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:

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