Book Review: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

A huge thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc of One Night on the Island by Josie Silver.

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver is the perfect wintery romance book to add to your reading list.

A few years back, I picked up One Day in December by Josie Silver and completely fell in love with the way her writing managed to make me abundantly happy and incredibly melancholy at the exact same time. When The Two Lives of Lydia Bird Came came out, I read it and felt similarly – though this one hit even harder on the emotional front. The moment I found out that she was writing another book, I added it to my TBR, and I was thrilled when NetGalley sent me an advanced review copy.

This book didn’t disappoint in any way. It elicited intense emotions – both happy and sad – and I truly loved every second of it. From the moment I began reading, I didn’t want to put it down. If you’re looking for something to truly hit you in the feels, you’ll want to pick up this novel when it’s released.

Keep on reading to learn more about One Night on the Island.

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My honest review of One Night on the Island by Josie Silver.

Synopsis:

TWO PEOPLE.

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER.

A LOVE STORY THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME.

When Cleo’s editor requests that she marry herself on a remote island for her dating column, she envisions skinny-dipping in the crystalline waters and revelling in the blissful quiet.

But when she arrives at Otter Lodge, Mack, a grumpy, yet undeniably handsome American, insists that her cosy cottage is actually his. With no beds to spare and a storm fast approaching, they’re trapped.

Can what began as a disastrous double-booking turn into something more? And might this one night on the island change both of their lives forever?

An uplifting and immensely moving love story for fans of The Holiday, The Flatshare and Nicholas Sparks.

Content Warnings: (major) infidelity, (moderate) emotional abuse, sexual content, (minor) death, grief

When I pick up a book written by Josie Silver, I’m almost always guaranteed a dose of sweet romance, heady laughter, and at least one moment of tears. One Night on the Island provided exactly that.

Similar to One Day in December, this book made me clench my teeth a bit at the beginning when I read that who I supposed was the love interest was indeed a married man. I was worried that there would be an uncomfortable amount of infidelity that was written to seem more glorified than it was as a cautionary tale. Instead of that being the case, the relationships were really well done. It felt realistic for a man struggling with his separation while still wanting to be in his kids’ lives. So, I was able to anticipate where it was going and quickly reassure myself that this was going to be a wholesome tale.

Okay, so “wholesome” is maybe the wrong word because there was some truly perfectly-placed spice throughout this story! I appreciated the way the scenes weren’t there for the sake of just being there, but they were necessary to elicit emotions as the story was read. They caused anxiety, embarrassment, and of course, there were a couple of swoony scenes too.

The location and the secondary characters played a huge part in what endeared me to the book. I mean, a small Irish island with a group of knitting “oddballs” who really take in all the strays. What’s not to love? I want novellas or spin-off stories for every one of those incredible characters! I appreciated that the more that we got into the book, the more they appeared and the further we got to look into their lives. 

I recently watched “A Castle for Christmas” and so many elements of that movie reminded me of this book – from the similar location, to the knitting group, to a writer looking for inspiration in where she’s staying but finding love as well! If you’ve seen that movie and enjoyed it, you’ll love this book. Also, this book has the “one bed” trope (or… one cabin? but essentially the same concept).

Speaking of looking for inspiration, I loved that the whole reason for Cleo visiting the island in the first place. Marrying herself might sound like a weird concept, but the self-love that was represented was truly inspiring for ME! And I love that she didn’t just give up on that idea even though she “found a man” as well. So many books seem to just ditch the self-love mantra when the romance comes into play, but not this one!

Honestly, I could keep raving about this book, but I’m going to leave it at that and say read it ASAP!

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