Synopsis:
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.
Review: The Hating game is a humorous and lovable romantic comedy. A story about two assistants-Joshua and Lucy-who apparently can’t stand each other. Although I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this an enemies-to-lovers romance.
“I type my password: IHATEJOSHUA4EV@. My previous passwords have all been variations on how much I hate Joshua. For Ever. His password is almost certainly IHateLucinda4Eva.”
THG is told entirely from Lucy’s point of view. We meet Lucy Hutton, who is an executive assistant to Helene Pascal, the co-CEO of Bexley & Gamin. We learn that Lucy used to work in the Gamin publishing house but both the companies had to merge due to the recent climate in publishing. Joshua Templeman works as Mr. Bexley’s – also co-CEO of Bexley & Gamin- assistant. They play lots of games at the office: The Hating Game, The Staring Game, The Mirror Game, The HR Game, Strange Games, a new game called “You’re just so …” We also get The Kissing Game, Friendship Game, The Or Something Game, The Racing Game, until they get to the Game Changer.
I finished the book in a day, and it reads beautifully. The chemistry between Lucy and Joshua is off the charts. I liked most of their interactions. Sometimes I found Joshua to be unnecessarily cruel, Lucy to be unnecessarily rude. For example, Lucy calls Mr. Bixley a “fat little dick” far too many times. I think that the intention was to be comedic, but the ridicule went too far with me.
There are also many beautiful moments in this book. I loved how Josh’s layers are peeled away. Actually, come to think of it, I liked Josh more than Lucy. Why? In the beginning, Josh is seen as an emotionally stunted character, but as we make headway in the book, we can see that there’s more to Josh. Furthermore, Josh implores Lucy to like him not because of his (banging) body but for who he is.
“Since the moment I saw you. Since the moment you smiled at me, I felt like I was falling backward off a cliff. The feeling has never stopped. I’ve been trying to drag you down with me. In the worst, most ill-conceived and socially stunted way possible.”
In conclusion, I definitely loved Sally Thorne’s debut novel and am eager to read her upcoming one “99 Percent Mine”.
Verdict: This one gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.
Author: Sally Thorne lives in Canberra, Australia, and spends her days writing funding submissions and drafting contracts (yawn!) so it’s not surprising that after hours she climbs into colorful fictional worlds of her own creation. Sally believes that romance readers are always searching for intensity in their next favorite book–and it isn’t always so easy to find. The Hating Game is her first novel.
**Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: August 2016
Paperback: 387 Pages
//Affiliate links (It would help me if you buy any book through the links provided below) :
1.) Buy The Hating Game: A Novel
2.) Buy The Hating game on BookDepository
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