Book Review: The Hating Game

Title: The Hating Game

Author: Sally Thorne

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Year: 2016

Pages: 433

Genre: Romance

Rating: 5 stars

One sentence summary: The office rivalry between Lucy and Josh, two co-workers at a publishing house, gets heated as a new career opportunity threatens to change their hating game into the loving game.

A full synopsis of this book can be found on Goodreads.

Spoiler Level: Low

"Both love and hate are mirror versions of the same game - and you have to win. Why? Your heart and your ego. Trust me, I should know.” Oh. My. God. I absolutely LOVED this. I am completely obsessed right now. This book was completely addicting and I couldn't bear to put it down. I read it as soon as I woke up on the morning, on the bus to work, and into the late hours of the night. It was fantastic. The Hating Game is a hate to love romance between two co-workers at a publishing house. While Lucy and Joshua seemingly despise each other, the games they play to annoy each other turn an office rivalry into something much more. I loved Lucy's character. Her first person narration of the story was hilarious, and her inner thoughts were especially humorous because of how out of the box, yet realistic, they were. She's funny, quirky (but in a good way), and she's totally relatable. Josh is grumpy and a bit of an asshole, but beneath the surface he's super cuddly and caring. The witty banter between these two characters was almost too much to handle. Their interactions had me alternatively giggling to myself all throughout the story and then hiding my face between the pages when their dialogue turned R-rated. The mix of steamy and comical was perfectly balanced, but there were also a lot of deeper moments in the story that dealt with both Lucy and Josh's frustrations and insecurities. When they weren't annoying the hell out of each other or making googly eyes at each other, they were sharing sweet moments and expressing deep feelings. Thorne's writing made this story more than just a sexy romp; it has a lot of heart too and will make you feel things for the characters. The romance was a slow-burn, which is personally my favourite type of romance. Lucy and Josh's chemistry was off the charts and watching them explore their feelings for each other, slowly, built up incredible tension. Thorne masterfully entices the reader, almost giving in to the moment the reader most wants, and then she pulls back, leaving you in anticipation. I only wish that the "hate" part of the story could have lasted a little longer, as it really only lasted for maybe a quarter of the story. In the rest of the story the hate turns lukewarm and it's obvious that the characters really care for each other, but even this reluctant friends/lovers dynamic was highly enjoyable. I'm sure there are other minor flaws but they are so insignificant compared to how I feel about this book that they don't even compute in my brain. I hope one day this gets turned into a movie because it would just be amazing. I could gush about this book forever! It was honestly one of the best books I've read in a long time. I never wanted it to end. I'm not sure how to move on in my life right now, I am that stunned. If you like romance at all, you have to pick this one up. LOVE LOVE LOVE.