Another five star read. Beth is just too good at what she does. This book is a bit different than her others in the sense that it follows more of a “trope” guide but it was very well done. It was cute, but not cheesy. Light hearted but also dealt with emotional topics. I love this book and I really do recommend.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of The Wake-Up Call. Beth O'Leary is an autobuy author for me, and I loved this book!

I'll be honest...ETL in contemporary romance is not always something I like. I can't explain it. I always love it in a fantasy book, but in contemporary books....I usually get frustrated with any type of ETL plot line. That being said, I LOVED the enemies to lovers journey of Lucas and Izzy. I thought their work antics were fun and had an edge of flirtation without being too overly sensational. I especially liked that their arguments were based (usually) in how things should be done at work - booking systems, supplies organization, guest relations - because those seemed like natural things coworkers might disagree on! Plus, when you add in the miscommunication of "last December," the small arguments made perfect sense. Their chemistry was so well-written, and their relationship gave us a nice blend of sexy, sweet, and endearing moments as they got to know each other.

Also, I just loved the cast of characters in this book. It was definitely a found family trope, too, in many aspects, and it just felt like a warm hug. The hotel staff, the guests, MR. TOWNSEND...all of the characters added something to the story and pushed the plot along. Beth O'Leary has a way of creating characters that feel like family by the end of the book, and she definitely gave me two new family members in Lucas and Izzy. Their wit, charm, intelligence, determination, and so much more completely endeared them to me. I found myself tearing up a few times throughout the book, but it's not quite as emotional a read as Beth O'Leary's last book (The No Show). This book honestly felt different than any of her others, and I think I loved that the most about it! It's unique and stands on its own.

I was really torn on my rating for this one because I love Beth O'Leary's books, and I truly loved this one. It's not quite a five star for me, though, because the plot does drag just a bit at points. I ended up going with a four star rating, but I could easily see this being an easy five star romance for a lot of people! It blends the sweet and the spicy together while still mostly fading to black on the sexy scenes, but the BUILDUP to those scenes is so steamy IMO. Plus, it has an adorable grand gesture of love at about 85% in that will give you Love Actually vibes.

This book is so good, and you still have time to get your preorders in! It doesn't release until the end of September from Berkley!

While I don’t feel like this is the most original story ever, it was still a fun one! I loved the Christmas time vibes. I’d say it’s a good mix between The Hating Game and Lovelight Farms. Lots of workplace romance, miscommunication and slow burn tension. It’s a great read for this fall

I didn’t realize this would have so many Christmas vibes! Love a good romance that gives off Christmas vibes! It did take my some time to get I to the book, as it was a slow start. I found Izzy to be a tad bit immature for the majority of the story. Oh and the infamous miscommunication trope, UGH couldn’t stand it. It’s my least favorite and gets under my skin. I wish that the characters back story would have been explorer more. Overall, a good read

The Wake-Up Call felt so different than the other books I’ve read by Beth O’Leary. It was a bit… lighter. It was a fun enemies to lovers romance that had a competition that kept a smile on my face.

Izzy and Lucas work together at a hotel that is struggling. In order to help bring it back to life, they have to work more closely together which is a problem for them. There was a bit of a… misunderstanding the year before that’s causes some animosity. Izzy loves everyone except Lucas and he has no clue why. I love that we got both of their pov’s and we really got to know Lucas, because he was great.

I liked both of these main characters so much. To be honest the first half felt a little slow for me, but with time it picked up and I really loved the last half. This is another win from Beth O’Leary and I’m so glad I read it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this author’s writing style is for me, so I DNF’d around 25%.

I think a lot of people will love this though, and I wish this author the best of luck!

Such a fun enemies to lovers romance! A little slow, but lots of fun and much lighter than other Beth’s books.

Beth O’Leary, you have done it again! This is exactly the type of romance I want to read, and I hope you keep writing more.
Lucas and Izzy work together at a failing hotel and constantly irritate each other. But underneath that irritation is a simmering attraction, if only they can learn to truly understand each other.
Things I loved:
The pacing. So many times the characters said what they felt and the miscommunications between them were relatable and not contrived.
The setting. The hotel and its guests and employees delighted me, and I felt like I was part of their world.
Lucas. He was such an interesting character, and I think I started to fall in love with him a bit.
The ending. So satisfying and sweet. I never wanted to put this book down.
I read this on vacation and it was absolutely perfect. Thanks to Berkeley for the advance copy of the ebook!

A fun and cute rom-com with an enemy to friends theme. The setting is around the Christmas holiday season in England at a dilapidated, but wonderful hotel. The hotel employees and guests were like a close-knit family the way they supported each other, creating a warm atmosphere.

Description:
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 lost property, 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?

My thoughts:
A light, laughable read that is pure enjoyment. The main characters, Izzy and Lucas, both work for the same hotel which they both love. The story is told in two points of view: Izzy's and Lucas's. I liked both characters. While Izzy is warm and friendly to everyone, Lucas is more brooding and serious. There's a perceived betrayal that has to be addressed. Also, the hotel's finances are in trouble, so both of them are facing possible job loss soon. I liked the competition between the two characters and their banter. The 'Ring Thing' was fun too.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 26, 2023.

The Wake-Up Call is an enemies to lovers romance between two employees at a flailing hotel. The plot hinges on a large miscommunication, so if that’s not your thing, move on!

Izzy loves her job and her customers ay the hotel, and she pours herself into her friendships. Since she lost both of her parents in a freak accident, she tries to spend everyday making the most of her life. Lucas is her Brazilian coworker, and his style is more reserved. While trying to save the hotel from going under, they drive each other crazy since an incident last Christmas.

I always love Beth O’Leary’s writing and her characters, but this one didn’t have as much heart or clever twists as her other books. I found this one to be a little more predictable and tropey. Still a nice romance, but not her best.

Gah, The Wake-Up Call is so good! I read it in one sitting and can’t stop thinking about the characters, the story, and the brilliance that is Beth O’Leary’s writing. Now, I know she has several other books, but I’ve only read this The Wake-Up Call and The Flatshare (which I also loved).

The Wake-Up Call is a mix of quirky hotel guests, two rivals-to-lovers, a failing hotel (which means these two need to either a. find new employment or b. help find a solution (ie. a lot of money) in saving the hotel.

The story is fantastic and the romance achingly sweet. You’re constantly trying to figure out if there was a huge misunderstanding or if these two actually really do despise each other, and more importantly when they’ll set that aside to get their happily ever after.

With a big grand gesture, some very cute flirty moments, so many great romance tropes, romance readers will eat this one up like it’s their favorite dessert.

There’s so many great aspects of this book I want you to discover, so mark your calendars (September 26th)😉, and make sure to add this book to your cart, because it’s one you really shouldn’t miss.

O'Leary says in the acknowledgements that this book was an accident and that she didn't even have one scheduled for release this year. If this book was an accident then she is even more of a genius than I expected her of being after reading The Flatshare.

Enemies to lovers is not one of my favorite tropes, but this book was so delightfully adorable that I didn't even feel the twinges of discomfort that I usually feel when two people go from hate to love. What a fun read!

Co-workers Izzy and Lucas are complete opposites. She is the ray of sunshine and he is the rule oriented grump. Last Christmas Izzy put her heart out there and admitted her crush on Lucas and he laughed about it and kissed his roommate. Since then, he has been enemy number one. Now the hotel they have been working at is trying to find a way to survive, and they are trying to work together to save the hotel. They are tasked with going through the "lost and found room" and trying to make some money off it. When Izzy founds some wedding rings, and returns one to its owner with a reward, Lucas and Izzy make a bet on who can find the rightful owners of the other rings. Now with Izzy and Lucas spending more time together, they are slowly starting to realize that there is a fine line between love and hate.

I struggled to get into this book. It was very slow at the beginning and not at all focused on the romance. I also hate the miscommunication trope that could be solved with a single conversation and that's what needed to happen here, they just needed to talk to each other! This book had a lot of heavier topics, but I thought they didn't get explored enough. Both characters had things going on in their lives, and we knew about it, but I wanted more of both their stories.

I did love the setting of Forest Manor and all the guests that were staying there, as well as the staff. Each character added to the story and were welcome additions. I also thought the competition aspect between Izzy and Lucas was fun too. They were both uber competitive and you could see that even though they said they hated each other, there was major chemistry there.

If you like a hate to love, opposites attract romance, this may be a good book for you to check out! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

This book was everything! The banter! The side quest to find the owners of the rings! I loved every bit of it.

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️ Workplace Romance
✔️ It's Just Sex
✔️ Holiday Setting
✔️ Found Family

This one is about Izzy and Lucas, coworkers at a hotel close to going out of business. They haven't gotten along since a terrible fight at a work party and have been been snippy with each other since. However, both want to save the hotel and kind of have to work together to so it.

I find Beth O'Leary books delightful and this was no exception. She can make the quirkiest characters feel like real people though it took a little while for me to warm up to Izzy. It took me a few chapters to like both her and Lucas. It was kind of fun, being in that same trajectory with them - neither were my enemy but I was sort of lukewarm about them in early pages. I grew to appreciate them especially in moments outside the hotel when it was just the two of them.

I did like the setting of a hotel during the holidays. It felt cozy yet there was also a lot of mayhem with all the guests and the renovation and the rush to raise funds and the party planning -all hallmarks of being home for the holidays. I'd give this 4⭐️

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕

This book is hard to review. It was an interesting read, but it wasn't the lighthearted romcom it was billed as. Not with one of the overarching plot points being how the two main characters might be out of work come Christmas. The pacing was also off, with the plot dragging in bits and speeding by at others, leaving the reader caught in the middle. It was an enjoyable read, and I really liked the stories behind the rings left behind, be it someone who has spent years looking for the ring, or someone who immediately replaced it so their spouse would never find out.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the the free Electronic Advanced copy.

This will be a viral book. So cute and fun! I loved every minute of it! But of course Beth never misses!

I am a HUGE fan of BEth O'Leary. I will read anything she writes, and have been faithfully reading each release after The Flatshare become so very popular a few years ago.

Dare I say this may be my favourite book of hers yet? I was hesitant to read it now, wanting to maybe save it for the festive season, but this way I can loudly and proudly recommend it to anyone looking for a somewhat "holiday-ish" read filled with some of my absolute favourite things. Cute and colourful cast, grumpy/sunshine, enimies-to-lovers, one room/one bed, found family.... gorgeous setting in the New Forest in England. Spectacular. Definitely a must read romance this fall.

This book started out a bit slow but in the end you were rooting for the 2 main characters and the Forest Manor Hotel. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. #NetGalley #TheWakeupCall

I think my expectations were too high after reading The No Show. This book wasn't bad in anyway I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and for some reason kept forgetting it took place at Christmas time.
Overall, It was a cute read and some serious enemies to lover vibes.