Book Review: The Wake-Up Call

There’s a reason it’s harder for women to approach men than the other way around – when the world tells you your worth is about men desiring you, it’s hard to take it when they don’t, and we’re scared to be rejected

Okay, I loved this book. Hands down one of my favourite rom-coms of the year, and I wasn't sure I would like this one. The last book I read by Beth o’leary was ‘The Switch’ and I didn't like it at all. I think the whole busy-body-old-lady stuff kinda got to me. But this book was a breath of fresh air, it had everything - charm, wit, and all the characters were likeable. Just when I thought my reading list was getting a little dull, this swoops in and saves the day.

Izzy and Lucas do not like each other, and that is putting it lightly. Really, they despise each other with the fire of a thousand burning suns. And yes, they’re even more dramatic about it than the metaphor. They are petty, communicate in glares and make life miserable for pretty much everyone they work with at the hotel. So they’ve been banned from working together on the same shift. Then one day, they find four wedding and engagement rings and decide to try and find their owners in an effort to save their ailing hotel. It is the perfect set up for an enemies-to-lovers romcom.

I am always a sucker for a quirky female lead - long gone are the days of the brown haired, brown eyed dowdy female lead of Twilight and hello the girl with pink streaks in her hair and a penchant for tacky fairylights. It's nice to mix things up a little. There are moments when Izzy is bordering on childish, which slightly tarnishes her charm as the perfect romcom leading lady, but her tenacity and fierce independence do compensate for it. I will also admit I am a sucker for a very buff Brazilian male lead. I think there is a stereotype around Brazilian men that they are all tall, tan and buff, which O’Leary goes into to heighten the stature of our male lead. If I were to deep dive into some astute criticism, you could argue the case for exoticism with Lucas. His character background is romanticised quite heavily, not that there is anything wrong with being Brazilian. But it has similar fluctuations to how the West once looked upon the Far East.

Structurally, I do love that this takes place over the months leading up to Christmas. I would hazard a guess that our author is a fan of ‘Love Actually’ because, let's be honest, some of the best rom-coms and romantic moments happen at Christmas - or so the movies tell us. There is something wonderfully hopeful about the festive season - it’s a bit of a shame that I read this in the summer… In my defence, when I was curating this year's reading list (sans buying books), I figured this would be a good summer read. But I digress, I do like how the pov switches between Lucas and Izzy. But what I really like is that you get to see the moments when they both fall in love with each other, it was honestly heartwarming and super cute! I don’t often find annoying people likeable, but Lucas and Izzy have enough quirks to them that I end up rooting for them. Honestly, this might just be one of my favourite reads this year! So give ‘The Wake-Up Call’ a go!