Izzy and Lucas work on reception at the Forest Manor Hotel in England. Last Christmas, she wrote in his card that she fancied him. But next minute he is kissing her friend Drew under the mistletoe. Since then, relations between the two co-workers have been rather curt.
When the ceiling collapses in the lobby, the hotel is down to only a few guests while repairs are undertaken. And with the hotel under the threat of permanent closure due to the owners’ financial troubles, they decide to sell off all the unclaimed lost property to raise some funds.
But Izzy can’t bear the thought of people losing their precious rings and endeavours to track down who the five bands belong to.
This was a fun enemies-to-lover romance told from both viewpoints, with plenty of banter between the perky, kind-hearted heroine and her brooding nemesis.

Thank you for this advanced readers copy from Berkley Publishing! For fans of The Flat Share and The Hating Game…

~ “I hate that I love you” ~
~ enemies to lovers ~
~ holiday rom-com ~
~ dual POV’s ~
~ easy reading, brain candy comfort read ~

Make room in your heart for some new characters. Author Beth O’Leary sold over a million copies of The Flat Share. Now, she is bringing a light holiday rom-com to us.

The opening was well written. It grabbed me as I sped through to find out “where did the relationship go wrong - and did it finally go right?!” I liked both of these main characters so much. It started a little slow but really picked up in the last half. I LOVE a good competitive spirit and these two brought out the best and worst of the holiday season!

I highly recommend The Wake Up Call for anyone who wants an easy reading, brain candy comfort read this fall or winter. I received this arc voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

Meet Izzy, close to thirty, who acts like she's an immature fourteen year old. Last year her heartfelt feelings were thrown back into her face by her co-worker, Lucas, and Izzy went from being madly in love with him to hating his every gut. That moment will never be discussed, ever, ever, ever! Stomp feet!

Forest Manor Hotel, where both Izzy and Lucas share duties, is on its last legs. Or its last roof. Part of the roof has fallen in so rather than having lots of rooms full of guests, this Christmas the hotel will only be able to fill five bottom floor rooms/suites. Most of the staff has been let go and Izzy and Lucas will be filling in everywhere. Izzy loves her job and the hotel but if there isn't a miracle, the hotel is going out of business and this will be the last Christmas in its crumbling halls.

A plan is hatched to sell off as many of the antique pieces the hotel holds and to also sell off the valuables in the lost and found larder, if their owners can't be found. Izzy and Lucas begin a competition to see who can get the most rings back to their former owners. For Izzy, it's a competition fueled by hate while mature, quiet, stoic Lucas still has no idea why Izzy turned on him last year and has been treating him horribly ever since. Lucas is swoon worthy and if only the two could talk to each other, really talk about that last Christmas. Sorry, I blame Izzy all the way, impulsive, childish Izzy. But the story is still cute and funny, with a nice cast of interesting characters to support both Izzy and Lucas in their anger (hers) and puzzlement (his). This is a nice story for any time of year but with fall at our doorstep and Christmas almost here, now would be a good time to pick it up.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

My first Beth O'Leary and I really enjoyed it!

This was a sweet, heartwarming read. I loved the romance, but I also loved the other story lines taking place and the setting of a beautiful family-owned hotel. All of the characters were really likable (except the ones you weren't meant to like) and by the end I just wanted to hug all of them. I will say this book took a little while to pick up, but once it did I was eager to put my headphones on. This would be a great book to read as we head into the holiday season.

A couple things I didn't like:
-Fade to black. Ugh. GIMME SPICE.
-Miscommunication trope which leads to our main character holding on to her "hate" almost the whole book.

Audiobook Narration: I ended up really liking the audiobook. Truthfully, at first I found the male narrator REALLY hard to understand. But that only lasted for a little while and then I loved his voice. Same with the female narrator. Great listen!

Read if You Like:
-Enemies to Lovers
-Workplace Romance
-Opposites Attract
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-He Falls First
-Competition
-Funny books!
-Hotel Settings
-Christmas
-Found Family

This was slow to get going, but in the end I had a fun time with it. Sweet story and really likable characters. Thank you to Berkley for the eARC and Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I don’t always love the enemies to lovers trope. The aggressive snipping hostility that these characters have towards each other feels so unnatural. In real life when two people can’t stand each other they ignore each and talk shit about the other behind their backs- like proper adults. Plus, I find that the heroines in friends to lovers books always seem shrill and immature, neither of which is a flattering look. This one starts like that- but evolves to so much more!

Izzy and Lucas (who is a super hot Brazilian man) work together in a charming hotel in the English countryside. After a confusing misunderstanding Izzy sours towards Lucas and they carry on as work enemies. They are forced to come together when their hotel is financially floundering and they need to help raise funds to keep things afloat.

This started as a hate fueled work enemies story but it blossomed into a story about love, found family, and being honest and brave about feelings. What I liked about it was that both characters actually questioned their feelings and had some insight into why they felt the way they did. Lucas was confused as to why Izzy disliked him so much, Izzy distrusted Lucas bc of the prior misunderstanding. Everyone around them was like “will these two idiots just bone already?!” Their slow epiphany at the end was fantastic and worth the wait.

Loved this low steam romance. It was a slow start for me but once it got rolling I was enamored with the deep cast of characters and the sweet storytelling by @betholearyauthor. Def recommend.

Smut- 1.90 stars
Romance- 4.76 stars
Story- 4.58 stars
Having the audacity to hate your super hot Brazilian male co-worker- neg 8.43 stars

Izzy and Lucas work in the same failing hotel. Last Christmas, Izzy wrote Lucas a card laying her heart out on the line saying she wanted to kiss him under the mistletoe. But Lucas laughed at the card and kissed Izzy's roommate instead. For a whole year, Izzy and Lucas have been pushing each other's buttons and have basically become arch-enemies. But neither can deny the physical attraction they feel towards one another and neither of them want to leave the hotel and staff they have come to view as family. As the hotel runs out of money, they start to sell "lost and found" belongings. Among the items, they find a few wedding rings. Can they go back through hotel records and find who they belong to and maybe get enough of a reward to save the hotel?
I loved all the characters in this book so much. Izzy and Lucas both had such an in depth backstory and the fact that we get both their POVs is so important. Lucas is buff and basically described as a "robot-man with no heart" by Izzy. But there is so much more to him. He was partly raised by a very strict uncle who made him feel like he was never enough. He also has a mom and sister who he cares deeply for. Izzy lost both her parents at 21 in a boating accident. She has a few very close friends who she now considers her family. She is outgoing and wants to make the most out of her life because she knows how it can all change in a second. The banter between Izzy and Lucas was top notch, the chemistry was 100% there.
All the other characters were great too. The other hotel employees, Mrs SB and Barty the hotel owners, Arjun the cook and Ollie who also worked in the kitchen, Lucas's family, Izzy's friends. Especially Poor Mandy, who got the name because she was the go between for Izzy and Lucas when they weren't talking which made me laugh. Even the hotel guests like Mr Townsend left an impression on my heart.
It felt like there were kind of 2 plots to this story. There was the relationship between Izzy and Lucas and then the "ring thing"/saving the hotel. As much as I loved the banter and chemistry between Izzy and Lucas (SPOILER) it was obvious that there was a miscommunication about the Christmas card from the very beginning and I HATE the miscommunication trope. The first half of this book and Izzy and Lucas's relationship I loved. But once they got into the "co-workers with benefits" and Izzy made all these rules, they stopped her from really opening up and kept her from accepting the nice things Lucas wanted to do for her. This part of it felt SO drawn out and I really felt this part of it could have been shorter. But I was so invested in everything else in the whole story that I was able to fly through that part and read the last 30% of the book in one day.
(END SPOILER)
I also loved the hotel side of the story. I don't know what it is, but I just love a hotel setting, especially when the staff is like a family. I loved the fact that Izzy cared enough about these rings that probably meant a lot to people to try to get them back to who they belonged to. I love the underdog hotel (probably) getting a second chance by the end of the book because this is the type of book where that happens. I love seeing all of that unfold and I really love how it did end up unfolding in this book.
If you love workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine, found family, I would really recommend this book!

I'm not sure what is in the air but I've been reading a lot of romances this year. I feel more than I normally do. I saw this on someone's blog it caught my attention. I feel I was hooked from the start. I loved that these two were helping to save the hotel. I do wish the ring storyline made it in a little bit more. I thought it was so fun seeing them hunt for the people's who rings they were. It was nice reading about the people being reunited with the missing rings. I feel it was a focus for a bit then got sidetracked by the romance. I do have to say I'm also not a huge fan of miscommunication. I do get if that didn't happen then this story wouldn't be a thing. I just wish for better communication. Overall this is a fun wintery romance. I'm so happy I picked this up. I've been wanting to read Beth O'Leary and glad I finally did. I'll be reading more from her.

*Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Beth O'Leary knows how to hit you in the feels. I have enjoyed most of her previous books and have been excited to read her newest for ages. This is an enemies to lovers story of two hotel employees competing to return a stack of wedding rings to their rightful owner. Miscommunication, hurt feelings, and past hurts and stories pile up to create the perfect storm of tension and longing. The longing...whew...its so real and so good.

If you love Katherine Center, a good British rom or a romance with heft (per my friend Kari), this is your book.

An easy to digest contemporary rom com set at Christmas time in an idealistic but troubled hotel in England. Izzy and Lucas are rivals and their love/hate stems from their differing philosophies about absolutely everything.

To help the hotel stay afloat, Izzy starts a Ring Hunt to find the owners of lost rings, This becomes the centre of their ultimate HEA.

Lots of sexy moments and romantic scenes , but ultimately closed door and clean.

What a ride! Izzy and Lucas have a great grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers arc that pays off at every moment you get to know them. Both of these archetypes are not my usual go-to’s, but O’Leary makes it work and more. This may be my favorite since The Flatshare.

And just like that, I am taking a QUICK break from Spooky Season books to read & review a charming Holiday book that release next week 🎄⛄️

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

“The Wake-Up Call” by Beth O’Leary is one of the sweetest, wittiest and cutest holiday books that I have read in a long time! “The Flat Share” by this author is one of my all time favourite rom coms .. and this one is a close tie!

Izzy and Lucas work the front desk together at the cozy Forest Manor Hotel. The only problem is, well they LOATHE one another! As the holiday season begins to sneak up, the hotel roof falls to shambles and they can only accommodate a handful of guests during the construction.

However, the repair costs are astronomical and there is not much hope that the hotel will be able to stay open past New Years. Izzy and Lucas come up with an idea to raise some money by selling LONG forgotten about items from the lost and found!

While doing inventory, Izzy comes across some lost wedding rings that were never claimed by their owners. She feels destined to find the rightful owners of the rings … and when a HUGE finders reward is given to the hotel, Izzy and Lucas decide to turn it into a competition to see who can return the most rings back and help save the hotel!

Thank you kindly to @betholearyauthor @berkleypub @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases next week on September 26, 2023 and should definitely be added to your holiday TBR!

Read this if you enjoy:
🎄holiday reads
🎄enemies to lovers
🎄forced proximity
🎄workplace romance
🎄opposites attract
🎄grumpy vs sunshine
🎄cozy settings

The Wake-Up Call is an rivals-to-lovers romance set in a historic hotel in a small town in Great Britian. Izzy and Lucas are both hotel receptionists tasked with selling off the lost items left behind by guests and take on the task of tracking down the original owners of several wedding rings.

I loved The Flatshare by O'Leary and The No Show was charming if you could look past the cheating angle, but this fell flat for me simply because it was completely unrealistic that these two adults would not sit down and talk about an incident that caused their relationship to fall apart. Essentially, this novel completely hinges on the miscommunication trope, one that most romance readers bemoan the existence of. Instead of these two talking about an incident last Christmas that caused them to have a very public fight, Izzy refuses to talk about why she was so hurt by Lucas' actions. Izzy in fact, refuses to communicate for most of the book, and it made it difficult to finish.

There are some glimmers of greatness here, in the side characters that make up a lovely found family aspect to this book. Most of the people staying at the hotel are return visitors, so Izzy and Lucas have developed relationships with these characters beyond being service workers and their customers. Each side character is unique and charming, they leap on page. The owners of each ring also have cute if not juicy stories as well.

The hotel itself is also a charming setting, especially for a Christmas romance. You can practically picture the decorated halls of the historic hotel, with its antique furniture and fairy lights.

The writing quality itself is also very nice, I have never had issues with O'Leary's writing, simply her plots at times.

I would recommend this romance to someone who enjoys Abby Jimenez or Rachel Lynn Soloman. The character development in these authors' works are similar, as is the level of steam, and all have a focus on a high development of side characters to add to the story.

I was fortunate enough to receive this book as a Kindle ARC, and let me tell you, it was an absolute delight! This enemies-to-lovers romance took me on an unforgettable journey filled with passion, humor, and a rollercoaster of emotions.

From the very first page, I was hooked. The tension between the two main characters was palpable, and I couldn't wait to see how their relationship would evolve. The author masterfully wove a tale of love blossoming from animosity, and it was a joy to witness their transformation.

What truly sets this book apart is its perfect balance of steamy moments and heartfelt emotions. The chemistry between the characters sizzles on the page, making it impossible to put down. But it's not just about the passion; it's about the depth of their connection and the growth of their characters as they overcome their misunderstandings and embrace a second chance at love.

The story also had its fair share of humor, which had me laughing out loud more than once. The competitive aspect added an exciting twist, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

While this book would indeed make a fantastic Christmas read, it's a must-read at any time of the year. I couldn't get enough of the characters, their banter, and the beautifully crafted romance that unfolded.

In conclusion, this book is a captivating, heartwarming, and steamy journey from enemies to lovers. If you're a fan of this trope, don't miss out on this gem. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Beth O’Leary is a relatively new to me author, I absolutely loved The No Show, so I was excited to pick up The Wake-Up Call. I really enjoyed this, I got some good laughs out of the bickering between Izzy and Lucas, and although the actual problem could have been solved by an adult conversation when the issue took place. I loved the family between the staff and guests at the Forest Manor Hotel, they were all so quirky and fun, and the task of reuniting the lost wedding/engagement rings with their owners was sweet, albeit a little dramatic at times.

Overall this was a sweet, cozy book perfect to enjoy by the fire with a hot chocolate! Ultimately this solidified Beth O’Leary as an auto read author for me!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for sending me an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for review!

Have you ever stayed at a bed and breakfast?

I have not but they always sound so cute. The Wake-Up Call is about two people working at a cute inn in England that is in financial distress. To save the inn, they sell off lost and found items, including lost jewelry. This book was quite cute. There is a little bit of everything - romance, witty banter, quirky characters, heartfelt friendships, enemies to lovers, and of course, Gilmore Girls vibes with all the Dragonfly Inn feelings. It was was quite endearing and while it got a little draggy at times, I loved the ending and got the warm fuzzies. Just a good feel good, cute read.

I’d absolutely recommend picking this one up for the holiday season. Even with the chaos happening in the hotel, it still felt like a cozy place to spend Christmas. The writing was just what I’ve come to expect from Beth O’Leary. Definitely a comforting read; a decent mix of lighthearted workplace romance with some real heart to it.

I loved every single character in this book. There was a definite found-family element at the hotel which just warmed my little heart. I think Beth O’Leary is good at creating fun characters that don’t veer into overly quirky pick-me girls or manic pixie territory. Even with the giant miscommunication issue happening *eye roll* I thought that the story was so fun - I could read ten more books about the different people working and staying at the Forest Manor Hotel.

Beth O'Leary, you little rascal, you.

This book was everything I never knew I need wrapped up tight within 368 pages.

The Wake-Up Call, is funny, witty, and will have you smiling so hard your cheeks will hurt. Lucas and Izzy will warm your heart and have you rooting for them the entire time.

Check out this teaser:

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?

I always enjoy Beth O'Leary's books, they tend to be comfort reads for me. The Wake-Up Call was tougher for me to get into but once it got going, I really enjoyed the banter in this enemies to lovers, workplace relationship. There was a very hallmark feel to this one at times - i.e. Izzy and Lucas teaming up to save the hotel they work at from going under, but it felt perfect for this time of year.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute rivals to lovers story! I enjoyed the setting (I work in a hotel so hotel settings always bring me joy) and I enjoyed the banter between Izzy and Lucas. I think the only thing that would stop this from becoming a full-fledged five star book is if there was no miscommunication. Like I get it, I know why it happened but it did take away from the story for a moment and I wish that it wasn't there. Otherwise, another great book by Beth O'Leary, who always does a good job in the wholesome romance front.