Decent book! I enjoyed Sam, though he was so wrong for the amnesia thing! I do wish Jonathan was a more fleshed out character rather than just the dick boss. Overall I enjoyed this read and it was a fluffy romance.

The thing I loved most about this book was how funny it was. I laughed out loud more times than I could count, which is obviously an easy way to show how much I enjoyed it.

I also really loved that Sam was named after a Hobbit and all of the Lord of the Rings references made my heart very happy. Speaking of... Gollum the cat was absolute perfection!

As much as I loved the book as a whole, it was really hard not to compare it to Boyfriend and Husband Material. That kind of made me realise that as funny and silly as Sam and Jonathan were, they just really made me miss Luc and Oliver. Jonathan was maybe just a little too mean and grumpy to be entirely likable for the most part, although I warmed to him a bit more in the final few chapters.

Anyway, overall, I loved this book and I definitely wouldn't rule it out of being a future comfort read.

3.5 Some people will adore this. It's very well written and fun. But for me it just never went there. I needed MORE. From the tension, from the romantic pay off, from the slowburn, from the reveal, from the epilogue. For a 380 page slowburn I didn't get the pay off. But I think I will be possibly in the minority.

Sam isn’t quite living his dream life as a manager of a bed and bath retailer. But he has a big heart and loves his team of misfits. When the owner, Jonathon, comes to town to tell Sam he must let people go, he’s determined to save their jobs.

Things don’t go as planned when Sam shadows Jonathan for the day and just after he’s fired, he falls and bumps his head. What’s Sam to do? Fake amnesia seems like the perfect plan. Except, Sam can’t go home as he lives alone, so Jonathan offers to let Sam stay with him.

Despite bumping heads, Jonathan slowly shows Sam why he is so off-putting and grumpy all the time. Can Sam’s positive outlook and love for life rub off on Jonathan? And…is Sam starting to fall for him? Is Jonathan falling for him too?

This was my first Alexis Hall book, and it most definitely won’t be my last. This book had so much banter I absolutely loved it. Banter is one thing that I enjoy the most in romcoms, and this one did not disappoint. I also loved that this book was holiday themed, but the holiday wasn’t the focal point. It makes it a perfect book for any time of year. This book had some amazing characters, they were all well developed and helped the plot. The grumpy/sunshine trope is one of my favorites and I loved how it was portrayed with these characters. For me it always makes a swoon worthy story when the characters get to know each other and come to like and love each other despite their differences. This book is just so much fun.

If you are looking for a laugh out loud, slow burn MM romance, then check this one out.

Thank you so much to the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 17, 2023