The Hating Game
A Novel
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4.5 • 5.1K Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Now a movie starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell, USA Today bestselling author Sally Thorne’s hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin, fine line between hate and love.
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We love it when a rom-com pits two bitter rivals against each other when we just know they’re hiding a secret attraction. Romance queen Sally Thorne offers an utterly charming take on this beloved trope. The Hating Game centers around Lucy, an executive assistant at the Bexley & Gamin publishing house. Lucy is an eternal optimist—at least when her mood isn’t being fouled by her joyless workplace nemesis, Joshua, whom she hates. With a passion. The pair’s low-simmering rivalry boils over when the two start competing for the same promotion, unexpectedly revealing the steamy romantic desires hiding beneath their aversion to each other. Lucy and Joshua’s heated banter is irresistible, and being inside Lucy’s head as she dives into this secret office romance is a sweet, funny, and very sexy trip. We recommend you read Thorne’s book before you see the movie adaptation!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Since the day Lucy Hutton began sharing an office at her publishing company with Joshua Templeman, he's been the bane of her existence. Every day is a constant parade of one-upmanship and mind games. Now there's a huge promotion on the line, and they're both up for it. Lucy knows she couldn't keep working there if Joshua winds up becoming her boss, so she pours everything she has into a project to dazzle her superior but at the same time, she's suddenly gotten to know Joshua on a new level, and she's realizing very quickly that the lines between attraction and hatred are not as clear as she thought. After they acknowledge the heat between them and begin to do something about it, Lucy's paranoia sets in: is Joshua stringing her along in hopes that he'll gain the upper hand and the promotion? The denouement feels slightly off, and though Lucy and Joshua initially have chemistry to spare, the resolution of their story is a little bit too neat. Still, Thorne is skilled at creating Hepburn-and-Tracy-esque banter and an appealing heroine.
Customer Reviews
Cute story
This book made me laugh out loud, and I thought it was a fun, easy read. However, the ending was very abrupt, and I was left a little confused. It seemed like the author was setting up for an epilogue or a final twist, but then got tired of writing.
Felt unfinished…
I had great hope for Lucy and Josh and I was looking forward to the end, It delt like the resolution was them being together, cutting short on the attributes we love about these characters. Did Lucy get to be COO? Does Josh like his job now? How do they manage their relationship together now?
All very loose ends. As well as Lucy’s phone being found in the ladies room… I dont know if I missed something there.
It end in ‘I love you’, throwing out the window whatever made this novel feel real. A strange ‘and they lived happily ever after’ from an enemies to lovers who the previous night had a fight.
Loved it!
I couldn’t put it down! Loved it!