As usual, I love everything Alexis Hall writes. I'm not usually a fan of amnesia stories, but I really liked the way this one was handled. I love Samwise, he's a real sweetie, and I fell just as hard for his grumpy boss.

This book was exactly what I’d expect from Alexis Hall after reading and loving Boyfriend Material. Sweet, genuinely funny, with lovably flawed leads and incredible side characters.

The central plot device of this book is “fake amnesia,” which is very different from its more popular cousin, “real amnesia.” As it turns out, I much prefer fake amnesia, lol. I hate the amnesia trope because, like…that’s not how that works. And also I don’t like the idea of falling in love with someone while you’re essentially a different person because you’ve forgotten everything. I’m obsessed with characters having painful regrets that make it hard for them to move forward with a relationship, and you can’t have painful regrets if you don’t have memories. Fake amnesia is much better because both people remain themselves the whole time, but there’s still an excellent engine for conflict and the eventual devastating breakup scene.

I could see other readers being annoyed with the fake amnesia because it *is* a bit of a stretch, and it does go on for longer than you’d think. It’s a tough balance to strike between making the amnesia a part of the plot and not letting it completely take over. Alexis gets a little meta with it too, with multiple characters acknowledging how ridiculous the whole thing is. There were times that came off as too cute for me (Agnieszka’s scenes, mostly) but overall I found it funny and charming.

The cast is also HUGE. There are a lot of family members and coworkers, and sometimes that made the book feel overstuffed, with certain plot lines and characters getting short shrift because there was just too much going on. Like, what was Auntie Jack’s deal? And why did Barbara Jane get divorced? And what happened with Brian? Etc etc. Still, though, Jonathan’s family is a treat, and a good chaotic family is a must-have in a Christmas rom-com.

Which reminds me—this is a Christmas book! What a delight for me to discover that. It’s a really good one, too. I’ve pretty much seen it all as a Hallmark devotee, and I got a big kick out of the Christmas shenanigans going on here.

In terms of the romance itself, Jonathan and Sam are a fantastic leading duo. Jonathan is a true grump—none of that diet grump from Mr. Hall—and he is pretty shitty for a lot of the book. Which means he has a lot of growing to do, and which makes his gentleness and sweetness toward Sam all the more moving. Sam, meanwhile, is a sunny, lovely counterpoint to Jonathan, even if he seems a little too well-adjusted at points. There’s a major revelation about Sam’s background in the last 10% of the book, which I felt was bit too late. But I do think there was a lot of groundwork and foreshadowing laid, so it didn’t come completely out of nowhere. Keep in mind that this book keeps spice at the fade-to-black level. Too bad, but I love everything else enough not to mind.

I definitely recommend this one. Just a ton of fun, and easy to breeze through in a couple of days. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read the previous books by this author, but was aware of them - and plan to go back and check them out soonest.

This book was ridiculous in the best sense of the word. Some of the characters should have been caricatures, but they weren't. Just wonderfully ridiculous. Even minor characters were well-sketched with few lines.

The plot was also ridiculous, but again, in the best way.

And the names for the items sold in the stores were perfection.

Faking amnesia in order to not get fired seems extreme but don’t tell Sam that. Since that is exactly what he did. Jonathan believes that his amnesia is real which takes them on twists and turns through this book. Enjoyable read. 4/5 stars.

After an accident and miscommunication leads surly CEO Jonathan Forest to believe his employee Sam has amnesia, Sam sees it as an opportunity: use their doctor-ordered time together to make Jonathan see Sam and his co-workers as people so they don't get fired. But as Sam discovers his boss has a gentler, more loveable side and the two of them grow closer, he has to decide if happily ever after is a possibility when built on a lie.

A very silly, very adorable story that fans of Hall's other works will surely enjoy. It never quite lived up to its premise, and I had some issues with the resolution. Still, it was a fast-paced and (mostly) light-hearted read that is a fun addition to the broader Boyfriend Material universe.

I absolutely love rom-coms but rarely does one actually make me laugh which 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED did several times. I so enjoyed the humor, the shenanigans and the sharp wit. I'm glad Jonathan's family was as big of a part in the story as they were as they were all a hoot and riot to listen to them amongst themselves. I loved both Sam and Jonathan and their dynamic together. Seeing how Jonathan treated Gollum early on says everything you need to know about him. This was the first book that I read by this author and am so glad I did! Very entertaining, fun, and sweet!

Thank you to Sourcebook Casablanca and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this, but didn't think it was nearly as good as Hall's other books. He does a great job writing secondary characters and making the main characters feel realistic, but I didn't really understand how the romance happened? Like at no point was I convinced the characters warmed up to one another until they were making out ready warmed up to each other. They have an antagonistic relationship essentially the entire time, so I was confused what caused the romance to come together, because there was very little if any thawing. But I still had a good time, plus it's Christmas-y which is fun.

The first Alexis Hall book I read was Boyfriend Material which I loved. I haven't loved the other book by this author as much. However, 10 Things That Never Happened was up there with Boyfriend Material. If you liked Boyfriend Material, you will enjoy this book. I found the ending to be pretty rushed and things between the characters were sorted out too easily.

I loved this sweet and sad story of two people who are kind of lost becoming found. Alexis Hall tells a great love story, with lots of humor, just enough angst, and enough true heartbreak to make it real.

I lucked into a "read now" offer for this on NetGalley, and you can bet I jumped on that like a cat on a feather toy. And... I will definitely read it (or, more likely, listen to it) multiple times, so maybe that inherently means it should be five stars? But it took me a while to get into the story, and I thought the amnesia plot dragged on a bit too long, so I'm sticking with four. There's plenty of Alexis Hall wit and humo(u)r, of course, but somehow these particular flawed MCs didn't click for me right away. Which, now that I think about it, perhaps means more that I should examine why (for example) I fell for Luc and Oliver at hello, even though they're also both flawed. (And maybe I need to think more about why Husband Material didn't work as well for me as Boyfriend Material did, though really, after my ten-star, want-to-read-it-forever response to Boyfriend Material, pretty much anything would have been a letdown.)

At any rate, this book ends up being a delight, even if (for me) it didn't entirely start out that way. Three cheers!

Another hit from Alexis Hall! Anytime I see a release from this author, it's an instant buy for me, and I was not at all disappointed by this one. The grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes, and this book definitely does it justice. I knocked off one star because the amnesia trope was far fetched, but it was still a fun read!

"You've come into my life like a beam of very annoying sunshine... I don't know how I'm supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again."

If you've read other Alexis Hall books (Boyfriend Material, A Lady for a Duke), you'll know that he does grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, flawed human stories really well. And 10 Things That Never Happened is no exception. This was a fun, if impractical romp, in which overly-relaxed bed & bath shop manager Sam gets called to task by his dickish boss, Jonathan. Right as Jonathan is firing him, Sam trips into a shower stall display, ending up hospitalized with a concussion and an opportunity to fake amnesia. The only thing to do, apparently, is move Sam into Jonathan's sprawling London home so he can be watched over 24/7. What starts as them each trying to save their own asses (Jonathan trying to avoid a lawsuit, Sam trying to save his job) ends with them realizing they both kinda like each other. Both men are flawed, and make some big mistakes, and that's what made the story believable despite the ridiculous scenario. Sam and Jonathan, with their bickering and banter, bring out the best in each other and help each other grow. That's a love story worth reading.

Really, the only baffling part about the book is the title. What ARE the 10 things that never happened? There's no real reference to anything relating to this in the story. Is it supposed to be because of the fake amnesia? I guess they're both pretending the argument leading up to the accident never happened, but it's ambiguous at best.

Overall, it's another fun, silly, but ultimately poignant story of messy love by Alexis Hall.

*****
I received this eARC from Netgalley @netgalley and Casablanca Books @sourcebookscasa in exchange for an honest review.

10 Things That Never Happened will be released October 17, 2023.

My favorite Material World book yet, honestly! Of course if there’s anything you can say about these books it’s that your mileage WILL vary lol, but for me this hit really really well.

The thing about this whole series/world that is really underrated/under-acknowledged imo is the layer of toxicity - which is one million percent consistent with the 90s/early 2000s romcoms these books are inspired by. I started this book In the middle of a deeply annoying work phase… I decided to read it because I knew its tone was going to perfectly match my (slightly toxic) energy and I wasn’t wrong haha. On the other hand that toxicity just exactly balances out the sentimentality, so after all that I still found myself tearing up at the end like “how did I get from work annoyances to this!?”

I will say this book is very Alexis Hall in the sense that the amnesia plot is a “someone is missing a key piece of information” Trojan horse - in fact, we as the audience are the ones that are missing a key piece of information. I loved it! The suspense built and then resolved in an incredibly satisfying way.

Yeah, just a very satisfying book!

What can I say about this absolute joy of a Christmas but not Christmas book? It stars Jonathan Forest, who we briefly met in Husband Material, and Sam Becker. Sam manages the Sheffield branch of a bed and bath store and yes, Jonathan is his boss. Also, you wouldn’t say things in Sheffield are smooth sailing. (Note, you do not need to read either London Calling book before reading 10 Things. I definitely recommend them though, they are fantastic books.)

We have several tropes in this one, but I’ll leave it to the main three — boss/employee, enemies to lovers, and the good old fake amnesia trope.

Generally, I really don’t like any relationship with an unbalanced power dynamic, but to my utter delight, this book handled the boss/employee relationship exceptionally well. The care and concern the characters had with the power dynamic was something I haven’t seen in a book before, or if I have then it isn’t handled this well often.

Let’s be honest, you can’t go wrong with enemies to lovers and fake amnesia. The amnesia plot was well crafted, too. Don’t get me wrong, it would be terrible in real life … but bad things done for a good reason with a side of absurdity is terrific fun in a book.

To top it off, it really was the least Christmasy Christmas book of all times … and I loved that! Somehow it had all of the stress with none of the magic which was incredibly refreshing. (Not to say I don’t love cheesy hallmark Christmas books/movies, but this really was a breath of fresh air for a holiday book. All of the family fights, none of the prince of a small European country in disguise.)

I adored the quirky cast of characters. Sam and Jonathan were incredibly well written. I was rooting for them the entire book. (okay, fine, four tropes … grumpy x sunshine!) Sam’s care for others and his zest for life made him a quintessential sunshine main character, but don’t worry, he has a very strong personality and is more than just sunshine. Jonathan’s grumpiness is known from his brief cameo in Husband Material, but if you haven’t read that you catch on to his grumpiness right away. It fit him — past and present — very well. And, in his own way he truly cares for others, it just is hard for people to see. The Sheffield branch where Sam worked was ridiculous and so fun. Not only that … but somehow Jonathan’s family were utterly delightful while also being ludicrous. Cough, Christmas tree, cough. And, I can’t forget Sam’s cat Gollum.

I have to admit that I struggled to start the last few chapters … not because I wasn’t loving the book, but because I didn’t want it to end. These characters came alive, as much as they can to an aphant anyway, and I just didn’t want to let them go. This book made me laugh, tear up, and feel like I was part of two wildly weird but amazing families.

I’d give this one more than five stars if that was allowed. I cannot wait for the audio to drop so my American self can hear the proper accents. I definitely don’t have that fancy of an inner monologue.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc of this book.

Absolutely outstanding romantic comedy that goes beyond grumpy/sunshine and hits Scrooge/Fezziwig instead. Jonathan is a closed off prick and the owner of a chain of bed and bath stores. Sam is one of the store managers and finds himself tangled up in a pack of lies while trying to convince Jonathan not to fire him or any of his staff. A pack of lies, by the way, that includes faking amnesia. In the tradition of great rom-coms, this is a very over-the-top situation for two very real, very sweet characters. Jonathan's Scrooge character arc is masterfully done: believably prickish at the start and understood and warmed by the end. Hall also brings us a cadre of lovable and hilarious side players in Jonathan's family and Sam's work colleagues. I laughed and I cried - literally. This is a delight.

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall is an excellent reminder about how people can be and are truly complex. The person who is cutthroat at work can be also be the person who sits on the floor and plays with a cat for hours. The charismatic, apparently unbothered person can also be lonely and feel adrift. I was rooting for Jonathan Forest from the beginning because I couldn’t wait until we started to see him beyond the bluster. Samwise Becker is a treasure - just an absolute gem. We recommend this one if you’re looking for a contemporary romance with flawed characters, a sweet cat who melts frosty hearts, huge Christmas tree hijinks, big family personalities, and learning to show who you are even with “amnesia.”

I have read at least eight Alexis Hall books and liked them all, particualarly loved "Rosaline Palmer.." and "Boyfriend Material." I found that "10 Things that Never Happened" didn't quite achieve liftoff though.

The general atmosphere and cast of characters are funny and real, and Hall's great natural , funny, sweary dialogue amongst characters is, as always, top notch. (Though the repetition of the full, very long product names I found didn't work for me -- though some other reviewers have mentioned it as hilarious -- I get the theory of how this is funny, I guess I was reading at a moment when my grumpiness-factor just didn't find this device humorous.)

There are some hilarious lines though - e.g. "And I hope, then pray, then go back to hoping on account of beign an athiest..." HA!

I just found the level of faffing around to plot/relationship development was pretty high - ie. the scene setting was a lot at the beginning, and the central relationship of the story slow to develop. It was about 1/2 way in before we see more than Sam & his crew just generally making a mess of everything in their branch of "Splashes & Snuggles." Then, I don't know - I didn't love the 'fake amnesia' plotline, and I didn't really get a sense of seeing the Sam & Jonathan relationship develop -- there were a few beautiful heartfelt moments from Jonathan, that I really loved, but overall, I just didn't quite feel like they quite had the build up that I was hoping for? Maybe I wanted a few more 'breaking down the walls' / cracks in the armor/ getting to know each other conversations between them? (maybe at least 1 about how, as Jonathan does mention at one point, Sam has no emergency contact and no one's come looking for him - It' s clear to the reader that this is the case, & almost weird he doesn't ask more about this? I don't think that there's much gained by keeping his family situation a 'surprise' til that end bit. Though I do like it when Jonathan comes after Sam with Sam's lost jacket.)

I also found Sam's sort of 'pushing' Jonathan's family on him a little bit much - We see in the long run that they are a lovely bunch of just over the top messy, annoying, funny, interesting people who care about Jonathan - but when the reader (and Sam) first meets them, he (and we) don't know why Jonathan's distanced himself from them - they could be horrible toxic lying thieves for all we know, but Sam's like "aw, come on let them all stay" -- which you can kind of get, from his perspective.... BUT. It just felt not quite right?

I don't know - I guess wrong reader at the wrong time. I liked some of the pieces, but it didn't really come together to give me all the good, funny & heart-melting feelings of some of Hall's other books.

It’s the signature Alexis Hall banter, wit, fun, and love. I adored it and was 100% here for it. It was slightly too long, with a slightly slow pace for parts of it, but I still enjoyed the story.

This is totally a Christmas book, but the cover fails to market it as such.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

This is the Alexis Hall that we all fell in love with during Boyfriend Material. You’ll love this one if you like: messy characters, slow burn, & family shenanigans. The whole almost ruined the HEA plot twist moment and follow up was also done so well. Just all around top notch writing.

I liked this one! I support Gollum in all his wrongs (he is baby). Johnathan’s character was so interesting, and I loved the scenes with his family, especially the exploration of his relationship with his father.

I could eat the banter in this book with a spoon, and the chicken-fisting scene literally made me lol. Hall is charming as always.

Oh! Also, this quote:“I’m frozen like an underpaid deer in overpriced headlights.”

I don’t know why that quote tickles my pickle so much, but *shrugs*.