Can Alexis Hall write a bad book? I don't think so! I've loved the books they have written so far and 10 things that never happened can be added to that list! It was fun, engaging and kept me intrigued. The Narrator did a fantastic job as well and I loved listening. I look forward to their next book!

This book reads like it was written as a bet to combine *all* of the main romance tropes into one book. And it works. It really does work. You've got grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, holiday romance, fake amnesia, haters to daters, and more I'm sure I missed, and a cat. Well played. If nothing else, it's fun to read just to see how the madness plays out.

Audiobook is excellently narrated with great voices for everyone and just the right accents for nuance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you NetGalley and my dear and always favourite Dreamscape media for sending me this audiobook.

I don´t think Alexis Hall needs introductions but if you don´t know him I will just say that he the perfect combination between a romance genius and comedic prodigy.

This book kicked down the door to my best reads for 2023 with just it´s first chapter. I knew It would have been five stars from the very beginning.
And if you are wondering why I knew so little into the book, well, it´s because while I was listening I couldn´t stop smiling. This book made me genuinely happy. I couldn´t stop giggling and listening and smiling again.

We start the book meeting Samwise ´Sam´Becker (his mother was a Lord of the Ring superfan and already with the explenation of the name I was SOLD!!!), the manager for a bed and bath retailer. His´s branch it´s not the best and his employee are not helping keeping it alive. (all the characters we meet in the shop are hilarious. I loved every single one of them)
Enter Jonathan Forest, the boss and workaholic owner of the retail shop. He is not very happy with Sam´s management skills and invites him from Sheffild to London to show him how it´s done.

And when the two meet they cannot be more different but what happens when after a small incident Sam starts faking amnesia (yes like in the movies) to con Jonathan into keeping the Sheffield branch intact? And what if when the frostry Jonathan shows his true colours to Sam?

I hope with all my heart that everyone will read this book because it is a gem.
Furthermore if you love audiobooks this is for you. The voice actor, Will Watt, does an amazing job voicing Sam. I loved his accent and I truly fell in love with his voice.

The way the romance was developed truly amazed me. Sam and Jonathan are two normal men. Each of whom has his life, his problems and it´s way of dealing with them. They are good looking guys but they are not super hot or super charming. They start knowing each other and like in real life, they understand each other every day a little more.
I find this book relatable and absolutely amazing.
I don´t know how many times I can say I loved it, but I truly did. So if you arrived reading my word vomit review up until this point, well go and preorder it! IT´S WORTH IT!!

The narrator of the audiobook, Will Watt, deserves all of the recognition and awards in the world. His narration was spot on! I don't know anything about different dialects in the UK, and I think that Will Watt was able to voice so many different accents. His narration helped me keep track of the differences between all of the different accents, and it made it the audio book so much fun to listen to!

10 Things That Never Happened is the story of Sam and Johnathan. Sam works at a bath and bedding store, and he likes his job, but he doesn't love it. When his boss, Johnathan, asks him to come in for a talking to, things don't go as planned. Johnathan fires Sam and members of his team, but when Sam falls and hits his head, Johnathan assumes that Sam has amnesia. Afraid to correct him for fear of being fired, Sam decides to play again.

He goes to live with Johnathan, and he meets Johnathan's loud family. His family accepts Sam right away, and Sam begins to see a new side of Johnathan. As the draw closer together, the truth about Sam's 'amnesia' remains hidden and threatens to derail the growing connection between the two of them.

I love this audiobook so much. I couldn't stop listening to it! I was laughing so loud as I was listening, but it also made me cry too. I can't recommend this audio book enough. Please go out and listen to it when it is available.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this amazing audio book.

Perfect for fans of The hating game or Red, White & Royal Blue, this enemies to lovers, fake amnesia, workplace holiday romance will make you laugh and warm your heart all at the same time. Full of family drama, found family, the perfect 'Grinchy' MMC and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

"10 Things That Never Happened" by Alexis Hall is a beautifully crafted gay love story between Sam and Jonathan, exploring the enemies-to-lovers trope with exceptional skill and adding a touch of humor, heart, and depth that keeps readers engaged throughout.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic is portrayed with genuine depth, and the initial animosity between Sam and Jonathan is palpable. It sets the stage for a compelling transformation as their relationship evolves over the course of the story.

Hall's writing is a standout feature, filled with humor and wit that adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the narrative. The vivid description of Gollum the cat is just one example of the author's ability to infuse charm and quirkiness into the story.

The gradual revelation of Sam's past and the mystery shrouding it adds an element of intrigue that keeps readers invested. The pacing is well-considered, saving the revelation for the end and leaving readers eager to uncover the truth.

Jonathan's character, particularly his struggle with touch-starvation, adds emotional depth to the story. His journey of self-acceptance and the need for love is both poignant and relatable.

The amnesia plot element, while unconventional, surprisingly fits seamlessly into the narrative, serving as a catalyst for emotional growth and self-discovery. It sheds light on Jonathan's longing for love and connection.

Jonathan's family dynamics are portrayed with authenticity, showcasing the complexity and messiness of familial relationships. This contrast with Sam's lack of family highlights the emotional depths of the characters and the healing power of love.

Alexis Hall's exceptional writing and well-drawn characters make it a heartwarming and humorous read.

10 Things That Never Happened is another enjoyable read by Alexis Hall.

The narrator does a wonderful job on this audiobook and it is incredibly easy to listen to.
The main characters are entertaining and loveable - just not at first. The side characters are well developed, but the cat stole the show in my opinion. Team Gollum all the way.

Although the miscommunication/lying trope is not my personal favourite I did find this rather entertaining, especially when it came to interacting with side characters.
I did have to remind myself it is a fictional story and therefore allowed to be a tad unrealistic especially when it comes to tropes.

I went in blind and although I didn't dislike the book I don't think I would have chosen this for myself. I'm not sure I believed the attraction and was actually shocked when the pairing occurred, It kind of seemed like one party was more invested and the other was more caught up in the lie.
You may interpret this differently.

I did enjoy the comedy. I found myself laughing the entire way and the insults were just brilliant.
I think this actually saved the book for me.

I was gifted an audiobook copy of 10 things that never happened in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I'd like to thank Netgalley, Sourcebooks and Alexis Hall for this opportunity.

This was such an awesome and fun read/listen.
Do you remember the classic rom-coms from the 90s that we love to rewatch whenever they are on TV because they were great and fun and it feels like current movies are not as great? Well, this book is like watching a classic 90s rom-com, it will make you laugh, swoon and maybe cry.
10 things that never happened is about Sam and Jonathan. Sam works for Jonathan in a bed/bath store and he is not doing so great but he doesn't want anyone fired. when Jonathan threatens to fire him and his staff, Sam might be pushed to fake amnesia. What could possible go wrong right? The rest of the book is filled with great banter, lots of grumpy/sunshine and all the warm and fuzzy feelings. I also appreciated that you don't need to have read either boyfriend material/husband material to get right into this book.
I mainly listened to his book and highly recommend the audio. Be mindful it has a British accent and it took me a little to get used to it (english is my second language).

I don’t know if this is being advertised as a Christmas book? It should be. Super cute Christmas romcom. With a sunshine manager-Sam, that has to go in for an evaluation with his grumpy unlikeable boss- Jonathan when things don’t go well and Sam ends up getting fired right before a fall and gets a head injury. He maybe then fakes amnesia to get his boss to change his mind about firing him.

This was fun. So funny with a ton of loveable characters and familial drama I wasn’t expecting.

The ebook at the beginning explains what accent is being used and I read it in the Vivenne’s voice. The audiobook was great the accent was totally spot on with the voice in my head.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an eARC.

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!

Accents are a significant part of a character’s identity in most of Hall’s works. Accents in the UK are heavily value and meaning laden, they can communicate class, geographic location, and so much about how an individual perceives themselves, how they want others to perceive them. It’s significant that Jonathan has a different accent to the rest of his family and that Sam is not from Sheffield. Reading on page it is hard to get that nuance (for someone who is not embedded in these accents on a daily basis) but the audio gives additional texture to each of these characters in a pretty magical way. Will Watt does an amazing job at giving life and voice to these beautiful characters.

Justice for Jonathan! Like, he gets hated on for the first 50% of the book before Sam finally wakes up to how adorable he is! I would probably say this about almost any book that wasn’t, but this book really should have been dual POV simply so that I could suffer WITH Jonathan as he struggled with his crush on Sam. My heart was absolutely crushed for him towards the end of the book. Honestly, I’d be good if we had cut out the first 30% or so simply because we don’t get to know the real Jonathan until around the 40% mark. Sam and Jonathan had great chemistry! If you want some true enemies-to-lovers (meaning they’re actually mean to each other unlike a lot of books marketed that way), this is a great choice! The banter continues throughout the entire book, with each of them basically on a mission to make the other laugh. The LGBTQ+ representation was perfect! Also, have I talked enough about how clearly in love Jonathan was?! It was so adorably sad, how he felt like he didn’t deserve Sam. I loved Jonathan’s family! They felt like a real and believable family, with the crazy grandparents and the uncle no one likes but gets invited anyway because, hey, “he’s family!” I also loved how Sam, Jonathan, and Gollum made the perfect little family. Jonathan officially became a favorite book boyfriend when he said that Gollum was their fourteenth person for Christmas dinner. I do still have a question that wasn’t answered though, what’s up with the title? Like I get the whole amnesia thing and that Sam lied a lot, but I still feel like it made no sense. Anyway, despite a slow beginning, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

For the narration, I loved how well the narrator showed the differences in the accents between Sam and Jonathan.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

The audiobook version of this book is definitely worth a listen, the narrators accent is to die for and his humor just hit perfectly. I don't know if this book would have had the same effect on me had I been reading it myself. The internal monologue and descriptions were so funny, I found myself laughing out loud.

The story was really good, the idea for the book wasn't totally original - but I think it was pulled off really well. I was scared the main plot point was going to be left as a cliff hanger, because there was only about 3% left when it started being resolved. It just made it on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened, and I think that's what you want from a good book. This was a rom com and I was still on edge of my seat. I think even though there was an epilogue it was set up nicely to have a sequel, and I would read more about these guys.

I love a grump sunshine book, even though both of the MCs had some grumpiness issues. They both were sarcastic and I loved that as well. I also appreciated that this romance didn't go into explicit details, it was nice bridge between a YA novel which usually read moving into adult fiction.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an e-copy of #10ThingsThatNeverHappened by Alexis Hall to read and review.

How cool is it to read a book set in London while you’re visiting London? I was lucky to receive the audioARC while on a trip to the UK and it really added to the ambience for me. The book is so very British in its humor, use of the regional accents, slang, locations outside of London and in the characters personalities. I was really dying to read this book and I just absolutely loved it. Also this is a Christmas story so if you like holiday rom coms you will love this.

Jonathan is Tall, Dark & Grumpy and Sam is A beam of sunshine but with a tragic backstory you don’t learn about until the end. Jonathan is Sam’s dickhead boss at Splashes & Snuggles, a chain of bath & bed stores. I don’t want to spoil anything because the way stuff is revealed is so so good but they find themselves on forced proximity and realize they fancy each other. Sam’s rescue cat Gollum takes to Jonathan as they are both grumps and the cat plays a delightful supporting role. I was giggling the whole time… it is SO FUNNY. Of course all the side characters are amazing as Hall does this the best out of anyone.

William Watt the narrator of the audio book is tremendous. Sam has a scouse (Liverpool) accent and Jonathan’s family has a mix of Sheffield and South London and all the dialects, genders and ages are perfect. Watt is highly talented and I would not be surprised if he won an award.

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape for the audioARC

Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material is a sparkling, witty romp with a lovable mess (Luc) and a reserved, maybe kind of stuck up guy who turns out to have a squishy marshmallow center (Oliver). The two of them have amazing chemistry and you really root for their success as a couple.

In 10 Things That Never Happened, Sam is a mess, but it's hard to find him lovable. He hates his job, hates his boss, hates pretty much everything. Jonathan, his boss, is arrogant, cold, and unpleasant. After listening to the entire book, brilliantly performed by Will Watt, I still don't understand what they see in each other.

Fake amnesia is not a trope I've read frequently, and it made me pretty anxious, but I don't think that's my issue with this book. The pacing is off, with the first half excruciatingly slow, although the second half picked up considerably as well as becoming quite a bit funnier. Unlike most of AJH's books, this one fails to unearth enough backstory for either character to make them sympathetic, even when (as we eventually learn, much too late to really feel invested), there's a lot to sympathize with. I feel like I know a lot more about the terrific supporting cast, especially Jonathan's hilarious and complicated family.

10 Things is a sometimes funny, sometimes sloggy story that leans too heavily into its plot device. There's a lot of energy expended on keeping the secret, but not enough on developing the characters or the romance. It just didn't come together for me.

One other, small complaint: are there ten things that never happened? I wonder if it would be more clear when reading with my eyes, because if the things were explicitly identified in the audiobook, I missed it.

This is a book that definitely is elevated through the audio version - the accents were great fun and really set the location so firmly in the head. From the Liverpool accents (which sounded like a Beatles interview) to the London locales, there is a great sense of England here. On a whole this is a fun story but not very believable - at times it felt overwritten, trying too hard to land the jokes and keep it amusing. But it has a good ending and is definitely a good time waster.

Story: Sam is the manager of a bed and bath store - a job he doesn't love but it pays the bills. With his beloved but dysfunctional group of employees, it is a miracle they get the sales needed to stay afloat. But the owner (Jonathan) over in London decides the team isn't cutting it and is going to lay off the entire team and close the store. Sam comes to London to sort things out but only manages to accidentally cause an accident that causes a concussion. Now, pretending to have amnesia, he hopes he can delay the firings and perhaps warm Jonathan up to the strengths of his team. The problem is, he is starting to really fall for Jonathan the more time he spends with him.

I did enjoy this book. But I have to admit, it just felt so made up and overwritten that it was hard to really get into any of the characters. And there are quite a lot of quirky family and employee individuals in this story to get laughs. From Jonathan's very outspoken and silly family to Sam's employees, each of whom is a good person but for the most part unable to do their job. It got a bit too over the top for me at times and I kind of felt that they all really should be fired.

The heart of the story is that Sam is a people person and Jonathan is a numbers person. Put together, they balance each other and help make up for missing pieces in each of their lives. The romance is nice though I never felt much for either guy since they both were rather one sided. That said, you could tell the difference between the two easily and they had distinct voices.

In all, worth the read, especially if you get the fantastic audio version. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the free ALC in exchange for my honest. Thia ia a dnf at 46.5% i am not a fan of this narrator. I did not enjoy what i listenes to sadly i found it flat and unable to keep my attention. I have loced this authora other work this didn't do it for me

10 Things That Never Happened is about Sam Becker, a fairly content retail manager in a bed and bath store in the north of England. Jonathan Forest is his jerk boss who threatens to fire some of Sam's employees if they don't start making more of a profit. Jonathan actually fires Sam while they're at one of the stores, and he accidentally knocks Sam over into a shower, where he hits his head. After a slight misunderstanding at the hospital, Sam decides to fake amnesia so that he can pretend that he never lost his job and try to win Jonathan over so that none of his team will get fired. Sam stays with Jonathan at his house in London since no one else can monitor his concussion, and amid Christmas emergencies, family drama, and continuing to fake amnesia, the two start to get closer.

I had such a good time with this book! I listened to the audiobook and I usually only listen to books when I'm in the car, but I listened to it around the house and finished in two days because I was having such a fun time. Alexis Hall is simply unparalleled with fun banter and he definitely delivered with this book! I got worried when I read that this book had amnesia in it, but it was really handled in a fun way (not a sentence that I ever thought I would write!)

I liked that this book featured northern English characters because I feel like I almost never see that in books. I'm also not the expert in northern accents, but I thought the narrator did an amazing job creating different accents and voices for each of the characters. Highly recommend the audiobook! It also takes place around Christmas, which I was not expecting, but put me in a festive mood!

Another fun part of the book was Jonathan's family and Sam's coworkers. I thought that they were good supporting characters and I liked how they were also very fleshed out. I enjoyed how Sam and Jonathan's friendship and relationship progressed and the "liar reveal" that was dreading the whole book was present, but could have been worse.

Overall, I had a great time with this book and highly recommend it to anyone! Particularly recommend the audiobook, it was great! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 from me. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this audiobook, my thoughts are my own!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of the audiobook

This was my most anticipated book of 2023, so I'm so happy to have gotten a chance to listen to the audiobook 2 weeks before publication, AND to say that I absolutely loved it as much as I hoped I would.

Alexis Hall is really great at writing romcoms, and this book and the London Calling series feel like real homages to 90 and early 20s romcoms. If you're a fan of While You Were Sleeping you'll probably love this - and this also takes place over Christmas, so it's perfect as Christmas read! I'll probably want to give this a reread in 2 months for Christmas.

I had a huge smile on my face through most of the book. Sam is a fantastic protagonist, and I loved him from the first chapter. I also absolutely adored his pet cat Gollum, who felt like a real character with a huge personality.

Jonathan, Sam's love interest, is a workaholic asshole, but honestly I've read a lot of Alexis Hall books and Jonathan isn't even in the top 5 biggest assholes of Alexis Hall's main characters for me. But that's probably due to the fact that Gollum liked him so much - if a cat likes a guy that's a big green flag in my books.

One thing I often struggle with with Alex Hall's books is the ending, which often feel a bit too abrupt or open ended for my tastes, and while the ending on this one did kind of feel like it came on a bit too quickly, I did REALLY like the epilogue, so I can definitely say I'm happy with the ending.

The audio narrator also did such a fantastic job with the different accents in this book and bringing all the characters to life.

Alexis Hall is an auto-buy author for me. This was typical Alexis Hall, funny and heartfelt.
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What I loved:
The narrator
This really was a great audiobook
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What I liked:
Grumpy/sunshine main characters
Enemies to lovers
Funny side characters
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What didn’t work for me:
The plot was a bit unbelievable which made it hard for me to buy into
Slow burn
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Overall, Alexis Hall fans will enjoy this one.
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Thank you netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this book!
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3.5 stars