Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Wake-Up Call

A light, well written, easy read. The main characters have depth, both being really hurt and suffering loss, Izzy and Lucus the muscled Brazilian. It's a love-hate relationship based on miscommunication. I didn't realise that it was set mainly at Christmas time, but that didn't stop my enjoyment reading it in May. I really enjoyed the New Forest location as I live nearby so could vividly picture the realistic descriptions. You have to wait to the end of the book to understand why it's called the wake-up call. Overall, it was a very cute easy read rom com.

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courtnetto's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book took me a while to get into but my goodness, once into it I was hooked and just couldn’t put it down. The book follows Izzy and Lucas as they try to work through their feelings for each other but also trying to individually save the hotel after the first floor collapses when they are setting up for Christmas. They do this through reuniting lost rings with their owners, after the first person to be reunited with their lost ring gave them a whole £50,000! At the beginning of the book it is revealed that Izzy writes a card to Lucas declaring her love for him in which she writes to meet her under the mistletoe. Only when she gets there, she sees him kissing her roommate Drew which infuriates her!
It is soon revealed that this card never made it to Lucas and was instead given to the wrong person as Mandy, the receptionist, has difficulty reading Izzy’s handwriting and she thought the card was for Louis. Which then causes more confusion as Louis thinks Izzy was declaring her love for him, so he begins asking her out on dates… Lucas then later hears Izzy on the phone to her friend where she is talking about her and Lucas’ sex life but also mentions briefly about Louis. Lucas had been running Izzy a bath and quickly became disheartened to the point he left… Izzy then realises he has gone and is on a mission to find him so she goes back to the hotel when Mr Townsend tells her that he’s done a good deed as Lucas wanted to go home. She then drives to the airport to try and find Lucas, only to find he has already gone through his gate, so her last resort was to give him a message over the tannoy which worked as he came running back out to greet her.
It’s such a nice love story, really portrays how you never truly know how someone feels about you unless you tell them.

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frantically's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

and that, kids, is why handwritten cards are overrated

–

I loved this! Read it in one day. It took me a bit to warm up to the MCs because they're both such complex characters and they both have these really different views on their relationship and why it is the way it is but once I did, I was all in. While I could see myself more in Izzy, the romance feels were allll in in Lucas' parts. The slow realisation he loves Izzy? Amazing. Show stopping. Never been done before.

O'Leary writes romances in the best way – she writes romances about people that have *lives*. This isn't about just Izzy and Lucas. They've got friends, coworkers turned family, annoying exes, dead parents, alive parents in other countries, toxic roommates and the list goes on. While this is primarily about Izzy and Lucas getting together, it's also about (almost) everyone else in their lives seeing them getting together and rooting for them and that just gave me all the feels.

The cover didn't speak "Christmas" to me (and it still doesn't) so I was a bit surprised when this turned into a holiday romance (especially as it is May) but it was a cute surprise!

I'm always hesitant to pick up second books by authors I loved ("The Flatshare" was my favourite 2023 book 🫶🏻🫶🏻) because I'm scared they'll be bad but this one just inspired me to read all the other books Beth O'Leary has written – let's hope they continue to be this good!

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booksinherhead's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Finally an enemies-to-lovers storyline that delivers! Izzy and Lucas are work-place rivals–unable to get along since last Christmas, when Lucas scoffed at Izzy's confession of feelings and proceeded to snog her flatmate under the mistletoe instead of her. A year later tensions are high at the failing hotel where they work. But then the pair end up in a competition to return four lost wedding rings to their rightful owners and slowly start to see each other in a different light. This book has all of O'Leary's trademark heart and chemistry amongst characters. I loved the found family dynamic of the hotel crew and the wedding ring returning drama. Don't skip O'Leary–her books keep getting better and better.

p.s. thought this book technically has a Christmastime backdrop it is not a Christmas story/romance if that makes sense.

–––

My whole heart!!!! Full review TK

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sauvageloup's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

a really fun rom com frolic

pros:
- I liked how there were aspects of both characters that weren't immediately obvious and the other had to learn, and that they both tried harder to be kinder and less snappy, respectively.

- I liked that Lucas fell first and it made sense since izzy had, she believed, been so hurt by him.

- it was funny and angsty, I definitely felt for especially Lucas when he was trying so hard and it wasnt paying off.
- the writing is really gripping and the book just rolls along so well, I read it very fast.

cons:

- they did talk it out but I liked less how Lucas had to sort of seduce her without scaring her off because she couldnt face her own feelings. I felt he should have backed off or been honest, rather than, bevolently, manipulating her.

- I would have also enjoyed a bit more detail on side characters, like Mandy, Ollie, Arjun, Mrs B and Barty, etc. they're all nice but not given much detail. we do get a bit on the Hedgers and Mr Townsend, and a little on Izzy's friends so maybe I'm asking a bit much!

- I also thought the end was a little too good to be true, considering a flood in guest bookings is great, but the hotel was in such dire financial straights that they wouldnt have the cash flow. I suppose with the obvious interest, though, they could get an investor.

overall, a really fun rollicking book that I thoroughly got caught up in. and also called me single in about 300 languages.

Content Warnings

bessadams's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

lauranneleest's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Beth O'leary is probably my favorite romance author ever. She succeeds in keeping the cringe factor out of her stories and her characters are all just so nice and loveable. Such a great read!

Content Warnings

lahars_little_library's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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