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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Cursing
Moderate: Excrement, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Car accident
kathis_wonderland's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall is the first book in the Material World series. Sam is getting fired by his boss Jonathan, when he trips, hits his head and decides to fake amnesia to get out of the firing. Now Jonathan has to take care of Sam until the concussion and fake amnesia go away. During this time, both grow closer and start to change for the better. But the fake amnesia is still in the room...
After loving the books from the London Calling series, I had to buy his newest publication. Right at the beginning of this review I have to say that I did not love this book as much as I loved Boyfriend Material. However, it was quite a pleasant read. Jonathan is a grumpy boss (and general a*hole) and Sam is quite a sunshine. Jonathan really changed for the better throughout the book and became less a*holey. His family is quite overwhelming, but in a loving way. They radiate love and support. The chemistry between Sam and Jonathan was slow, but I rooted for them. They really needed each other.
This book was a lovely read, but nothing breathtaking. I definitely need to check out Alexis Hall's other books!
After loving the books from the London Calling series, I had to buy his newest publication. Right at the beginning of this review I have to say that I did not love this book as much as I loved Boyfriend Material. However, it was quite a pleasant read. Jonathan is a grumpy boss (and general a*hole) and Sam is quite a sunshine. Jonathan really changed for the better throughout the book and became less a*holey. His family is quite overwhelming, but in a loving way. They radiate love and support. The chemistry between Sam and Jonathan was slow, but I rooted for them. They really needed each other.
This book was a lovely read, but nothing breathtaking. I definitely need to check out Alexis Hall's other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Death, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Sexual content
binevolentbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alexis hall is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, writing charismatic characters with banter that absolutely jumps off the page, and 10 things that never happened is no exception. hall manages to make even the most gnarliest bits of someone's most inner workings into the moldable clay of growth. very pleased with this final read of my year, and the audio was superb.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Classism, Death of parent, and Medical content
thepostman96's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Car accident, and Death of parent
wilybooklover's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
My main issue with this book was that I felt like I didn't really get to know either hero very well — even the POV MC, Sam, was a bit of a mystery since he's lying and misdirecting for most of the book. Because of that the romance aspect fell a tiny bit flat for me. I loved the softer moments where the characters connected (like when they were appalled over the price of Fortnum's decorations) and when they would show they cared in small ways, but they weren't enough to carry a whole romance on their back, especially given how much conflict these two characters had. I also found the ending a bit rushed; if there was another chapter or two after the graveyard scene I think it would've gone a long way in fleshing out the romance more.
While I enjoyed the antics and craziness from the side characters, there were just a few too many of them to keep straight. And Jonathan's Granddad Del was clearly a carbon copy of Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, right down to the name and dodgy deals. My favourite character was actually Gollum, Sam's ugly cat who was hilariously adorable and kind of stole the show from the main characters. His scenes with Jonathan were so cute.
There were a couple of inaccuracies about the steel industry in South Yorkshire, although I appreciate that it's a bit of a niche subject. But I can look past that part because it it was so nice to read a queer, working-class northern MC in a romance novel set in the UK. I loved that it was a romcom that was actually funny and lighthearted for once, while still being touching and grounded in real life and somehow pulling off a fake amnesia plot. And I cannot stress enough how good the humour is. Overall a very charming and enjoyable Christmassy romcom!
While I enjoyed the antics and craziness from the side characters, there were just a few too many of them to keep straight. And Jonathan's Granddad Del was clearly a carbon copy of Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, right down to the name and dodgy deals. My favourite character was actually Gollum, Sam's ugly cat who was hilariously adorable and kind of stole the show from the main characters. His scenes with Jonathan were so cute.
There were a couple of inaccuracies about the steel industry in South Yorkshire, although I appreciate that it's a bit of a niche subject. But I can look past that part because it it was so nice to read a queer, working-class northern MC in a romance novel set in the UK. I loved that it was a romcom that was actually funny and lighthearted for once, while still being touching and grounded in real life and somehow pulling off a fake amnesia plot. And I cannot stress enough how good the humour is. Overall a very charming and enjoyable Christmassy romcom!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident and Homophobia
skudiklier's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Honestly I'm not sure what to say about this book. In general there were a lot of things I liked about it, but there was a huge roadblock for me in the fact that Jonathan just....is actually a horrible boss? Like I know a lot of this was supposed to be showing that he has "hidden depths" and isn't really a terrible person, but he's still a terrible boss? I don't know how Sam can separate that from how he is *towards* Sam. It feels really shitty, like, the moral is that terrible people also have emotions and aren't *always* horrible to *everyone* around them? Like. Duh.
Idk. There were so many things Jonathan did in the very beginning of the book that had me thinking "yeesh they're going to have to do a really good job of convincing me to like this guy for this to work." And....they didn't. It didn't work. Yes I felt for him in a lot of moments, yes I could see what Sam saw in him in some moments. Part of me *was* rooting for the relationship to work. But that same part of me was also desperately hoping for there to be even unconvincing proof that Jonathan was changing as a boss and wouldn't be so controlling and terrible towards his employees. And that just didn't happen.
So while I liked some things about this book, and was engaged, it was far more frustrating than satisfying for me.
One thing I will say for the book's credit is that I appreciated it debunked Stockholm Syndrome (briefly). It infuriates me when people act as if that's a real thing and so I was glad to see pushback on that in the book.
If you're fine with romances where the love interest is genuinely a terrible person to people he has power over, then I'd recommend this to you (genuinely--that's not even sarcastic. I know that wouldn't be a dealbreaker for some people). Otherwise, you might just be frustrated and wish this could have been as good as you wanted it to be.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Idk. There were so many things Jonathan did in the very beginning of the book that had me thinking "yeesh they're going to have to do a really good job of convincing me to like this guy for this to work." And....they didn't. It didn't work. Yes I felt for him in a lot of moments, yes I could see what Sam saw in him in some moments. Part of me *was* rooting for the relationship to work. But that same part of me was also desperately hoping for there to be even unconvincing proof that Jonathan was changing as a boss and wouldn't be so controlling and terrible towards his employees. And that just didn't happen.
So while I liked some things about this book, and was engaged, it was far more frustrating than satisfying for me.
One thing I will say for the book's credit is that I appreciated it debunked Stockholm Syndrome (briefly). It infuriates me when people act as if that's a real thing and so I was glad to see pushback on that in the book.
If you're fine with romances where the love interest is genuinely a terrible person to people he has power over, then I'd recommend this to you (genuinely--that's not even sarcastic. I know that wouldn't be a dealbreaker for some people). Otherwise, you might just be frustrated and wish this could have been as good as you wanted it to be.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Cursing, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Homophobia, and Bullying
30something_reads's review
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.*
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.*
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
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