10 Things That Never Happened captured my heart from the first page… When it starts like this:

"It probably says good things about modern Britain - or maybe just about modern Liverpool - that when I was growing up, I got way less shit for being gay than I got for being named after a hobbit. And while I'm glad my classmates weren't homophobic, the hobbit thing did hack me off a little, especially because the hobbit I was named after wasn't even one of the weird ones. If I'd been called Mariadoc or Fatty Bolger that'd have been one thing, but my name was Sam. Still is Sam, really. But my full legal name is Samwise Eoin Becker…"

You just know it's going to be a good story! I loved the little pieces of LoTR littered throughout the story. This was a great forbidden romance and the tension of faking amnesia to try and save everyone's job. But also trying to find out what Sam wants to do with his life, finding that joy.

"My mam called me Samwise, but I'm beginning to think she should've called me Frodo. Because I'm starting to feel invisible. Or like something got stuck in me and didn't heal right."

This was surprisingly more Christmas themed than I expected, but I loved every minute of it. I highly suggest The audiobook to hear the accent as it was meant to.

This is such a fun rom-com! Don't miss if you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- grumpy/sunshine
- fake amnesia (Is this a romance trope? If not, it feels like it should be.)

The characters are really likable, and I was rooting for Sam and Jonathan from the start. The writing is great, and laugh-out-loud funny throughout. It takes place over Christmas, so would be a great holiday read, but the banter is good for any time of the year.

i absolutely adored this authors other book boyfriend material so when i saw they had another book out for me to read i was so excited. everything was worth the wait. the characters were likable as always.

Ever read a romance and the weakest part of the story is the romance itself? Asking for a friend.⁣

⁣ Sam is the manager of a bed-and-bath store, Splashes & Snuggles. The store is struggling, thanks in large part to his motley crew of employees, who accidentally damage stock and alienate customers. But Sam is too nice of a guy to get rid of anyone, especially just before Christmas.⁣

⁣ The store’s owner, Jonathan—whom another employee refers to as “His Royal Dickishness”—summons Sam to his office to talk about the store’s performance. Sam figures this trip won’t be a good one, and just hopes he won’t lose his job or be forced to fire some of his employees.⁣

⁣ Shortly after Sam arrives, he sustains a concussion in an accident at the store where he meets Jonathan. Jonathan feels guilty and when he discovers that Sam has amnesia, he brings Sam to his home so he can take care of him until he recovers. And while Sam was just pretending to have amnesia to make Jonathan feel bad, now he needs to continue doing so.⁣

⁣ Of course, the more time the two spend together getting to really know one another, the more their adversarial relationship turns into something warmer…maybe even a little hot. But what will happen when the truth about Sam’s amnesia is revealed? Can love built on a lie actually survive?⁣

⁣ I loved the supporting characters in this book so much. I just felt like the actual romance was a little too quick and it didn’t seem believable to me. Sam and Jonathan never quite had the connection I was hoping for. But that isn’t going to stop me from reading Alexis Hall’s next book!⁣

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing a complimentary copy of the book!

I wasn't expecting much from this one - just some nice fluff but I really enjoyed it. It was a very entertaining, feel good story.

The quirky characters in this book were so fun to spend my time with! Alexis Hall knows how to write them, and I loved every second of this book! Definitely recommend!

I love a good romance, and the grumpy/sunshine tends to be one of my favorite tropes. This story takes place over a couple of weeks, and I really enjoyed it. Throw in a ton of Lord of the Rings references, and I'm 100% in.

Sam (Samwise) was a great character. I enjoyed learning about him throughout the story, and realize things about himself. The ending had a bit of a surprise in relation to him, and I think it explained a lot of the decisions we see him make along the way.

One of my absolutely favorite things along the way was Jonathan's family. The dynamic, the conversations, the issues they faced trying to overcome past problems - it was relatable beyond belief. Not just that, but it was fun to follow along with. It was such a great example of the chaos family functions invite. Of the different ways we can remember and interpret our own past, versus what others see.

Overall, the love story itself was adorable. I loved the two of them together.

So your boss is about to fire you but you accidentally trip and an 8mm thick shower door crashes on your head. It is easier for Sam to fake amnesia than tell his uptight boss Jonathan that he remembers being fired. Maybe Sam can help Jonathan have empathy for him & his team allowing everyone to keep their jobs! Alexis Hall does it again! A fun, laugh out loud romance!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alexis Hall consistently builds worlds I want to live in, with characters that I want to be friends with. Although this isn't fantastical or magical, like Mortal Follies, and 10 Things That Never Happened takes place in current day UK, I fell in love with Sam and Jonathan. The audiobook version of this book is especially fantastic! The narrators that are chosen for Alexis Hall titles are always phenomenal and if you're an audiobook lover, I highly recommend reading them that way.

The fake amnesia trope can be hit or miss but Hall is hilarious in their prose and this was a huge hit for me! I can't wait to read what comes next!

I really enjoyed this one! It was witty, real and emotional. The characters were great, real people with real issues and their chemistry was good. The story line has been done before, but it still seemed fresh because it was funny! I look forward to catching up on Hall's previous books!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
10 Things That Never Happened
By: Alexis Hall
Publisher:Sourcebooks
Pub Date: 10/17/23

Sam Becker is the manager of a small bed and bath retailer in a small town outside of London. When the big boss Jonathan calls for him to come down to London to discuss firing employees he panics. He feels responsible to try to save their jobs. While trying to help Jonathan land a sale at the head office a large shower display falls on to Sam. Jonathan, worried about a lawsuit, quickly steps into action. While visiting the emergency room, the doctor asked Sam if he remembers what happened he quickly comes up with the plan. He says no he doesn’t remember. Jonathan immediately decides he has Amnesia and Sam goes along with it. Jonathan insists on Sam staying with him so that he can help take care of him while he recovers. Sam is using the amnesia to try to save jobs at his store while Jonathan and Sam cohabitate; they both start to learn more about the other, and as they get closer, Sam begins to panic. Somehow he is going to reveal he doesn’t have amnesia and still save his relationship with Jonathan.
The woody banter in this book is absolutely superb. Each character has their own little quirk, which I really enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley, and Source books for the ARC of this book.

3.5⭐️ very grateful for receiving an arc for this book!! It was a very nice story! I just felt like one of the mlc was a little too annoying sometimes. Still enjoyed reading it though :))

I'm not sure why this novel took me forever to read, especially since I had that ARC since forever, maybe it was my overwhelming list of books on my TBR. I randomly decided that I needed to read this book and boy do I wish I could go back in time and smack myself because this book was amazing! I loved it so much that I even went out and bought the physical copy!

This book follows Sam Becker, a box store manager, but when his manager calls him to come and see him in the London branch. Sam can't help but think that his boss Jonathan will fire him. He does fire him but he also threatens to fire his whole crew of workers at his store, Sam tries to argue back but ends up falling and hitting his head. When he wakes up, Jonathan assumes he has amnesia and Sam goes along with it. Because Sam doesn't have any family nearby, Jonathan is forced to take in Sam. But Sam realizes that Johnthan is more than the cold boss that he once was.

I can't say enough about how much I adore this novel and how much I wanna go back in time and scream at myself for not reading it sooner. I'm not usually a fan of cold characters but there was something about Jonathan that I connected with. Maybe it was him saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or having a very loud and overbearing family. The thing is as a reader at first I thought Jonathan was a prick and was cold for no reason but through character development, I was able to understand a different side of Jonthan. Even though Jonathan can be negative towards his family it's only because he's working so hard to help them. Even though they don't care about the money they just want him to be happy.

I loved Jonathan and Sam's chemistry, from their bickering to Sam finally warming up to Jonathan. I feel like you can slowly see Jonathan thinking that Sam is just annoying but slowly he opens up to him and it's just ugh so cute. On top of that, I adore how Sam legit becomes a stay-at-home husband by making dinners and taking care of the house.

Another thing I enjoyed was the fact that this book was unapologetic and true to itself. It wasn't fluffy but it gave the characters a realistic feeling to them that I truly enjoyed. There was also this feeling of grief that was written throughout the book, that is something I didn't expect but something that I truly enjoyed. I loved this book especially the cat who let's be honest stole the spotlight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for the opportunity to review this book, even though it was very late!

I feel very conflicted about 10 Things That Never Happened. It's pitched as grumpy/sunshine romcom, which should have been right up on my alley. Except, the story wasn't really romantic and to me, it wasn't funny at all.

I struggled for the first 70% of the book. The premise was that Sam has been summoned to London to meet his boss, Jonathan, because the Sheffield branch that Sam managed, had issues with budget and meeting targets. And honestly, the reason for that was Sam's lack of proper management and his inability to let go of an employee who destroyed more stock than he sold it. So when Sam faked amnesia in order to save their jobs, I didn't feel any sympathy for Sam or his co-workers. Jonathan was a prick and bossy, yes, but Sam (and Claire and Tiff) weren't much better as they were rude and deceitful. So I struggled to find anything likable about any of the characters.

It got somewhat more bearable once Jonathan's family came into the story. They were a funny bunch and brought some much needed humanity. Also, the last 30% of the story got much better. It started to feel somewhat romantic and had its good moments. Revelations about Sam's past helped to explain some of his behaviour and I appreciated that it was acknowledged that he's as much a prick as Jonathan. It all just happened too late for me to fell in love with the story. I liked the ending and honestly, I might have fallen in love with Sam and Jonathan's story if it had started where it ended in the book.

I'll round up my rating to three stars. The last part of the book saved it from a much worse rating.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall is a contemporary romance. Sam Becker loves—or, okay, likes—his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn't exactly glamorous, but it's good work and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git. Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn't get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talk…only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn't remember anything? Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan's guilt—as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There's an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impression…but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?

10 Things That Never Happened is another solid romance from Hall. I liked the interplay wit the characters and the way readers got to know their personalities. I did wish that I got a little of Jonathan's thoughts, and some more back story for Sam. We get it in very broad strokes, but it was lacking emotion or depth for me. Oddly, we get much more emotion and connection with the past from Jonathan, the much more stoic of the two characters. I just wanted to connect with both of them a little more. However, I thought the give and take between them was well done, and I thought the secondary characters were great. I liked both the crew from Sam's store and Jonathan's family. There were definitely moments when I liked the interactions with secondary characters more than Sam's inner dialogue.

Alexis Hall is an auto-buy author for me, so I was incredibly excited to receive this ARC. The characters were so lovable and the plot so absurd, but I devoured every page. The story was both hilariously witty and full of heart, though very messy at times. Grumpy x sunshine is one of my favorite tropes and it made an appearance in this story.

✨Book review✨
📚 10 things that never happened - alexis hall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

Sam Becker, a manager at a bed and bath store, loves his job; however, he does not love his boss. Jonathan Forest, is a sassy man with a stick up his butt. When Sam goes down to have a talk with Jonathan, Sam has an accident in the store that causes him to "lose" his memory. While faking amnesia, Sam tries to show Jonathan how to treat people better and has an incentive to help the people he works with not lose their jobs.

Oh my gosh, if you are looking for a book to read around valentines day (even though it happens around christmas time), this is the book for you! Jonathan is the perfect amout of grumpy and sexy! Sam sort of reminds me of a puppy dog, but in the best type of way. This grumpy sunshine book exceeded my expectations!

Honestly though, what really made me love this book so much was Jonathan's family. They were crazy with a lot of issues, but they had me laughing all throughout the book!

I haven't had a book in a lot time that made my heart this happy.

Everyone run and get this book. You have to add it to your vday tbrs!!

Thank you so much netgalley, Alexis Hall, and sourcebooks casablanca for this book! This is 100% my honest review. 💜 I can't wait to read more of Alexis Hall's books.

This was my first Alexis Hall book and I have to sadly say it wasn't a winner. I am dnfing at 14%. I'm just not a fan of the characters or even the premise of the story. And don't even get me started on the romance. There is zero chemistry between Sam and Jonathan and I just don't see how that ends up translating into a happy relationship. It's also too unrealistic for me. I know it's fiction, but I don't allow as many liberties with a romance in the real world than I would for fantasy. I'm a very kind person, but if a grown adult is messing up THAT much at a pretty easy job that it is going to cost your job..... can't handle that. The irritation I experienced just reading about Biran was too much.

Also, lying about an injury like that will guarantee some pretty bad karma points. Truly do not like any of these characters at all and don't care to see what happens to them.

This was a very middle of the road romance for me, I wanted to love it but it didn't do much for me overall.