A delightfully fun and quirky holiday romance. I adore Alexis Hall sense of humor and the endearing characters he creates.

Another wonderful slow burn from Alexis Hall. I was intrigued by this book since reading about the fake amnesia plot and I can say that it truly lived up to the promise of the premise. This is a wonderful opposites attract romance with two lovable leads that could not b more different. The humor is very British as is the writing style but it all made me very happy. I am excited to see if Alexis writes more in this series.

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.

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!

10 Things That Never Happened is an interesting story. This is the first book I’ve read by Alexis Hall. Sam and Jonathan have a complicated dynamic so it was fun to watch them move through it and find their way back to each other.

Alexis Hall is one of my favorite authors so I went into this thinking I’d probably like this and wouldn’t you know I was right.

Sam (whose government name is Samwise for exactly the reason you think it is) is a manager at a furniture and bath supply store. Jonathan is his boss, and kind of… okay definitely a grump. There are some things that happen that I can’t tell you about for spoilery reasons but this all leads to Sam faking amnesia to try to save his job. Which I know sounds a little outrageous but if we’re being honest it’s something I would do too. Jonathan ends up bringing Sam home to keep and eye on him, probably so Sam won’t sue him, and Sam starts to learn that there’s more to his grumpy boss than meets the eye.

This was predictably hilarious. Alexis Hall’s sense of humor just works really well for me. There are so many moments with Jonathan’s family, the employees at the furniture/bath supply store, and Jonathan and Sam that made me laugh out loud. I had a really great time reading this and it’s definitely helped bring me out of this weird reading slump I’ve been in.

I listened to this via audiobook after release and the narrator was so engaging and really just did a great job. I literally read this in a day and have no regrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Oof I don’t really know where to start with this. Ultimately I did not enjoy this book - between the employee/boss power imbalance, to the continual faking of amnesia despite having multiple opportunities to come clean, I had a really difficult time rooting for the main characters to be together. I found both of the leads frustrating and unlikable for different reasons, which isn’t automatically a deal breaker, but there needs to also be consistent and likable side characters to balance it. I was wary of the premise to start, but was willing to give it a try, and I wish I hadn’t.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The main character was a bit insufferable and the situations didn’t have even a little bit of believability to them. While I love a grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity romance, this one was just too much. It tried really hard to be funny, but often just made me roll my eyes. This book is probably better for a lover of romcoms and humor.

Did I enjoy reading this? Absolutely. Would I recommend it, if you like m/m romcom? Also yes. I would say this is a great cozy-holiday read.
But also, I got a copy in exchange for an honest review, so let me flesh it out a little:

I really enjoyed the voice of this MC. It was a very distinct voice, and I'm a big fan of that type of writing. So big ups on that.
As far as the plot itself: pleasantly absurd. The inclusion of some family elements (without spoilers) also gives some heartwarming-ness to the whole cozy scene.
All that said, this felt incomplete, even though it's 400+ pages long. I felt like the "falling in love" bit fell a little flat, and the final reconciliation act was very, very rushed. I know that's to be expected from Hall, but this was a bit absurd. It felt like there was a lot of world-building, without sufficient plot/character development.

This book was amazing! One of my favorite reads of 2023. Classic Alexis Hall, and very delightful British wit.

Thank you to NetGalley for this wonderful arc. Alexis Hall is a master class in banter. This book was so fun to read. I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the journey of these characters was going to play out. So many unexpected and exciting turns. Can’t wait to see what Hall has in store for us next!

Feeling really seen as a person definitely crazy enough to take amnesia tbh.

Unfortunately for me this book was just okay. Though I loved the absurdity of the plot, the characters didn’t really grip me.

Cannot state how much I loved this book and the characters. One of my favorite reads of the year. Alexis Hall never disappoints.

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Alexis Hall’s books for a while now so this shouldn’t come as a surprise: I absolutely loved “10 Things That Never Happened” and for me it was one of those books that causes you to grin from ear to ear. I had such a good time with this and Hall’s humour is definitely one of the many things I enjoyed about this story. Was it a slightly unrealistic approach to use a “Nexa by MERYLN 8mm Sliding Door Enclosure” as a plot device in order to initiate the storyline? Maybe, but it definitely worked for me! Without the fake amnesia, Jonathan and Sam would have never even gotten a chance to get to know each other so I’m thankful that sliding door enclosure got in their way. Also you don’t want realistic in your romances, you want love and all the cosy and warm feelings that come along with it and Alexis definitely delivered on that front! Before we got to that, there was a strong animosity between Jonathan and Sam, though!

Boy, were they at each other’s throat at the beginning of the book. I really liked to see the world through Sam’s eyes and his POV made the story extremely enjoyable. Some might say Sam’s and Jonathan’s budding relationship is a typical grumpy/sunshine trope but I think I’d rather describe it as a pessimist-meets-optimist trope. While Jonathan’s view of the world is very black and white, Sam’s is all shades of grey and he sees the many implications and struggles people have to face. Whereas Jonathan always likes to be in control of everything because he’s afraid of things going wrong, Sam is very chaotic and seems to live from day to day. You might say Jonathan’s tenor is to always expect the worst while Sam always tries to see the positive things. So yes, those two don’t have a lot in common and they are complete opposites, but that’s exactly what makes their relationship work so well.

They are very honest with each other and they have absolutely no qualms to call each other out when it’s necessary. Especially Sam is very straightforward and doesn’t take any of Jonathan’s bullshit which is the reason he got into trouble with him in the first place. No boss likes to hear he’s doing things wrong so I’m not surprised Jonathan was so mad at him. Still, they are good for each other because they force each other to see the world with different eyes and that’s exactly what makes them work somehow. Also they talk things through! I can’t say how much I loved that aspect of the book. Yes, Sam and Jonathan are arguing quite a lot but they are communicating their thoughts and feelings, which is so important if you’re in a relationship. Relationships are hard work and not everything is sunshine and rainbows so to see that they put so much effort into trying to understand where the other was coming from was amazing to read.

I really appreciated their communication and some of their conversations were hilarious! Jonathan and Sam weren’t everything that was great about the book, though. I absolutely fell in love with Gollum – Samwise’s cat (yes, you read right! His name is actually Samwise and he has a cat named Gollum) – and Jonathan’s family! Not to mention Jonathan’s housekeeper Agnieszka! She was really quite something and a very unique voice, which can be said about all the side-characters in this story. Each and every single one of them was fleshed out and the way they interacted with each other was so very relatable. No matter if it was Nanny Barb, Aunt Jack, Uncle Johnny, Barbara Jane – Jonathan’s sister – or his parents, they were such a typical family and gave me all the heart-warming vibes. If you have a huge family you’ll know what I mean.

Of course there are many simmering conflicts among the family members, but I think that only made everything even more realistic. We all have our faults and flaws and they usually come out whenever we’re together with our family, which is exactly what happens in this book. “10 Things That Never Happened” plays around Christmas after all, and if you’ve never had a chaotic Christmas time with your loved ones where emotions were running high, you clearly did something wrong. ;-) Sam’s presence in Jonathan’s life obviously works like some sort of catalyst for the entire family and brings them back together again and this was beautiful to watch. Sometimes it takes another point of view to put things into perspective and Sam is definitely not holding back from offering his opinion. I swear, there were so many funny scenes in this book and I’m still laughing about the chicken one, but I won’t spoil anything here, you will have to read that one for yourself!

If there is one thing I can criticize about the book, then it’s the fact that all the revelations happened at the ending and that it felt a little rushed for my taste. I get why Alexis Hall built the plot up like that, but I would have liked to see more of the aftermath right after Christmas instead of the epilogue we got. That’s my personal preference, though, and considering it all the ending we actually got was well-rounded and left me satisfied enough to give this book four stars!

All told, I really enjoyed “10 Things That Never Happened” and it was exactly the kind of book I needed to read! From the enemies-to-lovers slow burn love story between Jonathan and Sam, to the awesome side characters and the marvellous black humour, this story had it all. If you haven’t read a Christmas book already you definitely should consider to pick up this one! It’s such a perfect story for this time of the year!

This is a sweet and funny M/M romance. Sam manages a housewares store that’s having problems. Unfortunately, the owner, Jonathan, is jerk. He brings Sam to London for a talk, and Sam hits his head. He’s fine, but decides to fake amnesia to get out of possibly being fired. He meets Jonathan’s family and finds out more about him, and improbably finds himself attracted to him. I loved the scenes with Jonathan’s family!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was just not the book for me, unfortunately. I’ve adored many of Alexis Hall’s books but this plot just took it all a bit too far, I’m afraid. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to go with the idea of someone faking amnesia & their grumpy boss going along with suddenly providing care & boarding for said bumbling employee.

The romance between the 2 protagonists just didn’t capture me & I found both to be quite unlikeable, with Jonathan veering more towards unnecessarily grumpy asshole than an uptight love interest with a heart of gold.

I actually think this plot and side characters would make for an excellent short TV series, but as a novel it just didn’t match the excellent reads that have come before it.

Please read it for yourself & decide, British humour abounds of course & it has nice meddling family, bumbling work family vibes.

Poor awkward Sam and loud equally awkward Jonathan. It takes a bit of suspension of disbelief to roll with the fake amnesia plotline, but it ends up being a sweet and fun read.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Oh man, I really wanted to love this book because I adore Boyfriend Material but this was not for me. Sometimes an author tries to hard to be witty and fun but it just gets hysterical and this was one of them for me. I put it down before finishing it because I got irritated.

All I can say is.....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Except not really. This book was insane but in a semi good way. I think it's crazy to fake amnesia to avoid something but, to be honest, I would do the same not gonna lie.

I really loved the characters and I think it was written super well. I will need to pick up Alexis Hall's other book for sure!

This one was so cute! The premise was kind of cheesy in a telenovela but I also felt like I hadn’t read anything like it before or recently— which both aspects made it really entertaining! I love outlandish premises. Sam suffers an accident, caused by his boss Jonathan, and gets a concussion. However, a miscommunication makes it believed that he has amnesia. Which acts as his quick get out of jail free card right as he and his whole team were about to be fired. Since he has no kin to take care of him, Jonathan houses him while his “memory comes back”. During this time, we get to see a softer side to Jonathan and that the rough exterior is more of an armor. I love the grumpy sunshine trope of this, and how Jonathan really is a grump, even once we saw his sappy side. He is a sappy grump. Also the found family that Sam acquires through Jonathan’s. What started as miscommunication and anxiety over the truth being found out, leads to so much more.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall

So glad I didn’t give up on this book early on…I found it rambling and had trouble getting into it BUT when I finally did, I was totally invested and eager to find out why Sam and Jonathan had become as they were and what their backstories might be. I had trouble, at first seeing them together or even warming to them but…that began to change as I kept reading and by the end…was happy they had found and brought out the best in one another while also growing and becoming more comfortable in their own skin.

This is a very British feeling rom-com with a loving rather wacky family provided by Jonathan and a diverse group of people that Sam was managing and working with. There were times I chuckled, other times I worried that I worried how things would work out, and times that I wanted to sit one or the other down and have a good talking to them.

This is a book that made me care about the outcome even though it was not easy to get into. I believe I would read another book by this author if the synopsis appealed to me and even though British rom-coms are not my favorite cup of tea ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars