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A review by thebiglittlelibrary
One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
2.0
1.5 ⭐️ Not for me, but I’m clearly in the minority
This was my first DNF and I stopped reading at 40%. I'm disappointed because it has all the elements I usually enjoy: romantic setting (a remote Irish island), booking reservation mixup, one bed/house trope, and immediate animosity between the MCs. Unfortunately, none of that was appealing to me in this story.
The writing is structurally and grammatically sound, but the story was boring and I hated the characters so much that I couldn’t continue.
Why did I think the story was boring? Well, after finishing 1/3 of the story, nothing happened except the reservation mixup and some boring arguments. Most of this story has been the inner thoughts of the two MCs (it’s dual POV), and they’re extremely long-winded. Specifically, Mack who thinks about his kids constantly - I don’t care about the scent of your kid’s shampoo or their sleeping positions - and Cleo who complains about her turning thirty, her friend Ruby, or her current dilemma with Mack. I’m usually one who enjoys details, but even I have my limits.
Why did I hate the characters? Well, based on some of what I said above, they aren’t presented in a likable way. Cleo is a 30-year-old love columnist who comes off as a self-absorbed brat who complains about everything. The only thing she seems to appreciate is Salvation Island. I’m sure she's supposed to have some character growth later in the story but I couldn’t stick around to watch. Mack on the other hand is a 34-year-old photographer who's on the verge of divorce and somehow comes to the conclusion that leaving his family alone is in their best interest. But all he does while away is mope about how he misses his kids.
There were also so many different, random things that didn’t make sense or were ridiculous:
- Mack believes that because his family owns the lodge, he deserves to stay more than Cleo, who paid for it and has email confirmations! How does that make sense??? Plus his 'family' is a second cousin twice removed.
- When Cleo calls her boss to tell her about the situation and says she wants to leave the island, her boss says “No! Cleo, you absolutely can’t. How’s that going to look to our readers? You know ninety-five percent of reader loyalty is based on trust.” Ummmm okay, no? She’s a freaking columnist and her readers would understand if she had to write about something else instead of staying on a small island in the same house with a random male stranger. I can’t believe her boss prioritized the paper over an employee's safety and well-being. And Cleo lets her.
- Mack leaving his family alone in order to give his wife, Susie, space is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. She tells him out of the blue that she wants him to “step out of the picture for a while so she can think straight.” But she had plenty of time to think while he was away for months on assignment, and now she basically kicks him out again with no better reason than I want space? Wtf. And the worst part is, he leaves! He should have said no, put a pause on work trips, and scheduled couples therapy for him and his wife. You don’t leave your family when sh*t hits the fan. Leaving never solves anything.
- Mack is a married man and cheats. Sure they are 'separated' but he's also incredibly torn up about the possibility of divorce. Yet somehow he's going to develop romantic feelings for Cleo and act on them? Ick. Up until a few weeks ago, Mack thought his life was fine and loved his wife, so it just makes me hate him for getting into a romantic entanglement, or let's just call it what it is - an affair. Someone who truly loves their wife and respects their marriage wouldn't do this. I don't like stories about cheating, so this really bothered me.
- Cleo acts like a child. She’s so unnecessarily dramatic. When they get drunk, and she decides they need boundary lines in the lodge. So, she uses chalk to draw physical lines. This is ridiculous. Is she 5 years old?
- Cleo justifies losing her virginity to her English teacher at 17 because he was a substitute teacher, only 23, and 'wet behind the ears.' I’m sorry, no. Just no. While the age of consent in the Uk is 16 years old, it’s predatory because of the power dynamic.
Overall, this story was not for me. There are a lot of positive reviews though so read a few of those before deciding if it’s something you’d like to read. I really did try to get into this story though. Even picked it up three separate times but I just can’t continue to force myself to keep reading a book I’m not enjoying. Life’s too short.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
This was my first DNF and I stopped reading at 40%. I'm disappointed because it has all the elements I usually enjoy: romantic setting (a remote Irish island), booking reservation mixup, one bed/house trope, and immediate animosity between the MCs. Unfortunately, none of that was appealing to me in this story.
The writing is structurally and grammatically sound, but the story was boring and I hated the characters so much that I couldn’t continue.
Why did I think the story was boring? Well, after finishing 1/3 of the story, nothing happened except the reservation mixup and some boring arguments. Most of this story has been the inner thoughts of the two MCs (it’s dual POV), and they’re extremely long-winded. Specifically, Mack who thinks about his kids constantly - I don’t care about the scent of your kid’s shampoo or their sleeping positions - and Cleo who complains about her turning thirty, her friend Ruby, or her current dilemma with Mack. I’m usually one who enjoys details, but even I have my limits.
Why did I hate the characters? Well, based on some of what I said above, they aren’t presented in a likable way. Cleo is a 30-year-old love columnist who comes off as a self-absorbed brat who complains about everything. The only thing she seems to appreciate is Salvation Island. I’m sure she's supposed to have some character growth later in the story but I couldn’t stick around to watch. Mack on the other hand is a 34-year-old photographer who's on the verge of divorce and somehow comes to the conclusion that leaving his family alone is in their best interest. But all he does while away is mope about how he misses his kids.
There were also so many different, random things that didn’t make sense or were ridiculous:
- Mack believes that because his family owns the lodge, he deserves to stay more than Cleo, who paid for it and has email confirmations! How does that make sense??? Plus his 'family' is a second cousin twice removed.
- When Cleo calls her boss to tell her about the situation and says she wants to leave the island, her boss says “No! Cleo, you absolutely can’t. How’s that going to look to our readers? You know ninety-five percent of reader loyalty is based on trust.” Ummmm okay, no? She’s a freaking columnist and her readers would understand if she had to write about something else instead of staying on a small island in the same house with a random male stranger. I can’t believe her boss prioritized the paper over an employee's safety and well-being. And Cleo lets her.
- Mack leaving his family alone in order to give his wife, Susie, space is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. She tells him out of the blue that she wants him to “step out of the picture for a while so she can think straight.” But she had plenty of time to think while he was away for months on assignment, and now she basically kicks him out again with no better reason than I want space? Wtf. And the worst part is, he leaves! He should have said no, put a pause on work trips, and scheduled couples therapy for him and his wife. You don’t leave your family when sh*t hits the fan. Leaving never solves anything.
- Mack is a married man and cheats. Sure they are 'separated' but he's also incredibly torn up about the possibility of divorce. Yet somehow he's going to develop romantic feelings for Cleo and act on them? Ick. Up until a few weeks ago, Mack thought his life was fine and loved his wife, so it just makes me hate him for getting into a romantic entanglement, or let's just call it what it is - an affair. Someone who truly loves their wife and respects their marriage wouldn't do this. I don't like stories about cheating, so this really bothered me.
- Cleo acts like a child. She’s so unnecessarily dramatic. When they get drunk, and she decides they need boundary lines in the lodge. So, she uses chalk to draw physical lines. This is ridiculous. Is she 5 years old?
- Cleo justifies losing her virginity to her English teacher at 17 because he was a substitute teacher, only 23, and 'wet behind the ears.' I’m sorry, no. Just no. While the age of consent in the Uk is 16 years old, it’s predatory because of the power dynamic.
Overall, this story was not for me. There are a lot of positive reviews though so read a few of those before deciding if it’s something you’d like to read. I really did try to get into this story though. Even picked it up three separate times but I just can’t continue to force myself to keep reading a book I’m not enjoying. Life’s too short.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.