10 Things That Never Happened
by Alexis Hall

Brilliant
Hilarious
Perfect Holiday Read

I absolutely adored this book - I enjoyed it tremendously and laughed til I cried. So happy to read a first book in a series by Alexis Hall, and what is a great romcom has in its essence are very important themes I absolutely enjoyed reading about.

10 Things That Never Happened is the story of Sam and Jonathan. Sam is the store manager of Splashes and Snuggles (similar to Bed, Bath and Beyond) - of which Jonathan is the owner - however, his store is not meeting their goals. When Jonathan schedules a meeting with Sam to discuss the possibility of letting his employees go, Sam tries to come up with a plan to save his work family. However, his plan ends up with him being under the care of Jonathan after an accident leaves Sam with “amnesia” - or so he claims. While Jonathan seems to be a workaholic with no emotions, there’s much to uncover under his cold hard exterior, and Sam is just the man the break down those barriers. But what happens when Jonathan finds out Sam’s been faking his memory lost all along?

This book had me laughing in every chapter and the narrations are perfect in the audiobook. From Sam’s humor to his work family and Jonathan’s family - this book was a lot of fun to listen to. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and would recommend to those that love rom-com!

Unfortunately I did not love this. I loved the cast of characters in the shop for sure, but the premise made me feel sort of icky

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. Did it make me laugh out loud and awe? Yes. Did it drag on at times that I wanted to kick the MCs and yell, "Get it together?" Also, yes.

It has Alexis Hall's typical writing and wit, which I appreciate, but unlike one of my favorite books of all time, BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, in which the banter and pacing are perfect, 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED falls short. The characters were great as always, but the banter and pacing were like a roller coaster - never quite hitting the pace. And the end, it took me by surprise because it took soooo long to get there. But it was a nice ending.

My first Alexis Hall read. Boyfriend Material and Husband Material are sitting on my physical TBR shelf. The story started very entertaining but about midway through, it just dragged on. I give it 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh Sam and Jonathan...you two are the freakin cutest! I cannot explain how much I laughed and smiled during this one. Sam is the guy you want as your best friend. He is funny, lovely, and fiercely loyal to those he cares for. And Jonathan...seemingly grumpy and materialistic, Jonathan. What a pair they made. I wanted the pages to go on forever, and I wish I could hang out with Jonathan's family every holiday. I love when a book makes me fall in love with the characters to the point where I wish they were a constant in my life. Lovely job, Alexis Hall.

10 Things That Never Happened - a Christmastime Alexis Hall 90s-style rom-com with fake amnesia - supposedly set in the "London Calling" universe (but aside from being in London - this seemed like an unnecessary promo description).

I liked it - better than I initially thought I would. Age-gap and fake amnesia just don't appeal to me. But Hall's rom-com antics and smooth writing won out the day to make this an enjoyable holiday read in the end.

Sam and Jonathan took a while for me to warm up to as likable characters and then as a couple (they softened, but I’m still not sure I totally like them, but I liked them enough). I actually put this book down for a while, but glad I picked it back up to give it another chance.

Thanks to @sourcebookscasa, @sourcebooks and @netgalley for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid reader of Alexis Hall i was not disappointed by this book. It took me a while to get into it, but that might as well have been because of the circumstances under which i started reading it, but as soon as i was 20% in i was hooked! It was incredibly funny and i did like the characters a lot even though i didn’t think i would.

You don’t have to read Boyfriend Material to read this one, but it definitely makes the this book funnier in my opinion.

The characters in this book are undeniably interesting, but a notable aspect drew mixed feelings. The author attempts to capture a Liverpool accent in the dialogue, mentioning it at the start of the book. However, the implementation falls short, with only occasional variations like 'yez' thrown in. Personally, I found this approach more distracting than immersive. If an author chooses to incorporate an accent, it might be more effective to fully commit, embracing the nuances and differences rather than sporadically sprinkling one word. The limited use of dialect felt off-putting initially and progressively annoying.

Despite this hiccup, the overall quality of the book is commendable. It serves as a reminder that handling dialects in writing requires a thoughtful approach—either fully represent them or opt for a more straightforward narrative style. Beyond this particular aspect, the story itself is engaging and well-crafted.

A delightfully fun and quirky holiday romance. I adore Alexis Hall sense of humor and the endearing characters he creates.

Another wonderful slow burn from Alexis Hall. I was intrigued by this book since reading about the fake amnesia plot and I can say that it truly lived up to the promise of the premise. This is a wonderful opposites attract romance with two lovable leads that could not b more different. The humor is very British as is the writing style but it all made me very happy. I am excited to see if Alexis writes more in this series.

10 Things That Never Happened
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Alexis Hall

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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?

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Material World Series. This was such a cute and endearing story. Jonathan Forest owns a chain of bed and bath stores. He really should not have hired Sam Becker and brought Sam into corporate to make it right. During their mock training, Sam falls and gets hurt. The assumption is that Sam has amnesia and Jonathan will take care of him until he recovers. When the fantasy reels over into the reality, does someone catch feelings? Or will this escapade end in complete disaster? Alexis Hall has a way of storytelling, especially in the queer romance genre, that just really resonates no matter your sexuality. Was the premise of falling into a glass shower and developing fake amnesia realistic? Probably not, but it was still fun to read. This follows the tropes of queer romance, grumpy v sunshine, and enemies to lovers.

The story is narrated in a third person POV by Sam. Sam is a carefree spirit that is kind, goofy, likes to have fun, and loyal to a fault. Jonathan is reserved, very serious, and has to be in complete control. There personalities are definitely opposite of each other, but this is why the relationship melds together and works so well. Sam is more of the glass is half full, while Jonathan is more of the glass is half empty. I loved how they talked things through, even if it was from an arguing standpoint, they were still discussing their feelings and being honest. The characters were well developed, really fleshed out, had witty banter, amazing chemistry, and were creatively designed. The main characters had growth throughout the story in different ways. Sam learned to take things a little more seriously while Jonathan learned to have a little more fun. The supporting characters, even though there were a lot of them, really uplifted the MCs and added an extra level to the story. The author’s writing style was complex, thought-provoking, humorous, engaging, and just brilliant.

I am a huge fan of Alexis Hall, I loved the Boyfriend Material and Winner Bakes All series. While the relationship was built in a forced proximity situation, I still felt there was an organic nature to the relationship being built up. I was ecstatic that the cat, Gollum, had such a strong role. I love it when we can really see our pets in a positive light in storylines. I am a Hall fan and highly recommend picking up this book!

10 Things That Never Happened is an interesting story. This is the first book I’ve read by Alexis Hall. Sam and Jonathan have a complicated dynamic so it was fun to watch them move through it and find their way back to each other.

Alexis Hall is one of my favorite authors so I went into this thinking I’d probably like this and wouldn’t you know I was right.

Sam (whose government name is Samwise for exactly the reason you think it is) is a manager at a furniture and bath supply store. Jonathan is his boss, and kind of… okay definitely a grump. There are some things that happen that I can’t tell you about for spoilery reasons but this all leads to Sam faking amnesia to try to save his job. Which I know sounds a little outrageous but if we’re being honest it’s something I would do too. Jonathan ends up bringing Sam home to keep and eye on him, probably so Sam won’t sue him, and Sam starts to learn that there’s more to his grumpy boss than meets the eye.

This was predictably hilarious. Alexis Hall’s sense of humor just works really well for me. There are so many moments with Jonathan’s family, the employees at the furniture/bath supply store, and Jonathan and Sam that made me laugh out loud. I had a really great time reading this and it’s definitely helped bring me out of this weird reading slump I’ve been in.

I listened to this via audiobook after release and the narrator was so engaging and really just did a great job. I literally read this in a day and have no regrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Oof I don’t really know where to start with this. Ultimately I did not enjoy this book - between the employee/boss power imbalance, to the continual faking of amnesia despite having multiple opportunities to come clean, I had a really difficult time rooting for the main characters to be together. I found both of the leads frustrating and unlikable for different reasons, which isn’t automatically a deal breaker, but there needs to also be consistent and likable side characters to balance it. I was wary of the premise to start, but was willing to give it a try, and I wish I hadn’t.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The main character was a bit insufferable and the situations didn’t have even a little bit of believability to them. While I love a grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity romance, this one was just too much. It tried really hard to be funny, but often just made me roll my eyes. This book is probably better for a lover of romcoms and humor.

Did I enjoy reading this? Absolutely. Would I recommend it, if you like m/m romcom? Also yes. I would say this is a great cozy-holiday read.
But also, I got a copy in exchange for an honest review, so let me flesh it out a little:

I really enjoyed the voice of this MC. It was a very distinct voice, and I'm a big fan of that type of writing. So big ups on that.
As far as the plot itself: pleasantly absurd. The inclusion of some family elements (without spoilers) also gives some heartwarming-ness to the whole cozy scene.
All that said, this felt incomplete, even though it's 400+ pages long. I felt like the "falling in love" bit fell a little flat, and the final reconciliation act was very, very rushed. I know that's to be expected from Hall, but this was a bit absurd. It felt like there was a lot of world-building, without sufficient plot/character development.

This book was amazing! One of my favorite reads of 2023. Classic Alexis Hall, and very delightful British wit.

Thank you to NetGalley for this wonderful arc. Alexis Hall is a master class in banter. This book was so fun to read. I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the journey of these characters was going to play out. So many unexpected and exciting turns. Can’t wait to see what Hall has in store for us next!

Feeling really seen as a person definitely crazy enough to take amnesia tbh.

Unfortunately for me this book was just okay. Though I loved the absurdity of the plot, the characters didn’t really grip me.