I got an ARC of this book.

I just couldn't. I have adored other Hall books, but this was just didn't do it for me. Very fast talking, nonsense. Normally I adore that, but it just felt off this time. I didn't like any of the characters. This one just wasn't for me at all.

It very well might be fore you though. It wasn't necessarily a horrible book. I just didn't enjoy.

My first read by Alexis Hall, I was intrigued by the plot for this one. I enjoyed Sam and Jonathan's banter and watching their relationship develop. However, I felt some parts draggggged on. At 432 pages, I found myself getting a bit bored about 75% through. I think some of the dialogue could have been cut down to make this book a more concise 350-380 pages.

Thank you NetGalley & SourceBooks Casablanca for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

As a fan of the author’s ‘Winner Bakes All’ series, I was so excited when approved for an ARC of this one… and I was not disappointed. Honestly, I totally loved this book which had everything I enjoy in a quick rom-com read:

☀️ Grumpy-Sunshine trope
🎄 Christmassy vibes (complete with festive traditions and a truly massive tree)
😺 A cat!!! The cutest, most fickle little man called GOLLUM (how very precious)
🇬🇧 British setting and regional dialects
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A huge, hilarious meddling family
🔥 Slow burn romance


The story follows Sam, the Liverpudlian manager of a Bed & Bath store in Sheffield, and Johnathan, his boss who runs the national chain of stores in a way that earns him the prestigious title of “His Royal Dickishness”… In the lead up to the festive season, the two men clash over budgets, targets and cut-backs and Johnathan realises his whole team are at risk of being fired.


Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but an incident with a Nexa by MERLYN 8mm Sliding Door Shower Enclosure, a busy doctor and a spot of concussion lead to an unusual opportunity for Sam to reset his adversarial relationship with his boss. A little amnesia-themed white lie won’t hurt anyone, right?


Once you suspend disbelief at the frankly ludicrous situation and accept that OF COURSE it makes sense that the only course of action is for Sam to move into Johnathan’s guest room for monitoring while he recovers, the fun really begins…


I adored the banter between our two leading men, and the copious cast of supporting characters - I really felt like I got to know Sam’s Sheffield team, Johnathan’s sprawling family and his wonderful housekeeper. I was laughing out loud at 1am reading about Gollum’s feline ways, and though I cried a little towards the end, this novel put such a huge silly smile on my face and was a breath of fresh festive air.


I’d 100% recommend this sweet, Christmassy, funny, (mostly) lighthearted romance! Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Out Oct. 17 [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC for review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

When Sam hits his head moments after being fired from his job, he winds up part of a plot to keep his job—involving fake amnesia and living with his grump but attractive boss.

I love Alexis Hall, and in particular I find the London Calling books to be absolutely *hilarious.* This one is a spin off set in the same world, and it is every bit as funny as I expected and wanted it to be. I laughed multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience.

I did think that this one tended to the slightly long side and I wanted a few more hijinks to really round out the plot. It also felt less focused on the romance and more focused on the individual character arcs in parts, which made it take longer to get invested in Sam-and-Jonathan as a couple (though I did eventually get there). But all of that said, these books are just so fun, and I am always excited for a chance to revisit this world Alexis has created.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: fake amnesia; forced proximity; cats

CW: Death of loved ones; injury; mentions of car accident (off page)

E-ARC generously provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4 stars. While I had my initial reservations about the love interest, Alexis Hall’s Ten Things That Never Happened successfully combines typical romcom antics with the author’s trademark gritty-ish storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Alexis Hall has done it again. 10 Things That Never Happened is another knockout rom-com with equal parts laughter, emotionality, and heart.

Having read both Boyfriend Material and Husband Material and loving both of them immensely, I was beyond excited for this book. Rightfully so, because it was just as good.

During a heated argument with his boss gone wrong, an accident leaves Sam Becker with a concussion -- and mistakenly, leaves his boss with the impression that he has amnesia. Using this to his advantage and hoping it can save his job, Sam takes the opportunity to hopefully change his boss's mind. But as the lie continues, Sam realizes that perhaps his boss isn't as cold-hearted as he comes across.

The book is filled to the brim with Alexis Hall's trademark deadpan and niche humor. (I laughed EVERY time I read "Nexa by Merlyn 8mm Sliding Door Enclosure" and every other hyper-specific product name.) The writing is effortlessly humorous. We get a new spin on a classic "Grumpy / Sunshine" trope. But amidst the absurd humor and the witty banter, there's room for touching emotion. At several points, including near the ending, I found myself in tears. I truly cared about these characters and loved them despite all their flaws.

Alexis Hall has the ability to create characters you can love and put them in situations that will make you so frustrating that you want to scream -- in the best way possible. This was such a comforting read that truly felt like a warm hug when all was said and done. Seeing that it is the first in a series ("Material World") gives me hope that we'll get the chance to meet these characters again, which gives me so much joy.

An easy 5-star rating.

Note -- While I did love the premise of the fake amnesia plot, I will acknowledge that the criticisms of it being a tad insensitive to those who DO have that medical condition are completely valid.

10 Things That Never Happened was a joy to read, I loved Sam so much, and Alexis Hall’s humor, and wit is undeniably addictive. This was my first book I have had the pleasure to read by him, and I cannot wait to read more of his work. This book is a continuation of his Boyfriend Material series, but can be read on its own! After the main character, Sam gets fired from his job after an accident at work, he fakes amnesia. As a result of this, he ends up as a house guest to his previous boss, Jonathan. The two men slowly become closer as they open up to each other, and become more vulnerable. This book kept me so interested throughout! Truly such an enjoyable read. I also loved the fact that Sam’s full name is “Samwise”, and his cat’s name is “Gollum.” Just one of the very many cute things about this book. I highly recommend if you love a good dose of grumpy/sunshine. I give this book 4 stars. I wish I had seen more of Jonathan’s personality and a little less abrasiveness from his character, but overall I was very impressed!

Tropes: fake amnesia, grumpy/sunshine/roommates to romance (sort of)

Thank you NetGalley & SourceBooks Casablanca for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of 10 Things That Never Happened to review!
In the newest installment in Alexis Hall's universe, Sam, who is the manager at a bed and bath retailer is trying to get his boss (Jonathan) off his back about making cuts to the slightly unproductive staff on his team. Jonathan invites Sam to his office in London so they can negotiate how the store will meet its objectives when the two men end up having a heated argument during which Jonathan impulsively fires Sam and his entire team and Sam accidentally falls into a display prop in the showroom and gets a concussion. When Sam accidentally implies that he has amnesia when he wakes up in the emergency room after the accident everyone starts believing that he has movie-like amnesia. With no friends or family in the area that he knows of (because of the amnesia), Jonathan is forced to watch over Sam as he recovers from his head injury. Sam decides to fake the amnesia while recovering from his concussion in the hopes that it will make Jonathan drop the fact that he fired Sam and his entire team before the accident occurred. As Sam begins to notice that there is more to Jonathan than just his annoying boss side, he begins to realize that he has found himself wrapped up in one two many lies that he wishes he hadn't started.

3.5 stars
This book cannot be described as anything other than laugh-out-loud funny. Some of the descriptions and similes and dialogue in this book were shockingly funny and something I feel like I see so rarely in books but love so much. At times I felt like the pacing of this book was a bit weird and I often had trouble pushing through those portions. Also, I felt like the first act went on for WAYY too long. To me, it felt like it took AGES for Sam or Jonathan to budge from their positions of strongly disliking one another at the beginning. All I was getting fed for so long was a rare "longing glance" and it simply was not filling enough. The aspects of this book that MADE the book for me were the employees at Sam's store and Jonathan's family. Although I did like Sam and Jonathan I felt that the abundance of side characters really made this story shine. Most of my favorite scenes from this book were the scenes where Jonathan's family members would show up uninvited and start doing who knows what with the best comedic whit. I also wish I knew that this was a very Christmassy book when I started it. This could easily be marketed as a holiday romance and it would work well as one without issue. Also, I have read some queer romance novels in the past where homophobia is simply nonexistent but not many. I was glad that that was the case with this book. Every single character in this book was incredibly accepting and it is nice to see a queer romance novel that isn't centered around coming out or the trials and tribulations of people being unaccepting, it makes the book feel very refreshing in that way. My absolute favorite laugh-out-loud moment in this book was towards the beginning when Sam and Jonathan go to the grocery store together for the first time after the concussion: "Jonathan seems to have got his habits [for grocery shopping] from movies about people escaping from prisoner of war camps in World War II. Plan the whole thing in advance, stay close, don't talk, don't get distracted, and get out as fast as you can." For some reason I found that mental image to be pure gold. I thought the ending of this book was unbelievably predictable but for the most part I did think this was a super cute story. Overall, I did really like this book and I thought that it was definitely worth the read. If you like funny queer romance books that let you escape the real world for a while pick this up. <3

One chapter.

One chapter was all it took to hook me into this story!

Hall has this amazing way of writing quick dialogue, quirky characters, real life stakes, humor, and soft moments that I just LOVE!!

This was a solid start to a new series! I adore the side characters, I laughed out loud more than once, and I couldn’t stop flipping the pages of my kindle it was so enjoyable!

*Received as a free ARC*
Probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I just didn't care for this book. I didn't find Sam or Jonathan to be particularly likeable. The amnesia thing felt extremely sketchy, and didn't have much resolution in terms of the whole "I lied to you for a month and then started a relationship with you" thing. But to each their own, I guess.

3.5 stars for me on 10 Things that Never Happened.
I enjoyed the plot and the family dynamics that were added into the story. There could have been a bit more romance with the story line. I was hoping for more.
The use of yez and some of the dialect threw me off.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

We've all had at least one bad boss in our lives. For Sam Becker, his boss is truly the worst. Jonathan Forest owns a small chain of bed and bath superstores, making his employees' lives miserable. When Sam is summoned to the headquarters to discuss his failing branch, he doesn't expect to leave with a brain injury. A simple accident leads to Sam developing a concussion and forces Jonathan to take care of Sam until he is back on his feet. However, Sam also has "amnesia" - or so Jonathan thinks. As the two cohabitate and get through the following weeks, Sam struggles to keep his lies going. As it becomes harder to keep his "amnesia" under control, Sam finds himself developing a soft spot for Jonathan. Oh, and he also kisses him. With all of these elephants in the room, the situation is sure to implode. How will Sam manage to keep everything straight? How will Jonathan react when, and if, this all comes to light?

This is my first read by Alexis Hall, and it certainly won't be my last. You quickly fall in love with Sam and hope for the best - for him and his branch. Who wants to have a horrible boss and have a concussion (that was caused by said boss)? The story is heartwarming and the perfect read for Fall/early Winter! I enjoyed the tension between Sam and Jonathan without it being too spicy. As the two spend more time together, you feel what it must be like for Sam to battle all these emotions. Ugh! I love them. This is a must-read for anyone who loves LGBTQ+ romances and wants an enemies-to-lovers arc.

I have only read one other Alexis Hall book, and that was Boyfriend Material. While it got a lot of love, post Red White and Royal Blue it just didn't do it for me. But I wanted to try again and I am so glad I did. 10 Things that Never Happened was a fresh and funny, adorably chaotic, cast of characters that I fell in love with from the first chapter. This is a thoroughly charming slow-burn enemies to lovers.

This is a story about finding love in the most unlikely places.  Sam Becker manages the local branch of a bed and bath retailer.  Although it may not have been what he dreamed of doing, it is a solid job and he enjoys working with his somewhat ragtag team at the store.  The only real problem is the store's owner, Jonathan, is demanding, unreasonable, and all around infuriating.  And Jonathan always seems on the verge of firing most — or all — of the team at Sam's store.

When Jonathan calls Sam to London to order him to finally make cuts at his store, the two get into a disagreement near a shower display, and Sam ends up tripping and bumping his head.  After he comes to, it is suggested he may have amnesia and that he requires round-the-clock monitoring.  When Jonathan is pressured to take care of Sam until he gets his memory back, Sam goes along with it, hoping to buy time to somehow convince his terrible boss not to fire all of Sam's staff.

As Sam moves into Jonathan's house and spends more time with him, he soon realizes that there is more to Jonathan underneath his gruff exterior.  Sam finds himself getting enmeshed in Jonathan's life and his relationship with his family, and soon can't help but notice they may actually be friends ... or even more.  But can Sam and Jonathan have a future when their whole relationship is built on a lie that Sam can't bring himself to admit?

I enjoyed this story.  The author did a terrific job of evolving the grumpy-sunshine trope -- Jonathan is certainly grumpy and Sam presents as sunny.  But as the book goes on, we see that Sam's generally positive approach to life is informed by a more complicated past than he lets on.  The book is also a poignant exploration of loneliness, as Sam and Jonathan come to each see the way they have become isolated, even as they are surrounded on a daily basis by their co-workers, and how much they have missed the connection of not just a partner but also of family.   The story is quite funny, particularly as it relates to Sam's cat who takes quite a shine to Jonathan.

Highly recommended!

If I’m being honest, this book was mostly a disappointing mess barely saved by an actually very good last 10 percent that should have taken way more proportion. This comes from a supportive London Calling reader, so even if I might be a bit too harsh on this one, know that I had my expectations staggeringly high pre-reading and that Alexis Hall is still a GOOD romance writer.

Sam Becker, a humble bed-and-bath superstore manager, is struggling to keep his staff in line and meet the revenue quota set by his boss slash store chain owner Jonathan Forest. The problem gets serious enough to make Jonathan call Sam up to his office hundreds of miles away for a work ethics refocus tete-a-tete that might or might not have gone terribly and accidentally gives Sam a concussion and (supposedly) amnesia, effectively putting himself under Jonathan’s care. Chaos ensues afterward [and so do spoilers from here].

I feel like I’m going to complain more than praise so at least here are the pros: I like that its workplace setting features characters with such normal jobs in the spotlight instead of usual intellectuals, artists, or blue collars. Retailing sectors, steel laboring, and even plumbing were not looked down on but still appeared weighty in the dialogues. Sam and Jonathan had great dynamics together and are both well-rounded characters on their own. Alexis' penmanship was as consistent as the ARC allowed, so if y'all liked her London Calling books (I did), this might be just for you, seeing that it is also set in the same universe. Also, there's Gollum.

Now the con: First, the cover and title did a disservice to the book itself. While the content is brimming with multiple themes that could summarize the story’s nature perfectly well (family, Christmas celebration, mundane/non-flashy jobs, or even the amnesia plot), somehow Alexis decided that England would be the thing readers want to see on the cover. While the British sentiments luckily didn’t stray too far from the essence of the novel, it wasn’t that dominant to the story either, per other interweaving themes as mentioned above. The title itself also added little to none to visualizing the plot except maybe explaining the inner headings, which weren’t even aptly faithful to the title.

My main problem with this book would be that it doubled down on everything that made Boyfriend Material stand out from others in the genre but forwent most of the basic elements that ensure a story would be enjoyable in the first place. The plot was a convenient forced proximity variant that wouldn’t just make sense in real life and was bordering on idiot plotting. If it happened to be the British way of handling problems, then I was not familiar with it and thus felt it was barely plausible. Things that could and should have been important to the story, e.g. Sam’s past, his staff at the store, the housekeeper, the endangered revenue target, etc., were mentioned as concerns and showed the potential to be major, but rarely or never addressed afterward. Even the Forests’ Christmas get-together, whose preparation took up a large chunk of this book never saw its celebration textually realized. Instead, Alexis was bent on creating unserious banter between characters that were funny at times, but also not memorable as a whole. The jokes were so context-based that the deliveries paled in comparison.

Despite the tropes and all, I think the pair was also a solid set of grumpy/sunshine characters with dynamics that could work well if they weren’t so undermined one way or another. Sam was an optimistic but compromising team player who makes tons of remarks about the value of community and family without giving the readers the reasons why until AFTER the climax of the book. His not sharing a lot was in character post-reveal, but constantly keeping his past in the dark made him a manic pixie dream boy in his own story. This became conflicting when Jonathan, who on the other hand was very laid out personality-wise, would be villainized by Sam for several decisions that I personally found reasonable. Sam's decision to criticize Jonathan would not have been so confusing if his then yet-to-be-known background story had been revealed sooner.

Aside from all these things and other minor irritations (that bland ass radio playlist, the overall Britishness), it was still an enjoyable story. Read this with half a brain (not the left one) and have fun while you can. I'm just a random Internet person whose opinions don't matter.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
10 Things That Never Happened is the first of a spinoff series related to the Boyfriend Material/London Calling books. As such, it can stand alone, but there is crossover in supporting characters between the two.
Hall also writes in a similar, over-the-top British romcom style, so while I very much missed some of the more beloved characters, I still couldn’t help laughing at the witty prose and ridiculous shenanigans. And while fake amnesia has as many drawbacks for me as “real” amnesia in fiction, I enjoyed the sense of chaos it added to the narrative.
Sam isn’t the most likable Hall MC, but nor is the most unlikable (Paris Daillencourt takes that crown), and his quirks made him delightfully chaotic. And while the story is based on him making an dumb, impulsive decision in a tight spot and struggling to keep everything together, that was part of the charm, even if you know it’s going to fall apart eventually.
The romance was on the more tepid end for me, in part because I never really warmed to Jonathan. He does have layers beyond the “tough boss” persona, so he’s not the asshole he initially seems, but I still found myself struggling to feel super-invested in him as a character or a love interest, especially when it took so long for his walls to come down.
Given it is a Christmas book, I did like Sam getting to know Jonathan’s family, and given the premise of this exploring side characters, I love that the side cast here is also a lot of fun, presenting endless possibilities for further installments.
While I didn’t 100% love this, it’s still pretty enjoyable for what it is. I’d recommend it to readers looking for a tropey queer holiday romcom.

This book was such a breathe of fresh air that I had while reading this. It truly took my out of my reading slump and I’m so grateful for it. It had me cackling from the humor and jokes that were within it. The pacing was quick and I felt it could’ve slowed down just a bit but didn’t take too much away from the overall plot.

Jonathan owns several bed and bath stores and Sam manages one location. At first, you can’t really tell much about Sam other than he wants to keep his employees but there seem to be issues with all of them (HOW can Brian cause so many accidents?!). When Jonathan wants him to travel to the main office, he’s sure there’s trouble ahead. With an accident and various misconstrued details, Sam ends up staying with Jonathan for a short time. Jonathan seems to be the grumpiest, snobbiest person ever and he and Sam seldom get along.

When Jonathan’s family is around, chaos and hilarity reigns! I laughed numerous times over several scenes and conversations. His family is the best part of the story to me.

I don’t understand the title and didn’t find anything in the story to explain it. I didn’t feel a true connection between Jonathan and Sam but there was some angst when learning about their pasts and how they currently live their lives. While their personalities don’t change, Sam seems to soften Jonathan a bit by the end of the story and Sam gets the family he’s been missing.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

This was a tricky one for me. The premise was a significant source of stress and anxiety for me as I read the book, because I hate lying and because I knew that the truth would come out eventually.

However...I adore forced-proximity romances, and I especially love it when a character's family gets involved. Even better if the family can see the romance happening before the two love interests do!

I also *really* love workaholic main characters who have been too intense for nearly everyone in their lives (perhaps because I, too, am very intense), and I love watching them find love.

This is a fun book, and it's funny and sweet. I also enjoyed that the characters tie in to other books by Alexis Hall. I'd recommend it, but I might recommend that you pick up Boyfriend Material and Husband Material first.

Note: I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley.

Very much enjoyed this book! I didn't know anything about the story, didn't even read the blurb, but somehow the horrible boss storyline drew me in, and I could see the inevitable happening, as they stayed in the same house.. but what a nice happy-sad ending to it! I look forward to more Alexis Hall books!