The Hating Game: A Novel Paperback – August 9, 2016

FINAL DECISION: This book isn't what I expected from the blurb. I expected a lot of backstabbing and undermining and anger and angst. But this book was such a beautiful romance. I loved both these characters and how their relationship developed. It is a slow-burn romance but not boring -- just wonderful.THE STORY: Lucy Hutton's nemesis is Joshua Templeman. Lucy and Joshua are executive assistants to the co-CEOs of a publishing company. Now they are both competing for the same promotion. Neither is going to back down from the competition, but at that precise moment, Lucy begins to get to know Joshua better. Perhaps neither really hates the other as much as Lucy expected -- or is Joshua playing the long game in winning the competition between them?OPINION: This book was hot several years ago. I have to admit that I wasn't attracted to the book then. I ended up reading it recently for a book club. Unlike many "hot" books, this one was amazing.From the first page to the end, I loved the couple and the story, even though it has many elements that aren't my favorite -- such as it is told in the first person present (by Lucy), and we never get Joshua's perspective other than what Lucy learns. But it worked for me because it ended up being precisely what the story needed to work.Lucy is sweet but surprisingly determined and strong when it matters. Joshua ... no, I can't say any more because it will give the story away. I can say that Lucy's perception of Joshua is that he is a stick-in-the-mud, cold person, and a big jerk. When she finds herself attracted to him, she can't imagine why.What I love about this book is that it takes all the tropes of the office romance from 20-30 years ago and writes in a new and unexpected way. I've read stories like this many times before, but this book never gave the easy, expected answer. It is modern and funny, but it is also sweet and romantic.It wasn't the typical angsty and angry enemies-to-lovers story that I was expecting, but it was definitely worth the reading.WORTH MENTIONING: THE HATING GAME was made into a movie.CONNECTED BOOK THE HATING GAME is a standalone.STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

This was an enjoyable story that hit all the right spots. Josh and Lucy are polar opposites that work opposite each other as executive assistants (something like that anyway) of a publishing house. She's cheerful, popular and excessively nice to the point where her co-workers walk over her. He's brusque, ruthless and feared at the company. Lucy just wants Josh to like her but having given up all hope to ever get along, they play these little inter-office games designed to one up each other and get on one another's nerves. When a lucrative job opportunity arises, it's game on between the two.It was entertaining and a cute take on the enemies to lovers trope with some laugh out loud moments delivered dryly by Lucy. If you're not a fan of insanely positive and upbeat people, Lucy might grind your gears a bit but I really liked her character for the most part. Josh was a tall, cool drink of handsome and was perfect as the love/hate interest. I loved the little idiosyncrasies between the two. There was a bit of repetition from Lucy who's the story teller. Not terrible, but lots of talking about how swoony and fit Josh is and how she just wants him to laugh and like her. As is common with this trope, the plot takes a predictable path and the big build up to a key event where Lucy has to be Josh's plus one to a family event could be picked a mile away. A couple of bits were a bit over the top and made to be more dramatic than they actually were, making it almost a bit of a cringe fest. That being said, it was still a sweet, feel good read with a really happy ending that hit all the right notes to give you that warm, gooey feeling.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne5 stars!!!“My hostage. My blackmailed, unwilling captive. Stockholm Shortcake.”There is nothing like a good hate/love book to get your reading mojo well and truly pumping and that is exactly what The Hating Game delivered. Sally Thorne captured everything about those office relationships where competition takes on a whole new meaning and to think that this is her debut novel, I was totally blown away.Enemies to lovers is one of those tropes that literally has me salivating. You learn more about a person through their actions in that kind of environment, especially in the work place. It is harder to hate than it is to love and there is often a very fine line between the two. Sometimes there is that genuine hate, because let’s be honest, there are a lot of douches and b****es in the world, but more often than not we hate as a veil of our true feelings and that was definitely the case with these two.“Shortcake, if we were flirting, you’d know about it.”“Because I’d be traumatized?”“Because you’d be thinking about it later on, lying in bed.”Two publishing houses struggling in the economic climate merge to ensure the viability of at least one of them, two CEO’s, two assistants. One male assistant, one female assistant who knock their a**es out week after week to be the best. This was all about one-upmanship. Who could work the longest hours, who was more efficient, who has the best ideas etc.: Their competitiveness was the source of many hilarious scenes, yet so relatable having been in a similar environment myself. But they loved to hate one and other, their inter-office games of “hate” had me laughing so many times and this book was written so well their story effortlessly flowed from page to page. This was an easy read, a real page turner.“The trick is to find someone who’s strong enough to take it. That one person who can give it back as good as they get.”Lucy Hutton was working in a place that she had dreamt of since she was a teenager. For her, publishing had always been her dreams albeit maybe not as a PA to the CEO. Her position had left her friendless because of everyone’s “snitch” mentality and her only source of enjoyment in her working day were her battles with Joshua. These two sat in the same office where daggers were drawn from clock in to clock out. Where juvenile staring competitions were the norm and trying to decipher codes and logins were their speciality.“I feel like your Easter egg.”Joshua was a whizz with numbers, he kept himself to himself and was definitely a closed book. He was an ornery man of rituals and order and was as predictable as they came. But who was Joshua Templeman? With a new position being made as COO, a promotion for Lucy or Joshua, battle lines are well and truly drawn as both know that neither one could work for the other. This was a fight to the death in more ways than one. Lucy begins to see a different side to Joshua when little chinks in his armour are slowly revealed, could this be who Joshua Templeman really is and god forbid Lucy for actually…falling in love.“The energy that usually lashes ineffectively inside each of us now has a conduit, forming a loop of electricity between us, cycling through me, into him. My heart is glowing in my chest like a bulb, flashing brighter with each movement of his lips.”The humour and banter in this book was contagious from start to finish, the dialogue was spot on and the chemistry was seriously off the charts. Even in hate mode you could feel those flickers of electricity and you were constantly on edge just waiting for them to ignite into a raging inferno. These two as enemies were hilarious, as lovers totally swoon worthy. I adored EVERYTHING about this book. I made the mistake of starting this late in the day and then read into the early hours of the morning, I couldn’t put it down. The characters were infectious, the plot was riveting and as each layer of Joshua Templeman was revealed my heart just got mushier and mushier. For those that love enemies to lovers this is a must read and the story will speak for itself.“This is the best game I’ve ever played in my entire life.”