I was somewhat disappointed with this because I'd thought The Flat Share was a cute story and since this is so obviously for the Christmas market I thought it might be the same sort of rom-com, sweet story with a bit of an edge.

So now the truth - I'm not really a rom-com fan but I do like a good story with a bit of romance thrown in for a change to the usual literary fiction I read. However I really struggled to find the story in thus book. Its more a love/hate conversation between two people with a very loose story on top. Having read the acknowledgments this makes more sense since Beth O'Leary says it was driven by the characters who "wouldn't stop talking" to her.

The very basic story is Lucas and Izzy work at failing (and dilapidated) family run hotel in the New Forest. When the ceiling falls in it looks like the end for the hotel and the chance of any romance for the couple. However Izzy comes up with lots of money making schemes to get the hotel back on its feet.

It's a sweet enough story as long as all you want is a love/hate romance for most of the book. Its filled with misunderstandings, misreading and some very dubious set pieces that were a bit on the cringey side.

I'd say you have to be a true romantic to really enjoy this. Or really, really love Christmas. It's pure chick lit.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance review copy.

As usual, Beth O’leary wrote a heartwarming, cute story that is adorable. I think if you love enemies-to-lovers like I do, I think you’ll enjoy this book especially in the first half or so. The banter was fun and as this is a workplace relationship, there are great side characters both colleagues and the hotel guests. It is entertaining and set in December, so I highly recommend this for a winter read towards xmas!

The only negative thing is that this is a pretty straightforward enemies to lovers romance. So it doesn’t feel fresh. I feel like I read this kind of story many times before. That is ok. But I guess I expected a little bit more from Beth O’leary.

So not 5, but it was a solid 4 stars!

A cute, festive book that is great for a comforting read for the upcoming season. However, I don't think this is her best book as it falls short in some areas. The main idea was tempting: Workplace romance, enemies to lovers etc. but I really disliked Izzy. She is bubbly and social and has no issues with anyone except the one she gave her heart to last Christmas. With Lucas, she is super petty and mean, saying things that are super hurtful under the guise of just 'hateful' banter between them. When Lucas tries to explain that those words hurt him, she doesn't take it seriously.

I enjoyed how there was a dual POV. Lucas' perspective was far better. It really shows his depth in character and honestly, even from his POV, it made me dislike Izzy even more. He tries so hard to be better for her and goes above and beyond to prove it but she keeps building walls behind mean words. But also, side note, for a guy with a sister and a big family- shouldn't he know what eyeliner and blush are?? "always draws little black flicks on the edges of her eyelids" and "she's wearing some sort of pale-pink sheen on her cheekbones today"

I didn't like how Izzy constantly said they hated each other when it was very much apparent that it wasn't hate. The whole 'hate' thing was over the most silliest misunderstanding that could have been discussed many times if someone had even mentioned a letter.

The side characters were also interesting. I hope there's a story coming about Jem. I loved her appearances and the ending made it seem like there was an opening for her to have a story too.

When the Forest Manor Hotel almost needs a miracle to save it in time for the festive celebrations, it falls to duelling front desk workers Izzy and Lucas to work together on the mission. Not ideal when neither can stand the other!

Following alternate POV chapters from each, the story flows well and gives a good insight into each character and why they came to this point where they don't get on. I really wish the issues between the two weren't just down to miscommunication, as pretty much everything could have been sorted much quicker if they had just been honest and open with each other, but this was a light and funny tale that I would recommend for a quick, enjoyable holiday read!

You cannot go wrong with a Beth O’Leary book and this one is probably her best.
Izzy and Lucas the main characters are brilliantly portrayed along with the hotel they work for. A great storyline and characters which made this a real page turner for me.
Thanks you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Bet O'Leary's latest novel is told from the points of view of Izzy and Lucas in alternating chapters. Her modern take on rom-com is very readable.
Izzy and Lucas both work at the same hotel but have spent the last year picking fights with each other. When disaster strikes the hotel they have to work together to try and save the hotel. A collection of rings in lost property proves a chance for them to challenge each other as they try to compete to see who can return the most. Of course along the way they find out a lot about love.

Entertaining fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Izzy and Lucas both work at a crumbling hotel in the New Forest, and to say they do not get on would be an understatement. But they must get on as best they can to save their wonderful hotel.

This was a great read. The tension between Lucas and Izzy was built throughout, and really made the story what is was. There had been a miscommunication between them the year before, so as the audience we all know this could have been cleared up in a jiffy with a sit down chat. Saying that, the story was centred around their hatred for each other, and both characters were great, and were certainly chalk and cheese. Izzy being quirky and annoying and Lucas being the seemingly moody guy. But both are read wrong by each other. There are many side characters, which really knitted the whole thing together. The setting was beautifully written, and was the perfect back drop for the festive time of the year. The story was filled with humour, and wit, and of course a lost property room of items desperate to get back to their rightful owners. The author again writes an excellent book, crafted perfectly.

Beth O’Leary never disappoints with her beautiful and heartfelt novels, and the Wake-Up Call is an excellent example of that. The chemistry between the two main characters joining forces to to save their beloved hotel is top notch, and as a reader I kept cheering them on. So good!

After disaster strikes, Forest Manor Hotel needs a financial miracle to stay open past New Years. Izzy and Lucas, front desk workers and sworn enemies, are determined to do what it takes to save the hotel and keep their beloved jobs. Forced to work together, their competitive rivalry fuels a last-ditch effort to come up with the necessary funds by using rings from the hotel's lost and found. As the holidays quickly approach, Izzy and Lucas have no choice but to confront their mutual hatred and the deeper reasons behind it if they are going to succeed.

I found the world of Forest Manor Hotel to be quite fun. The unique hotel, the quirky staff, and the eclectic guests all added to the charm of this story. I was rooting for Izzy and Lucas to not only succeed in saving the hotel, but to resolve their personal issues as well. Throughout the book, the chapters alternated between Izzy and Lucas' POV, which helped add complexity and depth to both characters. Both Izzy and Lucas felt distinctive and it was fun to see how their opposite personalities could come together.

In my opinion, the weakest part of this book was the majority of the personal conflict between Izzy and Lucas focusing around a single miscommunication. If they had been able to sit down and have an honest conversation, most of the conflict in this book could have been avoided. Also, I personally am nowhere near as positive as Izzy, so it was challenging for me to buy into her idea to save the hotel.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, fun read with a unique holiday setting and quirky, determined characters. If you don't mind miscommunications and enjoy watching rivals work their way from hate to love, this book will be especially enjoyable.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved this! It's funny, modern and sharp. The dialogue was great and characters were very believable and likeable.

Cute romance, I thought it was well written and the characters were likeable and I was rooting for them. It was a fun, afternoon read!

This is a five-star read that will make you glad you woke up to read it. I adore Beth O’Leary they just write such fun reads with characters who just leap off the page into your heart. The bitter rivalry between Izzy and Lucas was so funny, they really do rub each other up the wrong way, and you know that just adds to the chemistry and heats a story so well. But I will be honest, I adored the rivalry storyline, but I loved the secondary characters storylines so much more, they just added so many layers to this story, they added heart and drama, and pulled you into the story so much you could imagine staying at the hotel, and witnessing the decorations creep up and figure out what part of the hotel they are made off. Do not miss this great story, it will make you laugh and make you wish away your time hoping Christmas comes sooner, it will make you laugh and sometimes that’s all we need in life.

3.5 rounded up!

I read The Flatshare previously and absolutely loved it so when this ARC came up I had to get my hands on it! I really enjoyed the hotel setting and the characters were well-developed. When I first started reading it I was a bit worried that Izzy was going to get on my nerves but it was nice to see how she developed throughout the book. The chapters switched between Lucas and Izzy's perspectives which I really enjoyed and I think the story progressed really well despite the chapters sometimes covering the same events from Lucas and Izzy's different perspectives. I'm a bit of a prude and I really like how O'Leary doesn't go full on smut in her books while still portraying passionate relationships.

Enemies to lovers and miscommunication tropes are not my favourite. I did expect there to be some miscommunication in this as there usually is some kind of eleventh hour crisis in these books but as the miscommunication went on through the entire book I did get a bit frustrated. I feel like this book could have been shorter. There were a lot of chapters in the middle which basically said the same thing ('I hate him but not really, I hate her but not really') which definitely weren't needed but overall it was a fun read. I would definitely pick this up again as a cosy Christmas book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Five stars! This was my first read by Beth O’Leary and I am not disappointed. This book was the perfect cosy Christmas read. If you like grumpy x sunshine, he falls first, and competitiveness, this is your book. Curl up and enjoy the tea this Christmas, cuz this book will have you crying from laughter and pain.

A fun story about people who work at a hotel trying to save it from the brink of collapse. A mixed up love story where a Christmas card had been sent and love wasn't respected. But did the other person actually get the card? Animosity and dislike follows as the story unfolds however love is hiding behind the walls that have been built up.

This was so much fun, the grumpy/sunshine trope worked so well. I loved the main characters so much, but the supporting characters were fantastic as well.
A really enjoyable feel-good romance, with a well thought out storyline that ticked so many boxes. This is definitely one I’m going to be recommending a lot.

Lucas and Izzy work in a failing hotel. They are frenemies and there is an electric cast of characters around them but I found the book a bit boring tbh. This book just didn't quite hold my interest and missed that magic. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Beth is back! I have tremendously enjoyed Beth's other books, especially The Flatshare and The Switch but also her others" The Road Trip and The No-Show, both of those more recent ones on audio. Well, after reading her latest, I plan to get it on audio as well! The Wake-Up Call gives a Christmassy look into the post-COVID hotel industry, and as with all Beth's books, the research and characterisation are *chef's kiss*. I even fall in love with the side characters (Ollie, my man!). Beth knows how to create empathy in the reader, and her characters are always so relatable (I think Izzy's Netflix history must exactly mirror mine). If you're in the mood for realistic romance that delivers – Beth's your one!!

I absoloutly raced through this novel and finished it in two days.
i fell in love with Izzy and Lucas as characters, their relationship was fraught with tension but as time goes on the plates start to shift. I can see this becoming a screen play or a feature. once you start reading you'll become addicted.

Beth O'Leary's books are always a joy to read. I loved the characters of Lucas and Izzy, delving into their personalities and 'frustrating' relationship/friendship. A wonderful 'curl up sofa' read, had me laughing and captivated throughout.