I loved Alexis Hall’s previous novel, ‘Boyfriend Material’, and I was really hoping for another upbeat yet heartwarming queer love story. Luckily, this book absolutely lived up to my expectations! I immediately found myself rooting for Sam; he is an incredibly likeable and charming character, although he is a little down on his luck and is intent on trying to protect his colleagues. It took me a little longer to warm to Jonathan, and this meant that my fondness of him grew alongside Sam’s relationship with him, which was really effective. The characterisation of Gollum (Sam’s rescue cat) was impeccable; I really felt for Sam when all he wanted was some comfort from his cat, but Gollum abandoned him for Jonathan instead (cats really are so fickle!). This is the perfect romance novel for the lead up to the festive season; it isn’t overly Christmassy, but it really highlights the importance of family and making the most of the time we have with our nearest and dearest whilst we still have the chance.

Rating: ★★★★

alexis hall potrafi napisać powieść ktorą czyta się tak, jakby się oglądało dobry romcom - bo mimo że fabuła jest nierealistyczna i niedorzeczna, to i tak dobrze się bawisz i czekasz, aż bohaterowie w końcu się zejdą. z drugiej strony, same postaci, ich uczucia i zachowania są do bólu realistyczne: to ludzie którzy nie zawsze są racjonalni, popełniają błędy, robią rzeczy których nie powinni. i dzięki temu są faktycznie relatable.
podoba mi się, że mimo że jest to spin-off, to nie opowiada o postaci którą poznaliśmy i polubiliśmy w poprzedniej serii - ba, johnathan pojawił się w jednej scenie w "husband material" i główny bohater tamtej powieści miał do niego bardzo negatywne uczucia. ale to właśnie nadaje trochę tego realizmu, bo w "husband material" poznajemy go oczami luca, natomiast tutaj mamy inną perspektywę. i myślę że to bardzo ciekawy zabieg.

Jonathan Forest is an Ass. Also, Sam‘s boss. So when he overhears Sam‘s employee calling him His Royal Dickishness over the phone, Sam has no choice but to follow his demand to show up in the London Location of the Chain of Bed and Bath Stores he works as a manager at. When a stern talking to escalates to harsh words, Jonathan firing both Sam and his entire team and Sam getting a concussion, Sam takes any chance he can to keep his team’s jobs safe. Including faking amnesia and moving into his boss’s house for two weeks. What could go wrong?

This was absolute chaos. Glorious, fun, giggly chaos. I swallowed this book whole. Was Jonathan kind of an ass? Yea. Did Sam just not know when to stop? Also yes. And it made for same damn good banter. The story was honestly silly. The whole premise didn’t really make sense. But it was a really fun, lighthearted romantic comedy about family and personal growth and forgiveness. It could have touched a lot more on specifically Sam‘s past and I’d be happy to read it if something like that came out. But bottom line: this was a fun, silly book that’s just a sweet read. Recommend for a nice read with a lot of character growth and crazy Christmas vibes.

I appreciated the characters but the story is just so messy. And I really wanted more romance to be honest. Believe it or not this is more of a Christmas magic family reunion type story.

Fave one so far but don't love the fake amnesia trope.

I picked this up again after DNF a few months ago. The characters are adults who did not act like adults.

Ugh. I'm disappointed. I LOVED Boyfriend Material, adored half of Mortal Follies, but 10 Things just... didn't do it for me. The Amnesia trope isn't for me.

I don't know that I've read a romance where both main characters are so unlikable. I think the basic premise of the book, lying about having amnesia, probably should have given me some kind of clue. But then I didn't like the Love Interest either. While Sam was clearly a misguided liar, he was also annoyingly always putting himself in other people's business. And Jonathan was just an asshole nearly to the very end. I like flawed characters, but they at least need to be likable.

On top of it all, I felt the story just kind of lacked... something. Everything? I found myself so bored. I was hoping that, even if I didn't like Sam and Jonathan, then I could at least rely on tension and banter. But I didn't even get that. I daresay, there wasn't even chemistry. With that said, I think there are readers out there that would enjoy this.

Christmas in June? Sure. Alexis Hall can be a mixed bag for me - the highs are high, but I really disliked the last one I read (Paris Daillencourt). But when I heard this book comped to While You Were Sleeping, one of my favorite romcoms, I knew I would have to give it a try. And I had a good time! The family dynamic was just zany enough and there was a lot to like about the romance. I’m not sure I fully bought into the resolution, but overall, enjoyable.