TLDR: a 60-year-old woman who is often described as if she already has one foot in the grave (seriously, someone needs to let the author know that 60 is not elderly) tampers with a crime scene because she is bored out of her mind, as her only child is living his own life and isn't as filial as she thinks he should be, even though all she does is criticise him (and named him Tilbert (Tilly for short) for christ's sake). Said woman rudely worms her way into the lives of everyone she meets and causes chaos.

I think this book was supposed to be lighthearted and funny, but it was none of that for me. I found it incredibly juvenile and the way Vera's character was dumbed down annoyed me to no end. This book just felt rushed and the way it is put together didn't allow me to care about any of them. There are many POVs and all of them third person. I wish at least Vera's had been first person so I didn't always feel like a bystander. 

I usually love found family in books, but I just didn't care about this one at all. It was especially difficult to feel anything for Sana, as she could have avoided her situation so easily by using her brain and not signing anything, as I'm sure her rich mother has taught her to do. Her excuse that the contracts were full of legalese, so she didn't understand anything, had me rolling my eyes. As if she didn't have the option of having any number of lawyers look over them.

The mystery that should have been the central aspect of the story was barely there. It was mostly just mundane life stuff that I just didn't care about whatsoever.

For a book this small, it sure packed a punch. I loved the inclusion of mental health themes. I thought it was all put together really well. It's a genre I read a lot, so I'm getting harder and harder to impress, but this certainly did. It was just so twisty! Definitely going to read something else by this author.

Really loved this one, but perhaps starting it before a flight and then reading it during said flight wasn't the best idea lol. The beginning of the book was so tense and made me grip my e-reader in terror while trying not to cry. Few books have made my heart pound like this in recent years. 

Beth O'Leary is one of my two favourite romance authors, but there is no denying this was not her best work.

What I've loved most about her books is that they are never just romance. There is always a deeper story that unfolds alongside the developing relationship, but The Wake-Up Call had none of her usual depth.

This story was also way, way hornier than her previous work. I don't usually mind lusty characters, but it's not why I read O'Leary. Like I said before, I expect depth from her work, not a story that focuses so much on the characters' appearance and lust. I wanted to see a strong foundation for a long-lasting relationship, but it's hard to believe there are deep feelings between them when all they do is drool over each other.

I also felt that the story developed too quickly to be believable. Lucas quite literally flips a switch at the beginning, after saying how much he dislikes Izzy. With Izzy, you at least see that she's just lying to herself about disliking him.

What I did like, however, was her usual humour and wit, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make me feel less disapppointed with the book.

Loved this one. For the majority of the book, I was so sure it would be around 3 stars for me. Not because there was anything wrong with the story or writing itself. It just seemed a bit slow for my taste. That is, until that incredible twist that changed everything. I expected that it would come at some point, but expecting it didn't prepare me at all.