This was a fun, lighthearted, rivals to lovers romance!

Izzy and Lucas work at the same hotel, a beautiful but struggling place they both love very deeply. Their feelings for each other, however, are just as deep, but it’s a deep dislike. Izzy is well known as a sweetheart, to everybody except Lucas, who she acts extremely competitive towards. When she discovers several wedding rings, accumulated for years in the lost and found, she makes it her mission to find their owners - and she immediately makes into a competition with Lucas.

But as she gets closer to Lucas, she realizes that her intense feelings of dislike towards him may be something else entirely.

I loved the cast of characters - especially the guests at the hotel - and found the character development to be very enjoyable. It was such a fun and original setting to read a romance in, and I loved their rivals to lovers story!

3.5 stars. This was a cute enemies-to-lovers story with great setting — an old manor house turned B&B in the English countryside. But sometimes the characters took the “enemies” thing too far and got on my nerves. And apparently Beth O’Leary didn’t get the message that we all hate the miscommunication trope, because this is the miscommunication trope on steroids. Overall, a fine, run-of-the-mill romcom with a tiny bit of holiday cheer. But not as enjoyable as the other O’Leary books I’ve read: The Switch and The Flatshare.

I mostly enjoyed this, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite book by Beth O’Leary. I enjoyed them trying to find the owners of the ring, but didn’t feel as much of the romance. Miscommunication doesn’t usually bother me, but their lack of communication was so bad that it did this time. I enjoyed the cast of characters that were staying at the hotel. I’ll definitely check out future books by Beth O’Leary.

Let me start by saying that I was incredibly excited for this book! I read Flatshare by Beth O’Leary earlier this year and I absolutely LOVED it. I had some trouble getting into The Wakr Up Call and actually ended up putting it down, and having to come back to it. Once I got into it, I did enjoy the hallmark movie feel with the enemies to lovers storyline. It was easy to love Izzy Jenkins and her quirkiness and you were left rooting for her.

Overall if you are looking for a cute, light, hallmark style Christmas read, this may be the one for you.

Thank you Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this eARC.

3.5⭐️ Hotel receptionists Izzy and Lucas are tasked with finding the recipients of lost rings as a way to make enough money to keep the hotel afloat. Their bitter rivalry begins to shift, as these two must learn to work together if they have any hope of saving their beloved hotel.

I quickly became a Beth O’Leary fan after reading the Flat Share a few years ago, and now anxiously await each and every new release. This year, I was very excited that her newest just so happens to be a holiday book.

Overall, I think this book is really cute and perfect for the holidays. The backdrop of the hotel was so fun and I loved getting to know each of these quirky characters. The banter between rivals Izzy and Lucas was great and I enjoyed seeing their dynamic shift as the story continued.

My only issue was with the pacing of the story. It had a strong start and ending, but dragged quite a bit throughout the middle half. I had a hard time staying connected as they worked to unravel the ring mystery, and felt like it detracted from the romance, even while it ultimately brought them closer together.

ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
• enemies to lovers
• workplace romance
• forced proximity
• hotel life
• quirky characters
• holiday romance

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for my gifted copies.

The setting of the crumbling hotel during the holiday season adds a magical touch to the story. As Izzy and Lucas compete to return a collection of old wedding rings to their rightful owners, they discover their own love story unfolding. The plot is filled with humor, mishaps, and unexpected surprises that had me emotionally invested in their journey.

Izzy and Lucas's initial rivalry is palpable, but as they work together to save the hotel from financial ruin, their relationship takes a heartwarming turn. The transformation from adversaries to partners is beautifully portrayed, and you can't help but root for them.

The concept of returning lost wedding rings adds a delightful twist to the plot. It's not just about rescuing the hotel; it's also about reuniting couples with cherished memories. The story explores the idea that sometimes, unexpected challenges can lead to the most meaningful connections.

Beth O'Leary's writing is engaging and filled with genuine emotion. The characters are relatable, and their personal growth throughout the book is both touching and inspiring. You'll find yourself cheering for Izzy and Lucas, not only in their quest to save the hotel but also in their journey to find love and happiness.

While I thoroughly enjoyed "The Wake-Up Call," I gave it 4 stars because there were moments when the plot felt a bit predictable.

This authors previous books have been hits and misses for me but I just loved this one! I adored the characters and loved the plot. So many great side characters too!

Very much a Hallmark romance, which isn't my cup of tea, but this one will have its readers for sure and is good for readers advisory.

First scene- OUCH! Like imagining that happen to you is yikes! So the book grabs you from the start. While I found some of it charming, the back and forth banter starts to wear a bit thin by the middle. Lucas reminded me of Roy Kent. Am I alone in that image? The ending is sweet and satisfying so I’m glad to have stuck with it.

Make no mistake, every cliched trope lives in this one. But it’s a cute holiday read and entertaining enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure about this book when I started it but as I continued reading I got more and more interested in Lucas and Izzy. They were so sweet and fun. Watching Lucas loosen up and Izzy realizing she didn't hate him was great.

The characters are great. The story interesting as they try to save the hotel and avoid love. Their story was so long resolving that one had to keep reading to find out if they got their happily ever after. I liked the pacing , the plot and as mentioned the characters (both major and minor).

Thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC.

If a book is marketed as enemies to lovers, you bet I'll be reading it!

There was a few things I really loved about this book. More specifically the MMC Lucas, who was a grump with a big heart and a secret softie. The banter between Lucas and Izyy was also funny and I liked the email format of the book too! They're both exhausted, hurt, and struggling characters who are very misunderstood. I also loved the hotel setting and all the customers and sweet moments we get.

There were also parts I didn't love or just couldn't connect with. The book heavily relies on miscommunication and not talking to each other but instead just assuming things. It was fine in the beginning but got old fast. I also didn't love the "ring" storyline.

Overall, this was precious and sweet and I definitely recommend it to anywho looking for a semi festive read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC <3

Review will be posted on 10/12/23

Izzy and Lucas both work as concierges at the Forest Manor Hotel in southern England. They don't work well together, thanks to an issue they had last Christmas. Izzy wrote Lucas a letter confessing her feelings for him, and he promptly kissed her roommate. Cue the awkwardness and the resentment from Izzy. Since then, she has avoided him until the hotel assigned them both the same task of going through the lost property room and selling the items to raise money. The hotel is going bankrupt and selling the items is their only hope to not only save the hotel but also their jobs. They find a lot of junk, but then they come across five wedding rings. Izzy reunites one of the rings with its owner and receives a hefty reward. Let the competition begin! As they spend more time together, readers can't help but hope they get past the miscommunication from last Christmas and take a chance on love. Beth O'Leary's The Wake-Up Call is a delightful rom-com that would be perfect to snuggle up with this holiday season.


I really enjoyed the relationship between Izzy and Lucas in The Wake-Up Call. I liked their witty banter and their backstory, especially as readers find out what actually happened between them last Christmas. O'Leary has a way of making her romances feel like such a fun rom-com, the kind with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Just like the older rom-com I grew up with, her books are charming, have cute settings, and will sure to make you laugh. Needless to say, I was rooting for Izzy, Lucas, and even the charming hotel.


That leads me to the setting of Forest Manor Hotel. I absolutely adored it! I stayed at a hotel in southern England once and I still daydream about it. O'Leary brought it to life beautifully and there were many holiday moments in The Wake-Up Call, which would make this a great read for the fall and upcoming holiday season.



Are you a fan of Beth O'Leary's novels? Is The Wake-Up Call on your fall TBR list? Let me know in the comments below.

I very much enjoyed this latest Beth O'Leary title! A dual-POV workplace enemies-to-lovers? Yes, that's the good stuff. I loved Izzy, I loved Lucas, and I loved the whole cast of characters working with them at the hotel. I could even tolerate the fact that our lovely leads are enemies because of a miscommunication. This book wasn't heavy the way The Road Trip and The No-Show were, and I loved it all the more because of that. If you've enjoyed any of O'Leary's other books (specifically The Flatshare), or if at any point in your romance journey you read and enjoyed The Hating Game, I think this will scratch that itch quite nicely.

Izzy and Lucas work at a hotel and have a complicated relationship. Last year, Izzy confessed her romantic feelings in a card and he ignored it. They don't often work during the same shift but when the hotel needs renovations and suffers financially, they are forced to work shifts together. In an effort to recoup money, Izzy and Lucas go through the lost and found items, hoping to sell them. When Izzy finds 5 wedding rings, her goal is to reunite them to their owners. As Izzy and Lucas compete to reunite the rings, they get to know each other better.

A cute rom com, Izzy and Lucas work together and seem to hate each other. Due to a misunderstanding, they spend a year arguing and being nasty to each other until they realize they have feelings for each other. The miscommunication is drawn out a little bit too long, but the setting of the hotel and the secondary characters added to the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh my gosh I love Beth O’Leary and this book was too cute! It had me hooked and I didn’t wanna put it down!

Another fun and sweet romance from Beth O'Leary. It will have you laughing and swooning in equal measure.

This was good! It was like an updated The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, but better. I thought that the hotel was such a great setting and I loved the cast of characters there. It was so sweet and a great read.

I really enjoyed this book - the enemies to lovers plotline really worked for me.

Izzy is a perky, enthusiastic holiday elf that you can’t help but love. The enemies to lovers banter made the book really fun. I could tell Lucas was pining and agonizing over Izzy and loved that part of the story.

Although Izzy and Lucas are the stars of the story, the other characters who were staying at the hotel provide some colorful backdrop to the setting of Forest Manor Hotel.

4.5 rounded up

I had a fun time reading this book… but most of it was just ok.

The romance was cute, they had a lot of chemistry together. However, there was way too much miscommunication for me. So many problems in this book would have been solved (including her hatred for him) if there was less miscommunication. I know it was to add conflict towards the end of the book, but I think it was overdone.

The setting was very unique, I’m not sure if I’ve read any books that are set at a hotel during Christmas. I also enjoyed the plot, but I don’t really understand why they would return the rings. One person gave them a large amount of money, so that’s enough reason to try to find the owners of all the other rings?? I think that selling the rings would have gotten them way more money, especially the ones with jewels on them.

This was definitely a cute holiday romance, but I had some issues with the plot and romance aspects of the novel.