10 Things That Never Happened (Material World, #1)
Alexis Hall
Fake amnesia. Real feelings? Real problems. Sam Becker loves―or, okay, likes―his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn't exactly glamorous, but it's good work and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git. Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn't get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talk…only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn't remember anything? Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan's guilt―as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There's an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impression…but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?
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0 0Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
On paper, there are a lot of things about this book that I hate. Boss/employee romance dynamics, relationships inherently built on lies, a love interest that is unabashedly an asshole for 90% of the book... But I don't hate this book. I really, really, really loved it.
Alexis Hall's writing is as fun and witty as it ever is, of course, but I am so impressed that he got me to feel real affection and sympathy for Jonathan Forest of all people. Like, no joke, Jonathan is actually SUCH an asshole, but we see, as Sam does through their forced proximity, that there's nuance and depth there. (But he's also just kind of rude and standoffish for no reason, which is fun in its own way.) And Sam is such a frustrating disaster of a human being sometimes—not as much as Luc from Boyfriend Material (not a hard bar to pass) but, man, did I just want to shake him around sometimes and tell him to talk to Jonathan like a normal human being.
But, to me, that's the appeal of Alexis Hall's romcoms, and the appeal of this book in particular: both of these guys are kind of terrible in their own special ways, but somehow you STILL want to root for them, and you STILL want them to fall and stay in love. This is why I keep reading his books, even when, on paper, it seems like something I'll hate; I'm consistently engaged, surprised, and delighted by the stupid things his characters somehow manage to do.
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