to spend her 30th birthday on a remote Irish island in a one-room cabin, reflecting on her life, finding herself, and fully accepting herself as whole—with or without a man. Unfortunately, Mack is also scheduled to spend time in the very same cabin. He is looking to connect with his Irish ancestry and try to accept the fact that his marriage may be over. Cleo and Mack are NOT ok with sharing but grudgingly learn to accept that they will have to deal with one another until the next weekly ferry arrives—at that point one of them can surely convince the other to leave.

This book was a delightful way to start 2022. Although Cleo and Mack are a bit immature at first, learning to work together and tolerate one another’s existence, they both have their reasons and quickly move past the juvenile behavior. Island is far less angsty than Silver’s other books and maybe that’s what we all need right now. The people of Salvation Island are wonderful and made me want to take up knitting and movie right in. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine for the eARC. Available 2/15/2022.

I’d say a 3.5 but I’ll round up for sheer cuteness!

Definitely a more emotional romance that ties in the struggle of real adult relationships and what it’s like to start over in life. When life doesn’t quite turn out how you expected sometimes you need a little magic on a remote Irish island.

Two strangers, both in the midst of rediscovering themselves, find themselves sharing a one bedroom cottage. Then sharing their lives. And then sharing their hearts.

A sweet story about truly finding what makes you happy and navigating the pitfalls of what we think we should be and who we truly are.

Recommend if you’re looking for a more emotional, deep romance with the one bed trope and a male lead described as Han Solo 👀

PSA: I am saddened by my thoughts on this (or lack thereof) and just wanted to come here today and let you know that I chose to DNF (do/did not finish) this at 42%.

It may be a mood thing because it seemed to have some great attributes- Ireland setting, enemies to lovers etc — look, I’m not here trying to yuck other peoples yums but “marrying yourself”????? “Self-coupling”????????? Huh?? Especially when clearly that’s not even what she really wanted.

At 42% I still wasn’t intrigued, wasn’t wanting to pick it up and didn’t feel excited about anything that was happening which at almost halfway through, should not be the case.

So bummed because I didn’t love The Two Lives of Lydia Byrd either but FREAKING ADORED One Day in December. Bless.

This comes out in April. So I’m going to come back to it later and see if I change my mind before Pub day.

Thanks @netgalley for sending me an advanced e-copy!

This book felt so timely and very now. The emphasis on self care, self reflection and the need to reevaluate your life felt like the author was holding a mirror to our current environment.

I loved that the characters were messy and had complicated lives because lives are complicated and messy. It felt so real and yet they were (and subsequently us the reader) were able to escape to a remote Irish island with very little cell reception.

Josie Silver is one of my favorite must read authors, but this one fell a little flat for me. The writing is gorgeous and the side characters were great. It was the main characters I just couldn't connect with or believe in their romance. Some of their scenes were written so well, but I just didn't believe in their "micro-love"

I normally love the slow burn romance where both characters are pining for each other, but this...just didn't do it for me. Also the "self coupling" just felt a little out of place and just not needed.

3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver is, at its heart, a lovely romcom about Cleo and Mack who are inadvertently booked at the same one-room cottage on the shore of a remote Irish Island. Their love story starts slowly, as both characters are there to deal with major life issues alone, and do their best to stay out of each other's way. What I saw as the main point of the book, though, wasn't really the romance between Cleo and Mack, though it is central to the plot. One Night on the Island is a celebration of women. It has a well written cast of female characters, who have come to understand their inner truths, know their strengths, emotionally support one another, and practice self-love. I found myself emotional the more that the women interacted and in awe of Cleo's character as she celebrated her 30th birthday in such an open-hearted, self-caring way. This loving kindness is what every woman should learn and practice. The remote and rugged setting also play an important role in the book, and Josie Silver has done a fantastic job world-building the inhospitable Salvation Island. I was transported to this world and loved it!

CW: marriage separation, death/grief, rated R

Advanced copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Another great love story by Josie Silver! I had been eagerly awaiting Silver's next novel, and she didn't disappoint. I loved her first two novels to pieces and was so excited to get an ARC for this one. Like all of Silver's novels, this is not just a romance. Its a love story that is beautifully written and keeps you going until the very end.

Cleo Wilder heads to Salvation Island to try to 'find herself', and learn to love herself. She is on a mission for self discovery. Mack Sullivan has come to Salvation Island to escape his family life which is crumbling around him. Due to some mismanagement and miscommunication the two meet, and end up stranded together in a lodge on the island. Initially the story is a bit of a an enemies-to-lovers type of trope, but in the hands of Josie Silver, this story becomes more than a romance between two people who are on two seemingly very different paths in life. Beyond the romance, there are themes of family, and community, and finding of sense of belonging. All woven beautifully together by Silver.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I loved every minute of it!