I thought this book was silly and fun and a very enjoyable read, albeit very unbelievable — I found myself constantly in shock that the amnesia thing was still working. This book for sure doesn’t take itself too seriously, though, which I think is a must with a concept like this one. Sometimes, I felt like the plot was going around in circles, and the pacing was a little off, but overall, an enjoyable read.

3.75 stars rounded up

Put simply I thought this was a quick fluffy palette cleanser type of book. Hall's stories reminder me a lot of Sophie Kinsella books with the fluffy---usually ridiculous but endearing plots and characters. I really enjoyed our main characters banter and relationship. The cast of characters were quirky and quite enjoyed the British narration. Overall, a light and enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am admittedly not the biggest Alexis Hall fan, though I did like Boyfriend and Husband material quite a bit. This one fell short for me as I didn't feel like the romance was there. The characters were fine but Jonathan's character had too many shortcomings and aggressions for me to really get behind him as a character and root for him to find love. He would jump from tolerable to being overly angry and full of conflict for the sake of conflict and whenever he had to soften up it just felt forced. If the character had been toned down a bit I might have found it tolerable, but as this is supposed to be a romance, I just felt the characters lacked any real motivation for love.

I could not love this book more. Alexis Hall just does it right. These two characters are both loveable messes in their own ways. Sam has been made to travel down to London to meet with his horrid boss, Jonathan. In the midst of being fired by Jonathan, Sam trips, and somehow Jonathan believes that Sam has amnesia. Worried about any potential lawsuits, Jonathan offers to watch over Sam as he recovers from his concussion. Sam agrees in the hopes of saving his job as well as those of the employees at the branch he manages.

I laughed so hard in this book. Sam and Jonathan have a true enemies-to-lovers arc that is beautiful in its complexity and flawedness. I loved Jonathan's family in all their nuttiness and the way in which they instantly envelop Sam. Hall writes some of the best banter and dialogue I have ever read. The way they fell in love over conversation and small moments just melted my heart. Sam is honest to a fault and full of heart. Jonathan is super straight-laced and only sees in black and white. They really complement one another in the end. The cast of characters from Sam's branch brought so much delight. I loved every interaction with them. Most of all, I loved the real heart to this book. Hall manages to entertain you while giving you such depth to his stories. He makes you both laugh and cry and leaves you just joyful inside. Reading this book truly is the best experience.

In the end, this is a must-read. You will love the characters. You will love the message. You will love the feeling it gives you.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

I'm so grateful that I got the chance to read Alexis Hall's newest romance! I loved the enemies to lovers and grumpy x sunshine tropes in this book. The problem was that I didn't really felt the romance between them. But when I got past the middle part I started to feel it. It was a really fun read and I just want to read more Alexis Hall books!

I think another wildly fun romcom from Hall. It’s giving while you were sleeping but also chaos and heart in the best way

this was a cute, unique take on workplace romance! I’ve never read a book like this before, where a character fakes amnesia, and I didn’t know how I’d like it but I liked it! the characters are cute, kinda grumpy/sunshine, and totally adorable as they fall for each other! parts of it were a little hard to believe/follow, but overall this was a really cute unique story! I liked the characters navigated each other, how the truth eventually comes out, and the cutest lil happily ever after. thank you for the arc!!!

I had not checked out any of Alexis Halls' previous books, but have always heard good things about them. So, of course, I had to check this out when I got the opportunity and I loved it! It tells the story of Sam, a mediocre store manager, who is in danger of being fired by his giant jerk of a boss. Jonathan, said giant jerk of a boss, is driven and focused on meeting sales targets. Sam, not so much. He figures his store is doing well enough and feels no need to stress out about sales targets. When Jonathan invites Same to London to meet about the situation, it is clear Sam and his team are about to lose their jobs. When an unfortunate accident happens, causing Sam to hit his head, he sees this as an opportunity to get his job, and the jobs of his team, back by pretending to have amnesia. As Jonathan takes care of Sam, making sure he heals properly from his injury, Sam starts to see another side of his boss causing him to question whether or not this plan was a good idea.

I loved the banter between Sam and Jonathan! There were several laugh out loud moments. I also loved Jonathan's family, Sam's wo-workers, and the relationships in the two groups. I definitely recommend this book and will be checking out more of this author's work.

3.5/5
What if one day your boss, whom you hate, asked you to go to his ofice to tell you to fire one of your employees because they cost them money? What if things go sideways and you all get fired? What if, due to an accident, you pretend to have amnesia to keep you from getting fired and you ended up falling in love with him? What if he is not as horrible as you thought he was and you want to be with him but you have to be lying until you know how to tell him the truth without hurting him?
This is what Sam and Jonathan's story is all about. And if that wasn't enough, the author's pen makes you not want to drop the book. Page by page you need to keep reading untill you realize you've finished the book.
I don't know if I'm okay with the whole relationship starting with a lie, but I want to test how the idea was executed and I am very satisfied with the result. Memory loss, boss-employee relationship, grumpy x sunshine, this book has everything I need. It's a fresh, enjoyable reading, ideal for getting out of a reader lock, and ideal to read in Christmas, as it takes place on these dates.It was like watching a gay romcom.
I definitely want to read all the books of this author.

Sometimes I think a book will be good because it's by a bestselling author AND it's through a traditional publisher. Sometimes I am wrong.

Sometimes I really don't like the previous book by an author by really like the next book. Sometimes I am wrong.

Sometimes I learn my lessons. Sometimes I don't.

What I did like about this book- that one of the main characters is a manager at a bed and bath store. Not a boutique, but not a big box store. He is a regular guy doing a regular job. A regular completely non-glamourous job. And I did like the second half quite a bit more than the first. But that first half was tough.

Some of the things the author used to, I assume, be quirky, were eye rolling. Calling products they sell by their full name. He didn't trip and fall through a shower enclosure. He tripped and fell through the Nexa by MER-LYN 8mm Sliding Door Enclosure. And that entire title is used in every instance of the retelling of him falling through said enclosure. The same is done with a toilet seat and a mattress.

Several employees are written to be quirky as well. Mostly they were annoying.

So fake amnesia. Because that works all of the time. And man who started his own business and is successful would never, ever see right through it. But apparently it does work and the boss doesn't see right through it.

Honestly it was so silly.

It did get a bit more palatable after they got past the "you're my employee, this is wrong" thing. Jonathan became a bit more human. But Sam was still kind of an idiot. Jonathan's family were a bit too "A Big Fat Greek Wedding" for me, but I warmed up a bit to them.

I was only determined to finish the book to find out how the ruse comes to an end. And still, meh.

Maybe you will like it. Lots of people seem to based on the reviews. But this was so not for me.
And what are the 10 things that never happened? Because the title doesn't match the story AT ALL.

Rating: 4 stars ⭐️

Tropes:
employer x employee 💼
grumpy x sunshine ☀️ 
forced proximity 🏠

This was an enjoyable LGBTQ+ read that I would highly recommend if you like this genre!

It’s my first book from Alexis Hall but definitely not my last.

I liked the banter between the main characters an I absolutely loved Jonathan’s family. ✨

Jonathan Forest comes to his own store where Sam Becker works to discuss downsizing when something tragic happened…

After a check-up in the hospital, Sam needs to stay with Jonathan to get better but the forced proximity ends up getting them closer…

Thank you to Netgalley, Alexis Hall and the publisher for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

Sam thinks he's a pretty good manager of a high-end bedding and bath shop, but when his boss calls him down to London, he realizes that His Royal Dickishness aka Jonathan doesn't think he's a good manager at all. In fact, Jonathan fires him, but a fall into a glass display shower stall lands Sam in the hospital and if Jonathan mistakenly thinks Sam has amnesia, that means he won't remember firing Sam. Now Sam is using his fake amnesia to try to save his branch and his employees - but it also involves living in Jonathan's house, planning the company holiday party, and... falling in love?

This was funny and very cute. I loved the contrast between closed-off Jonathan and bumbling, soft-hearted Sam and the third factor in the relationship, Sam's hideous cat Gollum. Sam's employees were also highly amusing. Yes, this had all the tropes of the typical rom-com, but it also had heart and Sam was just so sweet, and you could tell Jonathan had some hurt going on underneath all those walls. Jonathan's family was just a quirky as Sam's staff. The dialogue was the best part and make this story a fast read.

Alexis Hall begins a new series – Material World – with 10 Things That Never Happened, an opposites-attract romance between two very lonely people who come together through some rather unlikely circumstances. All the things I enjoy about Mr. Hall’s books are here – the characters are flawed and very real, it’s often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s insightful, poignant and sometimes absurd while also being wonderfully down-to-earth. It’s perhaps a little more mellow in tone than some of his other recent titles, but it’s ultimately a touching story about family, love and loss, about coming to terms with the past and looking forward to the future.

Sam Becker is the manager of a bed and bathroom shop in Sheffield, one of four in the small Splashes & Snuggles chain owned by Jonathan Forest. Sam is a good boss to his small team, but isn’t great at actually managing the business side of things and the branch isn’t meeting the current sales and profits targets. It looks like the axe is going to fall when Sam is summoned to head office in Croydon by His Royal Dickishness, Jonathan Forest himself, to explain why the store is over budget and under target, and isn’t all that surprised when his hard-nosed, bottom-line-driven, arsehole of a boss tells him he needs to make some big changes if he’s to keep his job – changes which include letting the underperforming staff go, which Sam absolutely doesn’t want to do. Making the rounds of the showroom in the afternoon, Jonathan and Sam get into a bit of an altercation during which Jonathan fires Sam and his whole team, and which ends with Sam catching his foot on a display shower enclosure, which collapses on top of him.

Sam is taken to hospital to be checked out, and when the doctor mentions temporary memory loss as common effect of severe concussion, Sam doesn’t say his memory is fine. He’s still a little confused, but he remembers the argument and Jonathan firing everyone, and is already thinking that maybe this is a way he can save their jobs – he just needs a bit more time to come up with a proper plan. When the doctor assumes Jonathan is going to be the one looking after Sam while he recovers from the concussion – and as Sam doesn’t actually have anyone who can take care of him – Jonathan somewhat reluctantly does the decent thing and takes Sam home. Sam is sure that Jonathan is only doing it because he’s worried Sam will sue the pants off him – but maybe using amnesia as an excuse to spend a bit of time with Jonathan won’t be a bad thing (if they can manage not to kill each other). If Sam can get Jonathan to like him, then maybe Sam will be able to ensure he and his team keep their jobs.

Thanks to some forced proximity – and some completely unexpected generosity on Jonathan’s part when he spends a day driving Sam to his flat in Sheffield (and back) purely so Sam can pick up his cat – Sam starts to realise that while Jonathan might be a high-handed, super-controlling workaholic, there’s a good heart lurking underneath it all, and that his plan to get Jonathan to like him might just be working. He hadn’t, however, banked on the reverse happening, but the more Sam glimpses the Jonathan nobody else gets to see – his rare smiles, the vulnerability deep inside (and his affection for Sam’s slightly ugly cat) – the more he is unable to stop himself liking – and falling for – his grumpy boss. I loved watching these two slowly shedding their misconceptions about one another, and that their growing affection for each other is revealed through small, everyday signs of care and genuine regard such as Sam cooking dinner, making one another tea and sandwiches, watching old TV shows and falling asleep together on the sofa. Jonathan looking after Sam is cute – even when he’s a bit heavy-handed you can tell it comes from a good place – and Sam is secretly pleased to be looked after (although he’d never admit it.) But of course, the longer Sam stays, the bigger hole he’s digging for himself with his fake-amnesia plan, and the more he risks ruining this new and fragile something he and Jonathan are building together. He knows he’s going to have to come clean before he’s rumbled. But how? And will Jonathan ever forgive him?

It’s obvious early on that both men have issues they’re loathe to deal with, and the author shows us why Jonathan is the way he is, where he came from, and that while he undoubtedly can be a bit of a knob, that’s not all he is or who he really wants to be. I didn’t actually realise, until I was over halfway through, that, despite Sam being the PoV character, I knew very little about him because he conceals so much – partly because he’s pretending to have amnesia so has to be careful about what he tells Jonathan, and partly because he’s deliberately locked away some painful things he doesn’t want to think about. Mr. Hall does a great job of scattering little hints throughout the story so that it’s not difficult to guess what Sam is running from, but it still packs a punch when it’s revealed near the end, and we finally slot together the pieces to understand what Sam has been going through and why he is the way he is, especially with regards to his job and the people he works with.

There’s a fairly big secondary cast here, consisting of Sam’s colleagues and Jonathan’s large, loving and somewhat chaotic family, who pretty much adopt Sam from the get-go. Jonathan’s relationship with his family is a complicated one – he obviously loves them, but it’s tied up with a lot of guilt and frustration – and I really liked the thoughtful sub-plot that looks at his relationship with his dad and how it has informed his character. Sam’s colleagues are a colourful bunch who do rally round for him, although some them are pretty awful at their jobs, and I couldn’t entirely blame Jonathan for threatening to sack them!

I didn’t realise when I picked it up that the book is set in December in the run-up to Christmas, so I suppose it could (just about) be categorised as a ‘Christmas Book’. Part of the story revolves around Sam trying to persuade Jonathan to host the family for Christmas that year and part is Sam organising the firm’s Christmas party, but thankfully, it’s the least Christmassy Christmas book I’ve ever read – which is a big plus as far as I’m concerned.

The main problem I have overall is that the final section – from Jonathan finding out the truth to the reconciliation and HEA – happens over two-and-a-half chapters. I liked what we get and where Sam and Jonathan end up, but it feels rushed.

10 Things That Never Happened is one of those books that kinda crept up on me. I read it and enjoyed it – but it was only when I started to really think about it and go back through the highlights on my Kindle that I realised just how much the author has packed in to what seems, at first, to be a light-hearted story full of snarky banter, an ugly cat and a ridiculously oversized Christmas tree. Alongside the romance, there’s a story about connecting and re-connecting, about being true to who you are, and not being afraid to to show that you care. One of the many things Alexis Hall does so well is to have his characters experience personal growth while remaining essentially the same people, and that’s true of Sam and Jonathan here. Sam is still upbeat and prone to wearing his heart on his sleeve and Jonathan is still gruff and aloof and anxious, but they’ve found that special someone who complements them – who understands them, accepts them and loves them for who they are – and together, they’re better.

Yes, the fake-amnesia plot is a bit wobbly, and maybe the deception goes on too long, but neither of those things spoiled the book for me. 10 Things That Never Happened is a lovely mixture of the daft and the meaningful in a tender romance full of humour and feels, and I’m making space for it on my keeper shelf.

Grade: A-/4.5 stars.

Lying to your grumpy boss is never a good idea, as Sam finds out in this laugh-out-loud romcom.

Jonathan was difficult to like and it only got marginally better later on. He lived an extremely regimented life filled with anxiety and letting even a little bit of that go can be very difficult. Sam’s “amnesia” seemed to have turned off his filter. He had no problem telling Jonathan what he thought. Sam forced Jonathan to reevaluate himself and he did make some changes. Enough to let Sam in, anyway. There wasn’t much chemistry, but the two of them did fit well together.

The story is told only from Sam’s point of view. It would’ve been nice to get some insight into Jonathan’s thoughts as well. But it was hilarious dwelling in Sam’s head. The overall tone from him was sarcastic and honest. Which was ironic since he was lying to Jonathan. We got to see Jonathan struggle with the reality of his brusque interactions with other people, but Sam was just a happy-go-lucky kind of guy until closer to the end when we get a very quick glimpse into his own difficult past.

This was a fun read and I can recommend it if you like an MM romance with interesting, multi-faceted characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

i have to be honest, i wanted to like this, and listening on audio with great british accents helped a bit, but mostly i was SO FRUSTRATED and annoyed by all the characters (nobody had redeeming qualities? everyone was annoying?) and the general incompetence within their retail store setting, and all the tangled lies within the fake amnesia plot line... i just truly couldn't do it. i DNFed at about 50% through and honestly wish i had quit sooner and I AM SO SORRY TO SAY IT because i have loved other alexis hall books!!! this just was not it for me.

10 Things That Never Happened was exactly what I needed! It's a hilarious and heartwarming Christmas story. It's not quite what I would call grumpy/sunshine, but we definitely have the grumpy half in His Royal Dickishness Jonathan Forest. Sam Becker is hilarious, and his cat Gollum absolutely steals the show. The supporting cast of characters is also fantastic. It was a wonderful, lighthearted read with just the slightest bit of heartbreaking to the point of weeping in the last five percent of the book. The narration on the audiobook was phenomenal as well. You can't go wrong in purchasing either format.

I’ll begin the way I begin every review for an Alexis Hall ARC: when I saw this on Netgalley, it was an absolute no-brainer … OF COURSE I was going to request it. Alexis Hall is, without a doubt, one of my favorite authors, and I always jump at the chance to read a new book (since usually I’ve had a physical copy preordered for many many months).

So, to the review. A queer Christmassy romance with the grumpy/sunshine trope - yes, please. The fake amnesia trope/falling for your boss thing - hmmm, not my favorite, but I knew I was going to give it a shot anyway. And I did! And y’know, it wasn’t my favorite Hall book, but it was enjoyable, and I’m glad I read it. I loved both the characters - both very flawed, sad childhoods, etcetera. I loved Gollum the cat! I love that it was set partly in Sheffield (where I lived for a year and have fond memories of), and I loved the happy ending, and I loved that Jonathan’s family was so ridiculous and so heartwarming.

What I didn’t love? It took TOO LONG to progress, and it didn’t feel like a slow burn, it was just a whole lot of Sam feeling really bad about faking amnesia and just saying the same things over and over about it. I also get that a bed & bath superstore is a major part of the book, but referencing the product names EVERY SINGLE TIME got old very quickly. We get that that toilet is this particular brand, but just call it a toilet after the first time, sheesh. And the amnesia trope … I can suspend disbelief for a lot of romance tropes (I don’t read them for the believability), but I just couldn’t do it for this one. I couldn’t believe that Jonathan would believe Sam for THAT long.

But, like I said … it’s Alexis Hall, so I read it, and I’m glad I did. It’s just not my favorite one and I would read many other of his books after this one.

This story is told in first person by Sam(wise). This was my second read by this author and I enjoyed it much more than the first. It was filled with British humor that had me laughing hysterically throughout the book from the collective nickname for the boss “His Royal Dickishness” to Jonathan’s large, loud family as they planned their Christmas celebration at his house much to his dismay.

I enjoyed the slow building of the relationship between Sam and Jonathan though it did start to drag for me eventually. I was curious about Sam’s past and wish that it had been addressed with a little more depth before suddenly coming to a quick resolution. The quirky supporting characters were some of my favorite parts of the book from accident prone Brian to giant Christmas tree happy Del.

Recommended for a light, funny holiday read

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy provided for an honest review.

*3.5 STARS*

I liked this book, but I thought I’d like it a lot more. It took me over a week to read, which is usually an indicator for me that I’m not loving a book.

Here are some things that worked:
• Sam’s cat and the comedic relief he provided.

• That it was a Christmas romance, which I did not expect.

• The banter between Sam and Jonathan. They had a good grumpy/sunshine vibe, and them quipping back and forth was probably my favorite part of the book.

And here is what didn’t work for me:
• Unfortunately, the romance was a little lackluster. This is supposed to be a rom-com, but Sam and Jonathan’s romance often felt like a subplot. I needed more chemistry between them, because it felt like they went from enemies to lovers without much evidence to support their feelings.

• All of the technical talk about the bed and bath business. I really could have done without the name of the shower Sam fell into being repeated 15 times. It was a long name and despite how many times it was said, I still don’t remember its precise title. The same thing happened with a few other products, like Jonathan’s toilet. There was also a lot of talk about budgets and other things I just did not care about. I get that this was a workplace romance, but the work talk was just too much most of the time.

• The fake amnesia storyline grew very tiresome very quickly. So much time was spent on Sam pretending to have amnesia, being conflicted about it, but carrying on anyway. And in my opinion, he was forgiven way too easily.

• Jonathan’s family often felt like the main storyline, which is a bummer when you’re expecting a romance. I liked their characters, but there were a lot of them and sometimes it was hard to keep them all straight. I also didn’t love how much time was spent on Jonathan’s dynamic with his family when so little was spent on Sam. We get one paragraph explaining what happened to his family, after hinting at it for the entire book.

• We only get Sam’s perspective, which I know is common in romances, but I really wanted to hear from Jonathan. Again, we get one paragraph where he tells Sam why he likes him. I want to hear his inner thoughts when he starts spending time with Sam, his feelings on Gollum, etc. I think the romance would have felt stronger and more believable if we had gotten a few chapters from his perspective.


It’s always so hard to review a book when you have mixed feelings. I did like reading it and I think others would too, but it’s hard to ignore the issues I had with it.

*I received a free e-ARC from Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

So for whatever reason, I thought this was connected to Boyfriend Material and Husband Material because "material" was literally in the name of this series. Guess not! So if that was what was holding you back from reading this hilarious amnesiac Christmas romance, let it go.

The holiday season is crazy enough, but when you get fired, fall through a shower door, and wake up in the hospital with your boss all in under an hour? Yeah it's a lot. I found myself laughing out loud so many times during this book, especially with the interactions with the bed & bath crew. I'll happily take a grumpy begrudging romance, a cat named Gollum, and one simple lie that keeps on giving.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review, LibroFM for the gifted ALC, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the gifted physical copy*