Book name: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Blurb: Lucy Hutton, baker-of-cakes, charming assistant, and professional ‘nice girl, is waging war. She’s got the whole office on her side – except the tall, dark, and charmless Joshua Templeman. He’s been nothing but hostile since the moment they met and now it feels like nothing matters as much as taking him down.
Trapped together under the fluorescent lights, they become entrenched in an addictive rivalry. There’s the Staring Game, The Mirror game, The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything, especially when a huge promotion comes up for grabs.
Finally, she’s going to destroy the man she can’t seem to get out of her office, the man she hates, the man who’s taking up far too much space in her head. If Lucy wins, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. The race is on – but the real games have only just begun.
Review: The Hating Game has been an Instagram sensation ever since its release. The first few pages were so funny and interesting that the reader will be sold on the story. This book was a short and fun read and by the end of it, you will fall in love with Lucy and Joshua.
The lead character of Lucy seemed familiar yet very fresh. Sweet and lovely Lucy will remind you of a lot of characters that you have seen in rom-com before, yet you will not feel anything about her was unoriginal. She was the life of the book. Lucy has been written as one of the few female characters that not only outwitted but also outshined the male character. Lucy was extremely endearing because she seemed to be proud of who she was and what she did. Even when Joshua teased her about her family business and her mother’s blog, she never resented her roots and gave them back to him in the best way possible. She was witty and confident.
The male lead Joshua is a regular rich, handsome and intelligent hero you usually find in rom-com. He is like a little schoolboy who teases a girl only because he secretly likes her. He pretends to be a super-jerk only to transform into a caring and loving boyfriend. You will appreciate his character development and backstory. Joshua has a painful history and you will like the way he handled things for himself. You will also appreciate the fact that, like a lot of other wounded souls, he does not look at Lucy as someone who will help him move on in life. Rather he does that himself and allows Lucy to enter his life when he is more sorted. Yes, he does use Lucy as a shield when dealing with certain tricky situations but that does not mean he sees her as just that. She means more to him and does prove time and again that he loves her and cares for her.
The pace at which romance blossomed between Lucy and Joshua is passionately tense. The sexual tension between the two was evident and it slowly built up to such an extent that it gradually burst into a smoldering hot and unexpected encounter. The pacing of the book is just right. If you’re looking forward to reading some hot-paced romance then this book is meant for you.
4.5/5
