I have read most of Beth's books, but I think this one is my favourite. Was it predictable? Yes. I raced through it anyway, and enjoyed every minute.

The Wake Up Call by Beth O'Leary was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I loved the story, the setting, and the characters, I didn't want this book to end. It was a highly enjoyable and entertaining read that i'd recommend to anyone who also likes the romance genre. The Forest Manor hotel sounds like a place I'd love to visit and would be an interesting place to work, so it was easy to fall into the story and the characters lives. Izzy and Lucas' rivalry, misunderstandings, and heat was perfect and had me hoping things would work out for them both in the end. The lost and found rings brought some great additional characters into the story and I loved reading about each of the attempts to find the owners. Can't wait to read more by Beth O'Leary.

Oh my goodness! I absolutely loved this book. I honestly don't know where to begin it was that good. I enjoyed the hotel part of the book, I could imagine myself as a guest checking in there. The characters I became very fond off. The plot was extremely exciting. I found this book so easy to read. Absolutely loved it.

This is a witty and feel-good romcom that's full of charm, with brilliant main and supporting characters that you can't help but love.

A wonderfully easy read that brings a sense of comfort and joy, and a cosiness that's perfect to read as the nights are getting colder!

With enemies-to-lovers, and grumpy x sunshine tropes, this story has a fun and competitive feel that lasts throughout the book - you can't help but wish that Forest Manor Hotel was real!

Beth O'Leary strikes again with her heartfelt, funny and quirky rom-coms. This one doesn't have the same sort of twist as The No-Show or the out-of-the -ordinary set-ups of The Flatshare and The Switch but it has a lovely cast of characters, the alternating point of views. Though now I come to think of it, I guess the search for the lost wedding rings works as the original set-up though it is not as central to the plot as it is in the other two books.

I thoroughly enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers story between Izzy and Lucas and all the other stories that a hotel setting bring up.

It took me a little while to get into this one, but I'm so pleased I stuck with it to enjoy Lucas and Izzy's journey from being work enemies to being... well, read the book! It's fun and entertaining with a great cast of characters.

Rather adorable opposites-attract hotel-set romance.

Their workplace is falling down around them. But receptionists Izzy and Lucas still manage to snipe at each other over the state of the stationery drawer. Every reader will see instantly that this pair are attracted to each other (as do most of the hotel staff and residents), but something has taken place that has left them snippety, playing pranks on each other and adamant that there is mutual loathing.

But with their beloved hotel threatened with closure, the discovery of some valuable rings in the lost property room starts them on a (maybe none too healthy) competition to reunite each with their owner and see if any rewards can perk up their employers' finances and keep them their jobs. With no funny business involved of course.

This was rather funny throughout. It's more than obvious that the pair are attracted to each other. And besides the main pairing, we have Poor Mandy, some excellent 'best friends on the phone' relationships, heart-of-gold employers, a selection of staff and residents that make their mark. A slimy potential love interest. And some past misunderstandings and backstories to root through as the romantic leads eventually decide if they want to open up and communicate.

Sometimes a warm, cosy love story is just what you need. One with sniping and realistic family/romantic entanglements is a bonus.

Would make an excellent mini-series/film.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

A Christmassy romance where two sworn enemies fight to save the hotel they work in from closure. It was an enjoyable enough read it just didn’t have anything that grabbed my attention and made me unable to put it down. I found the ending very sweet and a good round up to the story.

It took me some time to get absorbed in this story, but once I did, I couldn't put the book down. I fell in love with the characters. The story is well written, and made me feel very emotional. Will definitely check other books by this author

This was one of the best Beth O'Leary book i read since The Flatshare. It's fresh, entertaining, and the flawed characters made me smile and root for them.
The plot is well developed with a realistic enemy-to-lovers story and an intriguing setting.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and love the story
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Anyone looking for a classic romcom with just the right amount of festive cheer should look no further. Realistically flawed (yet still likeable) characters and a dash of peril to up the stakes. O'Leary left me zipping through the pages to discover if Izzy and Lucas' workplace would be closed down before they figure out whether they hate each other. Thanks NetGalley!

Izzy and Lucas work together but do not get along. This is due to a mis-delivered Christmas card that neither of them knew about. When they are forced to spend more time together will they see each other in a new light? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I loved the characters and the story, but what I loved best was the setting. The rundown lodge was the stuff of movie romcoms. This will be the perfect snuggly Christmas read. I adore everything by Beth O'Leary and this was the same.

I loved this book! Easy to read, romance and just a feel good book! This is my new favourite by Beth 0’leary

i LOVED this book! I have been telling all of my friends and customers to read it. I really like how organically their relationship dynamic evolved and the care he demonstrated towards her was top tier. This might be my favourite Beth O'Leary book, clearing a very high bar left by The Switch.

It's Beth o'Leary, of course I loved it. Perfect romcom, easy, happy reading. What more could you want? An easy recommend!

I've been a fan of Beth O'Leary since The Flat Share but I think The Wake-Up Call is now my new favourite.

Izzy and Lucas are both receptionists at The Forest Manor Hotel and they hate each other. Lucas is sensible and serious and Izzy is creative, fun and likes a bit of sparkle. After learning that the hotel is struggling to stay open after Covid lockdowns and disrepair, the two bitter rivals are forced to work together in order to save it from closure.

I know it's a bit of a cliché but this book had everything I adore and I absolutely loved it from the first page. It's cute, fun and a little festive. Also the enemies to lovers trope works really well along with grumpy and sunshine. There are some really adorable side characters too, my favourites being Mr Townsend and poor Mandy.

I highly recommend this book to romance fans and I think this is Beth O'Leary's best book yet. My thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Although not one of my favourites from Beth O’Leary, this was a fun and easy read.
I’m not usually a massive fan of the miscommunication trope, but I really like Beth’s writing and I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers. I liked how it was told from dual perspectives and really enjoyed Izzy and Lucas’s banter. I read a couple of reviews from people comparing it to a Hallmark film and honestly it really felt like one, it was so wonderfully festive!

I’ve enjoyed all of Beth O’Leary’s books and although this wasn’t my favourite I did really like the story. The hotel was a brilliant setting and I enjoyed the ring subplot and the other hotel guests.

I think the reason it isn’t a favourite is that I didn’t really see the problem with Lucas and ended up thinking Izzy was just being really unreasonable. I get the whole misunderstanding and Izzy’s history but I still felt frustrated and felt Lucas deserved better. Obviously I was very invested in the characters though so this is the mark of a good book!

‘Two Sworn Enemies. One Failing Hotel. Love is the Last Thing They Need’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Wake-Up Call’ by Beth O'Leary.

‘Two Sworn Enemies. One Failing Hotel. Love is the Last Thing They Need’ - cover tag line, ‘The Wake-Up Call’ by Beth O'Leary.

While I don’t read many romantic comedies, ever since her 2019 debut, ‘The Flatshare’, I have enjoyed O’Leary’s lighthearted romances.

Her latest is set at the Forest Manor Hotel and Spa located in the New Forest. November 2022: it’s the busiest time of the year for the boutique hotel. However, following the pandemic the hotel has been struggling to stay afloat. Plus, it’s a converted grand property and needs plenty of repairs.

As part of the cost-saving measures its two most experienced front-of-house staff, Izzy Jenkins and Lucas da Silva, are given the same shift. Unfortunately, they are also sworn enemies. The reasons why are hinted at in the Christmas 2021 Prologue. For the good of the hotel, they agree to put their differences aside, though there is still friction. A third staff member, Mandy, often gets caught in the middle.

One task that Izzy undertakes is selling off various unclaimed items in the Lost Property room (it started off as a box but over the years more and more had accumulated). Lucas hates the LP room and calls it ‘the bin’.

Coming across a box from the swimming pool’s lost property containing five unclaimed clearly valuable rings, Izzy pleads with Mrs SB, the hotel’s owner, to allow her to try to reunite them with their owners. “Losing a wedding ring isn’t like losing an umbrella” she says. Overhearing the conversation grumpy Lucas disagrees. However, Mrs SB gives Izzy a week to find the owners.

When the successful return of the first wedding ring results in a substantial reward, Mrs SB is completely on board with the project. The rivalry between Izzy and Lucas results in a competition between them focusing on the four remaining rings. I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers though given the novel’s genre there’s a certain inevitability to the events that follow.

Still, as in many comic romances, there are plenty of misunderstandings and miscommunications along the way. I especially enjoyed Izzy’s attempts to explain the plot of ‘Love Actually’ to Lucas. In addition, as Lucas is Brazilian there are cultural differences to negotiate as well.

There’s also the familiar trope of the possible love rival. Here it’s Louis Keele, the son of a wealthy property developer, who is a long stay guest of the hotel and a potential future investor. Are his motives honourable towards both Izzy and Forest Manor?

Overall, I found ‘The Wake-Up Call’ an engaging, entertaining read. As I often read dark thrillers and weighty literary novels, it was nice to lose myself in something so light and fluffy.