Having enjoyed previous books by Josie Silver, when the publisher asked if I’d like an ARC of her new book out in February, I said yes please! Here’s the blurb:

“One cottage. Two strangers.
Every great love story starts somewhere…
Cleo writes about love stories every day. She just isn’t living one of her own.
When the editor of her dating column asks her to marry herself on a remote Irish island – a sensational piece to mark Cleo’s thirtieth birthday – Cleo agrees. She’s alone but not lonely, right? She can handle a solo adventure.
Cleo arrives at her luxury cabin to find a tall, dark, stubborn American who insists it’s actually his. Mack refuses to leave, and Cleo won’t budge either. With a storm fast approaching, they reluctantly hunker down together. It’s just one night, after all . . .
But what if one night on the island is just the beginning?“

I LOVED this book! Someone else has described it on NetGalley as like a hug – and I completely agree. A wonderful, escapist read.

The book is mostly set on the tiny island of Salvation off the Irish coast. The descriptions of the setting are fabulous and really evocative – and lots of typically Irish weather! I now want to go there on holiday (although would struggle with limited phone reception and internet access!!) Otter Lodge sounds just beautiful.

I did find the whole concept of why Cleo was going to the island in the first place a bit weird – but then I’m a 47 year old mother of 4, not a single almost-30 year old, so I just decided I should go with it! And actually – it was all very beautifully written.

The mish mash of people on Salvation were amazing – a real collection of characters, all well written and you wanted to learn more about them. I can totally picture knitting club, the shop, the pub – and the boulder – perfectly.

I enjoyed the fact that the book was about friendships, wider relationships and self worth – not just ‘boy meets girl’ – although that element was great as well.

Each night Cleo and Mack tell each other 3 things each whilst lying in the dark – which is very spooky, as my 10 year old and I do that every night when she’s going to bed (it was a tactic to make sure she told me if anything was worrying her after a day at school – but also to ensure it was finite so she didn’t procrastinate bedtime for ages!) The 3 things for Cleo and Mack really mean they get to know random facts about each other.

It felt like the book had concluded at about 70% – and I wondered how the rest of the story was going to evolve – but it did brilliantly, and I really enjoyed the final chunk too. It would make a really lovely Sunday night drama for TV.

One Night On The Island is out in February 2022, another fabulous Josie Silver read. A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.