*ARC received from NetGalley with thanks in exchange for an honest review*

I wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t. It took me forever to read because I just couldn't get into it.

Jonathan is a grump but also really more of an asshole. He takes the grumpy too far. And really, Sam is a bit of an asshole too, anyone who thinks faking amnesia but also kissing the same person you are faking out, is pretty crappy. I did not like either character. The romance between them was not believable. I don’t really know what Sam started to see change in Jonathan. Jonathan went from supreme asshole to slightly less of an asshole, but only really to Sam and Jonathan’s own family.

The side characters made the book readable. Jonathan’s family and Sam’s assortment of employees were the most enjoyable. Both groups were more entertaining than either Jonathan or Sam.

I typically enjoy books that show character flaws and don’t make them perfect, but I do prefer that they have a few more good qualities to their personalities and that there is some sort of understandable romantic pull towards each other. It was very forced.

The cat is the star of the book and I would read a book just about him.

While the start had been a bit slow, the novel eventually unfolded into a delightfully enjoyable rom-com that had me smiling from cover to cover. The story's charm, coupled with its hilarious antics (albeit slightly over the top at times), made for a genuinely entertaining read. One of the standout elements that truly elevated this novel was the witty banter between the main characters, Sam and Jonathan. Their sharp exchanges were a joy to read, injecting the story with a refreshing and many laughing out loud moments. I must admit, I'm an absolute sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope, and this book served it up beautifully. As the story progressed, their relationship grew, and I found myself completely invested in their journey, rooting for them to overcome their differences and find happiness together. There were moments when the story ventured into the realm of the ridiculous, and the plot might have taken some extravagant turns, but I couldn't help but embrace the sheer fun and escapism it offered. The author's writing style was engaging, clever, and infused with a warmth that made the characters and their emotions feel incredibly real.

It took me a minute to get into this book, but it got to a point where it was totally un-put-down-able. This reads like a hallmark Christmas movie in the absolute best way. I've loved Hall's work for a long time, and I've never enjoyed one of their works quite so much. A trope filled joy ride that I will absolutely be revisiting Christmas Time.

4/5 stars

This was a nice read that flowed effortlessly. I love the way the dialogue was between our two characters and seeing how their dialogue differed from their internal dialogue. We saw both of our characters open up by the end of the book and shared many laughs with them!

If you want a hilarious, surprisingly sweet romance, 10 Things That Never Happened, is your next read!

Alexis Hall never disappoints!! This was another incredible read that I couldn’t bring myself to put down. What a fun journey into a familiar world!! Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!!

I have nothing but praise for this book! Loved the unique storyline, loved the characters and the wholesome family vibe. Great story! Five stars!

Alexis Hall never fails to deliver a really great romance! 10 Things That Never Happened features characters that are complicated, somewhat unlikable (but in a good way), and that grow on you so much that you are cheering for their happy ending. It is at times, laugh out loud funny, and also incredibly sweet. I particularly loved Jonathan's large boisterous family, and Sam's quirky team of employees. I would recommend this to readers who like rom-coms and a great Christmas romance story.

Sam and Jonathan are such lovable f*ckups. They genuinely cannot communicate with each other (which can be frustrating), but their love is so pure, I rooted for them the whole time. I also loved Gollum the cat, Jonathan’s unhinged family, and the bed and bath store idioms sprinkled throughout. Thank you for the ARC!

3.5 stars. Rounded up to 4.

A huge thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Alexis Hall for this ARC!!!

Our main character Sam finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he lies to his boss about having amnesia. Especially when he comes to realize that his boss isn’t quite the jerk he thought he was…

I’ve read other books by this author, and I tend to really enjoy him! He writes funny stories with generally likable (if flawed) characters. And this one is cute! It was funny and sweet. I really loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamics. And I really really loved the side characters, especially Jonathan’s family members. Everything escalated then wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, but I didn’t mind that much because I was satisfied with the last chapter.

The reason I only give it 3.5 stars is the premise of the plot. The main character is lying to his boss (later his love-interest), and the reader is supposed to root for him? I mean, Sam was otherwise wonderful. And I was rooting for him. But also, HE WAS A LIAR! It was honestly a hard pill to swallow. But also, I did love Sam and Jonathan and Jonathan’s family enough that I enjoyed it overall. Morals and ethics be damned, I guess.

I loved this book. It had a quiet start, but it quickly became apparent that this would be a slow burn story. I loved the differences between the two characters and the chemistry that built over time between them. The retail sales background was spot on and a great background for the current times.

On paper, there are a lot of things about this book that I hate. Boss/employee romance dynamics, relationships inherently built on lies, a love interest that is unabashedly an asshole for 90% of the book... But I don't hate this book. I really, really, really loved it.

Alexis Hall's writing is as fun and witty as it ever is, of course, but I am so impressed that he got me to feel real affection and sympathy for Jonathan Forest of all people. Like, no joke, Jonathan is actually SUCH an asshole, but we see, as Sam does through their forced proximity, that there's nuance and depth there. (But he's also just kind of rude and standoffish for no reason, which is fun in its own way.) And Sam is such a frustrating disaster of a human being sometimes—not as much as Luc from Boyfriend Material (not a hard bar to pass) but, man, did I just want to shake him around sometimes and tell him to talk to Jonathan like a normal human being.

But, to me, that's the appeal of Alexis Hall's romcoms, and the appeal of this book in particular: both of these guys are kind of terrible in their own special ways, but somehow you STILL want to root for them, and you STILL want them to fall and stay in love. This is why I keep reading his books, even when, on paper, it seems like something I'll hate; I'm consistently engaged, surprised, and delighted by the stupid things his characters somehow manage to do.

this was fun and surprisingly hilarious. i wasn’t a huge fan of the first london calling book and skipped the second, but I’m really glad I gave this one a chance. Sam as a narrator just exudes warmth, and there was a delightful ensemble cast as well. I enjoyed it! I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could.

Alexis Hall continues to be one of my favourite romance writers of all time!

As a massive fan of the London Calling series, I was very excited to read this and it did not dissapoint - but Alexis Hall has yet to disappoint me. Sam and Jonathan are peak Alexis Hall protoganists - quick to make you laugh out loud, and even quicker to make you cry. And even whhen you feel like you shouldn't be rooting for them, whether it be bcause one is lying about amnesia and another is millionaire dickhead, you can't help but root for them and want the very best for them.

Another thing that Hall always does well - and has done so again here - is create a cast of supporting characters who are as bizarre as they are loveable. On paper, none of them should really fit into this world that he's created, and yet they do - and quite perfectly at that!

Overall, I absoultely loved this and I cannot wait for more Alexis Hall books in the future!!

Well, this was totally adorable!

If Boyfriend Material was Alexis Hall's homage to Bridget Jones's Diary, and Husband Material to Four Weddings and a Funeral, then this one is his homage to While You Were Sleeping (one of my favorite rom-coms ever). The plot and characters are, of course, completely different, but it has exactly the same delight of a huge, noisy, aggravating, loving family welcoming a new member who needs them desperately even as that protagonist is trying not to fall in love AND trying to cope with the escalating ramifications of the lie he told in a bad moment.

I normally hate reading romances where a big lie sits between the two protagonists - I end up spending so much of the book preemptively cringing about how painful everything will be when that's eventually revealed! But I actually believed in the reason Sam told this lie, originally, and I loved every sweet and/or hilarious moment of the story that followed so very much that my preemptive cringing never got in the way of me having the BEST time as I read. I loved the resolution, too, and I think this was one of the most truly romantic books Alexis Hall has written yet. (I really love his books, so this is saying a lot!)

Full of characters I adored and genuinely hilarious scenes - I absolutely loved this rom-com. Preorder!

This was a lot heavier than I was expecting. It was still amazing. It just felt with a lot more intense things than I had originally thought.

At its core, this book is about to lonely people who find their way to each other in very odd circumstances. And through this process they get to know each other as well as themselves.

Jonathan might bring a whole new definition to grumpy in reference to a grumpy romantic interest. He has to be the grumpiest person I have ever read. But he is delightful in his own ways.

When you compare him against Sam, who is very much a contented individual. He's not exactly doing everything he wants in life but he's very content with the way his life is and happy to plod along working at a branch of a bed and bath store.

Jonathan, who is the owner of the entire franchise, has decided that he is going to fire. Sam, so he has him come to England. Panicked Sam has an accident that causes him to hit his head and Jonathan is led to believe that Sam has amnesia. So he can't with good conscious fire him.

The more time these two spend together, the more you see, the dynamic between them and why they really truly need each other. It was definitely an interesting to see the relationships that both of them have with their family and how much that has affected their lives and who they are.

I very much enjoyed this book and I'm intrigued to see what will happen next for these two because I have seen that this is book one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley! Alexis Hall does it again! I loved this warm, hilarious enemy to lovers tale. I never knew that I needed a plumbing store romance, but I did. This book talks about love, loss, and family all wrapped up in a fake amnesia bow.

Alexis Hall delivers like always! Loved this book. I really enjoy the way this author finds unique stories to tell but always imbues them with just the right combo of heart and humor.

3.5 ⭐

This is more of a personal preference rating and I think if you like witty banter and extreme grumpy /sunshine, you will enjoy this book. I just personally found the grumpy trope to be beyond grumpy and it didn't work for me.

Sam is a manager at a bath supply store and likes his job just fine. Sure, his employees are kind of awful at their jobs, but when his boss suggests cuts, he can't imagine having to let any of them go.

Jonathan owns a line of bath supply stores and happens to be Sam's boss. They don't really see eye to eye on many things and Sam's branch calls him "His Royal Dickishness" or something like it. Jonathan is all business, and doesn't have a fun bone in his body.

When Sam is required to go to London to meet with Jonathan, he knows their jobs are on the line. As things get heated between him and Jonathan, he accidentally falls into a thick glass shower and the door shatters on his head. A concussion and a trip to the hospital later, he decides to run with the idea that he may have amnesia along with his concussion. He figures it might buy him time to figure out how to fix the impending layoffs at his branch.

The writing is a little clunky at first but towards the second half of the book, things started picking up and I enjoyed it more and more. I liked it a lot more when Jonathan was less of a "dick".

Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, fake amnesia... The tropes are all there and this book has a lot of fun things going for it! It just wasn't a perfect fit for me.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Alexis Hall's latest is a bingeable holiday romcom filled with fake amnesia, the worst employees in the world, a grumpy hero, meddling family, and a bathroom superstore. What's not to love? I raced through this book in a weekend and I know readers will do the same. Be warned: there is a lot of local British dialect that got a tad confusing at times but in my (American) opinion it didn't take away from the novel at all and I could understand the gist of what was happening. This book was quite funny and is perfect for fans of the show SuperStore on NBC. The romance feels a bit like a secondary plot line at times but honestly the story was so entertaining I didn't mind. Looking forward to the next installment!

#Bookreview alert [ARC]

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📖TITKE - #10ThingsThatNeverHappened
✏️AUTHOR - @ quicunquevult
📚PUBLISHER - @sourcebookscasa
📆PUB DATE - 17 Oct 2023
🧩GENRE - #LGBTQIAP+ | #Romance
⭐RATING - 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 [5/5]
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❥・Oh my gosh, Alexis Hall nailed it once again! This book is legit spectacular, hooking you in right from the start and making you fall hard for the characters.

❥・First off, let's talk about these characters! Sam Becker is just so relatable. Managing a bed and bath retailer might not be the most charming gig, but his quirky crew of misfits makes it worthwhile. And Jonathan Forest, the infuriating git of an owner who hired Sam on a sentimental whim, adds a whole lot of spice to the story.

❥・The plot takes off when Jonathan calls Sam to London for a tough talk, and here comes the crazy twist! Sam panics and pretends to have amnesia. 😂 I mean, who does that, right? But this little fib unleashes a rollercoaster of emotions as Sam finds himself tangled in a web of guilt, lies, and unexpectedly, a softer side of his grumpy boss.

❥・The slow-burn romance between Sam and Jonathan is pure magic. 💕 It's not just about the swoony moments, but how it touches on deeper themes like truth, trust, and second chances. As their connection grows, you can't help but root for them, wondering if Sam will ever come clean or if their future will be built on that one impulsive lie.

❥・I laughed, I cried, and I giggled like a maniac. The writing is simply captivating. Alexis Hall weaves humor, heart, and unexpected feels flawlessly throughout. The characters evolve throughout the story, yet love or external factors don't magically fix them. They retain their uniqueness, flaws, and relatability, gaining profound self-awareness and empathy from their companions who accept them wholly for who they are.

❥・This is a brilliant book that left me with all the feels and a huge smile on my face. It's a swoony, heartwarming, and utterly unforgettable read that I'd recommend to anyone who craves a light witty rom-com.

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