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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
adrienanthony's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
skudiklier's review against another edition
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
caseythereader's review against another edition
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.
- 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Bullying
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
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:
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Grief and Car accident
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Cursing
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Sexual content, and Car accident
meganpbennett's review against another edition
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!.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC!.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Bullying, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Medical content
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