If you grew up watching british romcoms, you can't not love the wildness of this story, the main characters, the over the top situations, the loud family and friends, and the totally movie-like scenario. Faking amnesia to make the evil boss change his mind about firing his friends and himself, Sam really doesn't know what he got himself into. He wings it, and he wings it well. Well enough that Jonathan makes him live with him to look after him, and the forced proximity places its fateful hand in getting them to show parts of themselves they don't show often.
But we know that lies don't say secret for long but everytime the time seemed right to come clean, something was in the way. I loved the comedy in this book. Sam's cat choosing Jonathan and Jonathan getting a new bff. The gigantic Christmas tree! The overpriced tree decorations. The NSFW cooking that's not what you imagine. Everything made this book funny, sweet, and a page turner.

10 Things That Never Happened is another quirky book written by Alexis Hall.

Sam Becker finds peace in his job as manager for a bed and bath superstore. He loves his employees and finds their quirks to be charming. Sadly, the owner of the superstore, Jonathan Forest, cannot be the same sort of charming person. Sam, ordered to travel to London to chat about the store from Jonathan couldn't imagine anything worse. Yet he travels down and accidentally trips into the head honcho, bumping his head and "losing his memory", or so Jonathan thinks.

Faking amensia should be a walk in the park. What Sam doesn't expect is Jonathan's guilt and need to keep a consistent eye on him. As Sam and Jonathan get closer, will he be able to tell the truth once he discovers who Jonathan truly is under the grumpy exterior?

I enjoyed reading 10 Things that Never Happened, especially the side characters featured throughout. I pictured the workers to be from my favorite television show, Superstore and enjoyed the work parts of the story to be the best parts! While I wish this story was dual point of view and had the climax of the novel a little earlier, I found the end satisfying and am curious what will be next for this series.

3.5

Alexis Hall books tend to be very hit or miss for me. With everything I’ve read, the summaries sound great and the stories are full of quirky fun characters but I find that sometimes the humorous tone is too much for me. Here though, I think he strikes a nice balance.

Jonathan and Sam play into the classic grumpy/sunshine trope and there is the usual cast of oddball side characters that hit just the right amount of funny without being too “this one eccentricity is my only character trait” that I sometimes feel with Hall’s side characters. I liked watching the slow burn romance and Jonathan’s character growth. The whole stern businessman learns how to deal with his emotions plot tied in nicely with the Christmas setting of this book. I do think the resolution to the third act breakup felt a little out of character though. Like Sam had been lying about having amnesia the whole time and Jonathan got over it really fast.

Overall, I think this was a really solid book, though not a new favorite. I think that could change if I reread it via audio though because I would have loved to hear all the accents! The sample I listened to had me really excited to listen to the whole thing.

“Well, Samwise Eoin Becker, you’ve made some terrible choices.”

It's no secret that I adore Alexis Hall. I have truly enjoyed all of his books I’ve read and this one was no different. It had the humor and heart that I’ve come to love, and expect, from all of Hall’s books.

Sam is so endearing, even when he fakes amnesia in order to save the employees at the bed and bath retailer he manages. The owner, Jonathan, is prickly and secretly called the Prick of Pricksylvania. After a freak accident for which Jonathan feels responsible, he takes care of Sam and they start to see different sides of each other. They have this subtle, underlying tension that really loved. It isn't quite in your face, but their banter is enough to pull the reader right in.

Throughout, we know that Sam feels awful about lying about the amnesia, but as with most lies he’s in too deep to turn it around. Jonathan’s family provide this outstanding supporting cast that I come to love in Hall’s books. They’re hilarious and continuously see through Sam and Jonathan. I'm always in awe of the way Hall manages all of these characters with such clear personalities that add such great layers to the overall story.I love the journey that Sam goes on particular, as he realizes he doesn’t want to continue on as the manager and wants more. He has this self-reflection that really puts his life into perspective.

“You think there’s a lesson here about making up absurdly convoluted lies?”

This book was so fun and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for the next book by Alexis Hall.

Sam Becker is a man who manages a bed and bath retailer in Sheffield, England. He likes his job but isn't passionate about it. He would like it more if the owner of the store wasn't a "giant dick".

Jonathan Forest, a.k.a. "Giant Dick", is the owner of said bed and bath retailer and is stationed in London. He is a workaholic who has a hard time showing any emotion that is caveman anger. He also does not like Sam Becker and orders him to come to the London branch so he can learn how to meet the unattainable quota standards.

Once at the London branch Sam and Forest get into an altercation and Sam trips and cracks his head onto a very heavy shower glass door. He is rushed to the hospital and decides that he is going to have amnesia so Forest will forget about firing him.

Faking amnesia was a great idea at the beginning, but once Sam had to live with Jonathan due to a severe concussion, the plan backfired tremendously.

Sam has to deal with the reality that Jonathan does have other emotions and can express them. Sam also tangles himself into Jonathan's very complicated family matters and gets too involved.

What I Liked:
The only thing I liked about this book was the boss/employee trope and that Sam's real name is Samwise - like the one from Lord of the Rings. Sam also names his very ugly cat, Gollum.

What I Disliked:
Everything. I disliked everything.

The writing was terrible and it rambled about things that didn't really matter to the story. There was A LOT of slang that is common in England, and since I'm from a small town in Iowa, I didn't understand the slang and it took me out of the story. I normally have no problems with slang terms being used in books, but this was overkill.

I also hated that she named every piece in the stores by their full name. If I had to read one more time that Sam fell on a Nexa by MERLYN 8mm Sliding Door Enclosure I was going to DNF the book. It felt like I was watching Finding Nemo for the millionth time due to school and having to hear Dory say the P. Scherman bit. IT. GOT. OLD. And once again, the type of product didn't matter to the story.

I also just didn't care for the amnesia trope, I've read better. It might have worked for me if I cared about the characters - which I didn't.

Final Thoughts:
This was my first book by Alexis Hall and I was really disappointed. My librarian friends LOVE his books and have been trying to get me to read them, but sadly this was the one I started with.

I don't know if I'll read his other published work.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book!

I think I laughed for a good 80% of this book. I mean, I LAUGHED. I snorted and giggled because the amnesia plot line? Some of the banter? Hilarious. This was one of the funniest amnesia plot lines I've ever read and Hall does it well. They also had such a way of having Sam use turns of phrases or say things that were just hilarious. Also, Jonathon's entire family. It was almost a bit like National Lampoon, which is one of my favorite movies.

Things I liked, but wasn't expecting:

⭐ it takes place at Christmas, it doesn't look like a Christmas book, but it absolutely is.
⭐ the amnesia plot line - I was REALLY worried about this, but honestly it ended up being one of my favorite parts
⭐ the humor -- sometimes books try to be funny, but they're not. This one was funny.
⭐ the relationships - I LOVED how Hall tackled the family relationships in this book, it was one of my favorite aspects of the entire thing.

Jonathon and Sam were hilarious -- and so was Gollum. I adored every moment that they spent together, and I loved how their romantic relationship developed.

This whole book gave me warm fuzzy feelings, and it was so enjoyable.

This was an absolutely enjoyable read and I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves queer romcoms, because this is at the top of my list at the moment.

All things considered, this was a pretty good book, though not one of my favourite romances. I think Alexis Hall is very comfortable in contemporary romance and is able to write a story that while it’s not necessarily realistic, is at least somewhat naturalistic. While I was never able to fully immerse myself in this book due to some weird pacing of plotlines, I think that the big moments were well-done even if the build-up was a little off. Overall the book was very readable and I found myself really endeared to all of the side characters, Gollum the cat especially, of course. I think if you’re a fan of Alexis Hall’s books then I would definitely recommend this book!

I can’t say that I’ve ever read a fake amnesia plot before, but this book certainly takes a shot at it. It’s certainly an interesting way to have two characters fall for one another, though I think some information and plot points was too delayed within the storyline for me to be fully behind Sam and Jonathan. It’s like, I’m in favour of them getting together and I think that they have some really good and even romantic moments together but their foundation isn’t stable enough to be head over heels. Maybe I’m cynical or maybe the fake amnesia plot goes on for way too long, but it ends up feeling like they like each other, but I’m not totally sure they’ll ever fall in love with each other.

Fortunately, I think the overall plot, especially with the Christmas party and Jonathan’s relationships with his family members were very interesting and made me consistently want to keep reading. I also think that, as a whole, Sam and Jonathan are both very good and interesting characters we just don’t find out important elements about them as characters until it’s too late for it to really play into my overall feelings. All in all, the good parts outnumber the less-than-good, but I don’t think this will rank in my favourite Alexis Hall books anytime soon.

Jonathon and Sam were cute, but I could not get on board with the whole fake amnesia plot. It rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning and I just couldn’t really get past that while reading.

I read Alexis Hall because I can always count on him to deliver those unexpected laughs, over-the-top characters and hijinks that make the pages fly by.

10 Things That Never Happened has all of that! It centers around a grumpy/sunshine workplace romance between Sam and Jonathan. Jonathan, more affectionately referred to by the Sheffield branch of his bed and bath stores as His Royal Dickishness, fires Sam—who then falls into a (very specific) shower stall, gets a concussion and is assumed to have amnesia. Sam rolls with it, as part of an odd plan to convince Jonathan to save his team. They live together, while Sam plans the company Christmas party and tries to keep up the amnesia charade. It’s far-fetched yet enjoyable ride.

This isn’t technically a holiday romance, but there is a heavy Christmas storyline and vibes which I adored. This is also filled with British humor and slang, with the author even specifying the Liverpool, UK dialect of the narrator. Most of this may have gone over my head, but I bet this is fantastic on audio, which is how I fell in love with Alexis Hall in the first place (via Boyfriend Material).

Slow burn, low steam, crazy coworkers and a fun family. This one warmed my heart like a good cup of tea!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was able to get an ARC of this book. I am a huge fan of the boss-employee relationship that takes place in this book. The two main characters are very well thought out and help bring out the best in each other. Also, always love a reference to Lord of the Rings 💙
I did think the ending was a little rushed, and would have liked there to be more time that the two main characters were separated.

Yassss queens, Alexis Hall is back, and I couldn't be happier.

I adore a grumpy/sunshine story. Add in the Christmas season and I am hooked.

Sam and Jonathon's story is a cute, cosy one. Fake amnesia in front of your grumpy, yet hot boss? Yes please.

A rag-tag bunch of secondary characters that will have you shaking your head in WTF fashion one moment, and wanting to give them a big hug the next? Absolutely!

And a surly AF cat (I mean, all cats are a-holes but gees this one haha) - why not!

It was a slow burn between our lovelies, and of course you have the drama when things all come out, but I was glad that things were not dragged out unnecesarily, and our lovelies moved on after the fact.

I am looking forward to more of this series - maybe Luc and Oliver could come for a visit for some homewares - but not he Nexa by MERLYN 8mm shower screen - that thing is a menace!

I have a love hate relationship with Alexis Halls work, and while I did enjoy the plot and themes of this, I was left wondering why this is was marketed as part of the Boyfriend Material world with no connections. Also, I found the contrast between pretty likable characters to an overused plot point of failed amnesia to be a bit of centering

What a surprisingly hilarious and sweet story.

“…I don’t know how I’m supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again.”


I mean ::swoon::

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this eArc!

I tried getting excited about this book in numerous formats: digital, audiobook, etc. But every time I sat down to read or listen to 10 Things That Never Happened, it felt like a chore.

While I loved watching the relationship between Jonathan and Sam grow, it was an extremely slow burn that felt more like a side point to the amnesia and family plots. There is also a LOT of UK colloquialisms, which made it harder for me to understand, since I live in North America. I found myself going back and re-listening/rereading moments to try to figure out what was going on.

While it wasn’t for me, I would recommend this to any UK reader that loves this universe by Alexis Hall!

this had some good moments, but overall i didn’t enjoy most of it. the first half felt a bit drawn out and the ending felt rushed. i thought the plot was just okay, and the writing style wasn’t really for me. i didn’t find either of the MCs to be very likeable, and i didn’t find any of the other characters had much development to be invested in them.

Was this book pitched as "While You Were Sleeping" but more grumpy? There are a lot of similar elements, just jumbled up and British. The Sandra Bullock movie is one of my all-time favorite romcoms but I'm also a big fan of a dose of realism and some "issues" in my romance (paradoxical, I know) and this book is a mix of both. I've read a number of other Alexis Hall books and he's in fine form here, the rambling leashed tightly to a narrative structure that allows for goofy/sweet asides such as, "Like Mariah Carey at Christmas, all I want is you." There's a twist that doesn't quite work for me toward the end (it felt like the author kept something secret about the person who's head we were in the whole book, thus keeping me from actually knowing or sympathizing with the main character) but darn it if it wasn't still quite emotionally affecting.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and sales are ramping up, even for the bed and bathroom chain that Sam Becker works at. But as the snowflakes fall, so do the numbers for the Sheffield chain, prompting Sam’s boss, Jonathan Forest, to begin demanding cuts to staff. Feeling some sense of loyalty to the people he’s worked with for a while now, Sam decides to tell Jonathan where to shove it – except that shove lands Sam directly in the hospital with a killer concussion and a massive misunderstanding between him and his boss.

With a plot straight out of a soap opera, readers tag along with Sam as he navigates his bout of fake amnesia and the real feelings of falling for his grump of a boss. Hall’s book was entertaining and enjoyable, if not a small bit predictable at the end. Though I did enjoy this novel, I found myself wishing that I liked it more, almost as much as I did when I read “Boyfriend Material.” Though Sam was a thoughtfully written character whom I connected to when reading, I struggled a bit to even like his love interest, who was less of a grumpy person with a sunshine interior and more of just a grump overall.

That said, if you’re looking for something with a Christmassy feel to it and a few enjoyable tropes thrown in, this might be the book for you! Just make sure that you don’t go in with the expectations that it’ll be as highly rated as “Boyfriend Material.”

Additionally, if you’re looking for a spice level, you won’t find it here. Though there were scenes that alluded to sex, there was nothing overt (which was just fine by me!)

I received a ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. Rounded down from 3.5 stars.

Very much the vibes of Boyfriend Material, something that feels very cozy after reading many of Hall's books. This novel is very Christmas themed so I think that's missing from the marketing.

10 Things That Never Happened follows Sam who is a manager at a bed and bath retailer. He is very content with his job but there is just one problem his boss Jonathan is the worst. Jonathan makes Sam come to the flagship store to show him the way the store should be run. While Sam is there he trips and gets a concussion. As a result, Sam makes it seem like he doesn't remember anything because he thinks he is about to get fired. Jonathan is forced to take care of Sam. As the two get closer they might end up having feelings for each other.

I do not think I am a fan of Alexis Hall, to be honest. This is the first book of his I actually finished, I DNFed all of the other books I have read by him. I didn't really enjoy this one if I am being honest. The whole amnesia plotline was not really well executed. It seemed to be like the author just forgot about that when it was supposed to be a major part of the book. I felt like the amnesia plotline made it seem like Sam was trying to take advantage of Jonathan. Which just left a bad vibe for me. I really didn't feel a romantic connection between the main characters. That was also something it seemed like the author forgot about, and then at the last second added some romance vibes. This book also dragged on. I feel like the author included a lot of details about minor characters that we did not need since it did not add anything to the overall story. I really wanted to like this one but it had way too many flaws for me. I think at this point I am not going to read anything else by this author since I am always let down.

This is an interesting book. The setting is in England. It was fun to learn about Bubble and Squeak and other foods and monetary terms. This is a book about two men. Samwick (Sam) and Jonathan, Sam’s multimillionaire boss that owns three Bed and Bath stores. After a head injury that results in Sam having amnesia (or does he) Jonathan is responsible for Sam’s care. The story twists and turns through life’s challenges for both men. This book has trials, wrongs are righted, friendships, and romance. I was given an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.