REVIEW: The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary

In The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary, A little bit of workplace competition can be a good thing, right? In the case of Izzy Jenkins and Lucas da Silva, it will either prove to be what finally helps them get along or what pushes them apart for good. Because as the two head receptionists at Forest Manor Hotel and Spa in New Forest, England, rivalry seems to be their norm since a falling out last Christmas. Somehow, though, even though they spend their days arguing, their attraction is still there. Which doesn’t help when Izzy and Lucas find out the hotel might be going under after the New Year–unless they can come up with a way to make some cash fast.

‘With me and Izzy, there’s always been a fine line between pissed off and turned on.’

The lost and found room at the hotel is filled with treasures great and small. What might prove to be their saving grace is a collection of rings in a Tupperware container–if they can find the rightful owners, that is. After making a bet to up the ante a bit, Lucas and Izzy set out on their search. After a fruitful match is made, everyone at the hotel feels a glimmer of hope: maybe they won’t lose the business, or more importantly, their found family created by the employees and their frequent guests. Along the way, though, Izzy and Lucas know they still need to talk about what happened last year. It could mean the difference between them exploring their attraction or going their separate ways if the worst should happen to the hotel.

‘Lucas has always shaken me up, leaving me furious, frenzied, weak with wanting, whatever it might be. But now it’s different. Now he holds me steady, too.’

A swoony romance filled with laughter and misunderstandings–as well as a glorious setting–The Wake-Up Call was Beth O’Leary’s ode to found family pitching in together at the holidays and pulling off a heartwarming miracle.

‘Something about Izzy Jenkins makes me want to behave very badly.’

The Wake-Up Call had some of my favorite tropes all in one romance: Grumpy/Sunshine, enemies to lovers, coworkers, small town, and it was even set (mostly) at Christmas. Author Beth O’Leary added to that by including a lovely cast of characters who didn’t take over the storyline, but rather they enhanced every single scene they appeared in. And that definitely lent a cozy, family-type vibe to the goings on at the hotel. Because there was certainly a *lot* happening there in New Forest. Everything from the hotel possibly going under to the daily shenanigans between Izzy and Lucas as they bickered and competed their way through their work shifts.

I’ll admit I’m not always a fan of authors using miscommunication or, in this case, a severe lack of communication as a major element in their storylines. But with the clever twist O’Leary threaded in, it worked perfectly here. It also felt like the attraction that was overridden by animosity and then slowly built its way back up to a fever pitch was believable when it came to Lucas and Izzy. Because they were so, so different personality-wise. But yet they both understood each other (sadly) very well with the loss of loved ones in their past and how that became amplified at the holidays.

Izzy’s delightful quirkiness and Lucas’s stoic, broody ways were a match made in heaven. I think readers will giggle and gasp as much as I did with all of their crazy antics and the subtle shift O’Leary created between them over time as their feelings became too much to ignore. From their Love Actually moment toward the end to the perfectly imperfect epilogue that will melt your heart, The Wake-Up Call was the type of romance that will stick with you long after reading that last page.

QOTD: Do you prefer holiday romances that are non-stop Christmas cheer? Or do you like the festivities to take a back seat to the romance?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: September 26th, 2023 |  Berkley |

Two hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.

It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?