Alexis Hall is one of my favorite romance writers, and I was stoked to get my hands on this book. My expectations are always high when it comes to his books because I love the wit and charm that all his work exudes. 10 Things That Never Happened definitely contained those qualities, as well as an abundance of humor, so many immersive Britishisms, and plenty of memorable characters.

The plot of 10 Things That Never Happened was both fun and ridiculous, requiring quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. The fake amnesia element was hilarious at first and set up some of the book's best moments, but it also became a drag on the story. It lasted too long, and I kept wanting the relationship to move forward. It never could, though, with this giant secret hanging over it. The resolution of the amnesia plot didn't come until the last two chapters of the book, which made the ending feel rushed and left no time to really explore Jonathan's reaction to being lied to for so long. He moved past it way too quickly, in my opinion.

The main characters of 10 Things That Never Happened had an engaging grumpy/sunshine dynamic, which worked well despite both of them being a bit self-absorbed in their own way. Jonathan was a workaholic who only seemed to care about the bottom line, and Sam wore his soft heart on his sleeve and was hell bent on saving his work team from being fired. Both men were incredibly lonely, and their forced proximity after Sam's accident led to an amusing slow burn romance and the building of an extremely tenuous connection that had many ups and downs.

My biggest problem with 10 Things That Never Happened was its narrator. The story is told exclusively from Sam's POV, but he lies and keeps secrets from both Jonathan and the reader for the entire book. It made connecting to him a bit difficult. Jonathan, on the other hand, experienced a great deal of growth throughout the story. He was so quiet, though. Getting inside his head to learn more about how he fell for Sam along the way would've been really helpful in building a stronger connection to both men. I think this issue also stems back to how long the amnesia wore on, but a dual POV might have made it less of an issue for me.

The side characters were the real stars of 10 Things That Never Happened. The employees of Sam's store reminded me of the crew in the show Superstore, and they had a hilariously lovable dynamic. I wish there had been even more of them in the story. Jonathan's family was also one of my favorite things about the book. They squabbled and were too loud all the time, but you could feel the love of this family ooze out of the page. Some of the scenes with them made me really emotional, and all of their holiday preparations made me miss the large family gatherings of my childhood.

I'd be remiss to end this review without mentioning THE BEST THING about 10 Things That Never Happened, Sam's cat Gollum. I love a good animal companion, and Gollum's attitude left me smiling every time he crossed the page. I also found it hilarious that Gollum melted Jonathan's heart so quickly. They were two grumps who fell in love at first sight. lol. They were the real OTP of this book. Sam just happened to be part of the package deal.

There are just a few other odds and ends that stood out to me as important. The story provided compelling commentary about working-class struggles, which was engaging but not overhanded. I enjoy good story-based commentary on timely issues, and this story did that well. The dialogue also utilized different spelling of words to denote various accents. If that isn't something you enjoy, this book might not be a good fit for you. I didn't find it distracting, and it did add to the personality of the characters. There's also very little steam in this book since the relationship is super slow burn, but the tension between the two was good.

All in all, 10 Things That Never Happened was a fun outing by Hall despite my reservations about the plot and main characters. It made me laugh and cry, and I flew through it because I didn't want to put it down. It definitely wasn't my favorite book by Hall, though. That honor still goes to Boyfriend Material. Therefore, I rate this book 3.75 out of 5 stars.

This book is so much fun. The premise sounds initially ridiculous—and it is, but it’s so much more believable than a character actually having movie-style amnesia. I really loved it.

The real star of the book is Sam’s cat, Gollum, and I absolutely adored the way grumpy Johnathan is immediately besotted with the cat. Grumpy characters melting for cats and cats alone is a trope I love so much.

The story is almost entirely set in the run up to Christmas, which is always a wonderfully cosy atmosphere for a romance, but for some reason this isn’t mentioned anywhere in the book’s marketing? Anyway, I loved Johnathan’s chaotic family drama, Christmas decorating nightmare, and lovely Christmas traditions.

He and Sam take a while to get on the right foot with each other, there’s lots of realistic miscommunication and misunderstandings that drive the main conflict of the story. I was really worried about how everything could possibly get resolved without them hating each other, but the ending was really sweet, a little tear-jerking, but ultimately satisfying, and I’m sure Sam and Johnathan are going to enjoy lots more chaotic Christmases together in future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

10 Things That Never happened by Alexis Hall is a fantastic queer romcom!
Yes, I said romcom as I think it is more of a romcom than a true romance.

I loved Sam and Jonathan, the characters are well written, flawed and complex.

I love the chemistry and the laughs!

A great story as I have come to expect from Alexis Hall.

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I had trouble feeling the chemistry between the two lead characters for most of the book.

Also for those looking for spice- were talking green capsicums. Some kissing, but everything else was alluded to.

I should start this off by saying that I have not read Boyfriend Material or Husband Material. The found family trope is hard to pull off, but when it’s done right it packs a punch. I loved every character in this book, and I’m a picky reader that tends to pick things apart. I do have to say that the only main con was that the amnesia plot dragged on a little too long for my liking. Essentially it lasted so long that the only way for it to be wrapped up was for it to be overly cliche and predictable. That doesn’t make it bad, but it did take away from the character’s overall bond in some ways. Many opportunities for a resolution arise and they are intercepted without much viable reason.

Alexis Hall is one of my favorite authors. So I was already primed to shot this novel, and it did not disappoint. This is very much a romantic comedy along the lines of While You Were Sleeping but much less problematic. I love watching Sam engage with Jonathan’s family, and if you can get past the whole lying about having amnesia issue, there is a lot to like here. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is compelling, and I loved the inclusion of Sam’s cat.

I will say, the this reads more like a romantic comedy than a romance. The love story is not the strongest part. But the writing, wit, and characters make it a compelling read. I really enjoyed it, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Hall’s writing or slow burn romantic comedies.

It’s also a sneaky holiday book, as it takes place over Christmas. So that’s a fun element too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

I don’t usually read romcoms but this sounded funny and unusual and it is. The writing is quirky and entertaining, good for what’s kind of a “meet cute” storyline.

Starting this book made me so happy because this is the writing I’ve come to enjoy when it comes to Alexis Hall books. The flowing prose, the witty banter and the characters who are slightly flawed. While I liked the amnesia storyline and thought it had great potential since it was actually fake amnesia, I found the story to be very slow to develop. By 40% there wasn’t much of even a hint of romance between Sam and Jonathan nor was there much to the either character’s development to make me care about what happened to them. I also couldn’t get over Sam not being a better manager from the start. I mean if you have an employee THAT BAD and cannot help him improve his performance then you have to let him go. I’m just saying. So it was hard to side with the man when it was just bad business 😊.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Alexis Hall writes a slow burn, closed door romance, throwing in fake amnesia and it works. Hall is very British in his writing. There is lots of language, British slang and even accents thrown into the mix. Sam Becker manages a bed and bath store. He leads with his heart more than the more rule driven management style the owner want. When he gets called to London to meet with store owner Jonathan Forest he is fearful for his or his employees jobs. While there he gets a concussion and after some confusion he decides to fake memory issues.

Jonathan is of course an opposite. He’s a numbers driven, work is everything, type manager. Sam is using his amnesia to save making the changes Jonathan wants to happen at the Sheffield store. It also gives Sam time with Jonathan allowing them to get to know each other better. Of the two Sam is harder to know only because his fake issues don’t allow him to share much. But by the end you understand him and his motivations. I wish there was a little more showing of the romance between these two men. British humor is more subtle than American authors but it is there and I found myself smiling although never out right laughing. Overall this is sweet, funny, quirky with some scenes going on a little too long. But I enjoy Hall and look forward to the next book in this Material World series.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the free eARC. This is my honest opinion.

Alexis Hall.... oh my... you have done it again. I love Sam and Jonathan, I love that they are imperfect, bumbling idiots, and in the case of Jonathan a right prick most of the time. I might have fallen harder and faster for Sam and Jonathan than I did for Luc and Oliver.

Sam (not Samwise) fakes amnesia in a massive comedy of errors, which gets so much more interesting when the doctor orders his boss, Jonathan, to take care of him until his memory returns. There is Gollum (cat), all of Jonathan's relatives, an incident with an overly large tree, planning a Christmas party, and falling for your prick of a boss.

This is grumpy sunshine, queer, work relationship, crazy relatives, not so reliable narrator, forced proximity, Christmas, single perspective (first person), normal guys (not gym bros), fade to black.

5 out of 5 stars, spice is there but it's not specific - emotions are the focus not the action.

Currently in a Meh state with this author. Loved Boyfriend Material! Actually requested ARC of this from Netgalley because I didn't want to spend money after being so disappointed by Husband Material.


Didn't hate it, but couldn't love it either. Supposed to be Grumpy/Sunshine Romance but main character Jonathan wasn't grumpy he was just an ass. There's grumpy and then there's just being a horrible person.


Love interest Sam was some what likeable. My problem was he was set up to be the 'Nice' guy who cared about his employees. You can have sympathy for people but if the don't even try to do their jobs, they deserve to be fired.


While I can suspend belief for a fun story, ultimately the characters were unlikeable and the amnesia storyline was unbelievable.


It did have it's funny moments but ultimately it falls in my neither loved nor hated 3 star category.

Absolutely adorable and funny and another affirmation of why I love Alexis Hall's books.

Sam has a prickish boss (Jonathon) who insists Sam fire some of his team but not before shadowing Jonathon for a day. When Sam accidentally falls into a display shower, he ends up with a real concussion and fake amnesia. And Sam has to stay with Jonathon because of said concussion.

Forced proximity and grumpy x sunshine make this a really cute holiday read wherein Sam learns to adore his boss and Jonathon's cold heart melts a bit. There's a chaotic family, coworkers who are real characters, and a cat named Gollum. Loved this story a lot.

Alexis Hall's books are quintessential British humor, which I love and understand after studying in the UK for a few years. His books have their own voice and tone and 10 Things That Never Happened certainly delivers in that regard. I'm torn about this book because I love all the aspects that make it an Alexis Hall book but I don't really care for the characters or the plot. I understand the need for the back and forth between Jonathan and Sam since it exemplifies how their relationship is but the debate/disagreement/banter felt too long especially with how often it occurred. Jonathan was downright unlikable in the beginning but he gradually changes for the better due to Sam's intervention. They're subtle changes which some readers may miss if they read distracted or expect drastic personality improvements. Perhaps 'subtle' is the word I would use for the book, oddly enough. The amnesia may have been a central plot driver but eventually it takes a back seat to the action; so much so that I would forget that Sam is supposed to have amnesia. But perhaps that was the point? Because Sam at some points has to remind himself too..

Overall, I would skip this in favor of Hall's other books.

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Although he's made it pretty clear why the adorable fuzzy Santa [guinea pig] is a trap for gullible tourists, he's not putting it down.
“Are we getting him then?” I ask.
Jonathan looks ever so slightly sheepish. “He is rather cute.”
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I read this book from cover to cover in one day. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the mixture of humour and earnestness, relationship developments and just simply an abundance of personality in this book reeled me in and didn't let me go.
There were so many hilarious moments where I laughed out loud, tender moments (in that sort of guy way) that melted my heart a little, and ridiculous situations where I'd normally cringe and put the book down, but couldn't with this one. The amnesia situation shouldn't have worked. It shouldn't have. But it did.

Sam is a fantastic MC to get to know and spend some time in his head. I was actually sad to finish the book and let him go. He's not a “good guy” by any means, he has his flaws and sort of works on them but kind of keeps them, which makes him very interesting. I love that as soon as he's introduced with being named after a LOTR character, it keeps popping up here and there throughout the story and is neither forgotten halfway through nor overused (which I very much appreciated).
Jonathan is a dick. But he's a dick with a heart. He even gets chosen by Gollum to be the Designated Cat Cushion, and petter, and overall his go-to human. The relationship between Jonathan and Sam's cat is a joy to witness.

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So, I run the trolley up and down the aisles looking for a miserable git in an out-of-place suit.
I find him in pets looking at cat treats. And when he spots me, he gets this expression on his face like I caught him with porn.
“I thought you'd be longer,” he says.
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Jonathan's family... is a lot.
I'm pretty sure my family would be just as colourful and loud if we didn't all live so far apart from each other. But as a somewhat quieter person, I must admit I'm relieved I'm not in Jonathan's shoes. Still, it was very entertaining to get to know the lot and to read about their shenanigans.
And most importantly, let's not forget the queen, Agnieszka, Jonathan's housekeeper, who I hope gets her own book/story someday.

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“...—you're doing this deliberately, aren't you?”
She nods. “This story is already long and silly. I was seeing how long and silly it could get.”
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Definitely recommend picking this up!

When I say this book is compulsively readable, it really is! I couldn't put it down (except for when I had to sleep). Sam is a such a good character to spend time with: he's earnest, funny, kind of sad, and is willing to go to ridiculous lengths to help his staff. Is he a good manager? Eh. Is he a good friend? Yes! I loved watching him get into situations. Jonathan is someone I would hate to work for: uptight, micromanaging, must have his way, has a temper. However, as Sam spends more time with Jonathan he begins to see the man behind the corporate suit, unearthing his insecurities and hidden depths. It takes a lot of work, with many ups and downs and fights, but I was there for it! Jonathan's family is completely different from him, and I loved seeing how they all interacted. Throughout the book I was haunted by feelings of impending doom but it definitely never got as angsty as I feared. Full of Lord of the Rings references, awkward moments, half-baked schemes, gentle humor, and slow burn feels, 10 Things That Never Happened might not suit everyone, but I really enjoyed it!

This was my first Alexis Hall book and it probably won't be my last! I loved the idea of this book...faking amnesia for his boss in order to save his team from being fired and his store closing! It had everything...enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Christmas chaos with definite Griswold vibes...the works! But it just felt a bit blah to me.

I think this book needed to move a little faster or get to the romance a little faster. I loved the dynamic of Jonathan's Family and we learned a lot about him and his personality but I didn't feel like we got the same thing with Sam. Sam's story was more focused on his employees and saving them from being fired and then falling for Jonathan who happens to be his boss.

I can't quite put my finger on a specific thing that this book needed as it had so much potential in my opinion but it just seemed to leave a lot of that potential on the floor. It's going to be one of those books that I will not not recommend but also one that I probably won't be singing from the rooftops!

Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley and Sourcebooks!

I absolutely loved how the romance developed in this book. We get to see the connection grow over time from dislike to friendship and then to mutual understand and attraction.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This was a lot of fun to read! There were so many hilarious moments which made me chuckle to myself while reading. A story about faking amnesia to avoid getting fired shouldn't work because it sounds so ridiculous, but it absolutely does! It was exactly the fun, silly rom-com I needed to read!

The chaotic coworkers and family members which skate the line between hilarious and annoying, are very reminiscent of the London Calling series but the characters definitely don´t seem like carbon copies and stand very well on their own. If you liked that aspect of Boyfriend Material/Husband Material, this romance is for you!
And let´s not forget about Gollum, the true star of the story! 😉 As a cat lover, I always enjoy pets in the books I read, and Gollum was no exception. He provided lots of funny and sweet moments to the story.

The only complaint I have is that the ending definitely wrapped up to quickly. I hate long, drawn out third act conflicts but I feel that the conflict here was glossed over a bit too quickly and some character development was therefore missing.

Overall, I had a great time though and will read any romance novel Alexis Hall publishes in the future!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book was not for me. I really like this author and therefore had high expectations, but I could not connect to any part of the book. Neither the characters nor the plot seemed to cohere in any way, just as there was no character growth. Every character the reader meets seems two-dimensional with no real internal motivation. This also made it hard to understand just why the main characters would be drawn together or even what they see in each other. The plot seemed to meander as well, there were no highs or lows, and the main cataclysmic event had no real fallout or consequence.
Nevertheless, I appreciate that the author continues to write about adults having adult lives and problems. Maybe the reason I could not relate to this book lies in my very different life and experiences to those of the characters. Perhaps the book might therefore resonate more with other readers.

The way I loved this book!!! I loved the dynamic between the characters and even the lie didn’t bother me and found it hilarious. I loved their character arc and growth and the cat truly elevated everything to the next level of awesome!