Sam is the manager of a bed and bath type shop in Sheffield. The job is ok and so are some of his staff. One is an absolute clusterfuck and another sounds like a lazy piece of work but Sam doesn't really care. We get the impression that he has a lonely life and that he's pretty much just existing. He's originally from Liverpool but he left there in a hurry but we're not really told why.

Sam's boss, Jonathan is the owner of the bed and bath shops and is so uptight that he probably poops diamonds. He has no sense of humour and has no time for the way that Sam is running the Sheffield branch. Jonathan demands that Sam come to London for a meeting. A meeting that could very likely end up with Sam and all of his staff being sacked.
During the day in London, there is an "incident" and Jonathan accidentally assumes that Sam has completely lost his memory. Feeling somewhat responsible for Sam, Jonathan takes him home to recuperate.

Is this Sam's chance of getting Jonathan to agree that the Sheffield branch is just fine? Or are they just going to continue to be the Odd Couple, butting heads over every. single. thing?

I enjoyed this which was the first book that I've ever read by Alexis Hall. Sam was believable as a character. Jonathan was a little less believable for me, especially when you get to meet his family but not to the point that it had any impact on my enjoyment of the book.
This is a lovely story about how two lonely people need to open up to allow themselves to live a little.
The stand out character has to be Gollum though. He absolutely steals the show.

10 Things That Never Happened is a stand alone story within the world of the London Calling series. It’s a slow burn enemy to lovers holiday rom-com with lovable characters, witty banter, and thoughtful emotional moments.

As always Alexis Hall’s writing is smart and utterly delightful. The characters of ultra grump Jonathan and well meaning sunshiny Sam are a nice contrast. While some holiday chaos is to be expected, at times the family shenanigans and dialogue felt a little hard to keep track of. The writing truly shines with smaller more intimate interactions between characters.

If you love the London Calling series, romance comedy and the chaos of the holidays this is a super fun read full of witty humor and heart. Best enjoyed in a cozy sweater with a hot cup of tea by sparkling fairy lights.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alexis Hall is back again with another delightful romcom between two flawed but lovable people. Our main character, Sam (full name Samwise, but don’t say it!) Becker, is the overly accommodating manager of a regional outpost of a small chain of bed and bath stores. Sam’s boss, Jonathan Forrest, the grumpy businessman who owns the chain, is constantly on his case about productivity. When Jonathan calls Sam to London to remediate his management style, one thing leads to another…and in the middle of an argument, Sam falls backward into a shower unit on the store’s floor and inadvertently begins faking a concussion, while Jonathan ends up becoming his caretaker. In other words, the plot is absolutely bonkers, but it has all the elements romance readers will love: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, meddling family, and more!

If you’ve read Hall’s other works, especially Boyfriend Material (which 10 Things is loosely related to), you’re familiar with his style; excellent banter, terrific oddball side characters, and deeply flawed love interests screwing up but being vulnerable enough to fall in love. This book is a triumph of his style and another great installment to the London Calling series!

Alexis Hall has secured their spot as a hit or miss author for this reader.

Boyfriend Material- LOVED it.
Rosie Palmer Takes the Cake- Ok.
A Lady for a Duke- Delightful.
Husband Material- Entertaining.
10 Things That Never Happened (pub 01.17) - Miss.

I wanted to love it- I really did.

What worked: large cast of smart,eclectic characters ,LGTBQ+ representation, humor and wit. Jonathan's family and Sam's coworkers were a hoot! SUPER Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, fake amnesia.

What didn't: There was a lot of wordy dialogue. So.much.talking. I love words and conversation, but it started to bog down the pacing. I also didn't buy into the romance.

Jonathan + Sam

Sam is managing Jonathan's Bed & Bath store in Sheffield.
He's pretty happy doing it too. It's not his dream life - but he's content.
But his employees are another story. They're not really ... the best at what they do. And that's why Sam is called down to London to ... get fired? Or at least to listen to the big boss tell him what to do differently. Aka firing some of his people.
But it kinda doesn't come to that because while arguing with his boss, Sam crashes into a Nexa by MERLYN 8mm sliding door shower enclosure! And since it kinda was his boss's fault - he has to move in with grumpy Jonathan for a while until the concussion is gone and until the accidentally faked amnesia gets better. LOL!
Forced Proximity?? LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN!

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ADORABLE!
This was another amazing Alexis Hall book!
It was so funny and so very British and Sheffieldy and Christmassy and grumpy and kinda slow and comfy somehow. I just adored reading about Sam and Jonathan. And all the co-stars. The employees and especially Jonathan's crazy family! Such a hilarious group of people. And the cat! Gollum and Jonathan need a spin-off or a calendar or their own tiktok!
Just everything in that book was perfect or rather perfectly unperfect.
I so need to see this on TV one day!
This was the perfect autumn/winter book somehow.
A cozy, slightly crazy, slighty sad finding-your-forever-ever-after-place-in-life kind of love story.
I just adored it!

P.S. the Nexa by MERLYN 8mm sliding door shower enclosure also should get it's own spin-off or tiktok - I lost count how many times it was mentioned. LOL!

► 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED was such a funny and comfy love story! Adorable + hilarious + christmassy + British + just all the good things!

Alexis Hall did it again! Look, I've been a fan of Alexis's writing for a couple of years now and while every book of his I read is a breath of fresh air, they also contain that Alexis "je ne sais quoi" that makes me love every story with my whole heart. 10 Things That Never Happened was no different.

In this story we follow Sam Becker, a manager for a toiletries and bedding shop, who comes head to head with his boss, Jonathan Forest, and (inexplicably) decides to fake amnesia after an accident (and following concussion) to save his job and the jobs of everyone who works in his branch. And that's how he ends up on bed rest in his boss's house, faking amnesia and slowly but surely worming his way into Jonathan's life - first with an intention to mellow Jonathan out and make himself likeable enough to become "unsackable", but before long, faking it turns into genuine understanding and liking and maybe something more.

Threaded through with the spicy British humor Alexis is known for, this book will have you cackling one moment, before veering sharply right and leaving you in your feels. We slowly get to meet both Sam and Jonathan - the former being a lax manager with some hidden family secrets, who escaped to Sheffield to leave his past behind, the latter an uptight businessman who is determined to succeed and has grown cold towards the people he loves most because of that. (basically, he's a bit of a grumpy dick, but he has hidden depths, I promise you that. He's still a grump though)

10 Things That Never Happened had all the elements of a great romantic comedy - I think it would work absolutely perfectly on screen! We had big, sweeping romantic gestures, kissing in the snow, running jokes (even the way items in the store the two work in were named? I was cackling while reading those AND at how many times the characters repeated their names hehe), and just a lot of shenanigans, funny miscommunication, and characters you root for from the get-go. Be it the MCs or the side characters from Sam's coworkers (Alexis is apparently THE person to write the funniest coworkers to ever exist. From Brian to Tiff and Claire, all were amazing and hilarious and full of heart) to Jonathan's family members. I absolutely loved Sam and Jonathan, how they slowly but surely started slipping into love, how they opened up more and more, day by day. See, this is my favourite part of the love stories Alexis writes - they are raw, flawed, imperfect and amazing exactly because of that! Sam and Jonathan chose each other despite not everything being sunshine and rainbows, because they wanted to. I love them, your honor.

Here are some tropes you will encounter in this book that WILL absolutely capture your heart:
- grumpy x sunshine (the grumpiest grump ever and I love him)
- forced proximity
- people accidentally thinking your boss is your boyfriend
- dislike to lovers

All in all, 10 Things That Never Happened was an amazing romance novel I'll go back to again and again - possibly around Christmas time, since that's when it takes place!

The first half of this book was marvelous, however I felt like it fell off in the second half. I took 15 days to finish this despite having read the first 50% the very day I got it, the second half of the book felt like a chore to get through and dragged so much.

So grateful for the opportunity to receive this eARC and am absolutely stoked to read it! I've only read a few books by Alexis Hall in the past, but the premise of this one sounded fun, so I'm excited to dive in 🤗

I enjoyed this one, and will definitely seek out more from this author. Sam was a delightful narrator, and the cast of side characters were fun. I’m annoyed that the title doesn’t really actually relate to the book at all, though…?

*ARC received from NetGalley with thanks in exchange for an honest review*

I wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t. It took me forever to read because I just couldn't get into it.

Jonathan is a grump but also really more of an asshole. He takes the grumpy too far. And really, Sam is a bit of an asshole too, anyone who thinks faking amnesia but also kissing the same person you are faking out, is pretty crappy. I did not like either character. The romance between them was not believable. I don’t really know what Sam started to see change in Jonathan. Jonathan went from supreme asshole to slightly less of an asshole, but only really to Sam and Jonathan’s own family.

The side characters made the book readable. Jonathan’s family and Sam’s assortment of employees were the most enjoyable. Both groups were more entertaining than either Jonathan or Sam.

I typically enjoy books that show character flaws and don’t make them perfect, but I do prefer that they have a few more good qualities to their personalities and that there is some sort of understandable romantic pull towards each other. It was very forced.

The cat is the star of the book and I would read a book just about him.

While the start had been a bit slow, the novel eventually unfolded into a delightfully enjoyable rom-com that had me smiling from cover to cover. The story's charm, coupled with its hilarious antics (albeit slightly over the top at times), made for a genuinely entertaining read. One of the standout elements that truly elevated this novel was the witty banter between the main characters, Sam and Jonathan. Their sharp exchanges were a joy to read, injecting the story with a refreshing and many laughing out loud moments. I must admit, I'm an absolute sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope, and this book served it up beautifully. As the story progressed, their relationship grew, and I found myself completely invested in their journey, rooting for them to overcome their differences and find happiness together. There were moments when the story ventured into the realm of the ridiculous, and the plot might have taken some extravagant turns, but I couldn't help but embrace the sheer fun and escapism it offered. The author's writing style was engaging, clever, and infused with a warmth that made the characters and their emotions feel incredibly real.

It took me a minute to get into this book, but it got to a point where it was totally un-put-down-able. This reads like a hallmark Christmas movie in the absolute best way. I've loved Hall's work for a long time, and I've never enjoyed one of their works quite so much. A trope filled joy ride that I will absolutely be revisiting Christmas Time.

4/5 stars

This was a nice read that flowed effortlessly. I love the way the dialogue was between our two characters and seeing how their dialogue differed from their internal dialogue. We saw both of our characters open up by the end of the book and shared many laughs with them!

If you want a hilarious, surprisingly sweet romance, 10 Things That Never Happened, is your next read!

Alexis Hall never disappoints!! This was another incredible read that I couldn’t bring myself to put down. What a fun journey into a familiar world!! Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!!

I have nothing but praise for this book! Loved the unique storyline, loved the characters and the wholesome family vibe. Great story! Five stars!

Alexis Hall never fails to deliver a really great romance! 10 Things That Never Happened features characters that are complicated, somewhat unlikable (but in a good way), and that grow on you so much that you are cheering for their happy ending. It is at times, laugh out loud funny, and also incredibly sweet. I particularly loved Jonathan's large boisterous family, and Sam's quirky team of employees. I would recommend this to readers who like rom-coms and a great Christmas romance story.

Sam and Jonathan are such lovable f*ckups. They genuinely cannot communicate with each other (which can be frustrating), but their love is so pure, I rooted for them the whole time. I also loved Gollum the cat, Jonathan’s unhinged family, and the bed and bath store idioms sprinkled throughout. Thank you for the ARC!

3.5 stars. Rounded up to 4.

A huge thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Alexis Hall for this ARC!!!

Our main character Sam finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he lies to his boss about having amnesia. Especially when he comes to realize that his boss isn’t quite the jerk he thought he was…

I’ve read other books by this author, and I tend to really enjoy him! He writes funny stories with generally likable (if flawed) characters. And this one is cute! It was funny and sweet. I really loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamics. And I really really loved the side characters, especially Jonathan’s family members. Everything escalated then wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, but I didn’t mind that much because I was satisfied with the last chapter.

The reason I only give it 3.5 stars is the premise of the plot. The main character is lying to his boss (later his love-interest), and the reader is supposed to root for him? I mean, Sam was otherwise wonderful. And I was rooting for him. But also, HE WAS A LIAR! It was honestly a hard pill to swallow. But also, I did love Sam and Jonathan and Jonathan’s family enough that I enjoyed it overall. Morals and ethics be damned, I guess.

I loved this book. It had a quiet start, but it quickly became apparent that this would be a slow burn story. I loved the differences between the two characters and the chemistry that built over time between them. The retail sales background was spot on and a great background for the current times.

On paper, there are a lot of things about this book that I hate. Boss/employee romance dynamics, relationships inherently built on lies, a love interest that is unabashedly an asshole for 90% of the book... But I don't hate this book. I really, really, really loved it.

Alexis Hall's writing is as fun and witty as it ever is, of course, but I am so impressed that he got me to feel real affection and sympathy for Jonathan Forest of all people. Like, no joke, Jonathan is actually SUCH an asshole, but we see, as Sam does through their forced proximity, that there's nuance and depth there. (But he's also just kind of rude and standoffish for no reason, which is fun in its own way.) And Sam is such a frustrating disaster of a human being sometimes—not as much as Luc from Boyfriend Material (not a hard bar to pass) but, man, did I just want to shake him around sometimes and tell him to talk to Jonathan like a normal human being.

But, to me, that's the appeal of Alexis Hall's romcoms, and the appeal of this book in particular: both of these guys are kind of terrible in their own special ways, but somehow you STILL want to root for them, and you STILL want them to fall and stay in love. This is why I keep reading his books, even when, on paper, it seems like something I'll hate; I'm consistently engaged, surprised, and delighted by the stupid things his characters somehow manage to do.