One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
On the cusp of her 30th-birthday, Cleo Wilder, a dating columnist for a Woman’s publication in London, is given a special assignment by her editor.
She is being sent to Salvation, a remote Irish island, on a self-coupling retreat. There she will marry herself and write about it. Cleo accepts the assignment with grace, looking at it as a chance to get away and re-energize herself, as well as her writing.
Mac Sullivan is a photographer from Boston with familial ties to Salvation island and the very lodge in which Cleo will be staying.
The twist, Mac is planning to stay at the lodge himself. The very tiny, fit for one person, or a couple lodge. When the two discover the double-booking, they also discover there’s no place else on the island for one of them to stay and the next ferry doesn’t leave for days.
Short on options, they decide to suck it up and share the lodge until the next boat. They’re both adults. Neither one seems like a psycho-killer, so how bad could it be?
Therefore, they do what any consenting adults would do and draw an imaginary line. He has his space, she has her space and they are only allowed to meet and talk in the common areas. After all, they’re in a gorgeous location, full of warm and friendly people, it could be worse.
Due to their circumstances, and a bit of whiskey, Cleo and Mac get to know each other fairly quickly. They’re both impressed with what they see, soon discovering they’re compatible as well, but it’s complicated.
The remote location and separation from their regular lives provides both characters ample time for self-reflection as well. I enjoyed those quieter moments with each character as much as I enjoyed their witty banter.
There were so many aspects of this story that I loved actually. The whole thing. It was a complete package for me.
What surprised me the most was the found family element that was created involving the locals.
I wasn’t expecting that and because of those connections, this became more than just a romance story for me. I could feel the confidence and self-acceptance in Cleo growing as the story progressed. She was finding her own tribe; it was beautiful.
I loved that for her character arc. It gave the whole self-coupling thing a real boost. I felt that aspect, even though the main focus was the ‘will they-won’t they’ vibe going on between Cleo and Mac.
I think it is safe to say at this point that I am in love with Josie Silver. Seriously, such a fangirl. Sometimes I feel like, the way she writes her stories, we share a brain or something.
I just know we would be best friends!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am so excited to see what Silver comes up with next.
Until then, I need to finally get to The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. I’m really hoping to pick that one up this Spring!