I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary Published by Penguin on September 26, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Holiday, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: eARC, Paperback
Source: Library, Publisher
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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?
Beth O’Leary is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. The Wake-Up Call is O’Leary’s latest book — an excellent addition to her list. It is the second I’ve read by O’Leary, however, it felt just as great as The No-Show. Well, in a different way. The Wake-Up Call is about two hotel receptionists – Izzy and Lucas. The two get along as well as oil and water. It wasn’t quite always that way though. A year ago, at Christmas, Izzy wrote Lucas a vulnerable card and he did something not great with it. So, she hates him. Anyways, flash forward to present day and it is just before Christmas. The Forest Manor Hotel’s second floor pretty much collapsed. It is on the brink of financial ruin. To save the hotel, after reuniting a lost ring with its owner and getting a reward — Izzy tasks herself and Lucas with returning the other lost rings at the hotel to their owners.
I really enjoyed how The Wake-Up Call played out. Of course you have tropes I really enjoy too — enemies to lovers, miscommunication, found family. Izzy is a delight – she is kind of a people pleaser and just instant friends with everyone. However, she needs her downtime to recover. Then we have Lucas who is big into physical fitness, is large and Portuguese. He seems heartless but obviously he’s not. He care so deeply. I loved his character and just the thought that seemed to go into writing him. I loved the chemistry between Izzy and Lucas — it just about crackles. Then we have the setting — the Forest Manor Hotel — which seems a magical place.
On A Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Christmas Spirit Does The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary Have?
As stated, The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary is pretty much set during the holiday season. There’s a snow storm. Also, there is a Christmas market. Oh and how could I forget a Christmas party. This book isn’t too over the top about the holidays as it isn’t really a holiday book — but a book set around Christmas. I would say The Wake-Up Call is what you pick up to ease into a seasonal mood and to whet your appetite for the over the top Yule themed books to come.
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