A steamy and engaging contemporary romance that offers a perfect mix of passion, humor, and emotional depth. The story centers on two characters, Sydney and Luke, who find themselves sharing a hotel room during a business trip due to a mix-up. With only one bed available, the tension between them quickly escalates, leading to a fiery and unexpected connection. As they navigate their complicated chemistry and feelings for one another, both Sydney and Luke are forced to confront their pasts and what they truly want from their futures. The chemistry between Sydney and Luke is undeniable, making their romance feel both intense and satisfying.

I've typed--and retyped--the first sentence for this review about 4 different times, and none of them quite capture the tone and real feeling I had about One Bed. They're either too harsh, making it seem as though this was a trainwreck of a book (which it isn't) or it's too blandly nice, which also isn't my style. So in the end, all I can say is One Bed is....fine, but it really isn't the writing I had hoped to read.

One of the first things writers get beaten into them is "show don't tell," but, more or less all the writing in this book IS tell. From chapter 1 on, it's just information after information being told to us readers. No mystery, no character layers to peel back. Just "this character is traumatized from X so they do X." And I thought to myself, "maybe this is the erotica genre" (since the book is tagged on NetGalley as such), but then, I get to the sex and it's not interesting sex writing. I've read hotter, more explicit sex in just regular "open door" romances, so the erotica tag feels very un-earned.

And maybe all this would have been forgivable if the characters were interesting. But no, both of them just use their traumas as excuses not to be adults about situations until the last 20% of the book or so. And don't even get me started on the side characters. Most of them could be replaced with cardboard cutouts, and Golly, Bea's godmother is supposed to be this quirky dynamo we fall in love with, but frankly, I found her immature and annoying. I could not WAIT for her to get out of each scene.

Yet, I read the whole book. So. Take from that what you will. At least the descriptions of Santorini's sunsets were nice.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

This book took me longer than usual to get through, but once I hit my stride with the storyline, it became one of those reads you don’t want to put down. Set in the dreamlike paradise of Santorini (all the great descriptions made me want to visit again, and stay for longer! need directions for the crevice), One Island, One Villa, One Bed is a heart-shifting love story that delivers exactly what the title promises—an idyllic villa, stunning sunsets, parties that go until dawn, and an insane amount of sizzling tension between the leads. The story follows Bea, a headstrong, take-no-nonsense writer, and the MMC (aka walking hotness incarnate), who is equal parts swoon-worthy and unexpectedly sweet. Their banter is electric, their chemistry off the charts, and their vulnerabilities hit you square in the feels.

The real treat here isn’t just the romance—though, trust me, it’s spicy—it’s the peek into the writing world and the hilarious, relatable moments that come with it. Bea-darling (or Bea-baby, depending on your mood) is a powerhouse of a character, and honestly, who wouldn’t see themselves in her stubbornness and strength? And don’t even get me started on the side characters. I’m going to need a spin-off to learn the stories of Navy, Cass & Nadia, and of course, more of Golly’s one-liners, stat. If you’re into unapologetically heartfelt love stories with a heavy dose of escapist fun, this book is a must-read.

In One Bed, thirty-year-old Bea finds herself on Santorini celebrating her godmother's retirement. It's a bittersweet celebration, as Golly is also Bea's literary agent and Bea isn't prepared to step out from behind her pseudonym "Parker Kane" in order to acquire a new agent. Also on the island is Gib, the young CEO who's married to his work due to a self-aware inability to process emotions beyond those at the most surface-level of consciousness. He'd visited Santorini as a child and had actually met Bea then - though the two of them barely remember this meeting, and what they do remember is that they didn't like each other at that time. Unfortunately for both, Golly announces that both of them have to share the cottage on the estate. A cottage with only one king-sized bed. Doubly unfortunate for Bea and Gib is that they both find each other incredibly attractive. As Golly's days-long party continues, the two grow closer to each other - that is until Gib's cousin, an up-and-coming literary agent who wants to sign Parker Kane, makes the connection and reveals he knows Bea is Parker.

This book was, unfortunately, just not for me. While it had the bones of something that could have been fun, there were too many possible plotlines that went unexplored. For one example, Golly mentions Lou, Bea's mother, will be attending the party and that Bea needs to get over her ghosts from the pain her mother's caused. However, this never happened. What was possibly a great tension and growth scene just... disappeared. I don't remember if Lou actually made an appearance, but if she did there definitely wasn't a confrontation. In addition, and probably more of a reason why my experience wasn't the best, is that I could not bring myself to connect with Gib, Bea, or Golly. I connected with Reena and the other background characters who had names, but the main characters were difficult. One final thing I'll say, as I don't like to write a treatise when I don't enjoy books, is that there were quite a few scenes where I was left feeling just really icky, for lack of a better term. Many of these feelings were because of what felt like internalized misogyny among the characters.

Rising star author Bea Williams needs a vacation. And her godmother’s snug Greek island retreat is the perfect place to use as an escape from her writer’s block.

Until she finds she’s going to have to share her idyllic one bed cottage with him – Gibson Caddell, one time childhood friend and a great big, drop-dead-gorgeous red flag. As the sun sets on Santorini, Bea’s thoughts soon turn to something much more pressing – there’s two of them. And only one bed…

This is a fast, fun read! I really enjoyed the banter between the two. This was steamier than I expected. I enjoyed the chemistry between Bea and Gib. The one-bed trope is one of my all-time favorites, so this was a treat! 4⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This was okay. It took a little long for me to get into it. I appreciate a good description, but I don’t prefer it to be somewhat of the main focus. It got better halfway through and the the FMC development was great! She was slightly boring at first.

this book is a lively rom com, it had some charming moments, especially with the godmother who I think added a refreshing spark to the story.

this book also had a great character development the FMC became more likeable and compelling as she revealed more of herself to the MMC, I LOVE LOVE LOVE GOOD CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
the side characters in this book added to the story as well as they were funny and well-developed! it was easy to imagine these characters and give them faces

thank you for allowing me to read this book!

I liked the concept of this a lot! Santorini/Greece sounds absolutely beautiful. I don't think I was the right target audience for this though, as much as I would have liked to have been. I did not enjoy it as much as I'd hoped, but thank you to the author and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this! I think for the right person who enjoys the more comical, quirky style of writing, this will be really loved!

When Bea arrives at her godmother’s cottage in Santorini, she’s surprised to find that someone else is already there—Gibson, the boy who visited the island when they were kids and has now grown into a man she can’t stop thinking about.

I read this book hoping for something quick, light, and fun, and it fulfilled those requirements. I think romance readers who are just looking for a fun and spicy read will enjoy this. But if readers are looking for greater depth, this book has many unrealistic and problematic elements. The descriptions of the home and village sound like they were written by a person who has never been to Santorini, and Bea and Gibson’s relationship is entirely lost on me. Gibson is often unkind, sometimes overtly mean, and the two of them do a terrible job of communicating with one another. Their relationship is based entirely on physical appearance, and that detracted from the romance element of the story for me.

If you’re looking for a cute, easy read, you might enjoy this. If you’re looking for more depth and character development, I’d skip it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really lovely and cute read with a fun premise and great characters. It was fun being whisked away to the greek islands and the chemistry/banter between our two leads had me invested the whole way.

“Only one bed” is a favorite trope of mine, so I was very excited to receive this ARC. However, it took me a while to get immersed into the storyline, and I found myself easily distracted. Mainly because I felt like it revolved too much around describing the idyllic Greek setting, and not enough on building the sexual tension/relationship between the two main characters. However, once I was about 3/4 of the way through, the emotions were there and the book redeemed itself a little bit. One Bed definitely has me wanting to plan a trip to Santorini- it sounds like an incredible vacation spot!
💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

So cute! I loved the premise, detail, and characters. This book makes me want to take a trip to the Greek islands! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a solid romance.

Firstly, the cover really interested me for this one. Colourful and fun and gave a great visual for thr characters.

The way the characters banter is everything, the chemistry between them is great and the development.

I love the way the story is not at all predictable, keeping you guessing and interested. I read this in one sitting and couldnt get enough.

Young adult author Bea goes on a vacation trip to her godmother’s villa in Santonini to celebrate a birthday and escape from writers block.
Unbeknownst to her, her godmother is playing matchmaker. Bea finds out she’s going to have to share her idyllic one bed cottage with him – Gibson Caddell. They met once before but as adults will they get along better?
Bea is also facing a big career decision what could change her future.

At times I did feel like it was overly descriptive and parts of the book didn’t need to be in it but overall I enjoyed the book.
It would be a nice summer holiday read.

I literally cannot get over how cute this was. Bea and Gibson (I totally can’t call him Gib I’m sorry! My brain goes right to Gibby from icarly and then I giggle uncontrollably) are childhood enemies turned adult forced-by-Golly-proximity-lovers!?!?!? I die. Excuse me while I find more third party interloper helping hand books. And my own Golly. Bea is in Greece to help get over writers block and to help her grand?-god mother plan a blowout retirement party. Gibson is in Greece to get back in touch with his roots where he was closest to his dad. Which means staying at Golly’s guest house. Beas room. And oh my GOODNESS I DOUBLE BOOKED YALL. see where I’m going?
Golly doesn’t know the word “stop” or “no” and sometimes that’s GREAT. Other times it was super annoying and she felt like a spoiled petulant rich lady-baby. Been there, seen that IRL, over it. If it weren’t for the smaller side characters and me liking the main characters so much I’d have skipped tbh with how bad golly was and the massive time leap at the end.
Bea has a BAD BAD habit of bringing up her ex. A lot. Like. A LOT A LOT and comparing Gibson to him. A LOT. with little to no backstory, history; clear reasoning and despite her claims “I’m over him! It was five years ago!” GIRL IF IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO WHY DO YOU BRING HIM UP EVERY OTHER CHAPTER, and who tf goes celibate for five years IN THEIR PRIME DATING YEARS BY CHOICE BECAUSE OF A BREAKUP. PLEASE.
— But I’m glad I stuck around to watch them fall in love with now. This DOES HAVE MISCHIEVOUS CHARACTER ARCS AND THE MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE. both things I’m not too big a fan of. But if you are? Oh 1000000% best read of the year. But for me this is a safe bet for a good but not great.

What a wonderful journey of self discovering, and finding love this story took me on.
Thrown together by circumstances our FMC Bea and our MMC Gibson find themselves forced to share a one bedroom cottage with you guessed it one bed.
Both characters have troubled and complicated pasts which make trusting and opening up hard but the chemistry and physical attraction between them is hard to deny. Can the two of them find a common ground?
Set in the stunning scenery of Santorini, Joss Woods takes us on an adventure full of fun, angst, self doubt and love. Love between the family we choose, and the people we surround ourselves with. She takes us on a ride with both MC's as they learn to navigate their pasts, find themselves, overcome self doubt and self regulation and become better versions of themselves. But can they do this together or are they destined to be apart when the vacation is over?
Joss's writing is easy to read, the plot easy to follow but with twists turns and written to bring out your emotions. I laughed out loud at the antics of Bea's Godma, I teared up with Bea and Gib's pain and I felt joy. Plot development and character building was on par and I could have read more about all of the characters in this book.
Loved every part of this story.

This books writing style just wasn’t for me. I did not connect with the characters through the 3rd person POV.

This delightful, fast paced rom-com delivers everything a reader could want from a sunshine-filled romance! One Bed by Joss Wood combines classic romance themes—forced proximity, a shared bed, and a hint of enemies-to-lovers—in an enjoyable story. Bea, a quiet and successful author, finds herself organising her godmother Golly’s birthday party in Santorini, only to discover she must share her cottage (and bed!) with Gib, an old acquaintance. Bea’s journey of self-discovery and growth is both relatable and engaging, while Gib’s development adds layers to their dynamic. The pacing feels natural, taking readers through heartfelt conversations, misunderstandings, and laugh-out-loud moments that build to a satisfying, heartwarming finale.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an ARC.

This was such a cute, spicy read! This is my first read by this author and I really enjoyed reading One Bed. I thought the plot was fun especially with Bea being an author, which was one of the reasons I requested this arc on Netgalley. The cover is so cute too and it pulled me in. Bea and Gibson have tons of chemistry, pulling readers in from the very beginning with their story. The plot was good and the story made sense and was well thought out. It didn't feel tooo far fetched, and I thought the spice was written well. The descriptions were well written. The book didn't feel too long.

I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you Netgalley and the author/publisher for this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own and my review is my own opinons.

I loved the setting of this story, sounded so beautiful. Makes me want to go! I enjoyed the characters and the differences amongst them. The plot was fun, and romantic. The only drawback to this book for me was the slower pace. The first half of the book seemed to drag a bit, and took me a little to get into it. It picks up near the middle and doesn't slow back down. Overall, a fun read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.