I just love Alexis Hall’s slightly ADHD characters so much. This one did not disappoint with a cute story premise and a very grumpy grump character.
So cute and cozy with lots of witty banter.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casa, Netgalley, and Libro.fm for providing advanced copies of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Every time I pick up an Alexis Hall book I know I'm in for a great time. And this was no exception. His books are always hilarious and sweet and wholly endearing.

This was a really fun, laugh out loud funny romance between two polar opposite heroes, caught in a ridiculous lie. I love a cheesy amnesia plot so I was on board from the very beginning. I thought their banter was fantastic and Sam's coworkers were absolutely hilarious.

The audio was fantastically narrated, the characters were chaotic but endearing, and I enjoyed my time from start to finish.

I just don't think these two are forever 😅 Some books leave me feeling like the main characters are soulmates. That was not the case here lol. While I loved them both individually, I never completely got on board with them as a forever kind of couple.

Boyfriend Material is still my favorite of this series/world but this was a fantastic addition. And I'm so excited that we're getting even more!

DNFing. I thought maybe I could read another Alexis Hall book after DNFing a few but the writing is just soooooo long and languid and the style just isn’t for me. I can’t bring myself to care about or connect with any character. Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Alexis Hall never disappoints and this book was no exception. I absolutely adored Sam and being roped into his shenanigans. Alexis Hall brings his large cast conversations, witt, and his embarrassingly sweet and goofy moments to this book. I was absolutely smitten by these two and I can't wait for more.

This enemies to lovers story has a bit of everything, lots of bed and bath story lingo, a head injury, pretend amnesia, a grumpy cat, Christmas decor and of course some family trauma. The friendship and banter with Simon's co-workers was a lot of fun. This was definitely a slow burn, but a good read, very enjoyable.

LOVE Alexis Hall and this one was no different. Fun memory loss romance--who knew I would use that string of words! But Alexis Hall did it!

Not sure I've laughed that hard reading a book in a while. It also caught me in the feels a few times unexpectedly, but then again this is Alexis Hall so I should have expected that was a possibility.
The way Sam's opinion of Jonathan so very slowly changed, but not enough for him to not still be like, "okay, sometimes you're still a dick" was excellent. At first I thought some of it was being a bit dragged out but honestly, looking back, all the pieces kind of connected in a way that I'm not sure it would been good tightened up. Sometimes the family was a little... much, but honestly, it's family and that was the point.

I also listened to the audiobook (did not receive an ARC of that) and the narrator was brilliant.

All in all, very enjoyable. I do highly recommend the audiobook particularly, if you're an audiobook person. I would recommend.

I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint at all. If you’re a fan of romcoms, grumpy / sunshine, mm romance, opposite attract, single pov, faking amnesia, boss/ employee relationship and holiday theme, you will definitely enjoy this book.
The story is very well written with a great plot and different from the other books, Boyfriend/Husband material.
Overall, I really enjoyed everything about the story including the multiple side characters. I can’t wait to read the next book on this new series. I highly recommend it.

Alexis Hall knocks it out of the park yet again with a great queer romcom. There were a lot of characters and that did make it sometimes hard to follow, but everyone had their own distinct personality. It was a very fun (and funny) read like most of Hall's other works in this genre. The banter, as always, made the characters believable and fun to read.

I wanted to like this story more than I did. It fell a bit flat for me. I guess the characters didn't seem developed enough, or have a complex enough personality...I'm not exactly sure what through me off from this book!
Pretty sure my favorite part about the entire book was the Christmas feel-even though it's not supposed to be a holiday book! But give me a holiday setting and I'm total putty!
Sam and Jonathan have a very cute and subtle romance, built from a slow-burn friendship. I wouldn't say there was undeniable chemistry, but the feel of knowing you found your person. And that's all we really want in life isn't it? What's passion and chemistry when we really want a life-long friend we can relax with and be ourselves around.
Totally adorable and worth the read if you really love romance novels!

My primary struggle with this story revolved around the romantic aspect. While the book is categorized as a romance, I found it challenging to connect with the characters' chemistry. Jonathan's demeanor often leaned too heavily towards being overly confrontational, and any attempts to reveal a softer side seemed abrupt and out of place. I longed for a more organic development of their romantic relationship, with moments of genuine "getting to know you" interactions. The conflicts in the narrative dragged on for an extended period, and I felt that I didn't delve as deeply into Jonathan's character as I did with the ones in Boyfriend Material or other successful works by Alexis Hall.

A lot of fun, with Alexis Hall's signature wit, humor, and deft use of language. I wasn't sure I would come around to rooting for Jonathan, but somehow, Alexis Hall got me to like him.

Jonathan Forest is isn't the kind of boss you take lightly. He's a perfectionist, has high expectations and everyone who works for him kind of hates him.
Sam Becker is the kind of boss that seems really chill, but no one takes seriously because he can be kind of a pushover. So when Sam has to report to Jonathan in London for a stern discussion about the state of the Sheffield store he's managing, he panics. During the discussion he trips, bumps his head, and fakes amnesia...only until he can figure out how not to get fired.

But in trying to "recuperate" and "not get caught out" Sam realizes that Jonathan isn't as bad as he seems. There's a softer side to his boss that takes care of his family, is good to Sam's cat, and the more time Sam spends with Jonathan, the more Sam realizes he's, maybe?, falling in love with him. With their whole burgeoning relationship based on a lie, Sam has to be clever in how he gets out of this mess.

This is a Christmas slow burn in the best possible way. The crazy family antics around the holidays, the expectations, and finally, the way that two people need to forgive themselves for their perceived failures, while being able to see only the best in each other. I adored it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun book! And I loved Alexis Hall's note at the beginning that the narrator is from Liverpool and directed the reader to a few famous Liverpudlians to get a sense of their accents.

This is only my second book by Alexis Hall, but I'm sure it won't be my last. Hall does a wonderful job of really fleshing out the characters, which is a challenge when one of them has a big, noisy giant family. But I felt like I knew Jonathan and Sam like old friends.

Sam runs a bedding and bath shop in Sheffield, England. Jonathan is the owner of this branch and two others and is based in London. Sam's shop isn't doing well and his staff are a mess so naturally Jonathan makes Sam head down to London to tell him to make changes so his branch can hit budget. But while Sam's visiting Jonathan walks toward him and he falls into a display shower door (a highly specific shower door that's 8mm thick and very heavy). Sam hits his head and when prompted, may make some statements that could cause someone (Jonathan) to think he has amnesia and take him in for a couple of weeks to recover. But Sam doesn't have amnesia--he's hoping that Jonathan will take pity on him and not fire anyone from the Sheffield branch. So while he's recuperating in Jonathan's home, he finds out that there's more to His Royal Dickishness (the Sheffield Branch's nickname for Jonathan) than what he's experienced. And Jonathan learns that maybe being a little vulnerable and opening up sometimes can be a good thing.

A lovely enemies-to-lovers Christmas rom com with great characters. Again, I have to give Alexis Hall credit for having Jonathan's massive family members have unique characteristics--I never got confused when Les and Del were talking or when Barb and Barbara Jean were. Fantastic secondary characters I really enjoyed. This was a great rom com and was closed door (not steamy).

My only real negative comment (and it's really not a negative because learning slang is fun!) is a very American one. There were a few terms that were very scouse-specific and I used my favorite reference guide to clarify: my northern English husband who knew all but one reference.

Loved this, and can't wait to read more by Alexis Hall.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre/trope: romance, mm, grumpy/sunshine, workplace, forced proximity

Man, do I get excited whenever there’s a new Alexis Hall book available!

Sam(wise) is a manager of Splashes & Snuggles, a bed and bath retailer where his management skill is called into question by the owner, Jonathan. His location isn’t doing well, so Jonathan calls him up to London for a meeting. Jonathan doesn’t people. He’s blunt and rather humorless. Sam is fond of people, looks out for them, and funny. Neither see eye to eye about how Sam’s branch should be run, and Jonathan insists on drastic changes. During a public row in Jonathan’s store, Sam’s injured, and due to a misunderstanding is misdiagnosed with amnesia at the hospital. With nowhere to go, Jonathan insists he convalesce at his home until his memory returns. Feeling guilty but also seeing an opportunity here, Sam agrees so that he can work on softening Jonathan so he can save his employees’ jobs.

It’s all honestly so silly, but enjoyable. Hall’s characters can tend to be ridiculously quirky, but they’re not overpowered by that here. I loved the mess Sam got himself into. And poor, exasperated Jonathan! I could just picture his cluelessness about how to interact. Funnily enough it’s Sam’s cat, Gollum that softens him. Then Sam makes it worse when he starts falling for his workaholic boss. With all that’s at stake there’s no way this can end without getting messier.

This takes place around the holidays with Sam coming to the rescue to save Christmas, Jonathan’s family, and the store, giving it a slight A Christmas Carol kind of vibe. I laughed, I giggled, I “awed” during sweet moments. The banter was top notch. I totally enjoyed it! So yes, do read this!

My thanks to @netgalley & @sourcebookscasa for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I generally like Alexis Hall, and I enjoyed the overall plot arc of this book. But it's very hard to grow warm fuzzy feelings about a romance when the primary love interest is just so very objectionable as a person. Jonathan was so stubborn, hard-headed and generally horrible that I couldn't root for him and Sam to end up with their HEA, which then undermined my investment in the book as a whole.

dnf @ ~20%.

i just could not get into this book for some reason. i went back and forth with picking it up, reading about a chapter then getting bored with it and then putting it down. i’m pretty sure it’s a me thing, maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

I had thought this was a sequel to the Boyfriend Material. It is not. This love story involves Sam and Jonathan.
That being said, onto the review.

It was a good story but I couldn't get that invested in the main characters, ebbing and flowing between Sam and Jonathan. There's just something standoffish about Jonathan's personality and the "Oh NOOOO" or "Are you for real?!" reaction towards Sam. If I can't love the main characters, something deep inside me, starts to slow down my exuberance of reading a rom-com.

For me, this was not my favorite by the author. It was just an "okay" read for me.

Note: It is revolving around the Christmas Holiday so if you don't like that troupe, you have been notified.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alexis Hall has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors. I love the characters that they create. They have such a sense of humor that comes across effortlessly within the pages. The relationships may start off in a ridiculous kind of way, such as fake amnesia, but they become very realistic from a genuine connection standpoint. I love how Hall takes their time developing the romance. It never feels rushed or forced.

I can’t wait to read Hall’s backlist to zero!!!!

Alexis Hall does it again. From the fake amnesia to the grumpy/ sunshine, forced proximity romance - I was all in. The banter and the quirky humor were great. Jonathan's family - LOVED them! They were so much fun with their loving but meddlesome ways.

Ok so... the premise - Jonathan Forest owns the store where Sam is manager.
He wants to discuss downsizing the underproductive store and Sam wants nothing more than to protect his employees - who are quite the ragtag bunch. Sam trips and bumps his head during their meeting, leaving Jonathan feeling responsible and thinking that Sam has amnesia. he invites him into his home to help take care of him until he recovers. As they spend time getting to know each other, feelings start to form. Can they overcome the lies and their work related issues to be a couple?

The side characters are such a wonderful addition to the romance. I just found them so entertaining - the family, the store workers & the CAT! The romance was definitely a slow burn and while I didn't love these two as much as I have characters from other Alexis Hall books - I definitely enjoyed them. I liked them, individually. I just never felt that big sense of connection with them as a couple.
Maybe because there were so few real romantic moments between them. I just needed a bit more to really feel all in with them.