Cannot state how much I loved this book and the characters. One of my favorite reads of the year. Alexis Hall never disappoints.

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Alexis Hall’s books for a while now so this shouldn’t come as a surprise: I absolutely loved “10 Things That Never Happened” and for me it was one of those books that causes you to grin from ear to ear. I had such a good time with this and Hall’s humour is definitely one of the many things I enjoyed about this story. Was it a slightly unrealistic approach to use a “Nexa by MERYLN 8mm Sliding Door Enclosure” as a plot device in order to initiate the storyline? Maybe, but it definitely worked for me! Without the fake amnesia, Jonathan and Sam would have never even gotten a chance to get to know each other so I’m thankful that sliding door enclosure got in their way. Also you don’t want realistic in your romances, you want love and all the cosy and warm feelings that come along with it and Alexis definitely delivered on that front! Before we got to that, there was a strong animosity between Jonathan and Sam, though!

Boy, were they at each other’s throat at the beginning of the book. I really liked to see the world through Sam’s eyes and his POV made the story extremely enjoyable. Some might say Sam’s and Jonathan’s budding relationship is a typical grumpy/sunshine trope but I think I’d rather describe it as a pessimist-meets-optimist trope. While Jonathan’s view of the world is very black and white, Sam’s is all shades of grey and he sees the many implications and struggles people have to face. Whereas Jonathan always likes to be in control of everything because he’s afraid of things going wrong, Sam is very chaotic and seems to live from day to day. You might say Jonathan’s tenor is to always expect the worst while Sam always tries to see the positive things. So yes, those two don’t have a lot in common and they are complete opposites, but that’s exactly what makes their relationship work so well.

They are very honest with each other and they have absolutely no qualms to call each other out when it’s necessary. Especially Sam is very straightforward and doesn’t take any of Jonathan’s bullshit which is the reason he got into trouble with him in the first place. No boss likes to hear he’s doing things wrong so I’m not surprised Jonathan was so mad at him. Still, they are good for each other because they force each other to see the world with different eyes and that’s exactly what makes them work somehow. Also they talk things through! I can’t say how much I loved that aspect of the book. Yes, Sam and Jonathan are arguing quite a lot but they are communicating their thoughts and feelings, which is so important if you’re in a relationship. Relationships are hard work and not everything is sunshine and rainbows so to see that they put so much effort into trying to understand where the other was coming from was amazing to read.

I really appreciated their communication and some of their conversations were hilarious! Jonathan and Sam weren’t everything that was great about the book, though. I absolutely fell in love with Gollum – Samwise’s cat (yes, you read right! His name is actually Samwise and he has a cat named Gollum) – and Jonathan’s family! Not to mention Jonathan’s housekeeper Agnieszka! She was really quite something and a very unique voice, which can be said about all the side-characters in this story. Each and every single one of them was fleshed out and the way they interacted with each other was so very relatable. No matter if it was Nanny Barb, Aunt Jack, Uncle Johnny, Barbara Jane – Jonathan’s sister – or his parents, they were such a typical family and gave me all the heart-warming vibes. If you have a huge family you’ll know what I mean.

Of course there are many simmering conflicts among the family members, but I think that only made everything even more realistic. We all have our faults and flaws and they usually come out whenever we’re together with our family, which is exactly what happens in this book. “10 Things That Never Happened” plays around Christmas after all, and if you’ve never had a chaotic Christmas time with your loved ones where emotions were running high, you clearly did something wrong. ;-) Sam’s presence in Jonathan’s life obviously works like some sort of catalyst for the entire family and brings them back together again and this was beautiful to watch. Sometimes it takes another point of view to put things into perspective and Sam is definitely not holding back from offering his opinion. I swear, there were so many funny scenes in this book and I’m still laughing about the chicken one, but I won’t spoil anything here, you will have to read that one for yourself!

If there is one thing I can criticize about the book, then it’s the fact that all the revelations happened at the ending and that it felt a little rushed for my taste. I get why Alexis Hall built the plot up like that, but I would have liked to see more of the aftermath right after Christmas instead of the epilogue we got. That’s my personal preference, though, and considering it all the ending we actually got was well-rounded and left me satisfied enough to give this book four stars!

All told, I really enjoyed “10 Things That Never Happened” and it was exactly the kind of book I needed to read! From the enemies-to-lovers slow burn love story between Jonathan and Sam, to the awesome side characters and the marvellous black humour, this story had it all. If you haven’t read a Christmas book already you definitely should consider to pick up this one! It’s such a perfect story for this time of the year!

This is a sweet and funny M/M romance. Sam manages a housewares store that’s having problems. Unfortunately, the owner, Jonathan, is jerk. He brings Sam to London for a talk, and Sam hits his head. He’s fine, but decides to fake amnesia to get out of possibly being fired. He meets Jonathan’s family and finds out more about him, and improbably finds himself attracted to him. I loved the scenes with Jonathan’s family!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was just not the book for me, unfortunately. I’ve adored many of Alexis Hall’s books but this plot just took it all a bit too far, I’m afraid. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to go with the idea of someone faking amnesia & their grumpy boss going along with suddenly providing care & boarding for said bumbling employee.

The romance between the 2 protagonists just didn’t capture me & I found both to be quite unlikeable, with Jonathan veering more towards unnecessarily grumpy asshole than an uptight love interest with a heart of gold.

I actually think this plot and side characters would make for an excellent short TV series, but as a novel it just didn’t match the excellent reads that have come before it.

Please read it for yourself & decide, British humour abounds of course & it has nice meddling family, bumbling work family vibes.

Poor awkward Sam and loud equally awkward Jonathan. It takes a bit of suspension of disbelief to roll with the fake amnesia plotline, but it ends up being a sweet and fun read.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Oh man, I really wanted to love this book because I adore Boyfriend Material but this was not for me. Sometimes an author tries to hard to be witty and fun but it just gets hysterical and this was one of them for me. I put it down before finishing it because I got irritated.

All I can say is.....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Except not really. This book was insane but in a semi good way. I think it's crazy to fake amnesia to avoid something but, to be honest, I would do the same not gonna lie.

I really loved the characters and I think it was written super well. I will need to pick up Alexis Hall's other book for sure!

This one was so cute! The premise was kind of cheesy in a telenovela but I also felt like I hadn’t read anything like it before or recently— which both aspects made it really entertaining! I love outlandish premises. Sam suffers an accident, caused by his boss Jonathan, and gets a concussion. However, a miscommunication makes it believed that he has amnesia. Which acts as his quick get out of jail free card right as he and his whole team were about to be fired. Since he has no kin to take care of him, Jonathan houses him while his “memory comes back”. During this time, we get to see a softer side to Jonathan and that the rough exterior is more of an armor. I love the grumpy sunshine trope of this, and how Jonathan really is a grump, even once we saw his sappy side. He is a sappy grump. Also the found family that Sam acquires through Jonathan’s. What started as miscommunication and anxiety over the truth being found out, leads to so much more.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall

So glad I didn’t give up on this book early on…I found it rambling and had trouble getting into it BUT when I finally did, I was totally invested and eager to find out why Sam and Jonathan had become as they were and what their backstories might be. I had trouble, at first seeing them together or even warming to them but…that began to change as I kept reading and by the end…was happy they had found and brought out the best in one another while also growing and becoming more comfortable in their own skin.

This is a very British feeling rom-com with a loving rather wacky family provided by Jonathan and a diverse group of people that Sam was managing and working with. There were times I chuckled, other times I worried that I worried how things would work out, and times that I wanted to sit one or the other down and have a good talking to them.

This is a book that made me care about the outcome even though it was not easy to get into. I believe I would read another book by this author if the synopsis appealed to me and even though British rom-coms are not my favorite cup of tea ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Gosh! I soooo wanted for this to work but it just didn't for me. I found both characters and the whole set-up more annoying than likeable, and I felt the pacing was a bit too slow, and the side characters not that charming either.
I've read nearly every Alexis Hall book there is and loved them but this one just didn't do it for me.

Can't wait for the next in the London Calling universe though, and I'm grateful I got the opportunity to read this ahead of the publication date.

Ten Things That Never Happened was a very enjoyable read. It will be highly recommended to all of my readers looking for a light rom-com with a lot of banter and a lot of heart. There is a quirky supporting cast and a sweet love story. Alexis Hall does not disappoint.

*An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Just the sort of rollick you want about working retail over the holidays (plus it’s Alexis Hall)

Funny, knife sharp wit, and two idiots in love coparenting a cat named Gollum

At first, I didn't think I was going to enjoy another book in the London Calling Universe (or about faking amnesia) due to loving Boyfriend Material so much. Needless to say, Jonathan and Sam fit right in and I fell in love with their dynamic.

If there's one thing I love in books, it's a classic enemies to lovers trope and this book DID THAT. They really did not like each other, and yet, they found it hot and fell in love. It's everything to me.

The ending was very quickly resolved and I wish they took longer to talk through their issues, because it felt rushed. Either way, I'm happy to have Johnathan and Sam join the chaos of the London Calling books. Can't wait to read more about them!

I went into this not entirely knowing what to think of this. As much as I wanted to love it as much as I loved Boyfriend Material, it didn’t hit the mark for me.

It took longer for me to read than I wanted it to, and as much as I wanted to like it, I just couldn’t.

I sort of liked the main characters, but in the end I was more interested in the side characters. I couldn’t really feel the connection between the Jonathon and Sam; it sort of felt forced.

I loved Jonathon and Gollum’s connection and storyline.

So, while it was an ok book, it wasn’t really anything outstanding for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC.

Did not expect this to be a Christmas romance but I'm not mad about it. It's got all the typical Alexis Hall humour.

I love Alexis Hall. He is goofy and earnest and his jokes of repeating hyper-specific detailed titles of things frequently throughout a story never fails to make me laugh. 10 Things That Never Happened might be my favorite of his books that I've read. I loved Sam. I loved Jonathan. I loved Gollum. I didn't expect to cry through the last two chapters of a holiday season rom-com involving a fake amnesia plot and a chain of bed and bath superstores but I did.

Because of the similar covers I originally thought this was part of the London Calling series (Boyfriend Material, Husband Material), but it's actually the first in a new series called 'Material World'.

Sam Becker is probably going to get fired from his job as the manager of a bed and bathware store. His boss is a total @% and he's sure that if he gets fired the rest of his team probably won't be far behind. In order to buy himself more time so he can come up with a plan to stop that from happening he fakes amnesia and ends up staying with his boss.

All this time in forced proximity causes them to get to know each other and begin to...well, not exactly like each other, but dislike each other a little less maybe? Disliking each other less leads them to begrudgingly become friends, and gradually become more than that. It's a bit of a slow burn, with some family drama, and plenty of lies...and what could possibly go wrong with a relationship built on falsehoods?!

I'm not sure that I'd actually call this a Christmas book, but it does take place at the end of the year and there is a bit of decorating, a work holiday party, and some family celebration.

I enjoyed aspects of this book -it was filled with the charm and humor that are characteristic of Alexis Hall's writing. For me, though, none of the other books of Hall's that I've read so far have quite measured up to my favorite (and one of my all-time favorite romances), Boyfriend Material. This is a fun read though and worth your while if you enjoy Hall's books.

I can't say I loved this one. I think there were parts that were maybe ok, but the premise was too absurd to really care about.

Also the whole "insta love" vibes don't flow with me. It was literally a relationship based 100% on proximity and nothing else.

I felt that a lot of potential was lost in this situation. Both characters came out as kind of rude people with little love chemistry, despite the fact that the plot was perfectly set up with entertaining details that might have created the perfect atmosphere for a wonderful romantic relationship.