Reviews with content warning for Death - One Night on the Island

This was a fun take on an adult romance! I liked that it diverted from some of the more typical tropes of the genre, in a way that made it exciting and fun to read. Some plot moments got me gasping! Would make for a really fun mini series I think.

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kb33's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Josie Silver doesn’t write light, fluffy, inconsequential romance novels, and those who are expecting that will be disappointed. Those who go in with an open mind will fall in love.

This book, like her others, has a contemplative, deep, observant, hopeful, story about two complicated lives, with a falling in love story included. It’s not too heavy, and I think most people won’t feel bogged down by it unless you are struggling with feelings over divorce that might be triggered by this book.

Cleo’s committing to herself and having a ceremony for it sounded ridiculous, but the thoughts and intentions surrounding it and the words she speaks during the ceremony echo, in some form, what every woman who has reached the age of thirty thinks, having learned hard lessons in their 20s.

Mack’s imploded marriage has left a wake of mild destruction that’s he’s struggling to deal with. He’s doing a decent job, though hope is something he struggles with, and Silver doesn’t gloss over this like it’s nothing, she writes about it, realistically.

One Night on the Island is a beautiful book, and while I love an HEA, I’m happy with their unconventional HFN.

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greys527's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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meliroo's review

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emotional

2.5

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jenna36's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book really hit exactly where I needed it to. I probably would have rated it closer to 5 stars if I had known what to expect going in. It is definitely not a romcom! It's more of an emotional romantic drama with some fun side characters. I really loved the setting and all of the islanders. I did not love the romance at the start, but the growth of both characters (separately and together) was incredible. The final sentence of the epilogue actually brought me to tears because of how emotionally invested I became. The book had a bit of a rough start, but it got much better the more of it I read. Cleo's journey was especially poignant to me because of where I am at in my own life. I think this was the book that I really needed to read right now.

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hales230's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The premise of this book is spectacular, classic romcom. Cleo writes a dating column, and her boss decides to send her on a "self-coupling" trip to a remote island off the coast of Ireland. She's a little skeptical, but figures it'll be a good time to relax and sort out her life a bit more, so she agrees. And yet, when she arrives at the little cabin on the very remote island that is somehow even more remote, there's another person there. Aha! A mix-up! Mack, a photographer from Boston, swears he was promised the cabin at the same time as her, and the ferry only comes once a week. And it's not like there's anywhere else on this island that they can stay. A perfect setting for a heartfelt romance.

I think my favorite part of this book was probably the setting, and the other folks on the island. It was so picturesque, it really felt like I was there. And I loved the cast of secondary characters. They really rounded out the story so well, and I loved that Cleo found her place with the women of the island. I always love when romances are a bit more than just the romance itself, and we get actual, developed secondary characters, and this book did a great job with that.

Where it lacks for me is honestly the romance itself. The forced proximity trope is well-executed, but Cleo and Mack just didn't work for me, and I can't quite put my finger on why exactly. This is one of those where I just truly couldn't see the couple lasting beyond the pages of the book. I think they would've existed in each other's lives for a reason -

Mack to finally accept that his marriage is over, Cleo to finally understand that her life is her own, not what society tells her it needs to be.

It just didn't have that spark that I love in romance novels, and while I loved the setting and the cast of characters, the main plot just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.

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