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A review by luluwoohoo
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
☀️☀️☀️⛅
This romantic comedy was significantly more comedy than romance, sometimes to its detriment, but it was an enjoyable ride all the same.
Alexis Hall knows how to write funny characters, quick-witted banter and the organised chaos of large groups, so having all of those elements within this novel was a great starting point. The amnesia plot was unsurprisingly ridiculous but it slotted right in alongside the wacky supporting characters and whatnot.
Though I found the support characters to be entertaining and decently fleshed out, there were simply too many of them and it is probably the main reason this novel is as long as it is - verging on too long for a romantic comedy. The antics of Jonathan's family could have been condensed to allow more time for the romance subplot, which did suffer in comparison.
I think Hall handled the enemies-to-friends aspect well enough, but I found the transition into being romantically interested a bit haphazard - balancing that alongside the difficult to navigate topic of their power imbalance being boss and employee wasn't given enough consideration and then was subsequently steamrolled by the late emergence of Sam's character arc and backstory. I didn't mind the late introduction to his family history but it did feel uncomfortable dealing with that and the stereotypical third act break up/make up in one scene feel cramped and rushed.
I think this book did manage to find a good balance of humour and the doses of reality between, but the odd pacing and lack of believable chemistry hindered the overall effect for me.
☀️☀️☀️⛅
This romantic comedy was significantly more comedy than romance, sometimes to its detriment, but it was an enjoyable ride all the same.
Alexis Hall knows how to write funny characters, quick-witted banter and the organised chaos of large groups, so having all of those elements within this novel was a great starting point. The amnesia plot was unsurprisingly ridiculous but it slotted right in alongside the wacky supporting characters and whatnot.
Though I found the support characters to be entertaining and decently fleshed out, there were simply too many of them and it is probably the main reason this novel is as long as it is - verging on too long for a romantic comedy. The antics of Jonathan's family could have been condensed to allow more time for the romance subplot, which did suffer in comparison.
I think Hall handled the enemies-to-friends aspect well enough, but I found the transition into being romantically interested a bit haphazard - balancing that alongside the difficult to navigate topic of their power imbalance being boss and employee wasn't given enough consideration and then was subsequently steamrolled by the late emergence of Sam's character arc and backstory. I didn't mind the late introduction to his family history but it did feel uncomfortable dealing with that and the stereotypical third act break up/make up in one scene feel cramped and rushed.
I think this book did manage to find a good balance of humour and the doses of reality between, but the odd pacing and lack of believable chemistry hindered the overall effect for me.
"It reminds me how much I like being with him. It makes me wish he could let himself be this man more often, with more people. Don't get me wrong, he's still a sour bastard. It's just sour isn't necessarily bad. That's why everybody likes sherbet lemons."