I love that we get to follow Jonathan in this one and the way this story plays out! I loved the dynamics between the two characters and their love story. I absolutely love anything queer and this hit every mark for me! This was so good! I definitely want to pick up more books from this author!

“You’ve come into my life like a beam of very annoying sunshine. You talk so much that I miss it when you’re not. You try to fix things I didn’t even realize were broken. You have a dreadful sense of humour to which I’ve somehow become habituated. You care about people so effortlessly it makes me able to put up with them. And then you kissed me and now I…” He lets his head slip further down into his hands. “… I don’t know how I’m supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again.”

First and foremost, I absolutely LOVED this audiobook. 100% recommend this format. The narrator was perfect and just nailed the depth of emotions throughout. I could feel the affection that these characters developed for one another and it had me giddy. I could not stop listening.

The story itself was very sweet and often had me laughing out loud. Sam is such a funny character to follow as he navigates this convoluted amnesia plan in order to save his employees (and himself) from being fired. That plan is basically to endear himself to his dickish boss, Jonathan Forest, while he is living with him during the duration of his "recovery."

I laughed (a lot). I also cried. There were surprising hurt/comfort dynamics and a load of Christmas antics that I did not anticipate but absolutely loved. Also, there is an incredible cat named Gollum.

I also understand that this is a spin-off from the London Calling series (Jonathan is a side character/ old school friend of one of the main characters in those books.) I have not read those books and did not have any issues with reading this one- so if you think you need to read those in order to enjoy this, I am here to say you do not. (That being said, I fully intend to read Boyfriend Material and Husband Material one day.)

*Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.*

Sam is about to get fired and due to circumstances he pretends to have lost his memory so he doesn't get fired.
It's an absurd premise and really it doesn't get a lot less absurd. But I mean that was to be expeted given what series this novel is in. It is silly but is has a lot of witty humor, some deeper conversations and - most importantly - a cat.
I laughed out loud a lot and I cried a little. Perfect combination for a Romcom.

This is written in the same style as Boyfriend Material and Husband Material. Out of the three I would say Boyfriend Material is the best and this is a close runner up.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Alexis hall for a free review copy!

I absolutely loved Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend and Husband Material, so I was extremely excited to get approved for this ARC!

What I love most about Hall is his unique voice and style in his writing, and such a sense of humour. I don’t laugh a lot when reading normally, but when I pick up one of his books I’m always giggling at the pages.

10 Things that Never Happened was no exception to the rule. It was lighthearted, fun and silly with a unique plot. I liked both Johnathan and Sam’s characters and the growth between them as the story progressed.

Was there a lot of plot holes with this Amnesia Plot? Yes absolutely but it didn’t take me out of the story at all.

Overall a very fun read!

An endearing and comical story that had me hooked from the beginning. I will forever read everything by Alexis Hall and recommend the reads! I received 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall. from #NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.

I’m a sucker for an amnesia plot, but I think 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall is my first “faking amnesia” romance. This is Alexis Hall in top form: funny, frothy, romantic, and inherently British, with a grumpy/sunshine dynamic that simply sparkles on page.
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Sam and Jonathan are so funny together. They could not be more different in the way they move through the world, though I found that both were equally endearing as their character arcs progressed. I don’t always love boss-employee dynamics in my romances but Alexis pulls this off deftly, acknowledging the challenges to this setup, but the situation is made even muddier because Sam is pretending to have amnesia so he doesn’t get fired, lol. What you get is forced proximity, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine tropey goodness that makes you wonder how it’s all going to come together. Add in Sam’s singular first person POV that is so voicey and a tiny bit chaotic and you get a fantastic reading experience with a romance that will charm the heck out of any grump (even if they are as grumpy as Jonathan!!).
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It’s clear that I love Alexis Hall’s books. One of the things that I admire most about his writing is his ability to write serious, pining, angsty romances (Glitterland, A Lady For a Duke), and then turn around and write a romcom like 10 Things That Never Happened that’s so fun and heartwarming. The range!! Anyway, I love his latest novel. I needed something that would make me giggle while I turned the pages, especially after reading some very dark books. Of course Alexis delivers, and I know romance readers are going to love this one when this one when it releases on October 17th.

Thank you to @sourcebookscasa and #netgalley for the ARC!

I was SO excited for this book— as I keep searching for anything that will let me relive the pure bliss I felt while reading Red, White & Royal Blue. The concept of the book felt fresh and different from other romances out there, but still had the grumpy/sunshine trope that I love.

At its core though, this is a romance book— and that is where the book struggled the most. Jonathan was just too much of a jerk, and I just couldn’t feel any chemistry between him and Sam (who was also quite immature IMO). There weren’t enough scenes where we got to know them better, and see their chemistry and compatibility. There just felt like a major lack of character development.

Overall, I felt like this book had so much potential but it fell flat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

❤️💙 10 Things That Never Happened ARC Review 💙❤️

Thank you so much to Alexis Hall and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

10 Things that never happened is a contemporary MM romance and a spin-off in the London Calling universe. Sam feels stuck in his life. He’s a manager at a high pressure sales job, his boss is an ass and pushing him to perform better and the holidays are around the corner. When he trips at work and sustains a head injury, he’s not able to stay alone and the only person who can help him is the one person he can’t stand…his boss, who thinks Sam has memory loss when Sam remembers everything

This book was a fun read! I really likedSam as a character and the relationship he had with his coworkers. Jonathan is a grumpy boss, but throughout the story it’s discovered that he has his reasons. Overall I liked this romance a lot, but felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked more of the “after” part, but that’s a “me” issue and not a book issue

Overall this was a solid 4 star read for me. Fun characters, engaging story, just would have liked to see more of Sam and Jonathan with no secrets between them. This book did have a cute romance, but no on page spice, so overall one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, holiday romances with fun banter, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please Note: review will be added to Amazon upon publication

📣 fake amnesia, forced proximity between a likable branch manager of a bath & bed shop & his prickly, “unlikable” boss

📖 what was your last 5 star? This was mine!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

My heart 🥹.

Before starting 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall I saw a few things that kind of set my expectations accordingly: (1) similar-ish in style to Boyfriend Material, (2) really good, (3) & Alexis Hall shared that this is grumpy & the sunshine if the sunshine is reckoning with trauma (or something like that. My apologies if I’ve twisted that in any way!).

That’s all so true.

This book is charming, it’s so funny, & I got Office vibes from the office scenes in the book & While You Were Sleeping vibes from any scenes featuring prickly boss Jonathan Forest’s family.

So it’s very endearing, in short.

As is protagonist Samwise “Sam” who kind of stumbles, kinda dives into a fake amnesia situation with his horrible boss Jonathan Forest in an effort to save his branch from being fired.

But after he’s made to live with Jonathan for a while—he has to, given his presumed injuries—he realizes that Jonathan is grumpy but that’s not all of him & also grumpy is kind of attractive on him.

I adored this book, these characters, this family. Watching Sam & Jonathan engage with others & seeing their very obvious discomfort & yearning & their wrestling with their insecurities is sad & heartwarming.

The deception reconciliation feels a bit skimpy to me—but overall I just wanted these two leads to be together & for them to get back to the family unit they had made.

Ahhhhh! Also I wanted two epilogues instead of one because my heart wanted more 😆.

Such a great book; I loved it; I hope the two of them are living the happiest of lives with their ugly cat in Croydon.

5 ⭐️. Out 10/17.

CW: previous death of family members, including parents.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a white, red, & blue floral dress, holds the ebook in a field of yellow flowers. A gray sky is in the background.]

Classic Alexis Hall. This was funny and I had a great time reading it. Definitely a good silly plot that you can’t take too seriously.

I really enjoyed Hall's Boyfriend Material and was excited to see this new novel. I think for this novel it's important to suspend your disbelief as a fake amnesia plot isn't the most likable plot to happen. So be warned. But I love romcoms and enemies to lovers so I'm used to unrealistic plots.
Hall has a very entertaining writing style and some scenes are really very funny and these elements kept me reading. I enjoyed how the relationship gradually developed and learning more about these characters. The secondary characters are great too which I really appreciated. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a funny and chaotic romcom.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I was hoping that I was going to like this book more than I did. I’ve read Boyfriend Material by this author, and I loved that. But I had to DNF this book at 20%. For me, there were a couple issues just from what I read.

Firstly, there was so much repetitiveness with the writing, the equipment (the Nexa by MERLIN 8mm sliding glass door shower for example) and character descriptions (New Enthusiastic Chris is new and enthusiastic) would be repeated over and over when it did not need to happen. We would also read what a character is going to say/do and then they would say/do it (“I am going to tell him I am going for a walk…”Jonathan, I am going for a walk””).

Then I didn’t find the 2 main characters enjoyable. Sam reads as a 20 something acting like a teenager. He doesn’t understand that if his store is failing, they will have to close it down and no one gets to work there and everything is pretty much a joke. Then there is Jonathan who reads like Scrooge, grumpy and money hungry. And from what I read, there is no chemistry. There is really only 1 show of human emotion from him in this time and it felt forced

I had a blast with this book from start to finish. As someone who only just started the London Calling series (literally just a few pages in), I am just barely familiar with Alexis Hall's previous work. So in a unique sort of way, I very much viewed "10 Things" with a ton of objectivity. With that being said, despite being part of the greater Boyfriend Material and Husband Material universe, it definitely stands on its own two feet.

For those who consider themselves fans of enemies-to-lovers and amnesia fiction (and who doesn't, really?), "10 Things" more than lives up to its tropes and then some. Hall's irreverent writing style and natural wit had me laughing throughout, and despite an extremely convoluted scenario, Hall embellishes the world with amazing side characters and a *very* satisfying slow burn romance in the end.

I give it so many points for originality, even though I can see this book not being everyone's cup of tea. The two leads are polarizing characters in their own unique ways, terrifically flawed but downright unlikable so many times. In the end though, their chemistry is out of this world and I found myself rooting for them.

I do hope to read more in this series as it emerges, to immerse myself more into Jonathan and Sam's (Material) World, as well as the greater world of London Calling. Having finished this book in the better part of a day and a half, I can definitely see what all the fuss is about this author's more commercially popular work, so I look forward to reading on.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cute M/M rom com with premise of faked amnesia baked in. Enjoyed it but it's a very slow burn. Romance is PG rated.

4.5/5

Alexis Hall books have my heart, and this one is no different!!! It's a grumpy x sunshine trope alongside a fake amnesia trope (which is one I'm...not sure I've ever read before lol) where people ACTUALLY handle workplace relationships in a way that respects the inherent difference in power between those in different positions. Laugh out loud funny, charming, and heart-warming. A book that feels like it's about adults (weird adults who still mess up big time but adults who can learn to communicate nevertheless). If you're looking for a fun read, I strongly recommend "10 Things That Never Happened".

Actual rating: 4.5⭐️

If you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers, boss/employee dynamics, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine tropes, and a touch of fake amnesia, then this book is an absolute must-read!

The story revolves around Sam, who, after being fired by his boss, decides to fake amnesia to save the day (and his staff’s jobs). Little did he know that this lie would lead to his grumpy boss, Jonathan, taking care of him at home. At first, it took me some time to warm up to Jonathan, but as the story progressed, I found myself falling for him just as Sam did. The author skillfully unravels Jonathan's layers, revealing a complex character who is both an asshole and a good and vulnerable man. And he quickly becomes a cat dad to Sam’s cat, Gollum - adorable!

What I loved most about this book is the gradual development of the relationship between Sam and Jonathan. The chemistry between them is palpable, and their (British) banter is both hilarious and heartwarming. Alexis Hall beautifully captures the emotions and vulnerabilities of both characters, making their journey from enemies to lovers feel authentic and satisfying.

Alexis Hall's writing style is impeccable, with witty dialogue and vivid descriptions that bring the story to life. The pacing is perfect, keeping you engaged from start to finish.

If you're a fan of romance, complex characters, and a well-crafted plot, I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR.

This sadly was not the book for me. The fake amnesia plot felt really creepy to me and the whole, staying with my boss under false pretenses was uncomfortable. I also felt like Jonathan was completely unlikeable.

There was some good writing though! I highlighted couple of quotes that made me actually laugh out loud. Loved the cat, Gollum.

If you can overlook the "building the relationship on lies" thing, you might enjoy this book. It just wasn't right for me.

It only took the first chapter -- the first few pages, really -- for me to get hooked on this book.

Immediately you have a sense of character, place, and the stakes involved. I really appreciate and enjoy this level of skill in any writing. And as with any Hall book, this this story has an incredible voice and masterful writing that perfectly mixes the actual laugh-out-loud banter with moments of tender realness. It has a memorable ensemble cast (maybe my favorite group in Hall's books yet!), character growth, and thought-provoking commentary on life and love.

And a guinea pig ornament in a Santa hat!

And holiday family chaos!

And fake amnesia!

And <s>fisting</s> (stuffing) a chicken!

And: "I don't know how I'm supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again." !!!

I enjoyed this story a lot.

*(Also, I'm thinking Brian and Alex Twaddle would be friends? Y/N)

Very nice read, it felt like if a hallmark movie was unironically funny. There were a lot of different characters, but I was able to keep most of them apart so the author did a good thing there. Strong beginning, but near the end, things were rushed and suddenly there was another mystery reveal, which was a bit random, hence only four stars.

Sam Becker is okay at his job but when a run in with corporate lead Jonathan Forest leaves him with a concussion, Sam thinks he can save his and his co-worker’s jobs: fake amnesia, only the more he knows Jonathan, the more he sees there’s more to his boss than his strictness. I really liked Boyfriend and Husband Material, and 10 Things I That Never Happened stayed true to Alexis Hall’s wit and banter. The enemies-to-lovers plot did feel kind of similar to Boyfriend Material but it’s still charming. I adored the audiobook narrator, it really made the experience for this one all the better in this slow burn romance. I would’ve loved some of Jonathan’s POV, he is so sweet and uptight and I wanted just more of him. This felt like a little slice of life story and was just really endearing. Sam is a flawed character and I loved his honesty. I didn’t love the fake amenesia story, but I liked the effort Sam put in to try and make it up to Jonathan. This story is charming and heartwarming and witty.