Well this does it, I'm officially an Alexis Hall fangirl.

This is the perfect enemies to lovers romance, featuring Sam and his boss Jonathan who are temporarily living together due to the fact that Jonathan accidentally caused Sam to have a severe concussion and amnesia. This accident occurs during an argument where Jonathan fires Sam and perhaps a few members of his team as well... Seeing as Sam doesn't have anyone at home that can take care of him (at least not to his knowledge, but to be fair he does have amnesia...), and no recollection of what happened to cause the accident, Jonathan forces Sam to stay with him, mostly to make sure Jonathan isn't looking to sue him and his company. Sam on the other hand, does not have amnesia at all but is taking this opportunity to fake it, and to try and make Jonathan change his mind regarding the firings.

As it turns out, neither Sam nor Jonathan is what the other expected - and sometimes that is exactly what you need.

What makes Alexis Hall such a great writer, is that the characters are so well thought out, and so devestatingly human that it feels surreal to think about the fact that they aren't real people. The humour and warmth with which people are described, and allowed to be flawed, is nothing less than absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to read number two in this series.

After not enjoying Husband Material or Mortal Follies, I was hoping this book would redeem my relationship with Alexis. Unfortunately it did not. I'm not normally a fan of amnesia plots but there are a few books that have enjoyed. This was definitely one of those times that it didn't work for me. I didn't really like any characters (except the cat) and just felt like the amnesia plot line should have been resolved sooner. I'm not sure if I will pick up any future books from Alexis and that saddens me as a fan of their earlier works.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved this and any book Alexis writes is magic.

Honestly, I wasn't in love with this. Pun intended. The fake amnesia/enemies to lovers tropes are usually well and good, but this went on maybe a little longer than it should've. I didn't love the characters as I had with Alexis Hall's other books. By the time I got 3/4 of the way through, I just wanted Sam's deception to end so that the climax could happen, Jonathan confronts him but then realizes he still loves him and takes him back. Jonathan's family oddly reminded me of Clark and Ellen Griswold's families in National Lampoon Christmas Vacation but with accents. And speaking of the accents, as a pathetic American, it was hard to decipher the accent that was written in to the book. A definite 3 out of 5 because it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.

Jonathan Forest is an Ass. Also, Sam‘s boss. So when he overhears Sam‘s employee calling him His Royal Dickishness over the phone, Sam has no choice but to follow his demand to show up in the London Location of the Chain of Bed and Bath Stores he works as a manager at. When a stern talking to escalates to harsh words, Jonathan firing both Sam and his entire team and Sam getting a concussion, Sam takes any chance he can to keep his team’s jobs safe. Including faking amnesia and moving into his boss’s house for two weeks. What could go wrong?

This was absolute chaos. Glorious, fun, giggly chaos. I swallowed this book whole. Was Jonathan kind of an ass? Yea. Did Sam just not know when to stop? Also yes. And it made for same damn good banter. The story was honestly silly. The whole premise didn’t really make sense. But it was a really fun, lighthearted romantic comedy about family and personal growth and forgiveness. It could have touched a lot more on specifically Sam‘s past and I’d be happy to read it if something like that came out. But bottom line: this was a fun, silly book that’s just a sweet read. Recommend for a nice read with a lot of character growth and crazy Christmas vibes.

DNF at 73%

Spoilers ahead.....

Let me say that I am an ABSOLUTE fan of this author, and I never in a million years even THOUGHT that I would not end up not finishing. I also don't DNF likely, so this was not an easy choice.

This book started off AMAZING, I have so many pics from my Kindle that I was sending to friends while reading. And laughed out load a few times. I found the premise hilarious, if not overdone "fake amnesia" and a tad toxic lol.

I was not a fan of how rude Jonathan actually was, It was at the point where it was revealed why Jonathan and his dad's relationship was so strained, that I just decided this is too much. for me, personally. One of my FAV tropes is grumpy sunshine and this was not grumpy, this felt more unkind and selfishly hurtful.

40% of the book was Jonathan being rude and Sam telling him he is being rude and them fighting about it.

Its now 73% in where they are on their way to Sam's store, that I became SO ANXIOUS for the 3rd act break up after all this miscommunication, and Im sad to say I could not push through as I know its going to be bad.

I love this author and I will DEFINATELY read future releases - this one was just not for me, and that's totally okay.

I have rated the book 3 stars here and will not be reviewing the books on my Intagram or Tiktok platform as a dnf.

Thank you for approving me for this read.

I loved that neither Sam nor Jonathan was perfect, or perfectly gorgeous, and the family was a bunch of bumbling weirdos too. I did not really like the interactions with the Sheffield group mostly because it was very manic over a generally manic speech anyhow. I adore Alexis's dialogue skills - it's my favorite part - the banter and the general way you can feel the feelings just from the discussions. This was lovely. Brian should have been fired.

My first Alexis Hall book! Thank you to Netgalley for the e-Arc.

This was really fun, and hilarious. I’m a bit of a grump so it’s rare for me to laugh out loud at anything, but I did for this (well, a breathy laugh, it’s as close to laugh out loud as I get). Especially at that chicken scene. I also found great joy in the British-ness of it all, especially that the MC is from the North, not a perspective I read from a lot in books. For extra points, there was a cat.

It got a bit slow in the middle, but the cuteness made up for it. I think I’d also like a bit more character development and growth.

A solid 4.5!

So cute and Alexis Hall writes British witty banter and sarcasm like no other. Really enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope, done very well here, and the cat was an especially nice touch. Lots of Britishisms that were a bit confusing to this American, but that's fair. Really great story and cast of characters.

Perfection! A sort-of spin off to Boyfriend Material/Husband Material- You see a familiar face or two.. 10 Things That Never Happened is like a 1990’s rom com came to life in my hands! I absolutely loved it! Now to wait for the next book!!

This was a solid romance book. The plot was fascinating, the characters were realistic, and the trope was well-played without being too stereotypical. I was expecting the written aspects of Sam's accent to bother me, but they were very well done.

I really enjoyed Alexis Hall's previous similar romcom so I was excited to read this and it ended up being Fine. I felt like the spark that I had enjoyed in her previous works was missing, I didn't feel the need to tear through this one. Protagonist fakes amnesia and ends up living with his grumpy Hunk boss and hijinks ensue. My favorite part of the book was really the Hunk's family dynamics, because they reminded me of my own, and the romance was secondary for me because this alleged relationship built on a big lie felt kinda icky to me and I can't imagine lying to my partner like that. Don't get me wrong, this was still a pleasantly diverting read, but I would describe it overall as nice, nothing more.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book and the banter that makes me keep coming back to Alexis Hall's novels.

10 Things That Never Happened weaves together several tropes - slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, grump vs. sunshine - all in to a fake amnesia set in London at Christmas. Hall has the ability to create not only relatable main characters but also distinct supporting cast with their own unbelievable personalitities. From Brian and his tea and coffee misfortunes to Jonathan's family and even Gollum, Sam's cat, the world Alexis Hall creates keeps intrigue throughout the entire novel and leaves the reader hopeful for a sequel.

Overall, another great novel by Alexis Hall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review.

This is one of my favourite romances by Alexis Hall. I know I have said this about many of his books and it is true for all of them.

It’s a Christmas romance that is all about the human relationships – family, friends, boss/employees, colleagues, lovers. It has care and kindness at the heart of it, just what I think Christmas should be about.

It's a kind of understated and quiet romance, not big flashy gestures or love declarations, just tiny, everyday signs of care, kindness, respect and appreciation. It spoke directly to my heart. We see Sam and Jonathan opening up to each other, slowly, gradually seeing the other in a new light. They start with animosity but learn that there is much more to the other person than they initially thought. It's especially true for Jonathan, he really hides himself behind distanced, cold, outright hostile demeanor. Sam is more of a wearing-his-heart-on-his-sleeve kind of person. He is the gentlest, sweetest person. Jonathan is controlling, demanding, workaholic, not the easiest person to love. Seeing him open up a bit, relaxing a bit but not changing himself fundamentally just to please the people around him. I super appreciate that. Sam got to love with him with all his rough edges. And behind it all Jonathan really cared about people and showed it by working hard to provide for them.

This is very much a romcom and AJH’s dry, sarcastic humour really works for me.
My overall take of the story is that relationships are complex, they take work and are built on compromises but they are beautiful and a bit of magic.

It’s a very cozy romance, like a comforting warm hug, and reading it brought me so much joy.

CW: death of parents and grandparents (in the past), grief, concussion


READING PROGRESS

DNF at 22%. Not posting review online. I really liked A Lady for a Duke so I was looking forward to reading this book. But the story was slow, the characters were annoying, and I could not get into the book. I’m disappointed that I didn’t like this book, and hope that I enjoy their other books more than this one.

A funny London based Christmas romance. From the repeated use of the full make/model titles of things in a store to shopping for incredibly overpriced christmas baubles in a fancy store, this story was full of funny moments. So much so that even though I knew the emotional punch would come and its not like it wasn't forshadowed, but it still snuck up on me.

Sam isn’t quite living his dream life as a manager of a bed and bath retailer. But he has a big heart and loves his team of misfits. When the owner, Jonathon, comes to town to tell Sam he must let people go, he’s determined to save their jobs.

Things don’t go as planned when Sam shadows Jonathan for the day and just after he’s fired, he falls and bumps his head. What’s Sam to do? Fake amnesia seems like the perfect plan. Except, Sam can’t go home as he lives alone, so Jonathan offers to let Sam stay with him.

Despite bumping heads, Jonathan slowly shows Sam why he is so off-putting and grumpy all the time. Can Sam’s positive outlook and love for life rub off on Jonathan? And…is Sam starting to fall for him? Is Jonathan falling for him too?

This was my first Alexis Hall book, and it most definitely won’t be my last. This book had so much banter I absolutely loved it. Banter is one thing that I enjoy the most in romcoms, and this one did not disappoint. I also loved that this book was holiday themed, but the holiday wasn’t the focal point. It makes it a perfect book for any time of year. This book had some amazing characters, they were all well developed and helped the plot. The grumpy/sunshine trope is one of my favorites and I loved how it was portrayed with these characters. For me it always makes a swoon worthy story when the characters get to know each other and come to like and love each other despite their differences. This book is just so much fun.

If you are looking for a laugh out loud, slow burn MM romance, then check this one out.

Thank you so much to the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

I'm a big Alexis Hall fan and 10 Things That Never Happened didn't disappoint! This was my first amnesia trope romance and I had no idea whether I'd like it or not, but I was pleasantly surprised.

This book is perfect for fans of:
🎄 holiday themes that are a backdrop rather than the focal point
🎁 fake amnesia/miscommunication trope
🎄 slow burn romance with fade to black scenes
🎁 actual major grump v sunshine
🎄 found families

Fans of Hall's notoriously witty dialogue and banter will adore Jonathan and Sam driving each other absolutely bonkers in this book. Jonathan is the hard ass owner of a small chain of bed and bath stores. Sam is one of Jonathan's store managers who is on the verge of being fired for his motley crew of ever-fumbling employees. When Jonathan calls Sam to his home store in London to give the bad news, a nervous Sam ends up with a concussion after tripping and bumping his head. He also, maybe, accidentally, implies that he can't remember that he was in the process of being fired... or anything at all. So an ultra grumpy and annoyed Jonathan offers to let Sam stay with him over the holidays to keep an eye on his recovery.

The whole miscommunication trope is usually not my thing, but it's handled quite well in this story and plays into the slow burn illicit romance that develops between boss and employee. I really loved that Jonathan was a true grump, not just slightly moody on occasion, but genuinely seemed perpetually annoyed with everyone and everything around him.

The cast of side characters was on point, as I've come to expect from Hall's stories. In this case, we have all of Sam's employees who are varying degrees of competent and we also have Jonathan's entire family who have enough issues to have a book all of their own. I like how Sam's whole backstory was slowly revealed to the reader at the same time as it was revealed to Jonathan.

Overall, a really cute holiday-themed book that isn't overly mushy/sweet and uses the theme as more of a backdrop for the characters' story and budding relationship.

Exactly what I have come to expect from Alexis Hall. This book is funny and sweet and full of a cast of memorable characters.
Highly recommend for a holiday romance

Sam and Jonathan’s love story was so👏wholesome👏 Which might be an odd description considering they bickered so much but somehow their bickering gave me the warm fuzzies? Alexis Hall, a magician. The way they needled at each other was endearing in the same way that you see “an old married couple” argue who you know actually adore each other. The balance of tension, angst, and humor was top notch. I legitimately laughed and chuckled throughout the book!
🛁Banter
🛁Slow burn
🛁Forced Proximity
🛁Christmas shenanigans
🛁Opposites attract
🛁F2B/very vague open door (fade to grey?)
🛁A-hole to everyone but him
🛁Found family

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.