Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @dreamscapemedia for a free download of the audiobook.

A Charming and Witty Rom-Com

Alexis Hall's 10 Things That Never Happened is a delightful romantic comedy that delivers on its promise of witty banter and heartwarming romance. The story follows Jonathan, a grumpy and privileged businessman, and Sam, a charming and resourceful employee.

Hall's signature style is evident throughout the novel, with sharp dialogue, witty observations, and a healthy dose of British humor. The author's ability to create relatable and endearing characters is on full display, as Jonathan and Sam slowly but surely develop a deep connection.

While the plot is predictable at times, the execution is flawless. The author's attention to detail and ability to craft believable and engaging characters elevates the story.

The audiobook narration by Will Watt is excellent. His performance captures the unique voices and accents of the characters, enhancing the listening experience.

Overall, 10 Things That Never Happened is a delightful and heartwarming read that will leave you smiling.

4 stars


#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #sourcebookscasablanca #dreamscapemedia #10thingsthatneverhappened #alexishall

I really loved this. I thought it was super cute and our Mmcs were adorable. the love story and the chemistry they had were unmatched.

A dick of a boss, a too good-hearted manager, the Christmas season, enemies to lovers with a large lie looming overhead. What could go wrong? This was a delight, the narrator did a wonderful job, and while the plot seemed relatively standard, it was still a fun romp. If you liked Boyfriend Material, you'll love this.

Why do I always wait so long to read books that have been on my TBR forever?

I'm never let down by Alexis Hall and yet, It took me forever to get to this. I received an ARC of the audio last year and even though I was really looking forward to it, here I am 8 months later finally listening to it. I knew this one would be taking a jump from Boyfriend Material, but honestly it was a nice switch. I guess I should come to terms that I'm officially in "adults dealing with adult problems" territory and I should pick up these types of books more often because it was fun and relatable. Both MCs are dealing with the balancing act that is, work, family, and dating. The fact that it was a grumpy x sunshine enemies to lovers made it so much sweeter.

This book was adorable! Loved the narration and the characters. Love this author!!!!!!!!!!! You’ve got to love a good fake amensia story and this one was delightful

I’ve enjoyed previous books by Alexis Hall, and was looking forward to reading 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED. It was both entertaining and angsty, but a tender love story too.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-workplace romance
-character growth
-angsty
-fake amnesia
-miscommunication

🎧I paired the book with the audio, and enjoyed the narration, and would recommend this format.

*many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley

This book was adorable! Loved the narration and the characters. There are all sorts of romance tropes out there, but never have I read one that involved amnesia - which made for quite a bit of entertainment!

You’ve got to love a good fake amensia story and this one was delightful. The side characters really shown in this one as well as the quintessential Alexis Hall humor and heart you’ve come to expect from their books. I really enjoyed this one and I’m not sure why I waited so long to read it. Will Watt's narration was superb as always.

This had the usual laugh-out-loud humour of an Alexis Hall novel, and I read the majority of it in one sitting while driving - it was easy to race through and the audiobook narrator was great. But I spent the majority of the first half of the book wondering how Sam and Jonathan were ever going to get together. They didn't have anything in common and were actively hostile towards each other. Jonathan comes from wealth and doesn't seem to care about his employees, only profit. Sam is the polar opposite; he's working class and is more interested in making friends and helping people than earning money.

I'm all for a good enemies-to-lovers romance so I would have been able to enjoy this even more, if there had been a single spark of attraction between them to begin with. But there wasn't really? They also had very little chemistry until about the 80% mark and although I did enjoy the eventual romance, it felt far less convincing than in AH's other books. I also had to work hard to suspend my disbelief about the amnesia plot. Why would you let yourself get wrapped up in such a tangle of lies, when telling the truth would be easier and less stressful? Having said all this, it was still a fun read and I'm glad I picked it up.

I had a hard time with this narrators accent. I couldn’t get in the book and will have to switch to a paper copy.

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 narrator was very very good too.

What should you do when you faked amnesia to get out of being fired but now your boss is taking care of you and turns out he isn’t as awful as you once thought?

I really love Alexis Hall's works, as well as amnesia plots, so I'd been eagerly anticipating reading 10 Things That Never Happened. The first half of the book took me a little while to get into—it isn't particularly romance focused (there are a lot of side characters present) and the depth of Sam's amnesia lie paired with Jonathan's devotion to capitalism, made it hard to root for them at times.

However, the second half really charmed me. It got deeper into emotional character backstories, the bond between them solidified, and I really liked those moments spent together as they started to be more honest and genuine with each other.

In my heart I had been hoping that Joe Jameson (who narrated Boyfriend Material and Husband Material) might do the narration for this as well because he's so brilliant. But Will Watt did a really lovely job, and I'd definitely listen to more narrated by Watt.

Thank you to @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for the ALC of 10 Things That Never Happened. This is a lovely gay romance with the enemies to lovers and fake amnesia tropes. I had thought I’d read an Alexis Hall book before I picked this one up, but it’s actually my first! I didn’t even realize that until I went to update my Goodreads once I was finished. 🙃

To be honest, it was just OK for me. While I enjoyed it, both MMC annoyed me a bit and that kept me from truly investing in them. I would recommend this one if this genre is your jam, there’s just a few others I’ve read that I would recommend first. At the same time, I loved the narrator, Will Watt, for this audiobook and will totally look forward to listening to him in future audiobooks! 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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.

This audio was fantastic! It was just as good a second time around and really brought the book to life.

I was very excited about finally getting to this book. The characters were unique but the story line dragged on way to long for my liking.

I am a big Alexis Hall fan so was very excited to read/listen to this as an ARC before it came out.

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!

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.

The narrator does an amazing job in this story, had great voice variation, and really brought the characters to life, I almost felt like I was watching a movie. 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!

I love love LOVED this book! The narration was *chefs kiss* and it was heart warming and hilarious. I think the cover could have reflected something Christmas-related because this was giving all the Christmas feels and I was unexpectedly pleased! Sam and Jonathan had such a great arc together and I loved their opposites-attract chemistry. Found family was trope was perfectly done. I think I had a smile on my face the entire time I listened to this book!

I always love these books so this one was just as good as the others. Must read author for me always. So yay!