How do I put it lightly that I had a strong hating of the main characters and that it was very hard to get through this book because of them? lol

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary is a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance set during the holiday season at the struggling Forest Manor Hotel. Receptionists Izzy and Lucas find themselves competing to return a collection of lost wedding rings, which leads them to confront their own feelings amidst the chaos of the hotel falling apart. Their rivalry, initially fraught with tension, gradually evolves into something deeper as they navigate their relationship while trying to save the hotel. With a blend of humor and heartwarming moments, this novel captures the magic of love and redemption during the festive season​.

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary is an enemies-to-lovers story revolving around Izzy and Lucas who both work the front desk of the Forest Manor Hotel, a charming countryside hotel that is on the verge of closing if they're unable to keep up with some costly repairs. Izzy finds some wedding rings left behind in the lost and found and the two main characters are charged with finding the owners in hopes of a nice reward. This seems like a good plan except for the fact that Izzy and Lucas cannot stand each other. They are complete opposites - Izzy is bubbly and fun while Lucas is more serious and put together. Another problem - Izzy has had a long standing crush on Lucas that she's kept hidden ever since she found him kissing her roommate.

I really enjoyed The Flat Share by this author, but I wasn't a huge fan of this one and almost didn't finish it. I thought that Izzy was very whiny and childish with all her rules and the fact that she pines over this guy but refuses to just talk to him about it (same for Lucas - who is harboring a crush on Izzy but won't open his mouth and talk about things). This book did have some fun side characters which helped keep interest, but it took so long to get to the point that I checked out and never really cared if I finished this one or not. But I might be the outlier here! Many positive reviews can be found so I think that if you like holiday romances with the enemies-to-lovers trope, you should read this.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Beth O'Leary is one of a very few “must-read” rom com authors on my list. Her characters always feel fresh and her plots are always unique. The Wake-up Call was no exception.

DNF at 20%

I loved The Flatshare and have been intrigued to continue with more of this author’s books, however, I think it is time to realize that maybe this author just isn’t for me besides the one book. I’ve been so bored while reading this. Izzy is kind of mean and Lucas is just blah. There’s so much going on but also nothing at the same time? Idk

Thank you for the opportunity

I'm a huge Beth O'Leary fan, but this one wasn't my favorite Beth O'Leary book unfortunately.

What I enjoyed:

- hotel setting, enemies to lovers
- Throughout the story, there are some really sweet and funny moments!


What I didn't enjoy:
- I felt the pacing of the book was a bit slow for me.
- I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope and there was a lot of that going on and I found it to be a bit frustrating
- For a main character, I didn't love Izzy unfortunately!

If you're looking for a holiday enemies to lovers set in a fun hotel and like the miscommunication trope, you'll love this one!

I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers, and this book checked every single box. Witty characters, unlikeable characters, funny dialogue and even funnier one liners, and a great setting - a post pandemic, old and sad bnb. Beth O'Leary is a fantastic story teller, and I love that her characters are so realistic, flaws and all. 5 stars!

Just ok for me. Didn't feel like a Beth O’Leary book. There didn’t seem to be enough substance but the characters were nice enough.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of The Wake-Up Call. I love Beth O’Leary books and have read all of them so I couldn’t miss this one. It is another lovely happy book with interesting and kind characters. The main character, Izzy, is such a likable, optimistic and friendly woman. She works with Lucas, and let him know she was interested in him, only to be rejected. Even so, they still have lots of chemistry, and their love story evolves naturally as they compete to return lost wedding rings to former hotel guests. The secondary characters are also all interesting people and really put the heart in the story. I loved this book and if you are looking for a happy, light, positive book, don’t let this one pass you by.

This one was fun, but just OK for me. The romance was barely there, the book dragged in a lot of spots, and it overall didn’t have a super happy vibe to it for being a somewhat holiday romance

Loved the hotel setting which made for some fun situations. The romance wasn't bad but didn't grab me as much as I wanted.

Review of The Wake Up Call by Beth O’Leary

As you all know, I mostly read thrillers. But I will always make an exception for a few offers and Beth O’Leary is one of them. I have loved her books since I read the flatmate. This one was really sweet and I enjoyed every second of it. I love the hotel setting. I loved the romance that developed and the characters. Solid read and I highly recommend it.

Synopsis:

Two hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.

It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?

So excited Beth O'Leary is back! I love her more traditional rom-coms and The Wake-Up Call is a perfect return to this style. The miscommunication trope did get me down a bit but it was saved by Izzy and Lucas being extremely cute + the delightful countryside hotel setting.

Beth O'leary's writing is always so cozy and heartwarming. I love reading her books with a cup of tea on a rainy day as they bring a lot of joy. Her debut, The Flatshare, was actually one of the books that got me into reading contemporary romance.

The Wake-up call felt very reminiscent of her debut. The setting of the dilapidated hotel and the characters that lived/worked there just fit. I am not one for a whole array of quirky side characters nor a plot based on miscommunication (one of my most hated tropes) but if I trust anyone to take those two pet peeves of mine and turn them into a book I would be sobbing over, it's Beth O'Leary.

I took my time reading this one and I felt all the emotions. I was infatuated with Lucas and Izzy throughout the whole book and I just loved the pace at which their relationship progressed.

All in all this was a lovely read and I am hoping to purchase the physical copy for myself. Thank you so much for letting me review this book.

This was a cute story about two coworkers spending the days before Christmas researching and delivering lost wedding rings. It was cute.

A great rom-com with an enemies to lovers theme and great characters!! Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This is a sweet romance between two hotel employees who are competing to see who can find the owners of the wedding rings that were lost in the hotel. Each ring comes with a unique romantic story, I loved the stories that the couples told, they’re creative and heartwarming. I recommend this book, 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The No-Show was one of my favorite books I read last year, so I really tried hard not to compare it to The Wake-Up Call. On its own, the Wake-Up Call is a solid contemporary romance. I loved the inn setting and I thought Lucas and Izzy had great chemistry. A lot of bad communication between the two which was frustrating at times. I did enjoy the secondary characters and the holiday feel to the book. I look forward to reading more from the author!

I adore Beth O'Leary's writing and The Wake-Up Call was exactly what I expected! I love a good enemies-to-lovers and this one absolutely scratched that itch in the rom com category! Lovable mains and secondary characters with beautiful flaws that make them so easy to root for even if you don't experience the same difficulties. Izzy is 90% sunshine and seeing that 10% of vulnerability and struggle come through without overpowering the romance was *chef's kiss.* Lucas? I'm sure you can hear my swoony sigh no matter where you are. Lucas was an amazing MC, growly and grumpy while still being incredibly thoughtful and baffled by Izzy's behavior toward him. I love when a couple seems to pair just right! The banter was on point and made me laugh out loud constantly and my heart ached when Izzy and Lucas shared their pasts and difficulties.

I admit, I put this one down for a while because I couldn't handle the third act break up nonsense at the time and I was irritated with my beloved Izzy for not jumping on board the Lucas train as thoroughly as I did.

Overall, this was an absolute delight and has reminded me that I have a physical stack of O'Leary's books that are calling my name, ready to be devoured. I've already recommended this book to so many people and even convinced my book club to pick up another one of her books this year!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.