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

There are a lot of mixed reviews on this one, but I really enjoyed it. Like many, I think it's mistitled, and although it's described as a romantic comedy, I think it has more depth. Cleo is on a solo retreat as she approaches her 30th birthday, re-evaluating her career and her personal life. Unfortunately, the single room cabin on the remote Irish island has mistakenly been double-booked and Mack is also there tracing some family history and taking a break from the stress of his deteriorating marriage. They clash immediately which provides some comedy as they both act like spoiled teenagers. As they begin to get to know each other, they become more civil, then begin to develop romantic feelings for each other, knowing that they don't have a future once they leave the cabin. Throughout the book, they both reflect on their personal and professional lives, as well as their developing feelings for each other, with a lot of honesty and depth. The local townspeople provide a friendly and interesting supporting cast. Although the ending wasn't what I wanted, I suppose it made sense for their circumstances.

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blueeyedshook's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.0

Here’s the problem. I knew I wouldn’t like this book from the beginning because HE’S MARRIED. And he wants to be married. He still loves his wife. And yet this is supposed to be a romance….ugh. Im just so over books making infidelity and divorce so glamorized. I just can’t.

And here’s why. Because as the book goes on, I start (and am supposed to start) rooting for them….
BUT HE IS MARRIED!!!!!
And I’m not okay with that. Absolutely not okay.

And then, come to find out wifey still loves him too. And has second thoughts.
This is what people do in marriage way too often. They think it’s over without putting in the work. When I’m fact they could have worked it out. If neither of them had gone off in to other relationships.

So all the rest of the book, the sweet island and friends, his relationships with his kids, all of Kate for naught because he’s married and he should really be turning right around and going back to his wife.

Also, I don’t understand the title because it is WAY more than one night on the island.

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greys527's review against another edition

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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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theshivaniyadav's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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meliroo's review against another edition

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emotional

2.5

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lalaexni's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such a sweet cozy book. Josie Silver breaks my heart every time but still leaves me loving the story.

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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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