Very fun easy read! I enjoyed all the character dynamics I found myself comparing it slightly to the show superstore. I didn’t really like how long the deception went on for but besides that I enjoyed it !

This book made me so happy! I'm completely in love with Alexis Hall's writing style. The story is hilarious and absolutely adorable. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I read 10 Things That Never Happened. I even found myself laughing throughout different parts of the story. I'm sure I looked like a weirdo.

Sam and Jonathan were just the cutest couple, and I'm a big fan of amnesia as a storyline in romance. Whether it's fake or not. I loved everything about this book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"Because for some unfathomable reason the one living being in the entire world Jonathan Forest has chosen to be emotionally open with is a cat with a face that looks like other cats yse it as a scratching post."


After my last Alexis Hall read (Husband Material), I was kind of wary about picking this one up. I won't get into my issues here because I've already gone into them in my review for that particular book and this review is about 10 Things That Never Happened. Which I enjoyed a good amount. Hall's style of writing is very witty and I really like how they do banter. Whenever Jonathan and Sam got into their little verbal sparring it would make me laugh. Those were some of my favorite moments.


"I'm aware...that this is absurd because I only saw you this morning. But I miss you."


There wasn't a ton of romantic moments in the book, but that would be because both men claim they aren't the romantic sort. They did have their sweet moments and I gobbled those ones up as quick as I could. Those small vulnerable moments were what endeared me to Jonathan, who as an MC is kind of the unlikable sort. Which I believe is on purpose. I mean the whole plotline is the fact that Sam is faking amnesia to make sure his jerk of a boss doesn't fire everyone he works with, including him. You can't then expect said boss to be all rainbows and unicorns. Jonathan did have a good amount of growth as a character. I think it was a Christmas miracle that Sam was able to help that man let his hair down a bit.

If you're looking for a steamy enemies to lovers romance you aren't going to find that here. There is absolutely no descriptive steam at all. What you will get is a witty, sarcastic pair of MCs, a hideously ugly cat named Gollem whom has taken a liking to Jonathan, and a wonderfully meddling family whose antics are sure to make you laugh.

10 Things That Never Happened is an absolutely charming installation in to Alexis Hall's already stack works of brilliant contemporary romance. With fantastic characters, a mess of a fantastical bratty cat and a mishap with a very large shower door that leads to a very romantic "IF YALL DONT KISS ALREADY" turn of events will have readers devouring each chapter. I would pay everything I have for a second installment with JAM at the helm easily!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at around 20%.

For me, at 20% in I didn't care about the characters, what happened to them in the past, or what may happen in the future. I think part of it was that the story was very british and I didn't relate to much of the language used. I think this is a "me" problem not something inherently wrong with the book.

I think this could be good for someone who wants the story to gently unfold and doesn't mind British jargon.

I have been devouring 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall over the last few days, and it is a definite favourite. I couldn't possibly rush my way through this book, I needed to savour the wit and humour on every page. Alexis Hall writes the most relatable main characters, I love how unapologetically British the whole cast of characters are. I can easily picture every character in real life, they are all perfectly imperfect.
Alexis Hall writes British humour like no other for me. Reading this book felt like discovering Boyfriend Material all over again. I just love the entirety of it and I didn't want it to end. I hope there are many more books in the series or world to come.

T R O P E S
🇬🇧 MM Romance
🇬🇧 Workplace Romance
🇬🇧 Holiday Romance
🇬🇧 Grumpy/Sunshine
🇬🇧 Closed Door

R E V I E W
While I enjoyed this book, I’ve really struggled to love a book from Alexis Hall since reading Boyfriend Material (although I enjoyed Paris Daillencourt well enough). I got this book as an eARC and started to read it and honestly, kept putting it down. It wasn’t until after release and I got the audio book that I was really able to get into the book. Once the audio hooked me, I was able to bounce back and forth between ebook and audiobook. And while I liked it well enough, and it worked as a good audio to have in the background, I struggled to super being in love with the romance aspect of the story. This is why my review/rating is a mixed bag. It’s about a 3.5-3.75ish for me, where I enjoyed it, but don’t know that I would recommend it widely or reread it. It was a pretty easy fine/good book for me.

We follow Jonathan, the owner of a bed and bath company and Sam (Samwise), an employee and manager at one of the branch stores. Essentially, Sam’s branch is filled with a bunch of misfit workers, so their production is down (one guy continuously ruins expensive merchandise, which gave me so much anxiety). Jonathan is peeved at how poorly this branch performs and how they aren’t hitting their targets, so he invites Sam down to his main store so he can see how to be a proper manager, and also so he can discuss Sam making cuts at his store. Once there, Jonathan and Sam have a disagreement, Jonathan fires Sam, then Sam manages to crash into a shower display, get a concussion, and determines the best way to save his store and employees is to fake amnesia. Jonathan, feeling guilty, brings Sam home from the hospital after the accident and begins taking care of him (because with his “amnesia” he doesn’t know of anyone who can help). Sam’s new mission is to try to humanize Jonathan, whom all the employees hate and think is a prick. One thing leads to another, and they end up falling for each other during this time. There is then a bunch of funny family anecdotes, Christmas party planning, and a whole bunch of “do I tell him, what have I done” bits.

I think the characters individually were interesting, and had some depth, although it still felt pretty surface level to me. Sam turns out to have been kind of depressed and apathetic due to his past but puts on a happy go lucky facade. Jonathan is a workaholic because he doesn’t want to end up how his dad was. The problem I had was not really connecting to them as a couple. They were cute, but I didn’t really see the relationship developing so I was just kind of meh about it all.

I enjoyed all the bits with Sam’s employees and Jonathans family. They were a funny addition and I liked all of their scenes (although the Merry/Mary Christmas joke confusion didn’t work for me in the end as an American because we pronounce it the same way. I had to ask British friends to pronounce the two words so I could understand the bit in the book).

It was decently paced and had a good plot. Was a fun book to get me in the holiday spirit. I don’t know that I’d recommend it too widely, but for anyone looking for a lighthearted, clean romance, holiday book, I’d probably point them in this direction.

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read a few books by Alexis Hall and am now a confirmed fan of her romcoms.

Put the Overboard and While You Were Sleeping movies into a blender, and this is one possible result. Sam runs a branch of Jonathan’s bed and bath company but hates his boss. His branch is underperforming and when he’s summoned to Jonathan’s office in another city, Sam needs to convince him not to fire him or his staff. Things seem to be headed in the wrong direction until Sam is injured on the job while talking to Jonathan. Chaos ensues and through a sort of kind of misunderstanding, Sam fakes amnesia. With a concussion and far away from his home, Jonathan has no other option but to take Sam to his own and care for him until his memory returns or he’s medically cleared to return home.

If you enjoy the grumpy/sunshine type of romance, Jonathan and Sam are poster kids for that dynamic. They’re complete opposites. Watching them learn first impressions aren’t always correct as they spend more time together and unexpected layers to their personalities are revealed was such fun. Sam’s cat, Gollum, is a scene stealer. I’m convinced the author has a cat because she nails their narcissistic demeanor. And Jonathan’s family? They’re loud, intrusive, and occasionally overbearing, but I adored their chaotic scenes and laughed out loud several times. They love each other, but express it in different ways. Along with the laughs come some heartfelt scenes, things that are hinted about – just a warning that some readers may need to keep tissues handy.

I enjoyed every page of this novel and highly recommend it to romcom fans. It’s set during the holidays and would be a perfect read for that time of year. The cover is similar to the author’s duology Boyfriend Material/Husband Material, but this isn’t a sequel. Although set in the same world, it’s not necessary to read that series first.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Alexis Hall's books are always quite the conundrum for me. I read and liked Boyfriend Material, but couldn't finish Husband Material, and this one tested my patience for a while before I was able to engage. There is just so much extra filler in the storyline that it makes it hard to enjoy the <i>actual</i> story. And while I'll admit I did make it to the end of the book, I didn't love it. I struggled through it because all I kept thinking was <i>what were the 10 things that never happened</i>? We never actually found out. Why name a book something that doesn't fit the actual book?

I will also say that the forced proximity here did not make sense. If your boss is that big of a dick, he's definitely not bringing you home - he's hiring a nursemaid and sending you somewhere else for 2 weeks. Unless there was previous chemistry, which we know there absolutely was not. This made it all just too unbelievable for me, especially the romance part, because Sam and Johnathan had nothing in common, and weren't (to me) believable as a couple; they didn't actually grow separately or together, IMO. It was kind of a dud.

[RATE: 3.5/5] So first of all, I have one important thing to say: I'm still looking for the "10 things that never happened" in the book. I found no relation between the title and the story. So if you're like me and you're expecting to have 10 "oh /that specific thing/ happened but you have amnesia so you don't remember" lies, beware that there has nothing like that.

Other than that, I had a good time reading it, laughed a few times. I have to be honest, I liked Jonathan (especially with Gollum) way more than Sam, and as we got his POV, I found him really bothering some times. Their relationship is extremely slow burn and surprisingly soft on the description (I could almost say spice free), and while there were some it or miss in how it was done, it was developped in a good and satisfying way. The 3rd act wasn't "ugh" because it was quick, unlike most of the romance books I've read.

Also if you're looking for a romance happening during christmas, without all that magic and the "I love christmas !!" feeling, then that's a good pick!

Laughing out loud is one of my favourite things while reading a book. Those unexpected, spontaneus sounds of lively amusement coming from me (usually in public), golden!

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall made me make those sounds. I was expecting ridiculous and did I get ridiculous? Yes, yes I did.

Now, I'm too lazy to search all the synonyms for ridiculous (I believe Merriam-Webster has like 158 of them) to be able to write a review that doesn't sound, well ridiculous, so I'm just going to say that I have enjoyed all of the books Alexis Hall has written before and I enjoyed this one too because every aspect of the book from the plot to the characters to the dialogue to the very last page was as ridiculous as in the others.

I love ridiculous (or farcical or uproarious if you will) and I can't wait to listen the audiobook! I think it's going to be even more ridiculous read out loud!

A delightful Grump/Sunshine romance with lots of energy and humor. The wide cast of quirky side characters added tons of fun on both sides, but there's a grief-related backstory that adds a balancing level of gravitas. While the faux-amnesia trope has a predictably typical arc, it worked as an additional method of injecting humor throughout the story.

This is me eating the pie of regret…for not having, till now, read a Hall romance because 10 Things That Never Happened was wonderful. From snort-laughing while reading in bed to stifling cries of hilarity for fear of waking the neighbours to getting misty-eyed over Hall’s moments of pathos, I really really enjoyed this romance novel. There’s more to it than chuckles and the publisher’s blurb will help us focus on its other strength, characterization:

Sam Becker loves—or, okay, likes—his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn’t exactly glamorous, but it’s good work and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git.

Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn’t get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talk…only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn’t remember anything?

Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan’s guilt—as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There’s an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impression…but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?

Hall creates his primary characters, the narrator, Sam, and his “infuriating git” boss, Jonathan, with initially one-dimensional romance cut-outs: grump to sunshine, heartless to all-heart, people-lover to misanthrope. He builds the side-splitting humour with their banter and marvelously-sharply-funny secondary characters. Sam’s Splashes & Snuggles (Jonathan’s chain of bed and bath stores) team are a hoot: the sharp-tongued Claire, his assistant manager, the hapless, coffee-spilling Brian, super-new-salesman “New Enthusiastic Chris”, sarcastically mouthy teen Tiffany, and tell-like-it-is-always-right Amjad. I was going along, reading, tum-tum, Sam, yes, store, yes, mildly amused and then, Sam and Claire’s exchange about Brian’s accdent-prone-ness:

“Brian’s one of us.” “He’s the worst Customer Advisor I”ve ever worked with, and I worked with Chel.” That’s harsh words. “Chel punched a child.” “A very annoying child. And she didn’t cost us money.” Technically,” nothing good ever follows technically, “everybody costs us money.” She’s not looking in the mood. “Amjad told me what happened with the Country Living Hamsterley. And it wasn’t the first time.” “Oh come on, he’s spilled a few things on a few mattresses.” “Five since June. And he ripped the seat off a Vitra Sento rimless while he was trying to show a customer how durable it was.”

While the convo saw me guffawing in my night-reading, it’s Sam’s first line that bears emotional fruit. We get to know Sam and his good-hearted, loving, generous care for his Snuggles & Splashes team. At first, Sam is the good guy to Jonathan’s reputation as “His Dickishness”, as Claire dubs him, but things are more complex and interesting than their black-and-white differences. In turn, this makes for a more compelling, complex read than the rom-com label suggests.

Hall’s humour also comes from getting his reader, in this case, me, to nod and chuckle with amusement and bitter truth-acknowledgement with lines like Sam on the working life: “Apart from the Jonathan Forests of the world, most people won’t just tell you to your face that they’re making your life harder to make their life easier.” (Ah, yes, pick an administrator, any school administrator, where I work, and this is it exactly.) Hall also made me guffaw with brilliant little touches of allusion humour. When Sam makes his way to Jonathan in London and his potential firing, Jonathan reprimands Sam for his team’s inability to make sales targets: ” ‘It sounds like you’re saying you want me to treat the staff like crap.” “I want you to prioritise targets.” “I do prioritise targets,” I tell him. “I just don’t priorotise them over people.” “Firstly” — he turns back from the window like Medusa turning to look at him with the sandals –“. I howled. Hall also has his share of teacher-quips, which I love, because, well, I’m a teacher, and he truly understands us: “I’ve never given much thought to where Jonathan Forest lived. He’s like a schoolteacher in that way — you just imagine that he only exists at work and when you go home he stops existing unless he needs to ring you up to be disappointed.” I will stop now, but suffice to say, Hall’s humour is akin to mine and I loved every word of it.

Okay, one more BECAUSE Sam, named allusively “Samwise,” (yay, LotR!) has a hilarious cat named Gollum, of course he does.

More banter, Sam and his not-amnesia and, suddenly, Jonathan’s dourness reveals vulnerability and his connection to a hoot of a loving, outrageous family. Sam and Jonathan’s road to the love-declaration is made of yearning, near-kissing, one lovely night of intimacy, tussling with a ten-foot Christmas tree, and some painful family dynamics. As Jonathan is softened and humanized in our and Sam’s eyes, Sam himself falls deeper into the guilt of his amnesia-secret, the betrayal is set, but Jonathan’s response to it is poignant and heart-breaking for the very reason that he doesn’t revert to type. Hall pulls off a magnificently moving reveal about who Sam is and what brought him to Snuggles & Splashes and his Great Team Saving Mission, to Jonathan and bringing his distanced family into a Christmas celebration. In the end, Sam isn’t as “good” as we first think and Jonathan isn’t as heartless: apart they’re human and weak; together, they’re all heart and for Hall, a triumph of humour and pathos. And a great, great cat. With Miss Austen, we agree, 10 Things That Never Happened offers “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Alexis Hall’s 10 Things That Never Happened is published by Sourcebooks Casablanca. It released on October 17th. I received an e-galley from Sourcebooks Casablanca, via Netgalley, for the purpose of writing this review. This did not impede the free expression of my opinion.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casa for my copy of 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I loved Boyfriend Material, but hated Husband Material and 10 Things unfortunately fell into the Husband Material side for me.

I didn't like any of the characters and found the amnesia storyline too unbelievable. Sam and Jonathan didn't make sense as a couple and I couldn't get into the book.

This was such a sweet, funny story!

📖 10 Things That Never Happened
📝 Alexis Hall
🗓️ 10/17/2023
💜 Contemporary LGBTQIA+ Holiday Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

It took me a bit of time to get into this one, but once I did I was totally rooting for Sam & Jonathan 🥰

The banter and Sam’s inner ramblings were totally hilarious. I also love how real it felt - not with faking amnesia 😂 - but just the dynamic between Sam & Jonathan and how their relationship developed.

Jonathan’s family was a LOT, and while I know that was the point of their presence, I got confused often by so many characters. As a non-British person there were also many references I didn’t understand.

Tropes + topics:
❤️ Holiday (Christmas)
💙 MM romance
❤️ Enemies to lovers
💙 Workplace - Boss/employee
❤️ Fake amnesia
💙 Forced proximity/roommates
❤️ Opposites attract
💙 Grumpy sunshine
❤️ Slow burn
💙 Single POV/first person

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own!

Sam is the underperforming store manager of a bed and bath store whose owner is ready to fire him and his staff. But after an accident in which Jonathan (his boss, the company's owner) backs him into a shower door enclosure right after firing him, Sam kind of lets Jonathan believe that he's got amnesia along with his concussion. Over the last run up to Christmas, Sam starts to realize that Jonathan isn't nearly the jerk everyone thinks he is, and now he's got to figure out how to keep everyone's jobs, but also get out of this amnesia lie before things all go terribly wrong.

Alexis Hall does it again with another fabulous modern love story. It's a total grumpy sunshine storyline, which seems to be Hall's MO, but I'm 100% okay with that. The development of feelings is sweet, and really a slow burn for quite a while. It's just fun. And the fact that it's set at Christmas brings a little more fun to the whole thing.

I think I've found that the modern romances from Alexis Hall SING for me, and I dance my way through them happily, but the regency ones just don't hit for me nearly as well. Which is absolutely okay. Everyone likes what they like, right? I know for sure though that I'm going to be going back for more any time Hall puts out something new.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of "10 Things That Never Happened". All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My ratings: 4/5 stars. Spice: 1/5. Time it took me to read it: 6 hours and 22 minutes.
Overall this book was really good. You definitely have to know going in that there are many British things in here that as an American, I had not a clue what was being discussed. The beginning was hard for me. I really wasn't sure if I was going to stick it out. I wanted to binge this book, but I found myself not super into it until the 60% mark. I adored the family dynamic we see. BJ is my spirit animal.

This was my first Alexis Hall book but it certainly won't be the last! I simply adored this. Sam and Jonathan were such wonderful characters, I simply adored them. I am also a sucker for the amnesia trope!!! And it was executed so well.

I did enjoy this book, I just wasn't over the moon about it. My biggest review takeaway is that if you loved Alexis's other duo, Boyfriend Material/Husband Material, you'll love this one too!

In true Alexis fashion, the characters are flawed and somewhat unlikeable. They do grow and improve, but they aren't necessarily redemption stories - more like real life navigation that leads to a satisfying love match.

Alexis's style of writing is very snarky and slightly long-winded. This isn’t always a bad thing, it’s just something that kept me from fully connecting with the story! For example, the amount of bed and bath department chatter was amusing but just a little distracting for me.

That being said, the character development at the end of the book tugged at my heartstrings and I felt satisfied with the overall conclusion!

Going in, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book. I've read other books by the author. Boyfriend Material was one of my favorite books in 2022 but Husband Material was disappointing. This one fell in between.

I loved Sam. He was funny, cared about his co-workers, and just seemed to be a good guy. Jonathan started off as a terror of a boss but slowly began to show his softer side. I'm not fully on-board with how their relationship progressed, but they're such great characters together that I can let it slide. I'm back on the Alexis Hall train after this one.

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**