Miscommunication + on the long side made me mark this one down to a 3. I struggled that the entire relationship could have been solved with a quick conversation. The setting with the hotel and side plot with the rings was cute.

Beth O'leary has been an absolute favorite of mine since the day she wrote The Flatshare, and I have devoured her books the moment I was able to get my grubby hands on each of them!!

Izzy loves the Forest Manor hotel she works in. She is connected to it! But at the rate they are going, they won't survive past this Christmas season, and something has to be done about it!

This adorable grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, we have to work together to solve this problem trope is one of my favorites, and O'leary writes the best of the best in this! The witty banter is adorable, and relationship with its slow burn is *chef's kiss* and I think this one just might be one of Beth's best books to date!!

Izzy and Lucas are enemies both working at a quaint hotel in England that’s seen better days. When Izzy finds a collection of lost rings at the hotel, she gets the idea to return them to their owners in hopes that the reward money will save the crumbling hotel. Competition sparks between Izzy and Lucas as they race to return the rings, igniting sparks between them along the way!

This book was so fun! With witty banter, grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, great secondary characters, and a touch of Christmas- this book is a great way to kick off those holiday reads!

A huge thank you to Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for granting me access to this title. I am a big fan of Beth O'Leary! The No-Show was one of my favorite reads earlier this year and the early fall release of The Wake-Up Call had me geeked.

I very rarely have strong feelings about narrators for audiobooks, but this time I did. I had early access via PRH Audio to listen to the audiobook and I couldn't resist the change to jump into the story. Unfortunately, the audio for this one did not work for me at all. I generally listen at 2x speed, but could barely understand the narrators so I slowed it down assuming my American English ear was struggling with a different accent at the increased speed. However, that was not the case. I just found the male narrator was impossibly hard to comprehend. I was missing large chunks of the book and felt frustrated with the plot.

I know the books Beth O'Leary writes and I was certain I would enjoy this one so I switched the physical text which I purchased in the UK so I was even more excited with the UK Edition of the book (I think it's even more appealing than the US cover). Let me tell you, as soon as I switched to the text and went back 4 or 5 chapters, I was sucked in and finished the book in record time.

Forest Manor Hotel is in trouble and Izzy is determined to save the hotel before the only place that feels like home for her is lost to her forever. Izzy has experienced already a great deal of loss in her life so when she is forced to work with her arch-nemesis, know it all, pain in the butt co-worker, Lucas, Izzy is dead-set on making it work to save her beloved hotel. The two are going through the Lost & Found for rings that they are attempting to return to their owners.

The stories of the couples who lost rings were all so different and the friction and sizzle between Izzy and Lucas was the type of romance I particularly enjoy reading. Workplace romance, forced proximity, miscommunication, rivalry, sunshine and grump,... gah! all my favorite tropes!

I highly recommend skipping the audio on this one and taking the time to read the physical (or e-) book for The Wake-Up Call. You won't regret it!

Thanks so much to Berkley for an eARC of this book. I really love several of Beth O’Leary’s books and was so excited to read her newest one.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I stopped reading at the 10% mark. I wasn’t engaged with the story and just wasn’t excited to pick it back up when I had the time.

I do think the author is appealing and I know there is an audience for the book! I’m looking forward to more of her books in the future.

Thank you @berkleyromance @prhaudio for my digital and audiobook copies. My thoughts are my own.
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IZZY, funny, energetic, (and a bit too immature for my taste) decides to express her feelings for her co-worker Lucas in Christmas card, where she invites him to meet her under the mistletoe. However, when she arrives at the mistletoe, she finds him kissing her roommate! At that point she vows to HATE Lucas and spends the next year trying to annoy him in every way possible.

LUCAS, a tall, dark, and sexy man from Brazil, is Izzy’s total opposite. A quiet workaholic with definite opinions on how things should be done, Lucas is totally puzzled by Izzy’s hatred of him. So he is not too fond of her either.

Izzy and Lucas work at a charming old resort hotel in England. When the roof caves in at Christmas, they know they must find a way to restore the hotel so they can keep their jobs and continue the Christmas traditions that are so special to their repeat guests. When Izzy discovers 5 rings in the hotel’s keeping room, she decides to locate their owners. After she receives a substantial reward for the first ring, Izzy and Lucas enter into a stiff competition to see who can find the owner of the next ring first. The winner, gets to tell the other what to do for 24 hours!

I love a grumpy/sunshine romance and the banter in this one is hilarious. The story unfolds through the perspectives of both Izzy and Lucas. Though the story is set at Christmas, I really didn’t feel too many Christmas vibes. I liked the ring competition and I especially loved the colorful secondary characters.

I combined reading and listening to this one, and I enjoyed both versions. Read (or listen) to this if you love enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, competitive characters, and colorful secondary characters.

Another miscommunication trope I just cannot stand these. The characters were far too old to not be able to have an adult conversation about how they feel

I was such a fan of The No Show, so this one left me a little disappointed. It is a good story with good characters, especially some of the secondary ones, but my expectations were so very high.

I love when a romance has both characters narrate so you can see both sides of the events. Check. I am a fan of rivals to lovers. Check. I love when there are characters you want to root for. Check. I am not a fan of miscommunication. So three out of four isn’t bad.

I think there is a fine line with rivals and how mean spirited the rivalry can be and this one was a smidge too much for me. And it took so long to get from rivals to civil.

Lucas is a fiery Brazilian and that alone made him swoon worthy. And I had a love hate relationship with Izzy as she wouldn’t just ask what happened last Christmas.

But aside from the romance, I loved that this pair was working hard to save the hotel and reunite lost wedding rings with their owners. And the Christmas setting was perfect. Not too much that you wouldn’t want to read it any time of the year, but enough to help set the mood.

If you are a fan of a slow burn rivals (enemies) to lovers coupled with a heartwarming side plot, then you definitely need to check this one out.

So much promise for a book that ultimately falls into the "it's ok" category. Our love interests are two adults who's jobs involve dealing with people's problems at the front desk of a resort, and yet we're supposed to believe that they can't have a simple conversation and work out there own misunderstanding? O'Leary creates an interesting cast of side-characters who keep the reader interested in the story and wanting a bit more from them. We spend significant time with the build-up of the situation that brings the MCs together (finding the owners of lost rings) and yet nothing of interest happens there either which could have brought some flair to a fairly mediocre story.

Thank being said, I'll still reach for the next Beth O'Leary when it arrives.

O'Leary never fails to be delightful, but I've found that her books can be a bit hit or miss for me. Some of her books are my absolute all-time favorites, and some have been pretty big misses for me. The Wake-Up Call, unfortunately, falls into the latter category.

O'Leary does a great job with setting up the premise, but I am not a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, and I wanted things to expand outside of the hotel.

This one was quick and easy to get through, but I found my attention waning. However, if you enjoy enemies to lovers and British rom-coms, I think you'll find something to like here!

"The Wake-Up Call" is O'Leary's most conventional romance novel. It was a quick and fun read, but the enjoyableness of it was undercut because the whole story was based on a misunderstanding. It was aggravating most of the book.

I love Beth O'Leary's books and this was a hit. I highly recommend if you love Brit-lit and witty banter.

I adore all of Beth's books and this one was no exception. The first half is a little slow, but I loved Izzy and Isaac , they were so great individually as well as together. If you can make it through the first bit, it really picks up.
This book showcases the struggle businesses went through during Covid, and it really made me emotional to read . Another great novel from O'Leary.

Sorry for doubting you Beth! This has been my favorite from her so far, but that may have to do holiday-season theme because she absolutely nails it.

Beth O’Leary is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. The Wake-Up Call is O’Leary’s latest book — an excellent addition to her list. It is the second I’ve read by O’Leary, however, it felt just as great as The No-Show. Well, in a different way. The Wake-Up Call is about two hotel receptionists – Izzy and Lucas. The two get along as well as oil and water. It wasn’t quite always that way though. A year ago, at Christmas, Izzy wrote Lucas a vulnerable card and he did something not great with it. So, she hates him. Anyways, flash forward to present day and it is just before Christmas. The Forest Manor Hotel’s second floor pretty much collapsed. It is on the brink of financial ruin. To save the hotel, after reuniting a lost ring with its owner and getting a reward — Izzy tasks herself and Lucas with returning the other lost rings at the hotel to their owners.

I really enjoyed how The Wake-Up Call played out. Of course you have tropes I really enjoy too — enemies to lovers, miscommunication, found family. Izzy is a delight – she is kind of a people pleaser and just instant friends with everyone. However, she needs her downtime to recover. Then we have Lucas who is big into physical fitness, is large and Portuguese. He seems heartless but obviously he’s not. He care so deeply. I loved his character and just the thought that seemed to go into writing him. I loved the chemistry between Izzy and Lucas — it just about crackles. Then we have the setting — the Forest Manor Hotel — which seems a magical place.


ON A SCALE OF ONE TO BUDDY THE ELF, HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DOES THE WAKE-UP CALL BY BETH O’LEARY HAVE?
As stated, The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary is pretty much set during the holiday season. There’s a snow storm. Also, there is a Christmas market. Oh and how could I forget a Christmas party. This book isn’t too over the top about the holidays as it isn’t really a holiday book — but a book set around Christmas. I would say The Wake-Up Call is what you pick up to ease into a seasonal mood and to whet your appetite for the over the top Yule themed books to come.

I always enjoy Beth O'leary books and this followed suit! The banter was there between our enemies to lovers. The Inn setting was great and I enjoyed the low level of steam here.

Enemies to Lovers/Rivals to Lovers in a cozy hotel setting??

This is such a classic story with strong and lovable characters.

Especially great for a cozy winter read!

I finally got a chance to read this one and it was so do darn cute! Very much a grumpy x grumpy romance even though the characters themselves are completely well meaning!
Fundamentally this book does rely on the miscomunication trope, which made me just want to shake everyone at multiple points, but overall I love Beth O'Leary's writing so I will let it slide! Such a good little rom-com with a fun, failing-hotel, setting!

Not my favorite of O'Leary's. It took my awhile to actually get into and even then, I wasn't really interested in what was happening. Just an ok read from me.

*Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the #gifted egalley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because 4 stars or less.*

Thank you for the free book @berkleyromance!! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒌𝒆-𝑼𝒑 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: workplace nemesis to lovers trope, friends with benefits, he falls first, one bed trope, snowed in, Brazilian male lead, found family, saving a cozy hotel vibe!

"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 .. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬.”

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩"

If you’re a Beth O’Leary fan, definitely add this to your list! I love her books and I’m so happy she finally came out with a holiday romance for us all!

So basically Izzy - our female lead wrote Lucas a letter expressing her feelings towards him. She never got a reply, then finds Lucas kissing one of her friends at their work Christmas party. And so the hate begins. 😂 Forest Manor (cute hotel name alert!) is in the brink of getting bankrupt, they’re on their way to save the hotel by selling everything they can until they found five wedding rings in their lost and found room. As they search for the rings’ owners, it took them to a journey of different kinds of relationships and stories of marriage and loss…

Friends, this one has so much heart and I love it so much! It is a little spicier than I expected from this author but I mean there is a friends with benefits trope so 🤷‍♀️I mean it worked as a great tool for the author to write about all the complicated feelings that we all love to have. 😂 I know that that ending might be polarizing but I loved it and it sums up the story perfectly!