I did not finish this book. I made it about halfway before putting it down. There were a few things that stood out to me that I couldn't get past. One of my biggest issues was how there was a lot of repetition and it felt like it was simply to add to the word count. For example in Chapter 9 when the housekeeper and Sam are having a conversation and they are discussing the shower model. I was also put off by the amount of cursing and how the same words were used over and over (dick and fuck). While I do not mind cursing in a book, and mostly enjoy it, I felt the sheer volume lacked creativity. I also felt there was a lot of "fluff". There were meaningless back & forth conversations, that again, felt like it was not value added and there to add to the length of the story.

Outside of the writing style, I did not fully connect with the characters, especially Jonathan. I think in order for a reader to connect with an unlikable character like Jonathan, we needed to see some positives about him earlier. Unfortunately, all we received was negativity (lack of empathy, aggressive, selfish, etc.). He wasn't a villain I was rooting for to improve because I didn't get any of the "good" in him. No little glimpses to offset the bad I received. As a reader, it was challenging to want to keep going.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

This story was my first by Alexis Hall, and I loved it so much that I went out and bought almost the full back catalog!

Sam is a slightly lonely, slightly lost branch manager of a bed and bath retailer, and Jonathan -- or his Royal Dickishness -- is the grumpy and deeply unhappy owner of the chain. One day they enter into a fight and as a result Jonathan fires Sam and his entire team. And here's where the story would have ended, if not for the Nexa by MERLYN 8mm sliding door shower enclosure, which meets Sam's head when he falls in it, causing him to lose his memory. Except that's not true, only a result of a mild miscommunication. A miscommunication that gives Sam a chance to start fresh, rebuild his relationship with Jonathan and save his job and his team's jobs.

While Sam stays in Jonathan’s huge apartment to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion, they start to get to know each other day by day, and we get to know them as very different but nevertheless equally kind and vulnerable people.

I loved everything about this story: the tender friendship Jonathan developed with Sam's ugly cat, the caring and yet dickheaded way Jonathan was protective over Sam. The slow and careful buildup of feelings between Sam and Jonathan makes my heart squeeze even now while I am writing this review. Sam is so brave in expressing his emotions (even though for most of the book he is a big big liar), and the way Jonathan lets himself be vulnerable with him, while admitting how scared he is just heartbreaking. Jonathan knows that he is not an easy person to love, and it is incredibly rewarding to watch Sam prove him wrong.

I found myself agreeing with Jonathan on an alarming number of occasions -- honestly, his family would have put me on edge too! But Sam turns out to be a perfect addition to the family, as he smooths out Jonathan’s sharp edges and calms down his family’s crazy.

And in addition to all that heartwarming emotion this is also a very funny book! I highlighted like half of it -- witty jokes and observations, inventive insults and one-liners. Sam is a wonderful protagonist, I was delighted to spend hours in his head. I admit the book is kind of long, but I wouldn't remove a word from it!

The story reads like a warm Christmas movie. In fact, I am planning a reread for one of those cold weeks when the snow falls slowly outside my window, and I am warm under my blanket with a cup of tea and my kindle. That is if snow decides to make an appearance in Belgium this December.

I don't think I'll shut up about this story any time soon and I am not even a little bit sorry. Just remembering moments from the book brings a smile to my face. A huge thank you to Alexis Hall for this story. You have got yourself a fan for life.

10 Things That Never Happened was an absolutely perfect book to bring a smile to my face. It is the story of Sam, a man working at a bed, bath and beyond kind of place for a horrible boss, Jonathan, when Sam has an accident at work (involving said boss) and after such accident, Sam fakes amnesia to avoid getting fired along with his team. Oh, I loved this book so much. The banter is hilarious, oozing with sarcasm and clever one liners. The romance feels like a warm hug and the supporting characters are absolutely brilliant, particularly Sam’s co-workers. Sam getting sucked into Jonathan’s chaotic family and their antics at Christmas is the perfect escapism for all of us. Life is stressful right now. Do yourself a favor and read a book that will make you happy.

I loved the grumpy/sunshine aspect, I loved the side characters, and I loved the humor and honestly the storyline in general. As a gen-fic book, this was great. As a romance, it was a bit lackluster. I never really felt the chemistry between the characters, nor did I feel like they were a good match. I am starting to realize that this author just may not be for me outside of a couple random books, and that's ok! Not every author is a match for every reader.

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!