Sam Becker manages a bed and bath department store and has some wacky employees reporting to him. While the employees keep making Sam’s retail life interesting in various ways, he likes his job. He however does not like his boss, Jonathan (“His Royal Dickishness”). The feeling is mutual, as Jonathan is out to make money and Sam’s store is not making their targets. So Sam gets called down to headquarters (in London) to be given an ultimatum – fire some of the staff and get the store in line.
Things are looking bleak for Sam, but then things take a turn – okay at first it is a bleak turn. There is a workplace accident and Sam smacks his head and ends up implying that he has amnesia. He very much has a concussion though, and because of that and the fake amnesia, he ends up in the care of Jonathan and staying at his place. And then as the two get to know each other outside of the employee and employer relationship some sparks start to ignite.
I did not realize this book was set at Christmas when I picked it. When I did realize that, and knew it involved a retail employee in the form of Sam, I nearly packed it in. I am a former retail employee, who worked in the bed and bath department of a major retailer, and I felt the retail PTSD kicking in. However, this book is only retail adjacent, not much of the action takes place in-store. It is very Christmas-y, so let that be a heads-up. I am not the number one Christmas gal, but I wasn’t put off by the Christmas vibes. In fact it made for a nice ease into the start of the Christmas season which is already out in full retail force, based on my recent shopping trips.
I loved this book. I read the audiobook and did a lot of the listening while walking my dog and laughing out loud while going around my neighbourhood. The way to my heart and a five-star review is to make me laugh, I guess. And this book made me laugh. Yes, the characters are a bit broad, and while I worked with some wacky people in the past, Sam’s employees are eccentric. As are Jonathan’s family. But they are funny! Like seriously, this book is very funny, and I highly recommend the audiobook as narrated by Will Watt, his delivery is truly great.
This is a romance between Sam and Jonathan and is told from Sam’s point of view. While Sam is definitely ceding the moral high ground by the whole faking amnesia thing (even if it comes from a place of trying to save his employees), I never warmed up Jonathan as much as Sam did. That again might be my retail employee past making me side-eye anyone who would be at Jonathan’s level in a retail organization.
The only other issue I had with the book was I get a bit of anxiety when characters (who aren’t in like .. a thriller novel) are lying, and Sam is telling one whopper of a lie with the fake amnesia. It is done in a very humorous way, and I mean I’m accepting that this book is a feel-good rom-com so can forgive that … but yes, the fibbing did make me a bit noxious at times. Since the book is very upfront about what it is about, and that this is a core piece I knew that I was likely to feel this way going in. (Also the general feel-good rom-com vibes let me get through the fact that Sam is Jonathan’s employee, and that dynamic is typically not something I want to read about in a romantic way.)
After checking the author’s website (and after I got over my mind being boggled by the sheer number of books written) I discovered this is a spin-off of the London Calling books (Boyfriend Material, Husband Material). I may have missed some connections between the two, but obviously, since I am giving this book five stars I am not feeling like I missed anything. (I did read and enjoy Boyfriend Material a while back, but I am going to full on admit I feel I only retained the major plot points.)
