One Night Only by Catherine Walsh is an impressive debut, and the perfect summer read. It is a fun, lighthearted story that ticks all of the boxes for a successful romcom, and has just enough truth thrown in to make it both relatable and relevant.

Sarah says goodbye to her one night stand, assuming that she will never have to lay eyes on him again. But travelling to Ireland to serve as maid of honour in her best friend's wedding, she is shocked when she meets the groom's brother and, you guessed it, he is the very man with whom she has recently shared carnal knowledge. Things are awkward to say the least. Once they return to New York though, thoughts of Declan are never far from mind, and Sarah must find a way to put her complicated past behind her.

This is a quick read that really hits the spot, and I look forward to reading more from this promising new author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Oh wow oh wow. I loved the story of Sarah and Declan. So much so I finished the book in under 24 hours. I just needed to know the ending.

The story was funny, emotional, lovely, sweet and romantic. I was crushing hard in them as they tumbled through the time together, the clashes, the misunderstandings, the humour and the love. A real romantic comedy read. It’s a perfect read to curl up with and loose your self in.

Talk about an emotional rollarcoaster in some ways. It had me laughing in so many parts though not only at the one liners but also just the outcome of some situations. I absolutely loved this book was very addictive though as I didn't want to put it down and did not want it to end. I loved the interactions better Sarah and declan and loved how close Annie, Paul and Sarah are too. For me this book was one of those you wish you could re read again for the very first time. 5 stars just doesn't do it justice.

One Night Only was a good book but I expected more. When I read the plot and saw Irish wedding, I was like "Hell, yeah! I love Ireland!". Unfortunately, only a part of the story was set there and I was so disappointed. Plus, I didn't entirely connect with the characters, so I wasn't emotionally invested in their romance. Maybe I expected something like the movie Leap Year (which I LOVE). Anyway, if you want a quick and light reading to pass the time, you can give this book a shot.

Is this for real? Is this really a debut novel? Impossible, it's too good.
I can see this book being the next hit, just wait until it comes out.

The main characters are Sarah and Declan:
She is an unhappy architect who lives in New York with a workaholic roommate named Claire, and doesn’t look for anything serious with men: no relationships, no love, one-night stands only.
He is an Irish guy, handsome, fun and with a lot of secrets (you’ll see).
They meet at a bar and they sleep together, the morning after Sarah throws him-not so nicely- out the door sure she won’t see him ever again, she couldn’t be more wrong!
But, in just a couple of days, her best friend Annie will get marry in Ireland and guess who’s her fiancé’s Brother/Best man? Din, din, din Declan!

From there it’s just amazing, the whole plot is brilliant, it's linear, things happen for a reason and nothing ever feels forced (finally!).
The writing is fun, witty and the book just flows, you get to the end without even noticing it.
This is weird but I’ve nothing to say about the plot, I loved it, it just works perfectly...I'm still shocked.
My favorite moment of the whole book is that scene at the O’Shea after the bachelorette party when Declan tells Sarah that he won’t hurt her (oh, my heart melted there)!

It's also true that the wedding is just a small part of the plot, so the book description might look a bit confusing. Nonetheless, if you know everything that is going to happen just by reading the Synopsys, it becomes useless to read the book. So I approve of the choice of keeping the plot a little bit secret.

Obviously, I loved the characters. Yes, all of them!
Sarah, you can feel from page one that there’s something not working in her, that she’s been hurt in the past and never went on, she’s scared and the reader senses it. She never changes that, except towards the end and the change is slow and dictated by love (makes sense, the whole book is a slow-burn romance).
Declan is great, you just fall in love with him, he’s fun, caring, and romantic, just perfect. Thank god he’s not rich, I had enough of novels where the man is a rich bachelor!
Annie and Paul are also a lot of fun, especially when Annie’s drunk!
Will can come across as rude sometimes, but he’s just the typical friend we all say we want, the one who tells the truth and tells it to your face.
Matthias is well written, I’d have never told that he was an ass by reading the first pages (all nice and fluffy and then he’s a bad guy).
I also liked other secondary characters such as Claudia (because who doesn’t take advice on waxing from a pole dancer..Duh) and Soraya is also fun to read.

I love how every character has its own personality, even the secondary ones…you just can’t mix them up.
That's not always the case with Romances, so great job!

This book gave me a lot, it’s truly splendid.
It’s deep, there's introspection in the characters that you wouldn’t expect from a debut romance, the plot it’s not chicle and the idea, in general, is very good.
What I loved about this book is that everything makes sense, nothing is pushed or forced, everything is so natural and how it should be...it just perfectly flows.

What is it with Irish authors anyway? Is there something in the water that makes them so great at writing (Sally Rooney anyone) ?


I've found some typos throughout the book that you might be interested in correcting, I'll live them here:

- Chapter 2 Pos. 236: I don't need to need worry.
-Chapter 10 Pos.1378: Is that why do you it?
-Chapter 11 Pos.1421: Why do I this to myself?
-Chapter 11 Pos.1453: It's going to fine
-Chapter 19 Pos.2628: I didn't you know if you
-Chapter 20 Pos.2801: She's one the one
-Chapter 22 Pos.3213: That were you just fine

I’ll follow up with a more reader-friendly, 5 stars, review on GoodReads and Amazon (when the book is published).

This is a deeply touching story about a deeply saddened woman connecting through a journal sixty years old of a young girl in WWII Casablanca. The stories in the journal are at times joyous and at others scary from incidents occurring. The woman lives in a relationship in which she and her husband have drifted far apart and is exceedingly lonely for both.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sweet funny story with lots of surprises . What happens when your one night stand is your best friend brother in law ? She does not do relationships and he does not one time sex . She triew to forget him but can not . From the start he wants more from her but she hesitates . I loved that he was so sweet and real about his feelings . I will look for more from the author .
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sarah and Declan's story. I enjoyed this one, even though the characters are younger than I usually read about. Still though, I liked the characters and the story. Especially liked the banter between the two. Highly recommend this one, and it made a great summer read.

One Night Only is a first person, one POV novel about Sarah and Declan. I loved the plot. I loved the setting of Ireland, and I so wish they'd stayed there longer. That's what I thought the main plot was going to be. The Irish wedding. There were a lot of plots. A. Lot. And the author did that really really well, except for the fact that I thought I was getting a book about an Irish wedding where the one night stand shows up and the whole things takes place there. They were in Ireland for mere chapters, and then went right back to NY. The timespan of the story is about six months, if not longer. Lots of big skips in time.

The pacing felt really off. They meet before page 1, love it, they have their one night stand, ending on page 1, looooooove it. But then...the wedding isn't as much of the plot as I thought it'd be. And then they don't really interact much until 50%ish. The whole time it's very apparent that Declan likes her but it's not apparent as to why. She keeps turning him down, she doesn't seem to give him any insight into her feelings being more than she's leading on or saying. The reader gets to know that she can't stop thinking about him, that she dreams about him, that he's affecting her, but Declan doesn't. So when she's dragging this on for literal months of "we have to stay professional because I need this job", "I'm on a date with someone else", "Will you fake date my roommate?", I was left scratching my head as to why he was still around. He had a crush on a patron at his bar who he never spoke to prior to their night together but somehow she has this massive hold over him for months later?

I loved Declan's little back story of having a crush on her before their one night stand. It was precious and cute, and I wanted the author to linger there for far longer than she did.

The last chapter being 2 weeks later felt like an easy out. And while I love the idea of an epilogue in this story, this one was...lacking satisfaction for the reader. They move in together. He wants to talk marriage. Idk. I just finished and was like, that's really it? So I'd say the pacing is too slow. But I'm not sure I'd say it's a slow burn. Or even a slow read. It's definitely not a slow read, and I loved that even though the pacing felt off to me, the author kept me wanting to know what happened. (Even if there were a couple moments where I wanted to know what happened to just get it over with kind of thing.)

I am not gonna lie. For a book about a girl who only does one night stands and who kicks out this one night stand to run into him later, there was a serious lack of sex. Or good kissing scenes. Like. This is actually a book I'd classify as "clean" in that sense, and would have no problem recommending to my high schoolers.
I loved Sarah's friends. All of them. Even Will. Even though Will was very confusing to the reader. Very.

I hated that there was no comeuppance for Matthias. No conclusion. No, nothing for him.

It took waaaaaaaaaaay too long for me to find out who the heck Josh was. I don't mind waiting until the second time he's mentioned but by like the 4th time, I was really frustrated with the author and the editor and literally thinking, who the F is he and why do I care?

Sarah was a fine character up until the ending. I get that every books needs a low point towards the end, where the heroine runs from her feelings or somehow we think the couple can't be together, but Sarah completely overreacted when Fiona showed up, and it just didn't feel natural. It felt a wee bit forced, in the sense that it technically fit with the characterization that had been created for Sarah, but it just...didn't work? I rolled my eyes. Of course that's what she's doing. Of course she can't be adult about it and has to confront him right. now. In front of his staffers. Of course. Because it has to be big and dramatic. And then she doesn't do anything for 2 week. For 2 weeks she just sits in her pity and can't swallow her pride.

The book was good, not great. I think Ms. Walsh has high potential, and I'd be interested in reading her again in the future, further along in her career. The lack of commas was highly distracting to me. I don't know if it's the difference between British and American grammar usage or what, but if that's the case, given that it's set in America, I feel like the American rules should be used. On that note, I thought it was so intriguing that this publisher is London based, and it seemed like there were a few instances where the author (or editor, unsure) wasn't American. That had no baring on my rating; I just thought it was interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This right here is a perfect summer novel. I absolutely loved it, and I don't think there's anything negative I would need to point out. The author created a set of funny, charming and loveable characters. Especially the protagonists, Declan and Sarah, are so sweet; there's no chance you could not root for them. And it's because they are written as being genuine and human, which makes them relatable.

This book really had me cracking up from the first pages, and I couldn't put it down until I turned the last one. It's nicely written, from the storyline to the little details and thoughts put into everything. Of course, you might be able to tell at some point where the plot is heading, but it didn't diminish the reading experience. I loved how some elements reappeared later on in the story, closing an arc. It made it an altogether enjoyable read.

I really loved this book! What I loved most about this was that it had more to keep you intrigued. While most books stop at the meet up after the one night stand, it only paved a way to the whole story unfolding. Wonderful writing and thoroughly enjoyed

"One Night Only", by Catherine Walsh, has a cute premise: girl meets boy, hooks up with boy, only to (days later!) discover that he's the best man in her friend's wedding. This book centers around Sarah and Declan, who must now figure out how to navigate the awkwardness that comes with the situation they've found themselves in. I enjoyed the chemistry between them, but the arguing (that usually sends sparks flying) just falls flat in this book. I also felt that there were so many misunderstandings between them and it got repetitive. Overall, this was a good book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

One Night Only was a light and easy read, perfect for the beach/holiday reading. It was entertaining and funny, with some well observed Irish-isms in there for good measure. I liked the main characters, I liked the idea of the story, i liked it all. While I didn’t love it (personal opinion), I can easily see it’s well-written, cleverly plotted, and has plenty to keep you turning the pages. Recommended for sure!

Sarah Anderson has a strict policy of one night only when it comes to men, so you can imagine her horror when handsome, charming Declan, recently kicked out of her bed, appears at her best friend’s wedding. And he’s the best man. Sarah is deeply mortified, and a tiny bit intrigued by Declan… and so begins the utterly charming and enjoyable One Night Only.

Something startlingly refreshing about this novel from the first page was it’s willingness to play around with genre conventions, never quite landing on one. It was one of the first
romances I’ve read that has kept me guessing right to the end. Sarah and Declan’s relationship flirts (heh) with slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, and friends-to-lovers, though it never quite fits into any of these boxes. This kept me hooked and excited to see what would happen next. Walsh’s protagonist is also made of fresher stuff than the average - she’s the one with the deep fear of commitment, not the man. Without giving away anything, this allows Walsh to dig into some tougher subjects, adding grit and nuance to the story without overwhelming the reader or taking away from the main romantic plot.

The novel also boasts a lovely cast of characters, rounded in their own right as opposed to window-dressing for the main couple. I particularly enjoyed Declan’s nosy Irish mam, hell-bent on matchmaking in a way that made me cringe with recognition, and Sarah’s work rival slash frenemy Matthias - can we have a book about him next, please?

The book’s dual settings of Ireland and New York worked well for me, neither falling prey to the stereotyping that happens so often to them. I would have loved to have seen more of Walsh’s Ireland, with it’s rainy skies and grandiose houses: a far cry from the pot-of-gold-touting depictions so popular in romances past. It felt real and not at all picture-perfect, and the very Irish nonsense that took place (the FANS and the FISH in the HEAT) made me laugh out loud several times.

I loved this book. It’s warm, funny, smart and with just a hint of wry humour that prevents things from becoming too saccharine. An absolutely cracking debut, I cannot wait to see what Catherine does next. Thanks to @bookouture for the ARC!

Amazing!! This book was everything I wanted and more. Catherine Walsh does an incredible job at writing this novel, and I cant wait to read what she writes next. The pacing in this story was just incredible, and both the hero and heroine were perfect. Really really amazing.

A lovely romantic, comedy. There was a lot of push/pull between the two main characters, mostly from the heroine, that created great tension and chemistry. This sort of follows the friends to lovers troupe with a lot of resistance although their lovers than kind of friends ... you get the drift. The writing was engaging and easy to read allowing readers to connect. This was fast and fun. A great read for a hot summer's day.

One Night Only is a great, quick read for people after a feel-good romance. As someone living in Ireland I loved Catherine Walsh's descriptions and characterisations of Ireland and the people, they were super accurate and I often found myself laughing out loud at situations that we're so quintessentially Irish I could almost see them happening in real life (hello, nosy Irish mams!) The romance between Declan and Sarah was sweet and believable and she did a great job of adding depths to the characters and backgrounds to make the slow burn, almost enemies to lovers trajectory of their relationship come to life. The only downside for me was I found Sarah's character annoying towards the end with her reluctance to communicate with Declan about her feelings and hesitations. I thought that could've been resolved a bit earlier to give them more time to settle into their relationship. Also, if you're looking for something more on the steamier side this definitely isn't it. Overall I did enjoy it and would recommend it!

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh was a fabulous rom-com! The writing was so playful, also enjoyable to read. All these characters were so relatable.
If you're looking for something to kick a reading slump or if you just want a fun, romantic book to sweep you off your feet this summer: look no further. This was such a good book. To be read by the beach or in the garden. Let this story take you away for a few hours of reading bliss. I’m so impressed this was the authors debut book, I’ll certainly be looking out for more by Catherine. Well done!

This is the tale of Sarah and Declan who experienced a one night stand together, unknowing that fate is going to play a blinder, and they will meet again, at Sarah's best mate's wedding, of all places. I wont give too much away, but I think we all know where this is going to lead...

This is such a cosy, light hearted, funny rom-com that I found irresistible and struggled to put it down. I "accidently" read this into the early hours of the morning as I was so engrossed, taking me only one day to finish. The connection between the characters was portrayed effortlessly, and although the physical parts of that sexual chemistry is played out well, it is not too graphic to cause offense. A great page turner, and highly recommended for a laugh out loud read.

Catherine Walsh is an author to watch out for, and I will definitely be on the look out for her forthcoming releases. As a debut this has set the standards high. Absolutely loved it!

This wound up being very different than I expected, based on the description, but that's not a complaint. I was expecting the wedding to feature much more prominently in the story, but it's actually a fairly small part. Oddly enough, I'm almost tempted to call this a slow burn romance even though they technically sleep together pre-page 1. I was surprised that this was mostly closed-door--it seemed a bit coy after the frankness with which many other topics were covered.

This was a very engaging read and hard to put down. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, but most of them were enjoyable and shaded in well. Sarah frustrated me a bit--she seemed immature for her age and made some poor choices, but she did grow over the course of the novel, which made it easier to root for her. Declan was interesting--hard to pin down, but in some ways that made him more interesting. I liked that he wasn't perfect--he had his own baggage, insecurities, and moments when he wasn't at his best.

I would definitely recommend picking this up for a fun, funny, thoughtful read!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!