One Night on the Island: A Novel

Cleo is a journalist who is sent on an assignment to spend time rediscovering herself on a remote island in Ireland, and she commits to writing a story about this journey that will culminate in a wedding to herself on her thirtieth birthday. She anticipates a solo vacation filled with time to sort through her feelings about beginning a new decade as a single woman. However, Cleo is surprised to learn that a mix up has her set to share accommodations with Mack, a grumpy American traveler with whom she has nothing in common.

One Night on the Island features a well-known enemies to lovers trope, although Josie Silver introduces witty dialogue and the atmospheric setting of Salvation, which make this novel a delight. The story focuses on Mack and Cleo untangling tough emotional turmoil; Mack is dealing with separating from his wife and missing his sons, while Cleo faces a turning point in her career and considers whether she wants to return to London. I loved all the quirky side characters that Cleo meets on Salvation. However, some of Cleo’s self-exploration lost my attention, and I wanted to get back to the budding relationship between her and Mack.