this was fun and surprisingly hilarious. i wasn’t a huge fan of the first london calling book and skipped the second, but I’m really glad I gave this one a chance. Sam as a narrator just exudes warmth, and there was a delightful ensemble cast as well. I enjoyed it! I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could.

Alexis Hall continues to be one of my favourite romance writers of all time!

As a massive fan of the London Calling series, I was very excited to read this and it did not dissapoint - but Alexis Hall has yet to disappoint me. Sam and Jonathan are peak Alexis Hall protoganists - quick to make you laugh out loud, and even quicker to make you cry. And even whhen you feel like you shouldn't be rooting for them, whether it be bcause one is lying about amnesia and another is millionaire dickhead, you can't help but root for them and want the very best for them.

Another thing that Hall always does well - and has done so again here - is create a cast of supporting characters who are as bizarre as they are loveable. On paper, none of them should really fit into this world that he's created, and yet they do - and quite perfectly at that!

Overall, I absoultely loved this and I cannot wait for more Alexis Hall books in the future!!

Well, this was totally adorable!

If Boyfriend Material was Alexis Hall's homage to Bridget Jones's Diary, and Husband Material to Four Weddings and a Funeral, then this one is his homage to While You Were Sleeping (one of my favorite rom-coms ever). The plot and characters are, of course, completely different, but it has exactly the same delight of a huge, noisy, aggravating, loving family welcoming a new member who needs them desperately even as that protagonist is trying not to fall in love AND trying to cope with the escalating ramifications of the lie he told in a bad moment.

I normally hate reading romances where a big lie sits between the two protagonists - I end up spending so much of the book preemptively cringing about how painful everything will be when that's eventually revealed! But I actually believed in the reason Sam told this lie, originally, and I loved every sweet and/or hilarious moment of the story that followed so very much that my preemptive cringing never got in the way of me having the BEST time as I read. I loved the resolution, too, and I think this was one of the most truly romantic books Alexis Hall has written yet. (I really love his books, so this is saying a lot!)

Full of characters I adored and genuinely hilarious scenes - I absolutely loved this rom-com. Preorder!

This was a lot heavier than I was expecting. It was still amazing. It just felt with a lot more intense things than I had originally thought.

At its core, this book is about to lonely people who find their way to each other in very odd circumstances. And through this process they get to know each other as well as themselves.

Jonathan might bring a whole new definition to grumpy in reference to a grumpy romantic interest. He has to be the grumpiest person I have ever read. But he is delightful in his own ways.

When you compare him against Sam, who is very much a contented individual. He's not exactly doing everything he wants in life but he's very content with the way his life is and happy to plod along working at a branch of a bed and bath store.

Jonathan, who is the owner of the entire franchise, has decided that he is going to fire. Sam, so he has him come to England. Panicked Sam has an accident that causes him to hit his head and Jonathan is led to believe that Sam has amnesia. So he can't with good conscious fire him.

The more time these two spend together, the more you see, the dynamic between them and why they really truly need each other. It was definitely an interesting to see the relationships that both of them have with their family and how much that has affected their lives and who they are.

I very much enjoyed this book and I'm intrigued to see what will happen next for these two because I have seen that this is book one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley! Alexis Hall does it again! I loved this warm, hilarious enemy to lovers tale. I never knew that I needed a plumbing store romance, but I did. This book talks about love, loss, and family all wrapped up in a fake amnesia bow.

Alexis Hall delivers like always! Loved this book. I really enjoy the way this author finds unique stories to tell but always imbues them with just the right combo of heart and humor.

3.5 ⭐

This is more of a personal preference rating and I think if you like witty banter and extreme grumpy /sunshine, you will enjoy this book. I just personally found the grumpy trope to be beyond grumpy and it didn't work for me.

Sam is a manager at a bath supply store and likes his job just fine. Sure, his employees are kind of awful at their jobs, but when his boss suggests cuts, he can't imagine having to let any of them go.

Jonathan owns a line of bath supply stores and happens to be Sam's boss. They don't really see eye to eye on many things and Sam's branch calls him "His Royal Dickishness" or something like it. Jonathan is all business, and doesn't have a fun bone in his body.

When Sam is required to go to London to meet with Jonathan, he knows their jobs are on the line. As things get heated between him and Jonathan, he accidentally falls into a thick glass shower and the door shatters on his head. A concussion and a trip to the hospital later, he decides to run with the idea that he may have amnesia along with his concussion. He figures it might buy him time to figure out how to fix the impending layoffs at his branch.

The writing is a little clunky at first but towards the second half of the book, things started picking up and I enjoyed it more and more. I liked it a lot more when Jonathan was less of a "dick".

Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, fake amnesia... The tropes are all there and this book has a lot of fun things going for it! It just wasn't a perfect fit for me.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Alexis Hall's latest is a bingeable holiday romcom filled with fake amnesia, the worst employees in the world, a grumpy hero, meddling family, and a bathroom superstore. What's not to love? I raced through this book in a weekend and I know readers will do the same. Be warned: there is a lot of local British dialect that got a tad confusing at times but in my (American) opinion it didn't take away from the novel at all and I could understand the gist of what was happening. This book was quite funny and is perfect for fans of the show SuperStore on NBC. The romance feels a bit like a secondary plot line at times but honestly the story was so entertaining I didn't mind. Looking forward to the next installment!

#Bookreview alert [ARC]

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📖TITKE - #10ThingsThatNeverHappened
✏️AUTHOR - @ quicunquevult
📚PUBLISHER - @sourcebookscasa
📆PUB DATE - 17 Oct 2023
🧩GENRE - #LGBTQIAP+ | #Romance
⭐RATING - 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 [5/5]
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

•°𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠°•

❥・Oh my gosh, Alexis Hall nailed it once again! This book is legit spectacular, hooking you in right from the start and making you fall hard for the characters.

❥・First off, let's talk about these characters! Sam Becker is just so relatable. Managing a bed and bath retailer might not be the most charming gig, but his quirky crew of misfits makes it worthwhile. And Jonathan Forest, the infuriating git of an owner who hired Sam on a sentimental whim, adds a whole lot of spice to the story.

❥・The plot takes off when Jonathan calls Sam to London for a tough talk, and here comes the crazy twist! Sam panics and pretends to have amnesia. 😂 I mean, who does that, right? But this little fib unleashes a rollercoaster of emotions as Sam finds himself tangled in a web of guilt, lies, and unexpectedly, a softer side of his grumpy boss.

❥・The slow-burn romance between Sam and Jonathan is pure magic. 💕 It's not just about the swoony moments, but how it touches on deeper themes like truth, trust, and second chances. As their connection grows, you can't help but root for them, wondering if Sam will ever come clean or if their future will be built on that one impulsive lie.

❥・I laughed, I cried, and I giggled like a maniac. The writing is simply captivating. Alexis Hall weaves humor, heart, and unexpected feels flawlessly throughout. The characters evolve throughout the story, yet love or external factors don't magically fix them. They retain their uniqueness, flaws, and relatability, gaining profound self-awareness and empathy from their companions who accept them wholly for who they are.

❥・This is a brilliant book that left me with all the feels and a huge smile on my face. It's a swoony, heartwarming, and utterly unforgettable read that I'd recommend to anyone who craves a light witty rom-com.

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When I saw that Alexis Hall had written another romance, I hit the Request button so quickly! Boyfriend Material was one of the books that got me back into reading and A Lady for a Duke is such a classic.

10 Things That Never Happened tells the story of Sam Becker, a manager of a bed and bath store, who fakes amnesia in order to avoid getting his entire team fired by their strict and infuriating boss. But then his boss, Jonathan Forest, feels so guilty for Sam getting into a workplace accident that he decides to take care of Sam and his cat. Also legally, this is a holiday book because it takes place at Christmas time. But the focus is on these two complete idiots (i'm so in love with them and their story.)

Alexis Hall leans into the bits that make their writing so charming. You have the most British characters exchanging hilarious dialogue about their daily lives, their fears, and their dreams. It's forced proximity, dislikers to lovers, angry strict grumpy meets slightly despondent but trying their best sunshine. Absolute opposites who begin to recognise the beauty within each other. I love how while you see one man go on a journey in real time of learning to live with his past and family, you get snippets of the other man healing in similar and different ways. If you need something, silly, but meaningful and oh so adorable, here you go.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;all opinions are my own.

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!

In the signature Alexis Hall fashion the banter in this book is so very good. I loved Jonathan’s grumpy ass, misunderstood character. His Royal Dickishness is the best nickname. I wanted to smack Sam a time or two but enjoyed his growth and realizations about himself. A fake amnesia plotline, forced proximity and found family - nothing to complain about here. All the stars. Thank you NetGalley for the arc! Fans of Boyfriend Material and Husband Material will love.

I'm quite confused as to how to rate this book. I was charmed by the first pages and then completely turned off by the second chapter. What had been clever and witty devolved into a Benny Hill episode of rapid-fire nonsense that I found annoying. I was ready to throw in the towel while wading through it. But... I persevered, and I was glad I did.

Things calmed down and went back to a more normal pace, losing a lot of the ridiculousness of the co-workers in Sam's store. However, the pacing continued to be erratic here and there, depending on the set of characters being portrayed at any given time.

I don't know if this is the normal style of writing Alexis Hall uses, because the author is new to me. I may try more books. There were parts that broke my heart, healed my heart, made me laugh, and made me want to quit reading. But it did get my attention, so there's that in the book's favor. The characters were over-the-top and almost cartoonish sometimes, and dead serious at others. Those were the parts I loved. The brilliance of the writing shines through Sam's understanding of Jonathan and his family and it's beautiful. I just wish all of the book had been crafted as skillfully.

I didn’t really like either of the main characters but I don’t think I was supposed to. It was cute and I loved Jonathan’s family

great addition to the london calling series! and I have to be honest I found a bit annoying both main characters but the storyline was really enjoyable, looking forward to the next book

I love, love, love Alexis Hall’s quirky characters. He writes funny, believable characters that I would love to meet in real life.

Samwise Becker is the kind of boss most people would love. He’s laidback, he’s forgiving of any mistakes, including wrecking very expensive stock. He’s protective of his team, and he’s prepared to tell his boss Jonathan Forest that he’s a dick.

I wasn’t sure if I liked Jonathan Forest, but then if a cat like Gollum decides he’s alright, then he must be. He is a bit of a dick though.

I loved reading the progress of Jonathan’s character from being an uppity annoying person, who I would gladly beat around the head with a toilet seat, to his showing his soft vulnerable side. A bit like when the angry killing machine that is our neighbourhood cat rolls around on my floor begging for belly tickles. Honestly him fisting a chicken with a lemon made me guffaw. NB no live chickens were assaulted in this book. Also, I meant Jonathan fisting a chicken, not my neighbourhood cat.

Sam is a sweetheart. Northern folk are the best (said a northern bird). Salt of the flipping earth. I just adored him. I want to buy him a fancy Christmas decoration to put on my Christmas tree.

This book is so very well observed. Families are sometimes too much but when you have a lovely one, even if they never shut up, you should love them while you can. That said, Jonathan’s family are a bit Only Fools and Horses, but you can’t not love Delboy.

4.5/5 stars

This book was everything I wanted in a romance novel. I absolutely loved watching the two main characters and all the hijinks and hilarity that occurred.

Sam and Jonathan don’t like each other. But when Sam has to visit Jonathan at the main office all sorts of trouble ensues leaving Jonathan to care for Sam with fake amnesia and a very real concussion. Jonathan and Sam are suddenly forced together and each begin to learn that maybe they do in-fact find somethings about each other charming.

Reading this book inspired many laughs, smiles, and all around cheer. Watching the main character fall for each other was endearing and the side character are excellent.

If you love slow burn romance, forced proximity, kinda enemies to lovers, and well developed characters I absolutely encourage you to pick up this book! This book gave me the best warm and fuzzy feelings. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have read about everything out by Alexis Hall and I find that I love some books more than others. I really enjoyed Boyfriend Material and was somewhat disappointed in Husband Material. I just wanted that book to go in a place it didn't go. But I think 10 Things that Never Happened is the best of all Hall's novels. Yes it was filled with outlandish situations and quirky Brit humor and also some of the best characters who I came to really care about. This book is the grump and the sunshine trope and I adored Sam the Sunshine and was obsessed with Jonathan the grump. He may be my favorite grump in fiction as well. When the book ends he is still a grump and I really appreciated that. You absolutely don't need to read the two Material books before this one. But I do encourage everyone to read it.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I wasn't entirely sure what this book was going to be like. It's in the same Universe at the London Calling series, but is a separate book, so I knew that it would not be Luc and Oliver 2.0 (3.0?) BUT wasn't sure exactly how that would work out in practice. It did manage to keep a lot of the things that I liked, there is still a 90's Movie Rom Com vibe, with a ridiculous amnesia plot, a quirky cast of characters and a romantic connection, but it also goes some really insightful places around family that I was not expecting, but really loved.

Sam runs a branch of Splashes & Snuggles (a Bed, Bath and Beyond type store) in Sheffield, which is not meeting it's targets. Jonathan, who has a variety of offensive nicknames, is the owner of the S&S and he is not happy with the Sheffield's branches performance and is threatening Sam and his whole team. Sam backs into a situation where he fakes amnesia and ends up in Jonathan's care until he's back to full health. For as likable as Sam is, why doesn't he have anyone to stay with? For as acerbic as Jonathan is, why is he so dedicated to ensuring Sam is ok? Including a 8 hour road trip to collect Sam's cat, Gollum!

The accent notes were really helpful to get me started with hearing Sam's voice. I really loved getting to hear about uni from Jonathan's perspective. No names were given, but Jonathan's uni mates were easily identifiable from London Calling. It felt very much like when you have two mutual friends and they don't get along, and you know each of them well enough to both like your friends as they are, but also understand why they kinda hate each other. This is a feeling that I frequently get in Alexis Hall books (especially through the Spires series) and it was lovely to get that again here.

If there was anything I would have liked from this book that I didn't get it was MORE, I would have loved to hear more about how Sam ended up how he did, or more context for Jonathan becoming so grumpy (and more on Barbara Jane's failed marriage, but I admit that's just nosiness, probably not relevant to the story or it would have been included). More backstory and filling in the gaps. But I think being able to see the context of the story through the gaps of what ISN'T said, as much was what is, was a clear choice, and while I DO have some burning curiosity, I did enjoy it as a form of storytelling.

I guess what I am saying is that IF there happened to be a sequel to this book, I wouldn't be mad.... ;)

4.5 stars

Featuring Hall’s signature humour and heart with a wonderful balance of lighthearted (and wonderfully bonkers) fun and heavier topics (like grief and family issues), 10 Things That Never Happened was a delight.

This book is trope-tastic, with grumpy/sunshine, boss/employee, opposites attract, roommates, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers, among others. It features two lost and lonely men who think they’re doing just fine on their own, but who are actually miserable without realizing it. I loved watching uptight, grumpy, control freak Jonathan soften and let his guard down (but not completely…he definitely remained a loveable grump even after Sam wore him down somewhat). As with all of Hall’s books, 10 Things features two deeply flawed people who are doing their best, and it’s both fun and moving to watch them navigate their relationships with each other and the people around them. I loved Jonathan’s huge, wacky family, and Sam’s equally huge, wacky group of coworkers, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Sam’s cat Gollum, and how much I loved what ended up basically being a side love story between Jonathan and Gollum.

Hilarious and heartwarming, 10 Things That Never Happened is officially my second favourite of Hall’s books that I’ve read, with Boyfriend Material remaining in the #1 spot.