Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. I needed a light hearted fun book to read, and this one was definitely it. From the witty banter to the story line, it was a good pick me up from daily life.

I adored this sweet book. The story follows Sam, a middle manager at a bed and bath superstore, who is struggling to keep his branch on budget and on target. He is called to London to meet with his boss, the grumpy and over serious Jonathan. On the visit, Jonathan gets angry at Sam and fires him and his whole branch, but in the process, Sam trips over a piece of merchandise and falls, getting a concussion. While recovering, Sam jokes that he doesn't know who Jonathan is, and then the confusion starts. Sam is ordered to recover at Jonathan's house, where he starts to meet his enormous family. The two begin to become close, but the lie that started their new relationship hangs over them.

Things I liked: It's actually funny. Most rom coms aren't, but this one truly made me LOL. Jonathan's family is excellent. Sam's cat is fabulous. Their grumpy/sunshine-ish relationship is so charming. Sam's background is so touching. The eau de While You Were Sleeping. The holiday charm.

Things I didn't like: Nothing. 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another really cute book by Alexis Hall! These guys relationship and the journey leading to it is very cute. I really enjoyed reading about their chemistry.

I really enjoyed this book. It has fake amnesia, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, found family, and more. Jonathan is the boss of a bath and bedding company. Sam is a branch manager who is ok at his job. After a concussion at the main store in London, Sam has to stay with Jonathan and try to save his job and the job of those who work at his branch. Will his fake amnesia hurt the relationship that's starting to form? Will Sam's poorly thought-out plan completely backfire? This is such a cute book!

I loved this! Alexis Hall always manages to make me laugh with his books.

The humor is fantastic and I rooted for the main pairing right from the start. They had great chemistry and I got so nervous and giddy along with them !!

One of my favorite 2023 romances for sure.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Alexis Hall and am currently making my way through his entire back catalogue. Very queer books with very queer characters are very much my jam. That being said, there are two things that lower this book from a perfect score for me. First is the hard left from enemies to lovers. I felt the progression of the relationship was too fast, without enough anticipation and tension. The mutual pining underneath the apparent hatred is my favourite part of an enemies-to-lovers relationship and I felt this dynamic lacked in that department. The second thing is how Jonathan and Sam seemingly had nothing in common aside from loving Gollum. I can’t picture what they will spend a lazy Sunday doing together. Aside from mutual attraction I don’t know why they’re together.
Negatives aside, this is a very fun and bonkers romcom. I love the eccentric supporting cast and the class commentary. I can’t wait for the next London-verse story.

4.5. I was put off by the last Alexis Hall I attempted to read--Mortal Follies--but I thought this looked similar enough to Boyfriend Material (a book I very much enjoyed, even though its sequel wasn't great) that I figured I'd enjoy it. And I did.

I adore Sam's gently self-deprecating sense of humor. He also so clearly cares about not only Jonathan, but also the cast of characters working at the Sheffield shop. (Hall writes such entertaining side characters.) It endeared him to me, and it gives him some depth that I think is lacking in some of Hall's other main characters. The romance is sweet and more subtle than that of Luc and Oliver, which I appreciated, though I would have loved even more banter. Waiting for Sam's family reveal drove me nuts, but the emotional payoff is worth it.

*ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Actual rating: 3⭐️
"10 Things that Never Happened" is almost out for 2 whole weeks now, I'm late to the game.

This book is about Sam Becker almost getting fired by his boss, Jonathan Forest, and having to quickly find a temporary solution to change his boss’s mind. When the opportunity comes to fake amnesia and start over, Sam immediately grabs it. Now Sam and Jonathan have to spend more time together than they would want, and Sam has to realize that Jonathan has more depth to him than he originally thought and might not be that big of a “dickhead” after all.    

Sam Becker is an interesting character, he seems very laid-back but actually has no clue what he wants in life. He doesn't invest a lot of energy in anything; not for his job and employees, nor for his apartment. Except for Gollum maybe, the “not so good looking” cat he adopted a while ago. I have to confess, I really like the idea of him having a cat and adopting one no one else seems to want, I have a weakness for the ‘saving outcasts’ trope (especially if it’s a cat!). His (admittingly) boring life changes for the better when *minor spoiler* he has to move in temporarily with Jonathan, giving him a new purpose: to persuade his boss not to fire him and his team. 

Jonathan Forest seems to be, at first glance, the stereotypical antagonistic boss – heartless, grumpy, strict and not caring for his employees and their wellbeing.  His interactions with Gollum (the cat) remind me of a dad who never wanted a pet, and who is now secretly, but quite obviously, obsessed with his cat. Gollum’s presence, is for me – as you probably guessed by now – a nice touch to the story. By spending time with his boss, Sam has to realize that maybe, just maybe, Jonathan is not so evil as he thought, and actually cares a lot. He may also have to admit to himself that Jonathan is an attractive guy, his charm catching him off guard on several occasions.

I am actually really conflicted about this book, hence the late review. Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, but just not as much as I’d have wanted. I loved ‘boyfriend material’ and on the other hand really disliked ‘husband material’, but this book . . . well, it is okay, but I wish it was more. This is a cute story, but I would have liked more build-up to the love & attraction element in the story. There are a lot of “tolerating each other” and “liking it more than they thought” and "oh well, he isn't that bad”-moments, and not enough genuinely cute and heartfelt moments between those two. Although there was potential and opportunity for so many cute, romantic and sexy moments. They definitely do not miss any chemistry, but their relationship is simply more founded on a friendship than anything else, and they never fully leave that friendzone, making it more of a friends with benefits situation.

That being said, this is a lovely and solid romance, and you should pick it up for a quick & easy read if you already like Alexis Hall's writing.

This book had a lot of side characters that it was hard to kind of keep track of. The overall plot was very good and kept me wanting to read more. It feels different than the rest of the author's books but not in a bad way. It was actually refreshing.

10 Things That Never Happened was a book I held my breath as I requested and I was overjoyed when I was approved. I was so excited for this story - I love a good workplace romance, the amnesia aspect had me hyped as well, and the very clear grumpy-sunshine vibe that started had me ready to read. But this was such an unexpected story as well - from the sheer multitude of Lord of the Rings references which I absolutely stan, to the Christmas plot and family drama that I could immensely relate to, this story became so much more than your run of the mill romance. I was blown away by the characters depth and development, by the vulnerabilities and plot lines that even side characters got, and I felt like everything wrapped up beautifully while simultaneously leaving me wanting for another novel full of them. I adore this story and it will become a Christmas book I return to year after year.

I enjoy Alexis Hall's writing, that's for sure. I listened to the audio, and the narration was fun. I was expecting more steam, but I loved the romance in the story,

I found this book to be an absolute joy to read! The characters were relatably human with all the emotions and intricacies that come with that. From fake amnesia to an unbearable boss, this story is one to put in your TBR.

I reaaaaally liked Alexis Hall's last series Boyfriend Material, and a couple of the other books, but this one lost me a bit.
The premise I found to be really interesting, the whole faking amnesia and concussion after an accident, especially cause funnily enough I read this while recovering from a mild concussion myself... but I think my issue with this book was it was wayyyyy too dialecty for me at times. For example, the previous BF Material was very English. yes, but it had the well-known London slang and generally British slang I've now become accustomed to thanks to books and movies, and this one...well it was hard to understand at times.
Overall I give the story premise a 4/5, for easiness of reading & following along, I give it a 3, the name I also give it a 3 (mostly because after reading it I don't understand the title of the book still.... what 10 things never happened?). Character enjoyability, I really liked Jonathan's family, they seemed very sweet! but again, at times didn't understand a thing that was being said.
I would've liked to know the twist a little bit before just right at the end because some things about Sam's personality just didn't make sense to me until the very end.
Overall, I really enjoy Alexis' writing style, and will continue reading his future books, but this one is not my favorite.

Note: thanks to publishers & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Brilliant romcom

Sam is not a big fan of his work, but it's good enough and allows him to pay the bills. But it's hard to manage a bed and bath retailer store when his employees aren't always good at their job but he can't fire them because he doesn't want to make their lives harder. The main problem comes when Jonathan, his boss, tells him that he has cut some losses and fire people. In the middle of a difficult fight, Sam trips, bumps his head and implies that he has amnesia. The only problem is that now, Sam has to live at Jonathan's place until he gets better and pretend that he doesn't remember being fired. He has a few days to convince his horrible boss not to fire his entire team... And when feelings come out to play, everything is even harder.

I had an absolute blast reading this book. It's the kind of romcom that makes you swoon and giggle and kick your feet in the air. But it's also the kind of romance that makes you gasp and shake your head and shed a few tears. I felt A LOT of things reading this book and I was very, very sad to say goodbye to the characters. The premice in itself is a bit cliché but the author managed to make the trope his and he created a plot that was exciting, christmassy and really, really swoon-worthy. I couldn't stop reading and just when I thought things would be alright, he went a threw a new plottwist in there that hooked me all over again. I got attached to the protagonists and the issues they were facing very easily. It was relatable and very personnal at the same time. I absolutely adored this book and can't wait to read more by this author.

I highly recommend if you like queer romcoms that will keep you wanting for more!

"Trying to care about everything is the same as not caring about anything."

TW: hospitals, accident, homophobia (light), death (mention)

I liked this book. I didn't love it. It was humorous and witty, but it was also very, very wordy. It just dragged on for me. Overall, it was an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Did I just read the slowest slow burn from one POV with no sex AND really enjoy myself?!? Like is that even possible?!? I guess so…if Alexis Hall has anything to say about it.

Sam works as the manager of one of Jonathan Forest’s bed and bath stores. He likes his job but really isn’t into capitalism lol so he runs his store a little differently than his boss would prefer. When they get in a fight and Sam ends up faking amnesia to save his store…this spiral just a little out of his control 😅

This book was so ridiculous in so many of the ways I love. It was a little all over the place, a little serious, a bit of suspended disbelief, glorious banter, biting remarks, and good old “enemies” to lovers.

My only complaint was that it was very slow and while I was entertained for much of it there were parts that dragged. I also would have loved some spice and to see into Jonathan’s head. I honestly ended up just rooting for that poor guy at the end lol He really goes on a journey in this book and I would have liked his POV!

I do recommend this book if you’re ok with no spice, some slow slow burn, and some dang good British humor!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest review!

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eARC of 10 Things That Never Happened! All opinions in this review are my own.

I typically love Alexis Hall books so I am bummed that this one didn't live up to the usual standard. While I appreciated the Lord of the Rings references and the typical Hall wit, the plot fell short for me. Jonathan wasn't super likable and while I was expecting to eventually love him, I never really did. By the end of the book, I just felt bad that he had been lied to for the entire time and I was surprised that he was able to forgive Sam for it.

So, I read this book because I somewhat enjoyed Boyfriend Material and Husband Material. I had my issues with those books, but the main characters were endearing enough to read them. So, I thought I would give this one a try too. Unfortunately, that was not the case with this book. Everything that I disliked in the other books were tenfold in this book and it had the misfortune of not having a couple I was invested in. This book was just a collection of ramblings that had no real purpose of where anything was going. I did not see/feel the chemistry between Sam and Jonathan, and it honestly felt kind of bizarre when Sam started to realize he had feelings for Jonathan. The dynamics around the whole amnesia thing felt weird and just kind of on the back burner. Like it was more so just talked about to remind readers why Sam was in Jonathan's house, but it wasn't really dealt with. Sadly, the whole book just felt like an awkward compilation of random events, conversations, and people that made it very unenjoyable for me.

10 Things That Never Happened is part of a new series from Alexis Hall, in the same universe as Boyfriend Material. It features exceptional banter and wit that I've come to expect and love from Hall. It features Jonathan, a gruff and grumpy bathroom furnishings chain owner (who's really a softie on the inside) and Sam, a people pleasing, positivity focused store manager who maybe hasn't found his true calling in life. Oh, and how could I forget Gollum? Sam's cat, who ultimately decides he likes Jonathan more. Featuring fake amnesia, forced proximity, hilarious extended family and cast of store characters with a Christmas-sy backdropI really enjoyed this one! I laughed out loud more than once. I could have used a bit more romance, but we got there eventually. Thanks for Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this story overall, though the following issues might make it sound like it don’t lol.
First off, I loatheee the repetition in this book. I was gritting my teeth every time I saw the name of the dang shower past the first time that it was supposed to be cute. I also love a good enemies-to-lovers but honestly don’t know that there was nearly enough romantic bits in the lead up to their inevitable intertwining for me…and Jonathan didn’t have nearly enough non-dickish moments to rectify his personality in the beginning. I wish there’d been at least a bit more background on Sam’s side rather than waiting til the very end. I loved J’s fam though! Closer to a 3.5 imo, but rounding up to a 4 for his grandparents 😂💕