One Night Only: An absolutely hilarious and uplifting romantic comedy

(3.5 stars) I don't remember how or why I had pre-ordered this rom-com by new CR author Catherine Walsh. Maybe it was the nicely low price? (Have you noticed how the prices of halfway decent romances are in the $9.99-11.99 range nowadays?) Maybe it was her two-sentence biography with the second sentence saying, "When not writing she is trying and failing to not kill her houseplants." I can relate to that so well. Whatever the case, I'm glad I did get this book. For a debut work, it's pretty good. And I like the way she does the sexual attraction and sex scenes. Enough for the reader to feel the real attraction but not enough to turn me off the way the multiple-page play-by-play intimacy scenes in most CRs do.There were a few mistakes that slipped past the proofreader but not enough to annoy. And the writing is good, the dialogue fun and realistic, the characters appealing and flawed, and the friends and family supporting characters also realistic and not too central cast-y.In a nutshell, this is a story about learning to trust in love. Our heroine Sarah, an architect in NYC, does not, burned by her parents' failed marriage when she was young and a serious boyfriend who broke her heart a year or so ago. Now all she does is one-night stands. No one can hurt her if she refuses to let them close.But funny thing. Her latest one-night stand, a gorgeous guy with an Irish accent that she threw out the door the morning after, turns out to be the brother of her best friend Annie's fiance Paul. When Sarah travels to Ireland to be maid of honor at the wedding, there he is, Declan, best man and brother of the groom. Now the story really begins.There's definitely sexual attraction between the two. But the big question is: Could they possibly be The One to each other? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out. Well, let's face it, you know also because this is a romance, but you don't know how it all evolves. Both of them have baggage and hang-ups, so the road to an HEA will not be completely smooth.I thought this was a better than usual contemporary romance and have rounded up my 3.5 stars to 4. I'm looking forward to trying out Walsh's next romance and am now following her on Amazon.

A real page turner! A frustrating start but truely romantic and relatable! Loved it. Much better than I thought it would be!

Wonderful author!! Loved both your books , waiting for more!!

Was not funny in the slightest and the heroin was a bit of an idiot. If she had communicated with her dad properly from the beginning, her relationships wouldn't be straight garbage.i finished the book, but just barely. Was a waste of time.

I purchased this book because of all the positive reviews. Yes, its funny in places and the story line was very catchy. Then, nothing...it just goes on and on. The heroine if you can call her that is just very unlikeable. She just sleeps around with whoever trying to avoid connection. I could relate better if she was in her 20s but this is a grown ass woman in her early 30s. I don't know why men even find her attractive, other than she's easy and drinks waaaay too much. We don't even get any good love scenes, just the awkward aftermath and her trying to get rid of the guy. Most of which she can't even remember as the alcohol consumption was epic. I just found her sad and unappealing. The best character is her bitchy co-worker, now he IS hilarious. Really wanted to like this but gave up at 63 percent into the book on my kindle. So I hope other people that purchased this enjoyed it, I did not.

Sweet story, I liked the characters but the plot took time to get going and even then, it felt choppy and unfocused. I wanted a light, quick read and this did the trick. It was mostly predictable but a sweet story. Few typos but not too bad.

I was reading another book when I started this one also. I quit reading the other book because this one read like I wanted to know these people and their story.

This book took me totally into these characters lives.. since I am in constant physical pain, it's a wonderful way to take mind off of it. Please write another story. I'm waiting in anticipation. Thanks so much.

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 firstromances 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!

The novel was far too long considering the ‘plot’ (and I use the word plot lightly). Single POV, a bland story line and characters that are one dimensional and not particularly endearing. The combination of which amounts to a rather dull book. As for the comedy part of the romance - it barely raised a smile in one or two places. This is my first novel from this author. I won’t be reading another.

Have you ever started to read a book and then realise you have to cancel all your plans was you MUST know how it finishes..? Well that was this book for me. I was surprised with how much this book kept me guessing!Loved how well rounded all the characters are. They felt like real people who we all know or could know and HELL YES for the positive, non judgment way Walsh wrote about her lead character! Felt like I was transported in to Sarah's life and I just want moreIf you're looking for a summer read - read this bookIf you're looking for a fun romance - read this bookIf you're looking for something that is just a GOOD read - read this bookIf you fancy a bit of New York meets Ireland - read this bookBasically... just read this book!

Absolutely devoured this gorgeous debut! Catherine Walsh writes gorgeous, fall in love with characters all with wit, humour and style. I cannot wait for her next book - a must read author from now on!

Sarah Anderson is a young architect in New York, after a brutal break up with her ex, Josh, she's become a love 'em and leave 'em one-night stand artist. Imagine her horror when her latest one-night stand turns out to be the best man at her BFF Annie's wedding in Ireland, where Sarah is the maid of honour. What's worse, the groom's mother is trying to set her up with the best man, her son Declan!I loved the sound of this, who doesn't like the idea of being stuck at a destination wedding with your last one-night stand when you barely know anyone else other than the bride and groom?Unfortunately, this started to wane around the halfway mark, first it just dragged. Second, Sarah had that irritating habit of not believing what she was told, whether it was Declan or her friends saying he was smitten with her, she just didn't believe it. Third, Declan was a bit of a tool TBH. (view spoiler) Fourth, there were just too many tropes for one book to carry single-handedly.