My new favourite holiday read. 

This is Alexis Hall at their best warm & fuzzy: funny, irreverent, deftly subverted tropes, some astute observations of emotional intelligence & a side of social commentary. I definitely did not think I needed to know more about Jonathan Forest when he’s made appearances elsewhere in London Calling but I am so glad I shrugged to myself and got curious about what Alexis Hall had to share about him and Samwise. Though fake amnesia is not a trope I usually go for, don’t think too hard about it or the plausibility of the plot with this one; just get swept up in the people and use of language. It’s a delight to read.

I actually enjoyed this far more than Boyfriend Material, the first in the series this one spins off from, although damn, I had to suspend my disbelief more times than with some fantasy novels. I’m kind of concerned that neither Alexis Hall nor any of the beta readers and editors this book might have had know how muting works on phones. Also, a big part of the plot is the MC getting a concussion as part of the inciting incident, and like… Yeah, sure, the type of accident he has should result in one, except as someone who’s had two concussions, one nastier than the other, I failed to recognize a single symptom. Not that he even displayed any symptoms, short of getting tired more easily, but only when it was convenient for the plot. So that constantly took me out of the story, and I had to struggle to shove myself back in.

Outside of that, this was fun. The premise is that a store manager is trying to convince his boss to please not fire him and his team (that includes characters like a guy who keeps ruining expensive mattresses and stuff, but he’s got a grandmother to take care of, so Sam, the MC, doesn’t have the heart to fire them). The attempt, taking place in one of the chain’s stores, kind of escalates. An accident involving a shower cabin happens. And then the MC ends up concussed, a misunderstanding results in the doctor and his boss both believing he’s got amnesia too, and since there’s no one who can come get him and take care of him, Jonathan, the boss in question, steps in. Probably to avoid getting sued, but also maybe, just maybe, because he’s a semi-decent human being underneath all the grump, although that’s not something Sam considers just yet. And then they end up as roommates at Jonathan’s mansion, and Jonathan’s family keeps showing up assuming they’re boyfriends, and Sam really tries to use the entire weird situation to protect his job and his team, but it just all keeps getting weirder and messier. Oh, and there’s a fair amount of Christmas party planning involved, because while it’s not immediately apparent, this is actually a holiday romance.

There are lots of crazy shenanigans here, intersperse with pretty touching and heartfelt moments as the two characters get to know each other better and start to care far more than they ever wanted to. I did feel a little cheated out of the promised grumpy/sunshine dynamic, because while Jonathan is an exceptional 10/10 grump, I didn’t find Sam particularly sunshiny. He’s mostly kind, yes, and has a strong sense of what’s fair and what’s not, and he’s not bad with people, but also not always pleasant to be around and has a decidedly mean streak. I feel like characters that embody the “sunshine“ part of that trope shouldn’t lash out quite so much at their grump counterpart, no matter the reasons. I did like Sam and relate to certain aspects of his personality a lot, it’s just not really that specific trope. 

I liked a lot of the side characters, especially Agnieszka the housekeeper, and pretty much everyone in Jonathan’s family, and also, the lovely, ugly cat (reminded me of one of mine). There was plenty of super funny banter, even if sometimes it bordered on a tad too mean-spirited for me. Loved how the Christmas tree thing was handled, and all those points where Sam and Jonathan’s clashes resulted in them actually explaining and understanding their conflicting points, and that last chapter before the epilogue (damn that one reveal, so heartbreaking). Also, this is one of those instances where I feel the regional accent was really well handled in writing.

Would recommend to those who like wacky romcoms with lots of bickering and are more skilled than I am at ignoring the glaringly underresearched parts. 

Alexis Hall’s writing is consistently lovely, engaging, unique, and funny. No notes on the writing whatsoever. 

I didn’t quite get on board with the romance. I literally said “why” out loud the first time they kissed. It felt like absolutely nothing was leading to it. They were becoming friends, sure, but lovers not so much. There were more scenes of bonding and relationship building later, which was good, but I still didn’t feel love or sparks between them, just friendship. 

Alexis Hall sure does love a large group of wacky, chaotic characters. Jury is still out on whether or not I like them as much as he does. The good thing was that each character was distinct and recognizable, which puts it well above some other ensemble casts with characters that all seem the same. Maybe if it was just one group of wacky characters instead of the store staff AND Jonathan’s family it wouldn’t be as noticeable or overwhelming. 

The audiobook narrator was really good with all the accents. 

Good book, fantastic writing,  but not my favorite romance. 

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. 

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!

➽ 10 Things That Never Happened is another hilarious Alexis Hall Romance! I have been intrigued by this book ever since I read the premise. The story is about Sam, who manages the branch of a bath and body retailer but isn't really good at taking charge. The numbers of their branch aren't looking good. When his boss threatens to drastically change the branch and let go of some of its employees, Sam pretends to have fake amnesia. It's a stupid, desperate idea as Sam doesn't want his team to face eviction, but it ends up making Jonathan more sympathetic towards him. Instead of coming clean, Sam decides to play along and show Jonathan that his branch can still do some good! The premise was hilarious and chaotic and I loved the ensuing shenanigans! The writing style is upbeat and funny, so I was fully invested in Sam's efforts to get out of this situation with the best possible outcome.

➽ The hate-to-love, opposites-attract romance was also swoonworthy! Jonathan is a strict, disciplined person who takes the management of his bath and body company very seriously. He's not one for emotions, but can't help but feel guilty for Sam's (apparent) amnesia, as he was present for the accident. He urges Sam to move in with him, as he's got no one else to look out for any complications. Beneath his stubborn, gruff facade, Jonathan is much more and has a good heart. Sam's good at getting him to show a softer side, as he's chaotic, enthusiastic and much more open! 

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. 

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!.