The Hating Game Review

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 

Read: January 17, 2018- January 22, 2018

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 (4.5 stars)

Buy from Indigo and Amazon

Borrrow from the Toronto Public Library

Summary:

Nemesis (n.) 

1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;

2) A person’s undoing;

3) Joshua Templeman.

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.

My Thoughts:

I've been wanting to read this for so long. I am a romance lover and I heard so many amazing things about this book. It's so many people's favourite book so I had to give it a read. I actually stumbled upon it at Indigo for $6.oo in the bargain section and I immediately grabbed it. I was so excited to start it and I just instantly fell in love. 

This is a super cute, absolutely hilarious, incredibly charming, addicting, and unputdownable novel. I was hooked from the very start. This is the type of book that immediately after you finish it you want to reread it. That’s how you know it’s good. It will make you laugh, smile, and swoon until your heart is a melted puddle on the floor. Well, at least mine did. 5/5 stars! 

I would definitely, definitely recommend this is to you if you love contemporary, hate-to-love relationships, witty banter, and slow(ish)-burn romance.

If you haven't read this book, read it now! If you have, then keep reading. I get into spoilers below. 

Lucy’s character is so vibrant and you immediately relate to her and are drawn towards her personality. I love that she’s so vintage and bookish, kind of awkward and can have no filter at times. It makes for funny dialogue! Josh is portrayed to be mean and uptight but I love that Lucy peels back his layers and we get to see parts of him he doesn’t share with anyone else.

Lucy and Josh have the best dynamic. I love their hate-to-love relationship and their witty banter had me giggling to myself. This book was also so steamy that I couldn’t put it down! I would tell myself to stop because it was getting late but I just couldn't! This book is like a drug! I also really appreciate the fact that Josh doesn’t rush into things with Lucy. He really loves her and wants to take his time.

Lastly, I absolutely adore the ending! I had a feeling that Josh was resigning when he and Mr. Bexley were yelling in the office. Josh cares about Lucy so much and he knows that working at the publishing house is her dream job. His decision allows them to still be together while they both have a career that they enjoy.

I have grown so attached to these characters and I just need more of them. Maybe some bonus scenes like them going to the strawberry farm and Josh meeting Lucy’s parents, or maybe them in 5 years, married with babies?!? I don’t know! I just know that I absolutely LOVED this book with a capital L. This book is EVERYTHING. It’s perfect! It’s exactly the type of book I love and hope to one day write. I NEED more from Sally Thorne. She has definitely become an author to watch.

Side note: This would also be a great book to read on a Valentine’s Day. It gives you all the feels!!! 💗💗💗 I might reread a little bit, if not the whole thing! 

Quotes I Loved:

Page 2: “Books were, and always would be, something a little magic and something to respect.”

Page 161: “His smile is worth a thousand of anyone else’s."

love, xena