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British dating columnist Cleo is about to turn 30, and she’s not really looking forward to it. Already in looking back at her 20s, she’s displeased about the string of nonstarter dating experiences she’s had (and written about). When her boss suggests a new experience to document for their online women’s magazine, which involves spending time alone on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, Cleo is not eager to go. But her boss insists, and off she goes to spend a quiet, introspective month on the tiny island of Salvation. The plan is to have her “marry herself” in a solitary ceremony as a way of finding herself and creating goals for her 30s. Cleo will take some pictures and send back articles about it to run in the zine.
American photographer Mac is going to Salvation to spend a couple of months exploring the island where his grandmother grew up. He’s planning to take a lot of photos and mount an exhibition back home in Boston. But he’s also looking forward to lots of alone time where he can figure out what to do about his complicated life.
Unfortunately, thanks to some kind of miscommunication, the two end up in the same little cottage, each expecting solitude in an off-the-grid one-room house with a view of the ocean. And because the ferry only comes once a week and there are no other accommodations on Salvation, they’re stuck with each other. And slowly, slowly, they become friends, and more. But while they can enjoy their time in a little spot apart from the rest of the world, eventually they have to go back to the realities awaiting them back in their respective (and very different) lives. Will their time together be just a time to remember fondly, or could it be more?
I enjoyed the story; it wasn’t as light as I was expecting, and the characters are truly facing some challenges. It’s nicely written and real, but I wasn’t entirely pleased with how it was resolved. Mac is a married man, though his wife has basically left him, which is a big reason this love story is complicated. I just couldn’t fully enjoy the way it plays out because of the infidelity aspect; I’d much rather have read a story without that.
And I had a bit of a hard time really believing that Cleo’s boss would send her away from work for as long as she did, regardless of how supportive she is of Cleo’s personal needs. A week, maybe (which is more of the amount of time taken in a similar novel I read recently, Just Haven’t Met You Yet, where a woman goes to an island to write about her parents’ true love story for her online magazine), but over a month? And then if that’s the case, why does the title reference one NIGHT on the island? There are enough questions in my mind about minor to moderate plot points that it doesn’t necessarily ruin, but puts a damper on, the getting-swept-up-in-the-story aspect of this romance book.
Rated: High. Profanity includes almost 30 uses of strong language, around 30 instances of moderate profanity, around 45 uses of mild language, and about 50 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes some kissing, a couple of scenes of nudity, and several sex scenes, one of which is the most detailed and lengthy. It’s not particularly long but it’s descriptive enough, which would give the book a high rating on its own without the profanity.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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