I’ve enjoyed previous books by Alexis Hall, and was looking forward to reading 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED. It was both entertaining and angsty, but a tender love story too.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-workplace romance
-character growth
-angsty
-fake amnesia
-miscommunication

🎧I paired the book with the audio, and enjoyed the narration, and would recommend this format.

*many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley

This book was adorable! Loved the narration and the characters. There are all sorts of romance tropes out there, but never have I read one that involved amnesia - which made for quite a bit of entertainment!

You’ve got to love a good fake amensia story and this one was delightful. The side characters really shown in this one as well as the quintessential Alexis Hall humor and heart you’ve come to expect from their books. I really enjoyed this one and I’m not sure why I waited so long to read it. Will Watt's narration was superb as always.

This had the usual laugh-out-loud humour of an Alexis Hall novel, and I read the majority of it in one sitting while driving - it was easy to race through and the audiobook narrator was great. But I spent the majority of the first half of the book wondering how Sam and Jonathan were ever going to get together. They didn't have anything in common and were actively hostile towards each other. Jonathan comes from wealth and doesn't seem to care about his employees, only profit. Sam is the polar opposite; he's working class and is more interested in making friends and helping people than earning money.

I'm all for a good enemies-to-lovers romance so I would have been able to enjoy this even more, if there had been a single spark of attraction between them to begin with. But there wasn't really? They also had very little chemistry until about the 80% mark and although I did enjoy the eventual romance, it felt far less convincing than in AH's other books. I also had to work hard to suspend my disbelief about the amnesia plot. Why would you let yourself get wrapped up in such a tangle of lies, when telling the truth would be easier and less stressful? Having said all this, it was still a fun read and I'm glad I picked it up.

I had a hard time with this narrators accent. I couldn’t get in the book and will have to switch to a paper copy.

I wasn't expecting much from this one - just some nice fluff but I really enjoyed it. It was a very entertaining, feel good story. The narrator was very very good too.

What should you do when you faked amnesia to get out of being fired but now your boss is taking care of you and turns out he isn’t as awful as you once thought?

I really love Alexis Hall's works, as well as amnesia plots, so I'd been eagerly anticipating reading 10 Things That Never Happened. The first half of the book took me a little while to get into—it isn't particularly romance focused (there are a lot of side characters present) and the depth of Sam's amnesia lie paired with Jonathan's devotion to capitalism, made it hard to root for them at times.

However, the second half really charmed me. It got deeper into emotional character backstories, the bond between them solidified, and I really liked those moments spent together as they started to be more honest and genuine with each other.

In my heart I had been hoping that Joe Jameson (who narrated Boyfriend Material and Husband Material) might do the narration for this as well because he's so brilliant. But Will Watt did a really lovely job, and I'd definitely listen to more narrated by Watt.

Thank you to @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for the ALC of 10 Things That Never Happened. This is a lovely gay romance with the enemies to lovers and fake amnesia tropes. I had thought I’d read an Alexis Hall book before I picked this one up, but it’s actually my first! I didn’t even realize that until I went to update my Goodreads once I was finished. 🙃

To be honest, it was just OK for me. While I enjoyed it, both MMC annoyed me a bit and that kept me from truly investing in them. I would recommend this one if this genre is your jam, there’s just a few others I’ve read that I would recommend first. At the same time, I loved the narrator, Will Watt, for this audiobook and will totally look forward to listening to him in future audiobooks! 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
10 Things That Never Happened
By: Alexis Hall
Publisher:Sourcebooks
Pub Date: 10/17/23

Sam Becker is the manager of a small bed and bath retailer in a small town outside of London. When the big boss Jonathan calls for him to come down to London to discuss firing employees he panics. He feels responsible to try to save their jobs. While trying to help Jonathan land a sale at the head office a large shower display falls on to Sam. Jonathan, worried about a lawsuit, quickly steps into action. While visiting the emergency room, the doctor asked Sam if he remembers what happened he quickly comes up with the plan. He says no he doesn’t remember. Jonathan immediately decides he has Amnesia and Sam goes along with it. Jonathan insists on Sam staying with him so that he can help take care of him while he recovers. Sam is using the amnesia to try to save jobs at his store while Jonathan and Sam cohabitate; they both start to learn more about the other, and as they get closer, Sam begins to panic. Somehow he is going to reveal he doesn’t have amnesia and still save his relationship with Jonathan.
The woody banter in this book is absolutely superb. Each character has their own little quirk, which I really enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley, and Source books for the ARC of this book.

This audio was fantastic! It was just as good a second time around and really brought the book to life.

I was very excited about finally getting to this book. The characters were unique but the story line dragged on way to long for my liking.

I am a big Alexis Hall fan so was very excited to read/listen to this as an ARC before it came out.

10 Things That Never Happened is the story of Sam and Jonathan. Sam is the store manager of Splashes and Snuggles (similar to Bed, Bath and Beyond) - of which Jonathan is the owner - however, his store is not meeting their goals. When Jonathan schedules a meeting with Sam to discuss the possibility of letting his employees go, Sam tries to come up with a plan to save his work family. However, his plan ends up with him being under the care of Jonathan after an accident leaves Sam with “amnesia” - or so he claims. While Jonathan seems to be a workaholic with no emotions, there’s much to uncover under his cold hard exterior, and Sam is just the man the break down those barriers. But what happens when Jonathan finds out Sam’s been faking his memory lost all along?

This book had me laughing in every chapter and the narrations are perfect in the audiobook. From Sam’s humor to his work family and Jonathan’s family - this book was a lot of fun to listen to. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and would recommend to those that love rom-com!

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.

The narrator does an amazing job in this story, had great voice variation, and really brought the characters to life, I almost felt like I was watching a movie. 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!

I love love LOVED this book! The narration was *chefs kiss* and it was heart warming and hilarious. I think the cover could have reflected something Christmas-related because this was giving all the Christmas feels and I was unexpectedly pleased! Sam and Jonathan had such a great arc together and I loved their opposites-attract chemistry. Found family was trope was perfectly done. I think I had a smile on my face the entire time I listened to this book!

I always love these books so this one was just as good as the others. Must read author for me always. So yay!

Because of the similar covers I originally thought this was part of the London Calling series (Boyfriend Material, Husband Material), but it's actually the first in a new series called 'Material World'.

Sam Becker is probably going to get fired from his job as the manager of a bed and bathware store. His boss is a total @% and he's sure that if he gets fired the rest of his team probably won't be far behind. In order to buy himself more time so he can come up with a plan to stop that from happening he fakes amnesia and ends up staying with his boss.

All this time in forced proximity causes them to get to know each other and begin to...well, not exactly like each other, but dislike each other a little less maybe? Disliking each other less leads them to begrudgingly become friends, and gradually become more than that. It's a bit of a slow burn, with some family drama, and plenty of lies...and what could possibly go wrong with a relationship built on falsehoods?!

I'm not sure that I'd actually call this a Christmas book, but it does take place at the end of the year and there is a bit of decorating, a work holiday party, and some family celebration.

The audiobook was really good, and narrated by Will Watt. It comes in at 10 hours and 9 minutes and was pretty bingeable.

10 Things That Never Happened is the first in a new series from Alexis Hall, Material World. It’s kind of a spin-off from London Calling insofar as one of the leads made a brief appearance in Husband Material, but there are no crossover characters or storylines – this story is completely new. Mr Hall’s brand of funny and poignant, down-to-earth and absurd, usually works well for me, and 10 Things is no exception. It’s an opposites-attract/grumpy-sunshine romance that begins in rather unusual circumstances wrapped up in a touching story about grief, love, loss and coming to terms with the past

Liverpudlian Sam Becker is the manager of the Sheffield branch of Splashes & Snuggles, the small chain of bed and bathroom showrooms owned by Jonathan Forest. While Sam gets on well with his small team, he isn’t so great at managing the business side of things, and when the story begins, he’s been summoned to the head office in Croydon (just south of London) to explain whythe branch isn’t meeting its sales targets. He’s not surprised when his hard-nosed, profit-driven arsehole of a boss, tells him he needs to make some big changes if he wants to keep his job – for ‘big changes’ read ‘sack people’ – and later, during a tour of the showroom, the two men get into an altercation which ends with Jonathan firing Sam and his entire staff – and with Sam tripping over and into a shower enclosure which promptly collapses on top of him.

Sam is taken to hospital to get checked out and pronounced to have a fairly severe concussion. He’s definitely feeling a bit out of it, but he remembers the argument and Jonathan firing everyone, but when an offhand comment leads the doctor to mention amnesia as a possible side effect of Sam’s head injury, Sam doesn’t contradict him. Maybe if he pretends not to remember anything, it will buy him the time he needs to come up with a plan to save his – and everyone else’s – jobs.

As Sam doesn’t have anyone in London who can take care of him while he recovers, Jonathan somewhat reluctantly agrees to take him home with him. As the days pass, Sam starts to see a different side to his grumpy, uptight boss, a side capable of unexpected generosity and vulnerability, and possessed of a very dry sense of humour. With some surprise, he realises that his plan to get Jonathan to like him as a way of getting everyone un-sacked has had the unintended consequence of Sam getting to like Jonathan, too.

Listening to these two total opposites gradually shedding their misconceptions about each other is a total delight. I loved the way their growing affection is shown through little, every day things, such as Sam cooking dinner, making each other sandwiches or falling asleep on the sofa together in front of the telly. I liked that Sam slowly helps Jonathan start to appreciate life’s little joys and learn that it’s okay to accept help, and that Jonathan starts to take those things on board and realise that maybe he needs to make some adjustments to his priorities. Their chemistry crackles and their banter is wry, snarky and often laugh-out-loud; Jonathan taking care of Sam and trying to disguise his concern under layers of gruffness is cute, and Sam is secretly pleased to be taken care of, no matter that he’d die before admitting it. But of course, the longer Sam stays and the fonder of Jonathan he becomes, the more his fake amnesia risks ruining this fragile something the two of them are building together. He knows he has to come clean before Jonathan finds out – but time is running out.

Mr. Hall is incredibly clever/sneaky here in that he’s written a story from Sam’s PoV without revealing a great deal about him. When I read the book earlier this year, I was well over half way through before I realised I knew hardly anything about Sam or his life before he moved to Sheffield. Experiencing the story again makes it clear just how skilfully the author has used the amnesia storyline to enable Sam to conceal so much about himself; having to be careful about what he says to Jonathan while he’s pretending to have amnesia makes it easier for him to keep pushing aside the things he doesn’t want to think about because they’re too painful. Mr. Hall does a good job of dropping subtle hints throughout as to what those things might be, but it’s not until the end that we get confirmation, and so much of what makes Sam think and act the way he does slots into place.

The secondary cast includes Jonathan’s large and chaotic family, and it’s quickly clear that his relationship with them is complicated – and is the basis for many of his hang-ups about who and what he is and who and what he thinks he should be. He obviously loves them, but that love is tied up in a lot of guilt and frustration, and it’s easy to understand why he feels that way because they are… well, a lot. I’m not a fan of meddling/intrusive families in romances, and Jonathan’s family are most definitely that, but it’s also easy to understand where they’re coming from; they don’t see much of Jonathan, they love him and are proud of him, but he’s so caught up in the need to keep making money enough to support them that he’s forgotten that it’s not all about money and that they’d like more of him. I can’t deny that I’d have liked to have seen a little less of them and a little more of Jonathan and Sam together, although I really liked what we’re shown of Jonathan’s relationship with his dad and how it’s informed his (Jonathan’s) character. On Sam’s side, we have his colourful bunch of colleagues; once we’ve met them, it’s clear some of them really are pretty awful at their jobs so I honestly couldn’t blame Jonathan for wanting to sack them!

I liked the themes of connecting and reconnecting with the people who are important to you, about not being afraid to be yourself and to show that you care. The moments that highlight how it’s possible to be surrounded by people and yet be alone, the melancholy of being outside and looking in are truly poignant, and amid all the snark and the banter and the family turmoil is a tender and funny romance in which two lonely people discover they have more in common than they’d thought. Sam and Jonathan experience a lot of growth as characters, yet are still recognisably the same people at the end of the book as at the beginning; Sam is still upbeat and outgoing, and Jonathan is still gruff and anxious, but they’re all the better for having found that special someone who understands and accepts them and loves them for who they are.

Will Watt is someone I’ve listened to quite often, although I haven’t reviewed him before (full disclosure, I’ve worked on a number of audio projects he’s narrated, although not this one), so I knew, going into this, that I’d enjoy the performance – and I did, very much. As the story is told from Sam’s PoV, the entire narrative is delivered in an impeccable Scouse (Liverpool) accent, and Mr. Watt switches seamlessly between that and the other accents he employs for the rest of the characters. Jonathan is originally from Sheffield, but has (deliberately, I assume) lost his accent, so speaks with a kind of smooth RP; his mum could have walked off the set of EastEnders (!), his ‘auntie’ Jack has just a touch of the Fenella Fielding, his dad, other family members and some of Sam’s colleagues all have northern accents, and I liked the quasi-Eastern European one adopted for Jonathan’s housekeeper, Agnieszka. The performance is well-paced and expressive – Mr. Watt perfectly captures the personalities of the two leads and absolutely nails their moments of vulnerability and understanding, beautifully conveying the growing connection and depth of emotion between them. (The only criticism I can make is that because Mr. Watt mispronounces “Ilsa” (as in Ilsa Lund) as “eye-lah” instead of “ill-sah” the Casablanca joke doesn’t land.)

10 Things That Never Happened is a wonderful listen, a charming, poignant and very funny romance that benefits from an outstanding performance from Will Watt. The amnesia plot is a bit wobbly and perhaps goes on a bit too long, but all in all, it’s one of my favourite audiobooks of the year and is highly recommended.

Grade - Narration - A; Story - A-

Alexis Hall has brought us another cozy romance novel that makes you feel all the feelings the characters have throughout the story. You find yourself rooting for the characters to stop disliking each other and get together.
I love that this is book #1, which means more books are coming in this series and I am looking forward to reading them.

Will Watt does a great job narrating and I hope to hear his voice again throughout the rest of the series.

I think the cover of this contemporary romance could be better served by adding even a few Christmas lights, as it's very much a holiday romance and this wasn't really depicted at all. It's extremely grumpy/sunshine and features the manager of a Bed, Bath, & Beyond-esque store faking amnesia in an attempt to keep his boss from firing him and his entire store's staff. The conceit is silly, but the emotional development that both the protagonist and his love interest go through is heartfelt, especially with regard to the boss's strained relationships with his family and the protagonist's loneliness. There's also the great humor you expect from Alexis Hall, with absurd moments and witty dialogue. I received an advanced listener copy of the audiobook of 10 Things That Never Happened from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Boss employee
Adversaries to lovers
Closed door
Hilarious
Excellent narration

Seriously Sam is stuck in my mind. I love him. He is my new bestie.

Should I ever find myself faking amnesia I hope it's this entertaining.

Alexis Hall books have become my new go to easy comfort listens. There is enough going on that I have no desire to put them down or for them to end. Her books are now insta buys for me. The narration on this book was excellent, the reader was able to voice the characters individually and made it feel as if there were multiple narrators.