First to note- this isn’t a sequel to Boyfriend Material / Husband Material—though it is set in the same world. A sweet, slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance, this one is super cute. Also, who doesn't love a grump/sunshine romance? This definitely fits that bill. If you liked Alexis Hall's previous books, especially in this universe, you'll love this one as well!

I loved this book as I do with every Alexis Hall book. Characters, plot, and pace were all amazing. Highly recommend.

FINALLY..........some good fucking food. this was such a good romance!!! i absolutely love alexis hall's quirky tell-tale narration. every other sentence is hilarious, and the characters practically jump off the page with how heartfelt and sincerely real they all feel. the character work is amazing as well, and as i kept reading, i found myself falling more and more in love with sam and jonathan, and even the plethora of charming, eccentric side characters. and the cat named gollum. the whole amensia plotline/trope has been done dozens of times in a dozen different ways, but i feel hall really made it their very own and breathed some much-needed life into this trope. definitely would recommend picking this up during the holidays/christmas! it's a perfect read for around that time!

Thank you to Net Galley for Providing the electronic copy so I may provide my review.

"10 Things That Never Happened" is a story that follows Samwise Becker, a branch manager of Bed and Bath store, as he tries to convince his boss, Jonathan Forrest, to save his store. After various hijinks, and some verbal back and forth, Sam becomes injured on the job and rushed to the hospital. With the doctor, and Jonathan, thinking he's suffering from Amnesia, Sam takes this as his chance to convince Jonathan to save his store. However, along the way, Sam starts to see his boss as not just the jerk next door. Will he be able to pull off this ruse and leave himself, and his heart, unscathed?

Alexis Hall has done a masterful job in creating a narrative full of unrealistic scenarios with realistic characters and conversations. We get a full display of polar opposite characters, with opposing ideals, work and cohabitate together.

The characters, in my opinion, were the best part of the novel! Every single character brought out a distinct personality in each other through interaction. A good example of this is Jonathan and his family. We see Jonathan's personality in the beginning of the story, through Sam's point of view, as pragmatic and condescending. He runs his business in a efficient manner and does not apologize for his decisions. When disciplining Sam, the reader sees a brief moment where he shows gentleness and compassion. But his mask comes on again, and he reverts to his original persona. When Sam is introduced to Jonathan's family, we see a variety of characters that bring out a different side of Jonathan. We have the caring mom, stoic dad, annoying sister, traditional grandparents, and drunk aunt. Although these character tropes are standard in the literary canon, Hall is able to put a twist on all of them to make them unique and relatable. With the family, we see Jonathan, at first, be stand-offish and cold, but he becomes warm and caring as he interact with his family.

I also found that the author did a wonderful job shifting between the story's tone. Most narratives have issues finding a balance between a main plot and the subplot. If plot A is serious and is described dramatically, the shift into the B subplot undermines the seriousness of plot A. However, Hall does a great job connecting the plots and maneuvering between comedic dialogue and situations to serious conversations and eventual consequences. Hall is able to do this because of how she sets-up her point of view character, Sam. At the beginning, we're thrown into a dilemma with Sam and we see how he reacts and problem solves difficult situations. This scene exemplify his character, as he doesn't take things seriously, and how he interacts with the world, as he gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. However, when we're introduced with his dynamic with Jonathan Forres, we get to see how he's able to be serious and confront important issues. Hall is strategic in putting these interactions first as we get a pattern developed and we're able to expect to find comedy in the seriousness and vice verse.

However, the conflicts in the novel are, in my opinion, weak and lack follow-through. The premise of the novel is that Sam fakes his amnesia to save his job and the jobs of his co-workers. We do get a sense that Sam cares about his employees and his assistant manager. This is a character trait that makes Sam likable and makes us root for him. However, as a reader, we don't get a sense that he care about his job, or that he's passionate about it either. And even though Sam care about his employees' jobs, the reader isn't given any motivation to care about them or their livelihood. Sam is fighting against the clock to prove to Jonathan that he's a good manager and he doesn't need to fire anyone at his branch. When we, as the reader, get a sense that Sam doesn't care about his job, and we don't care enough about the employees he's trying to save. In fact, some of the employees don't care about their jobs making Sam's motives, and eventual sacrifice, lack meaning. This gives the plot a lack of tension and make us wonder "Why are we doing this?"

I also found many loose ends in the narrative that needed an answer or a conclusion. Although the story ends with the normal "happily ever after", we don't get to see the aftermath of Sam's platonic relationships. The whole point of his amnesia quest was to save his co-workers/employees. However, we don't get to see a heart to heart with his team. In fact, near the end of the novel, his eventual sacrifice an admission of liking their "jerk boss" is glossed over. This gives the reader the notion that his efforts were unappreciated. Leaving the reader feeling a loss as the perceptive closeness of Sam and his team is diminished. Another loose end that wasn't clarified is the fact that Jonathan was the one who "pushed" Sam into the shower display unit. Well, Sam fell on his own and Jonathan didn't physically touch him; the fact is that it's Jonathan's fault that the situation happened. This idea is continually brought up in Sam's internal monologue and when indirectly brought up, Jonathan is seen feeling guilty and trying to avoid the topic. However, when Sam's secret is revealed, this fact is left unresolved. Although it's not a needed detail to be recognized, the importance placed on this detail merit at least some acknowledgment.

Overall, this was a lovely romantic comedy narrative that features a beautiful Christmas backdrop.

It was a blustery day, the wind creating a chill that blasted through the front doors every time a customer entered the shop. A light snow was starting to fall outside, but he couldn’t stand here distracted when things needed done. He was in charge of this place and the boss was breathing down his neck about the holiday season coming up. The guy was a menacing prick.

10 Things That Never Happened is an entertaining gay romcom following Sam, who is managing a bed and bath store that is in danger of being closed and employees losing their jobs. He sets out to prove to his boss that it’s not necessary.

This book had me laughing out loud! First, Sam is named after Samwise from Lord of the Rings and he has a cat named Gollum… that won me over immediately. Then the banter between Sam and his boss Jonathan was perfection. The sarcasm and wittiness had me smiling. Next the meddling family had me cackling (think the aunties in Dial A for Aunties). The middle of the book did drag a bit and I felt myself wanting things to move along, but overall this book had so much goodness.

Read this if you’re a fan of the show Superstore, want a gay Hallmark holiday romcom, love enemies to lovers/workplace romance, and want a no steam read.

This book was a fun and fantastic read! Here's my breakdown of its awesomeness!
Plot: The plot line was ADORABLE! Its the cutest of meet-cutes and I absolutely loved the slow and angry burn.
Characters: The characters were so well written and came right off the page. The dialogue was hilarious and witty and really made the reading go by faster!
Spice: I loved the spice in this book!
Overall, a great read!

This was a cute MM romance! Sam is the manager of a bed & bath store where he cares more about his employees than meeting his quarterly quotas. His boss, Jonathan (who everyone thinks is a prick), isn't so pleased with this and nearly fires Sam. Having an accident causes Sam to have a very real concussion, and very fake amnesia to try to get out of losing his and his employees' jobs.

I wasn't fully bought into the fake amnesia trope and the ending did feel a bit rushed to me, but Sam and Jonathan's chemistry and banter helped carry this book for me and brings this up to four stars! A special shoutout also to Gollum, who was such a great addition.

Also note that the author writes Sam's dialogue imagining he has a Scouse accent. While there was occasionally some language/words I (as an American) didn't quite understand, I didn't feel like it made too much of an impact as you can figure out the meaning through context clues!

Thanks to Netgalley & Sourcebooks Casablanca for this e-ARC!

4.5 stars

Sam, a manager at a bed & bath retailer, is summoned to a meeting with his boss Jonathan because his sales aren’t where they need to be. In a bit of a freak accident Sam trips, an entire shower display falls on him, and he gets a concussion. He might also imply to his boss he can’t remember the moment right before he tripped - when Jonathan fired him and his entire staff.

I really think that Alexis Hall shines brightest when he is writing witty 90’s romcom style romance books. This book was a hilarious good time. It’s over the top but heartfelt. In the end the two main characters are very human in their insecurities. I might have liked it more than Boyfriend & Husband Material because Sam and Jonathan have lovely chemistry. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Luc and Oliver but Luc is a chaos gremlin and I don’t understand how Oliver didn’t throttle him more often than not.)

Sam and Jonathan though, I enjoyed the slow progression of Sam coming to see Jonathan for who he is and why he is that way. And yes, I loved that Jonathan is a prick and just kind of stays that way but lets his guard down for Sam. Throw in some Christmas shenanigans, some heartfelt found family, and some very sweet moments between the couple and you have this book.

Oh and it’s very clever and fun, I laughed my way through this one.

Thank you, Netgalley for an ARC of this wonderful book.

10 Things That Never Happened is a charming and funny read with lots of heart, holiday spirit, and amnesia. Sam is a sweet guy with a bit of tragic past, who manages one of the stores Johnathan own. Sam ends up being called to London for a meeting with Johnathan, and the meeting is a disaster. Johnathan fires Sam and all the employees under him, but just as he does so, Sam falls and hits his head. After a doctor's visit and some miscommunication, Johnathan believes Sam has amnesia, and Sam is just hoping he can use his amnesia to buy some time to come up with a plan to save himself and his employees from the unemployment line.

The dialogue and interactions between the characters are very witty, and fit perfectly with the absurdity of the situation. Sam and Johnathan also make excellent foils to each other--Sam often being the compassionate one who is quick to defend people, but is a bit of a pushover, and Johnathan being the more "logical" and insensitive one, who comes off as someone who only sees numbers and not people.

It was fun to watch Sam and Johnathan interact, as well as, see how the two of them challenged and changed each other over the course of the book.

I can't recommend this romance enough for someone who wants a romance with comedy on almost every page, and with heartfelt moments that sneak into the story and flesh out the characters to tug on your heartstrings.

i loved this. this is the most Alexis Hall book out there and that makes it all the better.

it's filled with interesting characters, a swooney romance, and some seriously great banter. it felt like these conversations were jumping off the page.

Alexis has such an interesting voice and i love reading it.

Sam is a great protagonist with a surprising amount of depth. you figure out a lot about him in how he reacts to the world and then finding out his entire story crushed me.

and whew. Jonathan. what a guy. there's a LOT going on there and seeing his icy exterior warm up little by little was a treat.

this book is great.

This is a tough review to write since I have loved most of Alexis Hall’s writings.

This book didn’t land for me and in large part its because Jonathan and Sam are not likable characters and neither felt redeemable in the end. I didn’t understand how/why Sam would tolerate Jonathan’s cruelest and lack of awareness about how to run a business. How exhausting.

The best part of this book was the scenes with Jonathan’s family.

The cover is also misleading as this is not a book about Luc and Oliver - it’s slightly tangential.

<b> Thank you Alexis Hall, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy to review. </b>

Sam Becker is a mediocre manager of an underperforming chain store, who feels protective of his rag-tag bunch of employees. A few weeks before Christmas he is called to HQ to chat with the owner about how to turn the ship around. While attempting to convince his boss, Jonathan Forest aka His Royal Dickishness, to give their location another chance, he falls into a shower display, sustaining an injury to his head and a concussion. This faked amnesia, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance was an enjoyable read and not overly-saccharine Christmas story.

The book took me a little while to get into as I usually latch onto characters quickly and the MC and love interest both play their cards close to the vest. But as they gradually reveal themselves to the reader, their dynamic, relationship, and snippy bantering conversations draw you in.
3.75/5 stars rounded to 4/5 stars.


Note for the author/editor and NOT part of my online review:
I think what kept this book from being a full 4 or more stars for me was that I struggled a bit with the dialect/lack thereof. While I live in the United States, my best friend is from the UK and so I am familiar with the difference in turn of phrase (which was very fitting). What I particularly had problems with was the "yez"'s. I was constantly reminding myself it was pronounced "yous" on top of it really being the ONLY written word that indicated dialect. I think I would have found an easier flow while reading with you/yous or even a stronger indication of dialect being written into the text instead of expecting readers to know/remember/understand it from the Authors' Note at the beginning. I mention this solely because I think that the wider International market will likely have similar struggles.

Review Publication Note: The review is up on Goodreads, and was featured on Instagram Stories. An Instagram review post will be published closer to pub date.

Alexis Hall has done it again! Grumpy x Sunshine perfection, it had me laughing out loud, sighing with that "oh that's just so cute" and feeling all the emotions. I cannot get enough of this author, fast becoming one of my go-to's!

I typically love Alexi Hall, but 10 Things That Never Happened fell a bit flat for me. I loved the grumpy x sunshine aspect, but felt the plot was a bit drawn out and because of that the book was a bit overly long. I still really liked Sam and Jonathan, and the story as a whole, just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Absolutely freaking adorable this book is! I love everything by this author, and :I can never get enough!

Man. I am a big Alexis Hall fan. I usually live a grumpy locked up hero mixed with a chaotic potential partner.
However, this was a tough read for me. The first half of the book took forever to get through. Neither if the characters was easy to connect to/ feel for. They were both irritating in different ways. I am a fast reader and books this length are usually quick reads. This book took awhile & almost put it down.
The last half moves faster and was more enjoyable for me. It isn’t my favorite book by this author.

As far as I'm concerned, Alexis Hall is one of the best authors out there when it comes to LGBTQ+ Romance and I'm honestly convinced he's incapable of writing a bad book. While I had a couple of issues with 10 Things That Never Happened, mainly with the pacing, Hall's character work was incredibly well done and overshadows any pacing problems I may have. Alexis Hall had such a strong sense of who Sam was as an individual that his narration effortlessly brought me into the story, ensuring 10 Things That Never Happened would be one to remember.

Thank you @netgalley for sending me an ARC of 10 Things that Never Happened in exchange for an honest review!
This is an enjoyable romcom! I was quite fond of how Jonathan warmed up to Sam! He turns into a sweet character, though still very grumpy. As much as I understand Sam not wanting his coworkers to be fired, I understand Jonathan's perspective. They keep damaging material and keep not showing up to work, obviously they're not good employees. I didn't enjoy how this got blamed on Sam tho. Even Tiff says she slacked off because she knew she could with Sam, but that's her problem. She's the problem, not him. You have to be responsible, I belive it's obvious that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
The side character's antics can be a bit annoying. Sometimes the main character will try to have a serious conversation with them and they'll just start rambling about verything and anythigd and it's a little irritating to the reader. To be honest, I wasn't fond of Sam's friends at all. They don't appreciate him enough. He sacrificed himself for them and they just say they're better of without him, I honestly would'vre dropped them way sooner.
Jonathan is such an asshole to his dad. His dad got fired and tried his best to support his family, I don't understand how Jonathan can't see that. He says that getting a low payig job is "failing at life", but also wants to fire his employess. In the end he's a huge hypocrite when it comes to classism.
I don't understand how Wendy doesn't care that Sam was lying to Jonathan during the whole relationship. Her son was being lied to constantly and she was just expecting him to not care. That very irrealistic. No mother would want her son to be in a relationship with a liar.
Overall, the romance is interesting as is the growth of the main characters, but the rest of the characters and plots fall flat.

TW:sexual content, amnesia, head-hitting.

Sam likes his job but hates his boss, Jonathan. Jonathan seems to ONLY love his job and nothing else. After an ill-fated employment standards meeting, an accident and a concussion, Jonathan makes Sam move into his London mansion to keep an eye on him after his concussion & supposed amnesia.

I really wanted to love his. I like the happy Vs grumpy RomCom trope but this just fell flat for me. It's a bit too long & I never really fell for any of the characters. It genuinely felt like there was never a plan to this book and it just ended abruptly. The third act mis-understanding came so late in the book, it was just swept under the rug in 2 lines in the epilogue. It was an unsatisfactory ending as a reader.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Thank you Netgalley for this book!

I must say it got me a couple of pages until I was completely into the story. But once I was I LOVED it!

Sam, Gollum and his chaotic Coworkers
Jonathan and his messy and loud family

It was a fantastic read and really funny - Sam, Sam, how on earth did you end up in this situation! And Johnny MCGrumpy ( at the beginning I could've slapped him left and right lol ) but I really warmed towards him and I love them both!