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!

Ugh.

I'm disappointed. I LOVED Boyfriend Material, adored half of Mortal Follies, but 10 Things just... didn't do it for me. The Amnesia trope isn't for me.

I don't know that I've read a romance where both main characters are so unlikable. I think the basic premise of the book, lying about having amnesia, probably should have given me some kind of clue. But then I didn't like the Love Interest either. While Sam was clearly a misguided liar, he was also annoyingly always putting himself in other people's business. And Jonathan was just an asshole nearly to the very end. I like flawed characters, but they at least need to be likable.

On top of it all, I felt the story just kind of lacked... something. Everything? I found myself so bored. I was hoping that, even if I didn't like Sam and Jonathan, then I could at least rely on tension and banter. But I didn't even get that. I daresay, there wasn't even chemistry.

With that said, I think there are readers out there that would enjoy this.

This is in the same universe as Boyfriend Material, but only by the tiniest of margins.
One of the characters here is very vaguely connected to one of the side characters in the other one.
In terms of tropes, this is grump/even bigger grump, with a pinch of fake amnesia, around the Christmas Holidays.
So shenanigans are had by all, including the cat, who is maybe my favorite character in this one.

Sam and Jonathan are fine, they have good arcs and are very dimensional as characters.
The banter is funny and I cared about them, but this book dragged on for me for some reason.

It isn't my favorite, but I am glad I read it.

This was a very likeable book. A slightly unlikely premise, but it is so fun to read, it doesn't matter. I really wondered how the author would turn the grumpy MC into a hero I could root for, but they pulled it off! I just wish it wasn't quite as much of a slow burn. I did have a lot of fun with this one!

I love Alexis Hall's writing, which includes interesting characters, laugh out loud moments, and heartfelt emotion. Set in the world of bed and bath retail, Sam and Jonathan are pretty much opposites, and when an accident occurs at the time Sam fears he is about to be fired by Jonathan, the stage is set for fake amnesia. When an unlikeable boss starts to become more human and guilt sets in, is there a chance for new beginnings? While not my favorite, Alexis Hall never disappoints.

This book has a lot of humor in, but not necessarily in a LOL way. More of a self-depreciating kind of way with how the character narrates it. On verge of being fired (shortly before Christmas) Sam has an accident that leaves him with a concussion and somehow his boss (who was partially at fault for the accident) comes to the conclusion that he has amnesia and Sam doesn't correct him. With no one else there to take care of him, the boss (AKA His Royal D!ck!shness) reluctantly agrees to act as his caretaker, inviting Sam into his home until he recovers. Slowly over time, Sam starts to peel back the layers that make Jonathan (the boss,) and see him in a new light. Not that it's an easy task. Jonathan didn't get his nickname by chance. Ever so slowly Jonathan starts to show a softer side and maybe Sam is having a good impact on him... if only there wasn't that big secret, you know... the fact that he doesn't actually have amnesia and has basically been lying this whole time. Not only does Jonathan have to take care of his employee (who he's more worried about being sued by) but also his family who brings chaos whereever they go, and they tend to go to his house often. Meanwhile, through all the chaos and caretaking, a bond starts to form between the two fellows and feels grow. Too bad one is the boss of the other and won't go there with him. Both the main characters are interesting and fun to read about (even the no-nonsense money hungry boss.) Both have things in their past that make them act the way they do. (That eventually are uncovered.) The side characters all bring a little something to the story as well. This is the first book by this author I've read, and so I don't know if it's the case with all their books, but this is centered in the UK, so the language/slang used may not be understood completely if you aren't familiar with it, but you get the gist of it all and it's not anything that will take away from the story. Just be prepared if that is something that annoys you in books. While it's clean as far as sexual content goes, the 'F' Bomb is prominent and used quite frequently. That is really the only thing that may be a hinderance if you are concerned about younger readers. The book is taken from Sam's POV only. This is a good, fun, hard to put down read.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Sam Becker is a straight talking foulmouthed marshmallow. He spends most of his time covering up the mistakes made by some of his sales team. His boss Jonathan Forest is the owner of the bed and bath retail store, plus two others. He is a rigid uptight man concerned with budgets and the bottom line. The two are literally brought together by accident. This story is sweet, poignant, and laugh out loud funny!

I'm a big fan of Alexis Hall's books and will always read everything and anything he publishes. Although, I will admit that 10 Things That Never Happened was not a favorite by any means. I enjoyed the overall story and was very interested in how Hall was going to use amnesia as a plot. I don't mind that it seemed so unbelievable that something like this would happen, it just didn't work despite my suspension of belief. I think the characters lacked enough chemistry where I could overlook the absurdity of the situation and I couldn't understand why they liked each other if it didn't feel like it was developed on the page, which is very unlike Alexis Hall.

I always laugh when I read a book by Alexis Hall because his humor is usually SO GOOD but I literally wanted to throw my e-reader out the window by how many times we had to read the stupid brand name of the shower. It might have been funny the two or three times it was mentioned but it got really annoying after the 10th time.

Overall, I don't think this was the best of Alexis Hall but I was still happy to read something new by him.

A sure buy for our collection. Expected to be popular among library patrons. A clever and touching romcom that will be a star in our queer lit collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. We follow Sam(wise) Becker and Jonathan Forest. Sam is a reluctant manager to a bed/bath retailer and Jonathan is the owner of the chain. Sam is called into London since his store isn't performing up to standards and accidentally trips and bangs his head while Jonathan is trying to fire him. He gives Jonathan the impression that he has amnesia to get out of being fired and Jonathan ends up having to take care of him while he recovers. There's a lovable hideous cat, a loud and intrusive family (Jonathan's), strange pizza combinations, and overall a fairly cute plot. I do think that the central misunderstanding wrapped up a bit late in the story and it was pretty slow burn for most of it, but overall charming and cute and a light-hearted read.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Okay as per usual I went in based on vibes alone and managed not to realize that this book's primary trope is FAKE amnesia. Real head injury, fake amnesia. This is an important distinction going in, because the POV is from the would-be amnesiac, so you get a front-row seat to a whole lot of guilt. I did realize my mistake very early (I wish I could say it was before the head injury but no, I went to read the synopsis right after the whoopsie that led to the head injury), and it's truly unfortunate that I'm immune to shame but completely prone to secondhand embarrassment. However, we soldier on and I'm too stubborn to let some embarrassment stop me.

The pacing of this book was a bit tough for me. I love slow burn but the building emotions were a bit subtle for me; now, perhaps that would've been helped by dual POV, but I wasn't sure these boys were going to complement each other for a good chunk of the book. You know the feeling when you're aching to root for the couple but they're not giving you a lot to work with? I would've been delighted if the turn was a bit sooner, is all I'm saying. It did come together, and I flew through the last 20-30% of the book, but just know this is a very slow burn.

Ultimately, if you go into this knowing there's fake amnesia and you love the awkwardness that comes with that, this is definitely for you. I'm definitely going to give some of his other books a go, because I love British humor and I really truly loved the nerdy references tucked into this book here and there. Not to mention the ones not so tucked, I mean the main is literally named Samwise, which made me kick my toesies on page one.

I’m struggling with what to rate this one, because I both enjoyed it immensely and I struggled to get through it. Alexis Hall’s writing style is funny as ever — I’m constantly laughing out loud when reading his books, and this one is no exception. However my issue here is with the plot and characters. The plot, because I struggled for the better part of the first half of the book to accept that it is a romance; and the characters because they are the reason why I couldn’t see this book turning out to be a romance. I knew that Jonathan was going to be the love interest from the blurb, but there were various points where I thought we were being punk’d. Jonathan is not likable at all, and even in the “soft” moments where the reader is supposed to be seeing another side of him were so disingenuous and forced. I really thought he would be more like Oliver in Boyfriend Material because at least Oliver was endearing and cute. Jonathan….is a big no from me no matter that his behavior was “justified.” And Sam was giving Luc energy because he’s a bit of a hot mess, but I just don’t understand why he couldn’t be a better manager and get over himself? I don’t know, I read the whole thing cover to cover just because I like Alexis Hall’s writing — I wish the plot had more to offer, but c’est la vie.

10 Things That Never Happened focuses on Sam, who is the manager of a bed and bath superstore. He likes his job, but he doesn't love it. When his overbearing boss, Johnathan, demands that Sam come in for a talking to, things quickly go off the rails. As Johnathan threatens to fire Sam and some of his coworkers, Sam falls and hits his head. Thinking that Sam has amnesia, Johnathan is forced to have Sam live with him as he recovers. Fearing that if he tells the truth that he will be fired, Sam decides to go along with the lie.

As Sam lives with Johnathan, he sees new sides to him, including how he is with his large and loud extended family members. Sam starts to feel like he part of Johnathan's family, and he feels comfortable with him. Their bond starts to grow, but under the surface is the truth of Sam's lie. How will his lie affect their connection?

I really enjoyed this story for so many reasons, including:
-caretaking
- grumpy/sunshine
-enemies to lovers
-workplace romance
-holiday romance
- emotional themes
- two lonely people finding each other
- secret pining

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this book.

I have conflicted feelings about this book. I have read this author before, and really enjoy his style of writing. Thus, there were elements that I loved: the witty banter between our main characters, Sam (an employee at a bedding store) and Jonathan (the owner of said bedding store), as well as their hilarious, heartfelt interactions with Jonathan's family. The premise of the book essentially revolves around Sam staying with Jonathan while he recovers from a concussion that occurs from a fall in the midst of Jonathan trying to fire Sam, so Sam fakes amnesia to save himself and the employees of the store he manages. I think what was lacking for me was the romantic connection between Sam and Jonathan. The story is told from Sam's POV and I believe that this story may have been greatly improved with an alternating POV from Jonathan. I have a hard time with books where I can't connect with the character on any level, and Jonathan just never really became a likeable or relatable character for me. I expected more character growth from him in the story, whereas we get a lot of character growth from Sam in the end. All in all, this is still a fun, well-paced romantic comedy, that I believe will please Alexis Hall fans to some extent.

I love Alexis Hall's work and this book was no different.
I was excited for this new twist on the amnesia trope - a character not actually getting amnesia, but faking it? Sign me up!
Hall always manages to create incredibly genuine characters, with both his leads and the side characters. The cast of people working at Sam's retail store felt so real i could have sworn I have worked with people similar in the past (for better or worse).
Sam was a lovable blundering hero. He's not perfect, but that makes the story much better. Jonathan was brooding and very Darcy-esque. It's really refreshing to have the main love interest not be an out-of -this-world sex god, as they so often are in rom-coms. Jonathan was a normal guy, with a loud and boisterous family.
The whole story felt attainable and realistic, despite the absurdity of Sam's actions.
Alexis Hall has done wonderful work once again!