Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Pages: 384

Genre: Adult Fiction/Romance

Pub. Date: August 9, 2016

Publisher: William Morrow

Source: Library

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.  Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game."

Lucy Hutton works at a publishing company and instead of the company going under, it mergers with another company, which means she starts working with Joshua Templeman, who shares an office with her.  This would normally be fine except for the fact that Joshua is extremely good-looking, but is also an ass.  They don't get along. At all.  They interact daily, but not professionally at all; in fact, HR had to get involved a few times.  To complicate matters further, a position opens up that their bosses think both Joshua and Lucy would be good for.  There is no way that Lucy is going to lose this job to Joshua, so the "games" begin.  As things progress, (and some alone time in the elevator) proves that maybe her hatred for Joshua is actually something more and isn't hate at all. There's a fine line between love and hate, right?  Sally Thorne's debut, The Hating Game, is such a fun novel. It's romantic, it's witty, it's charming....everything you could want in a romance novel.

Lucy is an interesting character in The Hating Game. She is a people-pleaser and is genuinely nice, often too nice, which is the polar opposite of Joshua.  Joshua is cunning, cold at times, and calculating.  But there is more to him than just that if you look a little closer.  Most people in the office are afraid of Joshua whereas, people go to Lucy with their problems and sometimes take advantage of her willingness to extend deadlines. The fact Joshua and Lucy are foils of each other is what makes this opposites attract story so compelling.  Their chemistry is on fire and their dialogue is so, so great and witty.

At times I did sort of tire of their "games." I was thinking to myself...can they just be adults? But that doesn't make for an interesting story now does it? As their hatred of each other blossoms into something more, The Hating Game became even more compelling, especially as we learn more about Josh and what makes him tick.

Even though I knew where the story was going, I still loved the ride.  That's the best part about The Hating Game. We all know the final destination, but it's the getting there that is so much fun. So, if you are looking for a deliciously fun opposites attract story that will make the afternoon pass quickly, definitely give this book a try.