Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary.

I loved The Flat Share so my expectations going in were a little high. It took quite a while for me to really care about the story/characters. I did find the second half flew by though.
The story also leans heavily on the miscommunication trope which is one of my least favourites.

Overall, I liked it enough to keep checking out other books by the author. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reading copy.

Hotels at Christmastime are one of my favorite things! I just love to see the lobbies decorated in festive fare while Christmas music is piped through the speakers, which is why I picked up Beth O'Leary's new holiday novel, The Wake-Up Call.

This Christmas-lite book follows two English countryside boutique hotel employees over the holiday season as they attempt to save their place of employment from ruin. The Forest Manor Hotel is in need of major repairs, but alas, there are no funds to start, much less complete, the project. Arch-enemies Izzy and Lucas are tasked with sorting through long discarded lost and found items and selling them to turn a profit. However, among the forgotten items are four wedding rings that were lost at the hotel and never claimed.

When Izzy is able to track down one of the ring owners and receives a sizable reward to put toward the hotel repairs in return, finding the other rings' dearly departed seems like a surefire way to make some quick cash for Forest Manor. The race is on as Izzy and Lucas compete to see who can find the rings' owners the fastest. As the rivalry between Izzy and Lucas heats up, so does the unacknowledged chemistry between the two. Despite acting as if they hold an intense dislike for the other, Izzy and Lucas, in truth, harbor secret feelings for each other. But will they act on what's brewing in their hearts?

The Wake-Up Call is a lively and spirited romp through the holiday season! The increasingly difficult challenge of returning four "golden rings" to their rightful owners adds a fun twist to this enemies to lovers rom com. The competition between Izzy and Lucas is intense as they tear each other down in their attempt to come out on top!

On the other hand, I found the pacing of The Wake-Up Call to be quite slow and the writing to be not entirely engaging. There were some quick transitions sprinkled throughout the novel, and I often found myself lost as to time, character, and location. However, the pacing and engagement factor picked up significantly toward the latter part of the book making this a redeemable read in end.

This was sweet enough but this author is so hit or miss for me. Sometimes her stories are so heartfelt and give me all the feels but this one just didn’t hit for me unfortunately

I *love* Beth O'Leary but I've come to the conclusion that her books are hit (THE FLATSHARE, THE SWITCH, THE NO-SHOW) or miss (THE ROAD TRIP) for me. Unfortunately THE WAKE UP CALL was the latter. It sounded on paper like exactly the sort of book I love (rom-com, festive atmosphere, set in England, enemies to lovers) but I had such a hard time getting invested in both the characters and the plot. I got about halfway through and couldn't imagine how a whole other half of this novel could be sustained. I'm so sad because, again, I adore Beth's writing. THE FLATSHARE is one of my favorite books of all time. But this one didn't hit the spot for me. I'll be looking forward, as always, to her next release!

Beth O'Leary has done it again! Her characters are witty, and people I want to spend my days with. I laughed, cried, and laughed some more. This rom-com is perfect for even the most reluctant romantics, tis the season for a light hearted read!

The Wake-Up Call is another contemporary romance from Beth O"Leary who is a fantastic voice in the genre. In this book we follow Lucas and Izzy, co-workers at a failing hotel. After something goes wrong last Christmas these two have been nothing short of enemies but as disaster strikes and they are forced to work in closer quarters than ever before will these two work it out?

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

ON HOLD at 13% I adore Beth O’Leary and would probably enjoy this the more I got into it. But for the life of me, I cannot get motivated to read this. I’ve picked it up twice and have put it down both times. I don’t want to be in a reading slump in December when I have so many books I want to read, especially holiday stories. I’m calling it a soft DNF but there’s a solid chance I don’t revisit this one until later next year.

Beth O'Leary's last book before this one literally brought me to tears so I was very excited to read her newest novel. That being said, I started it as soon as I received the eARC from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review, but then paused because I wasn't ready for it to be over and to have to wait for the next book she writes. The Wake-Up Call takes place during the holidays, so it's the perfect time to read it!

This is a grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, miscommunication romance story and I loved every bit of it. Izzy and Lucas are work rivals who "hate" each other ever since a situation at one of the holiday parties left Izzy feeling rejected and Lucas confused about why she's so nice to everyone but him. The two of them compete on everything at work but when the hotel is in financial trouble and part of the solution is returning wedding rings from the lost and found, they find themselves working together and their relationship turns from hate to something much more complicated.

Told in the alternating first-person POV of Izzy and Lucas, this story is unique and entertaining. The tension between the main characters is obvious from the first chapter and the chemistry is undeniable as the book goes on. Lucas is grumpy and serious compared to the exuberantly outgoing Izzy who is super considerate of everyone around her... except for Lucas. They come off as total opposites, part of which is due to the fact that they purposely try to annoy one another. Their verbal sparring and banter made me smile and the insight into both of their minds through the dual POV made both characters more relatable.

There are a lot of little things throughout the book that really pulled me in. First, my mom is from Brazil so of course I LOVED that Lucas is Brazilian and his sister even has my name! At some point in the book Izzy mentions her Sarah J Maas book collection and as one of my all time favorite authors I was delighted to see her referenced. These are just a couple inconsequential things that probably did not matter much to most readers but made the book that much more enjoyable for me and let me relate more to the characters. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for whatever Beth O'Leary comes out with next!

The Wake-Up Call was published on 9/26/23 so if you haven't already read it, what are you waiting for?

This review has been posted to Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon as of 12/5/23.

An intriguing and thoughtful story. I loved the intertwining and the heartfelt love story. It blended the line of love and hate. Lucas and Izzy were just lovely. I wasn’t sure where this was going at first but it bloomed into a honest and delightful romance. Really. Just so great!

CW: swears (f words included), open ish door. Not descriptive but you know what is happening.

I really enjoyed this Christmas-y romance from Beth O'Leary. I love an arch-rivals and grumpy-sunshine workplace romance! Izzy and Lucas had great banter and I loved the supporting cast of characters just as much. This is a feel good book, perfect for holiday reading!

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.
#penguinrandomhousepartner
#berkleypartner #berkley #berkleybookstagram

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.