Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - 10 Things That Never Happened

Alexis Hall is one of my favourite authors, and this book hits all the right notes of the things I love about his work, including:
- a side cast of extremely funny and loveable characters. From Jonathan’s madcap family to the chaotic coworkers, every time there was an ensemble scene it was a delight
- grumpy/sunshine romance
- main characters who are flawed in realistic ways, and whose bad choices hide deeper, realistic insecurities - there’s never a time where I got annoyed because the choices they made didn’t make sense, which is the danger with pastiches of early 2000s/90s romcoms
- deeply romantic
- brilliant banter

Having said that, I wish the deeply romantic bits had had more time to breathe. I can sort of see how Jonathan and Sam end up endeared to each other to the point that they fall in love, but aside from the extremely cute ‘ornament shopping’ scene, and the wagyu pizza/American diner scene, we didn’t get a ton of them really enjoying each other’s company pre-confession scene without it devolving into an argument eventually, the way that some of his other books did, despite being together almost the whole book (my favourites being Boyfriend/Husband Material, A Lady for a Duke (if there’s a more romantic book that exists, I don’t know it), For Real, and the Billionaire series - Arden, my beloved!).

There was a lot where it seemed like they were going to have a good time together that then ended in an argument, or Jonathan blowing up, and while that’s necessary for character development in the beginning, it started to feel a bit like you needed to be on eggshells around him even after he admitted he liked Sam, which was a sort of uncomfortable feeling.

Don’t get me wrong, I still loved him and Sam together, but I wish they’d addressed Jonathan’s terrible communication style a bit more than Sam just calling him a bastard (which he does quite a bit, this isn’t a dynamic where he lies down and takes verbal abuse, which is good). It would have been great to see Jonathan trying to be better to his employees, along with trying with his family and Sam. Then again, I suppose the larger point is that you can only change a heart so much, and have to otherwise accept them as they are.

Alexis is always laugh out loud funny though with this series, and some of my favourite funny bits he’s ever written are in this book (“ooo eck the badgers!”, cooking a chicken together, and the fact that they both kept repeating the full retail name of every bed and bath item in his house). Despite the minor criticisms above, this is definitely worth the read (or listen, in my case).

The audiobook is an absolute delight. I adored the way he performed all the characters, even if it took me a few chapters to get used to the very strong Northern accent for Sam - there were a few times I had to skip back and listen more carefully to make sure I understood it - it’s not one I hear much in day to day, being extremely far removed from the UK, but once my ears figured it out, it flowed beautifully. And the contrast in that accent and Jonathan’s ultra crisp, clearly a shield, very proper Southern English accent was fun. Jonathan was the standout performance - the narrator really made you feel when he was amused, laughing or close to tears. Absolutely brilliant casting.

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caseythereader's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the free copy of this book.

- 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED is an expansion on the world of the BOYFRIEND MATERIAL books, and basically, if you loved those books, you're gonna love this one too.
- The premise is bananas (fake amnesia??!) and I was very into it. Hall is so good at writing bumbling characters, whether that be physical or emotional bumbling. And, as silly as this book is, it also deals with some very real feelings and relationship dynamics.
- The supporting cast of this book is great as well, and I hope we get some of their stories in future books.

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bookishmillennial's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

Alexis Hall does it again! I absolutely adored this book - here's a reminder of how these books are connected to BM & HM from Alexis' Instagram post on 4/15/2023 (https://www.instagram.com/p/CrEcGcgrQFl/) for those who are unfamiliar:
💙 Material World is a London Calling spin-off series. 5 books are planned (3 for London Calling & 2 for Material World) & all are set in the same universe.
❤️ London Calling is exclusively about Luc & Oliver (their final book will be called Father Material. Release date: tbc). Material World will feature 2 standalone stories about different couples. 10 Things That Never Happened (Jonathan & Sam) is book 1. Book 2 belongs to Tyler & has the unofficial title of Himbo de Bergerac. (Release date: tbc.)

Anyway, you will find the following in this book:

a cat named Gollum (this felt extremely important and is why I noted it first hahah)
first-person POV of main character named Samwise, who runs a bed & bath retailer
grumpy owner Jonathan (who made an appearance in Husband Material at the wedding setting)
opposites attract and grumpy x sunshine
forced proximity - Sam & Gollum live with Jonathan while he "recovers" from his amnesia hahaha
a family Christmas party with sweet traditions!
planning for a company-wide Christmas party with a budget of 150 pounds a head!
the silliest but also most serious (yet unserious) banter between our love interests
workaholic learns to unwind and take life less seriously
found family!

I really enjoyed that most of this book took place inside Jonathan's home, and was filled with conversations between Jonathan and Sam. I liked that each conversation led them to unpacking and unraveling something that one of them (usually Jonathan) was struggling with. Jonathan is your typical workaholic who could be compared to Ebenezer Scrooge because of his penny pinching and lack of empathy or desire to build a genuine connection with his employees. Sam, on the other hand, cares deeply about others, especially his quirky group of colleagues, and he is desperately trying to get Jonathan to see them as people, not just workers.

Sam doesn't want this only for his friends, but also for Jonathan's sake! Jonathan seemingly lives a lonely life on purpose, constantly pushing his family away, even though they seem keen to spend time with him. He seems to feel unworthy of being loved or desired unless he is financially providing and ensuring his family avoids poverty. I thought both of these characters were deeply authentic, and I definitely had people from my real life pop into my mind as I read this. I think this is the perfect holiday romcom to read this holiday season, as it will make you giggle, kick your feet into the air when the grumpiness finally falls away a bit, and then make you upset when things inevitably go wrong. It has all the inner workings of a cozy and delightful holiday romcom!

steam rating: closed-door/fade-to-black

cw: cursing, bullying, toxic relationships (familial, work, friends), injury (concussion after falling), medical content (main character goes to hospital for fall/concussion and follow up appointment), car accident is mentioned, grief

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savvyrosereads's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Out Oct. 17 [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC for review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

When Sam hits his head moments after being fired from his job, he winds up part of a plot to keep his job—involving fake amnesia and living with his grump but attractive boss.

I love Alexis Hall, and in particular I find the London Calling books to be absolutely *hilarious.* This one is a spin off set in the same world, and it is every bit as funny as I expected and wanted it to be. I laughed multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience.

I did think that this one tended to the slightly long side and I wanted a few more hijinks to really round out the plot. It also felt less focused on the romance and more focused on the individual character arcs in parts, which made it take longer to get invested in Sam-and-Jonathan as a couple (though I did eventually get there). But all of that said, these books are just so fun, and I am always excited for a chance to revisit this world Alexis has created.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: fake amnesia; forced proximity; cats

CW: Death of loved ones; injury; mentions of car accident (off page)

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30something_reads's review

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“You’ve come into my life like a beam of very annoying sunshine. You talk so much that I miss it when you’re not. You try to fix things I didn’t even realize were broken. You have a dreadful sense of humour to which I’ve somehow become habituated. You care about people so effortlessly it makes me able to put up with them. And then you kissed me and now I…” He lets his head slip further down into his hands. “… I don’t know how I’m supposed to go the rest of my life without being kissed by you again.”

First and foremost, I absolutely LOVED this audiobook. 100% recommend this format. The narrator was perfect and just nailed the depth of emotions throughout. I couldfeel the affection that these characters developed for one another and it had me giddy. I could not stop listening.

The story itself was very sweet and often had me laughing out loud. Sam is such a funny character to follow as he navigates this convoluted amnesia plan in order to save his employees (and himself) from being fired. That plan is basically to endear himself to his dickish boss, Jonathan Forest, while he is living with him during the duration of his "recovery."

I laughed (a lot). I also cried. There were surprising hurt/comfort dynamics and a load of Christmas antics that I did not anticipate but absolutely loved. Also, there is an incredible cat named Gollum.

I also understand that this is a spin-off from the London Calling series (Jonathan is a side character/ old school friend of one of the main characters in those books.) I have not read those books and did not have any issues with reading this one- so if you think you need to read those in order to enjoy this, I am here to say you do not. (That being said, I fully intend to read Boyfriend Material and Husband Material one day.)

*Thank you to NetGalley and Libro.fm for the advanced copies of this book.*

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I basically listened to this entire book in one day; I was hooked by Sam as a narrator. That's part of the reason I love Alexis Hall books so much; he sure as a knack for writing good characters. It's a rom-com, so you can kind of guess what's going to happen in the plot, but I didn't really care because I loved the characters so much.

Honestly, the last book set in this universe ([book:Husband Material|58323892]) was a bit of a miss for me, so I'm glad this one wasn't. My only complaint, really, was that I wished we could have gotten a bit more of Sam's background. It's briefly mentioned at the end, but I wanted a bit more. I guess this is going to be a series, though, so maybe we'll get more in a future book!

All in all, if you're looking for a fun rom-com with the fake amnesia plot and the grumpy/sunshine trope, definitely pick this one up!

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meganpbennett's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I went into this book with extreme hesitation: I loved Boyfriend Material and Husband Material was the most disappointing book I read in 2022. I also had some mixed experiences with other Alexis Hall books in 2022 and 2023. But, the summary was just too good to pass up, and I really enjoy Hall's writing style. While amnesia is not a trope I go for, *faked* amnesia was very interesting. It was very a very interesting read, though, like all of the Alexis Hall books I've read, has an incredibly rushed ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC!.

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readwithria's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

10 Things That Never Happened is a cute, funny romcom with the wit and banter I’ve come to expect from Alexis Hall! He has somehow written a book with both poop jokes and emotional depth, and I really enjoyed it!

Read if you like
- forced proximity
- slightly dysfunctional families
- grumpy/sunshine
- Christmas setting
- fake amnesia
- antagonists to friends to lovers (closed door, euphemisms only)

I will say, I’m not sure why the book is called 10 Things That Never Happened. There’s fake amnesia, but there aren’t fake events… honestly I don’t care I’m just a little confused.

My only complaint is that the climax and resolution of the book felt a tad bit rushed, and there wasn’t quite as much tension in the will-they-won’t-they as I tend to prefer. Still a great book, and I’d definitely recommend! 4 stars.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the review copy. All thoughts are my own.

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