Thank you Netgalley for my first ever arc!

One Night Only promises a fun journey that all starts with a one night stand, one we quickly understand becomes much, much more than that due to the sheer power of occasion. Or destiny, you name it. It's a nice pick if you're looking for a romantic tastebreaker, with a tasty banter.

Altough entertaining at times, mostly due to the irresistable banter between the two lead characters, this book fell short with my expectations. You'd expect that, since certain aspects are mentioned in the synopsis (the wedding, the uncle and great aunt), they'd take a pivotal, important, or at least funny role in the story.... except they don't. Or they didn't felt like they were used to their fullest extent. As I read, there was a sense of missed opportunities in that aspect, as I realised Walsh was taking a different route than the one I pictured. Give or take, maybe I just let my imagination run too wild.

Differen't doesnt mean bad. It doesn't mean good either. I'd say it was... unexpected, at the very least. Not what I'm used to with most romantic novels. I didn't hate the execution, but I'll admit it had me puzzled. I didn't like Sarah a lot, but did enjoy how she isn't the usual shy girl. As for Declan, he's as good as most male leads you find in other romance books. This is a nice way to say they aren't detestable, but there is always some more room for improvement, for more life and soul.

But I was still able to have a fun time! I was still able to have a few laughs, and to root for the characters and all their journeys. Truth be told, I don't consider the book the most remarkable, but it's fun in its own way. I'm looking forward to more of Walsh's works.

I did not finish this book due to a line joking about the fact that a 17 year old lost their virginity to a 20 year old.

This is frankly really gross to me, and the way it was handled made me uncomfortable.

Fun premise, but I wasn't all that into the main characters. It also seemed like there should have been a backstory to Annie and her husband. It seemed like there should have been a little less of Annie's story and more of Sarah's.

Rating: 4.5*

This was a very fun, flirty and quick read - perfect for the summer. I got through it in a day, having heard it was a good read from friends but still being pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed it. Sarah and Declan had so much chemistry and were genuinely funny, nothing felt forced and the build up to their relationship worked so well. I can’t believe this romcom is a debut !! Everything about it was so great and it was written so well - I’m very excited to read this author's future works!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!!

*3.5 rating* rounded up to 4 stars

He turns to Claire. "I remember you."
"Yes, you slept with my roommate."
He looks delighted. "I did, didn't I?"
They're both in on it.

I want to start off by saying WOW what a flirty and cocky man (but in the best way possible-which is saying a lot) Declan is? Like hello???? What man has said those things in real life and not get, at least, a glare/eye roll of disdain??? No one. And yet he still able to do all that and manages to have my full and very endeared attention. And obviously Sarah, too despite her persistent need to keep everything "professional" *wink, wink*.

Our heroine Sarah is a hardworking woman who enjoys her fair share of more than just canoodling. Which yes!! Love that for her! I'm always here for a woman confident in herself for being sex positive!! YES GIRLBOSS.
Sarah is insistent on how she intends to keep her relationship with Declan despite her internal turmoil, that says otherwise. Seeing both of them say one thing and completely go another route after being alone together with a couple of drinks and a lot on their minds-if you know what I mean- had me craving for more in the following chapters. They were just so charming it had me squealing IT HAD ME SQUEALLING!!!!

"Amanda's gone." I look up to see Will's whisper to see him drawing a finger across his throat.
... "She's dead?"
"What? No." ... "Harvey let her go."
I stare at him in horror. "That's the sign for someone dying!"
"Not in an office environment. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Let's talk about the myth the legend, the show stealing office best friend of Sarah's, Will. This man oh boy,,,, what an absolute delight he was. He was just SO funny I don't even know what else to say about him. I just had to add this bit because, how could I not? And also very perceptive... yes yes. VERY.

On the other hand I did however have some irks with the way everything ended. It felt too quickly wrapped up. Now this might just be me not being able to get over the fact that I have to let go of Sarah and Declan but hear me out. Throughout the whole book you get these back and forth between the two and when you get to *THAT* moment. You know the one, where the last bit gives you heart palpitations cause authors refuse to just let it end smoothly and I mean fair, it wouldn't be fun and drama is fun. It didn't feel as satisfying as I would've liked the ending to be. But IDK I guess I was just hoping for a bit more between the two as way to make up for their hot and cold/reluctance to be together.

Still this was by far one of the funniest and blushing reads I've had the fortunate time to read in a while. I'm sort
of in a slump and needed a break from brain inducing reads so I thought, "what the hell?" and looked through Netgalley in hopes they'd allow little ol' me with a poor looking feedback ratio-a chance. And what do you know they did. And it landed me this charming ARC. So much so that I stayed up all night in anticipation, it was THAT enjoyable!!

I highly recommend giving a try especially during this summer if you're looking for a light swoon worthy read. A perfect beach read that will have you rooting for the two who you can't help but wish you had the same!!

- rin

I felt this book was so absolutely wonderful with perfect friends to lovers romance, slowest of slow burns and such an amazing cast of characters! I was invested in their story as they were relatable.

Guy with an accent? Sign me up!
I finished this book so fast, it was easy to read and flowed well. Sarah did annoy me at first but in the end she won me over, although I do wish she was in therapy so she could better understand her past but it definitely made the book entertaining. Declan was a delight! This felt like it went from strangers to enemies to friends to lovers. If you're looking for a light hearted and easy to read romance then I highly recommend this. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Catherine Walsh for the Kindle version of this book!

One Night Only follows Sarah as she continuously runs into what should have been a one night stand. Sarah has gone through heartbreak, and because of that, she has a strict one night rule. But what happens when you keep running into him and your feelings are bigger than your mind? I enjoyed this book, even if I don’t quite understand Sarah’s decisions. I would definitely recommend to friends.

I loved One Night Only, it was exactly what I need…a great romcom story! It’s been a while since I finished a book in one day. I definitely could not sleep until I finished this book!

Sarah has a one night only rule but what happens when her hot Irish guy one night stand keeps showing up? Will Sarah be able to get pass her history to welcome in love?

One Night Only had me laughing out loud and cheering for Sarah and Declan. This might be Catherine Walsh’s first book but I can’t see it being her last!

Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read One Night Only in return for an honest review.

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh is a fun, delightful book about a woman’s struggle to learn to trust again. The book takes place in New York City and Ireland, with fun characters and charming side characters.

Sarah Anderson has one rule about dating, and that rule is one-night stands only! So, when she travels to Ireland for her best friend’s wedding, she was shocked to find her most recent one-night stand at the wedding, and the brother of the groom. Can she keep to her rule, or will Declan Murphy charm her into more than just one night?

This fast-paced book was charming and fun. Sarah has a lot of baggage, and she has to learn to trust again. The author added quite a few quirky characters to make this emotional journey fun and light while allowing Sarah to suffer while she figures out her issues and dig out from her emotional baggage that is keeping her from living her best life.

You can tell the author has a love of Ireland, as her descriptions of the village were vivid and heartfelt. I highly recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved this. 4.5 stars. Sarah only has one night stands. When she wakes up after her most recent one, she can’t kick him out the door fast enough. Imagine her surprise when she then meets him at her best friend’s wedding. He’s the groom’s brother.

This story could have gone so many hackneyed ways, but it didn’t. Sarah and Declan are lovely together and both compelling characters in their own right. You see why they fall for each other and also what’s holding each of them back. Maybe my favorite trait about Sarah is that she is an excellent friend. And her friendships matter, not just as plot devices but as a sign of one of the things that draws Declan to her.

I had no idea if I’d even like the book and I loved it.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Synopsis:
After a relationship goes badly, Sarah swears to herself that she will never get attached again. She likes to have frequent one night stands but never with the same guy twice. After an awkward morning trying to kick out her latest conquest, you can imagine her shock when the same guy turns up at her best friends wedding… IN IRELAND, only a few days later 😅 Turns our Declan is the brother of the groom which just makes things more difficult, but what happens when they hook up a second time? This is unlike Sarah. Will she decide that she can open up to Declan and give herself a chance to love again?

Opinion:
I honestly enjoyed this book so much! It was a definite read in one sitting type of book for me. It was such a slow burn with Sarah being conflicted with her feelings creating an amazing push/pull dynamic between them and an amazing sexual tension. Both characters were written with such depth and baggage that showed that they are both flawed. sometimes when it’s a singular POV, authors can easily just focus on the one persons baggage so for me Walsh was great by not putting the blame on only one character. One tiny critique is that I’d have loved a little more smut in the sex scenes but that’s personal preference.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I will definitely be picking up more from this author…. Now let me go find myself an Irishman 🥵

Wow! I can’t even put into words just how much I loved this book!! Everything about it was just absolutely perfect! The romance, the drama, the emotional parts, the humor, the side characters, the friendship. It was all just *chef’s kiss* I was VERY invested from the beginning!

Sarah Anderson has been afraid of commitments and relationships ever since her mom and dad got divorced and her last relationship ended in heartbreak. She just wants one-night stands with no feelings involved and that’s exactly what she seeks. I personally loved how Sarah was a cynical when it came to love but still craved for a happily ever after. I found that so relatable. She was a great character to read about! Usually, I find cynical characters a bit annoying but being in Sarah’s head, reading about all her thoughts and experiencing her feelings was a very nice and refreshing change.

Declan Murphy was your perfect hot, sweet and caring love interest but I also loved the fact that he was more than that. He was emotional, he had a back story and his actions echoed just how nice he was. I loved him from the first moment he was introduced in the book! He was such a wonderful, positive character! Also, he is IRISH!! And he has an accent. So that automatically gives him extra 1000 points in my rule book lol.

Despite the book not being YA and starting with a one-night stand, surprisingly there was no smut at all. Instead, there was an amazing, amazing slow-burn romance which was incredibly sweet. The sexual tension was off the charts and it made me want to scream at these two to just get together already!! But of course, there was a lot of emotional baggage, their pasts and their insecurities but all of it made the story (and when they finally got together) worthwhile. There was also some matchmaking involved (which was absolutely hilarious) and very fun moments so it balanced out the emotional part!

I also adored all the friendships in this book. Sarah had such a wonderful group of supportive friends. I loved how Annie and Sarah’s friendship was portrayed, especially how much support Sarah provided at Annie’s wedding and how attuned she was to her best friend’s needs. And I also loved Will and Sarah’s easy going office friendship. He was such a funny character and all his on-page moments made me laugh! Claire, Sarah’s roommate was another character I absolutely loved. She was very supportive, always there with a good advice for Sarah and I am personally very fond of this kind of friendship!

There were emotional moments, laugh out loud moments, romantic moments that’d make you swoon, angry moments and heartwarming moments. Basically, this book is the whole package. Any trope you might think of in a cute romance, it’s HERE!! I cannot mention them all because of spoilers but they are here and you’ll see it when you read it.

There were some grammatical errors which I’m sure would have been sorted out by now and some plot points that I didn’t like but that definitely didn’t deter me from reading ahead or affected my rating because they were very small part of the entire plot.

To summarise, I loved One Night Only and will definitely recommend it to all Romance lovers! I will also be looking forward to reading more books by Catherine Walsh in future .

Enjoying a one night stand just before she heads to Ireland for her best friends wedding, Sarah practically pushes him out of the door the following morning - despite how gorgeous he may look. But Sarah doesn't do commitment and/or relationships following trauma from her parents (mom cheated) and then her only long-term boyfriend not returning her love. Landing in Ireland she is happy for her friend although feels somewhat out of it being surrounded by family/friends she doesn't know. Until the groom introduces his brother Declan.

She wasn't supposed to see him again and now she is trapped at a wedding with her one-night stand. Declan isn't exactly thrilled to be there either. So they slip into a banter-filled evening until he lets it slip to his family that they had previously slept together. Making things awkward as his mum attempted to match make between the two of them. Falling back into bed with each other the night before the wedding when Sarah is feeling sad about her friend's relocation news. With Declan heading back to New York straight after the wedding without so much as a goodbye.

Their paths crossing over the coming months seeing him at one of his bars interrupting a date she was one. Turning up at her office as a new client, although he wasn't meant to be at the meeting. Spending time together eases her fear of commitment until details about Declan's guarded past come to light and Sarah pushes him away again. Has she pushed him away one too many times?

Wow, I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started it but it picked up and then I couldn’t put it down. The dynamic between Sarah and Declan were real and I found myself at times laughing, getting emotional and even wanting to yell at the characters. I feel as though this story is relatable in the sense of not sure if your wanting to be committed in a relationship. This is the perfect summer read, drink in hand. You will fall in love with this book. I give this book a 5 out of 5 and I am excited to read more from this author. This rom-com was great. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the early read.

This book was so funny, fast paced and enjoyable. It's the first time I read about this author or heard about the book but loved every second of it. I finished it in one sitting because I was unable to stop, the characters are funny, loveable and with personality all of them. I felt in love even with the secondary characters and their relationships wishing they worked out, I also loved how there wasn't any kind of woman hate or woman shaming to the ex of the love interest only for being the ex.
This was a pretty solid book that had me hooked from the start and made me laugh so much while also having me rooting for the protagonist and the love interests.

(4.5*) Wow. Holy cow this was amazing. I'm not embarrassed to say with my whole heart that I loved this book. This, this right here is the perfect debut novel and summer romance read.

One Night Only is a humorous, adorable and thoroughly enjoyable read, filled with witty banter, angst and tension along with a dose of heartbreak, that once picked up, is hard to put down.
It follows our main character Sarah, an architect sworn against forming any kind of romantic attachment. That is, until she finds out that the man she recently had a one night stand with, Declan, is in fact her best friend's husbands brother, who she meets again at the wedding.

I absolutely adored the dynamic between our two main characters, with there being the perfect balance of the push/pull relationship between them and not to mention their undeniable chemistry. The plotline is pretty straightforward and predictable at times but I still found myself eager to read on.

I love how both the characters are flawed in each their own ways with obstacles they both need to overcome. I can definitely see how people could be frustrated at Sarah for pushing Declan away so many times, I found myself in that position from time to time, but I have to admit, I appreciate and like how she doesn't give in so easily, it makes her that much more real.

Overall, this book was addictive to say the least and I 100% recommend it, especially for people looking for a fun, quick romcom read, and I can definitely say I'm looking forward to reading more from Catherine Walsh!

A cure and funny story of a night stand but more!
I enjoyed the group of characters and loved the main Irishman-Declan. I was certainly routing for him from the beginning.
I liked that it wasn’t wistful or too emotional but still allowed for depth of character and the romance was there but with comedy and work and friends….. it wasn’t all just about the man!

This was a cute read.

I thought the idea of the book was super interesting. I feel like a lot of the time we see a guy who is prone to one night stands or afraid of commitment. So this was cool and different.

I thought Declan was so cute and put up with a lot of Sarah's issues. But I did like that her issues and worries were not cured over night. It took time for them to figure out their relationship and talk through all the issues. It was great seeing the couple come together with both their baggage.

I understood Sarah's issues and reasons for not trusting. She had her reasons, but I think Declan was just what she needed. He was patient and fought for her when he had to. But he also let her make her own decisions which is partly what she needed.

I loved the descriptions of the Irish countryside. Made me want to visit. So pretty!

Overall, 4/5 stars. If you like a slow (emotional) burn and a one night stand becoming more then you will love!

I loved this book! Although it was a little drawn out I enjoyed it so much and found myself so invested in how it was going to play out. I fell in love with the characters and wish there could somehow be a part two!