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.**

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall is a fun, enemies-to-lovers, workplace holiday romance. Sam a manager at a bed and bath store fakes amnesia to stop his grumpy boss, Jonathan, from firing him. Jonathan offers his house to keep an eye on Sam during his "recovery" and what ensues is typical romcom hijinks. That's the big big problem I had with this book. Nothing really stood out and I didn't feel like I was rooting for Sam and Jonathan to get together. But overall it was still a cute and lighthearted read.

Honestly I'm not sure what to say about this book. In general there were a lot of things I liked about it, but there was a huge roadblock for me in the fact that Jonathan just....is actually a horrible boss? Like I know a lot of this was supposed to be showing that he has "hidden depths" and isn't really a terrible person, but he's still a terrible boss? I don't know how Sam can separate that from how he is *towards* Sam. It feels really shitty, like, the moral is that terrible people also have emotions and aren't *always* horrible to *everyone* around them? Like. Duh.

Idk. There were so many things Jonathan did in the very beginning of the book that had me thinking "yeesh they're going to have to do a really good job of convincing me to like this guy for this to work." And....they didn't. It didn't work. Yes I felt for him in a lot of moments, yes I could see what Sam saw in him in some moments. Part of me *was* rooting for the relationship to work. But that same part of me was also desperately hoping for there to be even unconvincing proof that Jonathan was changing as a boss and wouldn't be so controlling and terrible towards his employees. And that just didn't happen.

So while I liked some things about this book, and was engaged, it was far more frustrating than satisfying for me.

One thing I will say for the book's credit is that I appreciated it debunked Stockholm Syndrome (briefly). It infuriates me when people act as if that's a real thing and so I was glad to see pushback on that in the book.

If you're fine with romances where the love interest is genuinely a terrible person to people he has power over, then I'd recommend this to you (genuinely--that's not even sarcastic. I know that wouldn't be a dealbreaker for some people). Otherwise, you might just be frustrated and wish this could have been as good as you wanted it to be.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I liked this book so much more than Boyfriend Material! I’m not a big fan of the amnesia trope, but in this book there was a twist on the trope and I really liked that! Sam was an amazing character. A bit stupid sometimes, but he knew he was being stupid so that’s fine. Jonathan was a grumpy boss at first, but melted troughout the book.

“Because when we’re like this, I’m happy.”

Just as with Boyfriend Material, I really adored the humour in this book. I’ve laughed out loud multple times again (which gave some weird looks from my surroundings), but I’ve also shed some tears. This book has been an emotional rollercoaster.

“I think I’d rather be someone who cares too much than someone who cares too little.”

This book is perfect to read during Christmas season, because it takes place during Christmas, but also perfect to read during any other time of the year!

The romance between the characters felt very natural. It wasn’t too fast and not too slow, just perfect. And when they finally admitted it, it was ust soooo cute

“ I don’t know how I’m supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again. “

Alexis Hall always delivers a fun, humorous, and heartfelt romcom that ultimately cements him as one of my favorite romance authors, and 10 Things That Never Happened is no exception. I fell head over heals for both characters, who Hall makes deliciously unlikable, yet redeemable and lovable and ultimately human in equal measure. This was such a fun romp--I love books that make me laugh while also having a gripping plot, both of which this book excelled at. Thank you for the ARC!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I found this book very enjoyable and a very fast read. I thought the amnesia plot point was going to be hokey but it was well played in my opinion. Really liked it!

[I received a digital arc for an honest review]

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall is the first book in the new series set in the author’s Material World. Sam Becker has found himself in the ultimate pickle. He’s been fired and his branch of a bath-n-bed retailer is finding itself at risk of being totally restructured by none other than company owner, Jonathan Forest. Instead of accepting his fate a physical altercation has led Jonathan to believe that Sam has amnesia and Sam has decided to try to change the fate of the store by going along with it. Unfortunately, getting to know Jonathan has made an already insane situation much more complicated because beneath being a jerk and a stickler for only his rules, Jonathan is a sweet man looking for someone to break into his lonely world. Sam never expects himself to end up wanting more than to save his store but Jonathan is so much more than Sam could have ever guessed. But with a situation based on lies how long can Sam keep up the charade?

Sam Becker is a bit of a mess. He’s very complacent in his store manager role and although he doesn’t want to see his employees suffer, he isn’t passionate about bedding/baths. Jonathan Forest is a mess on a good day covered by a nice suit and a shield of indifference and/or dickishness. The two don’t truly know each other and the time spent seeing them get to know each other was nice, although drawn out at times. Seeing Sam expose his uncertainty towards the future and Jonathan open himself up to the idea that Sam could see him and truly want him hurt my heart.

“Jonathan, are you trying to say that you’re into me?”
“How can I not be?” He flops forward with his elbows on his knees and his brow against his fingertips. “You come into my life like a beam of very annoying sunshine.”

Oh single POV stories you sure aren’t my favorite. I just enjoy getting both characters' perspectives because moments feel more powerful when you get everyone’s POV. That doesn’t mean that I feel like I didn’t know Jonathan as well as Sam because Hall did a good job of making me feel for Jonathan throughout. His love for Sam’s cat really made him for me and then when he was vulnerable, oh boy I wasn’t ready. This book was silly in a way that I appreciated but did linger at times when I didn’t think it needed to. Overall, I am looking forward to more in the series and hope to get the occasional cameo of Sam and Jonathan.

4 stars for Sam and Jonathan allowing things to get personal.

While the fake amnesia plot dragged on a bit too long, I really liked the two MCs in this book and their epic grumpy/sunshine dynamic. The secondary characters were all interesting and well-developed. Even Brian, who I wanted to slap multiple times. What a goober. (Sam, there's a difference between being a lenient boss and being a doormat.)

A charming Christmas read with Richard Curtis vibes.

Glorious! What a gorgeous romance. Sexy, smart, and socially aware - Alexis Hall does it again. Well rounded characters, believable romance, and clever plot twists - yes!

Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! Hall is amazing at writing witty characters and they did so once again with Sam and Jonathan.

While the plot in this book may be a little far-fetched, I did end up laughing out loud at some of the things that happened in this book.

It was amazing to see how Jonathan slowly started melting for Sam and how he took care of him. It really made me kick my feet while I was reading it.

The only reason that I didn’t rate this 5 stars, is because I felt like the ending was a little rushed, but I loved the epilogue we got!!

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to check out an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

Alexis Hall does it again! Their books are always fun, romantic, dynamic, and keep me engaged! I just love a fun read with characters that have their own unique personalities. This was a quick read for me that I couldn't put down. Love the queer rep and love that I get some england representation!

I liked this one. Alexis Hall books are hit or miss for me. Some of his books are my absolute favorite like a lady for a Duke and Rosaline Palmer takes the cake but others are ones that I would never recommend like Glitterland. Ones like Boyfriend Material fall somewhere in the middle. So moral of my Alexis Hall story is that I never really know what to expect. I think this one falls somewhere in the middle to the higher enjoyment scale for me. I liked the setting and the characters even if they are a bit obnoxious at times but overall it was one that I would recommend.

Sam likes his job well enough and is pretty good at it, even if managing a bed and bath store isn’t the most exciting job in the world. His boss Jonathan is an annoying twit that sees the store floundering (mostly due to Sam’s ragtag group of sort of incompetent employees), and calls Sam’s down to London where he knows he must fire him despite actually kind of liking Sam. Things go a bit awry when Sam is let go, and he hurts himself only to have a misunderstanding take place and Jonathan assume he’s concussed and lost his memory. He reluctantly offers his home and care to Sam temporarily as he recovers. Sam for his part (who has definitely NOT lost his memory) decides to use this time to regroup and convince Jonathan to rehire him. The pretense of temporary amnesia allows Sam and Jonathan to get to know each other all over again under better circumstances and both are continuously drawn to each other. As they grow closer, will Sam reveal his impulsive lie?
——————
This was a closed door romance that not only lacked spice but also romance and interest. There were entire parts of the book where Jonathan’s family just bickered incessantly with each other that I skipped over. It was mindless and boring. So much of the book could have been trimmed out and had some actual connection and spark between the two mains instead. I had high hopes for this one because the plot was so intriguing but it just fell flat for me. I really wanted to like it but I honestly forgot about most of it as soon as I finished it.


Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this book but I wasn’t extremely connected to the characters. Overall, it was a cute romance book with good representation that I would recommend.