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The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I wanted to love it...

...that didn't happen.
The Hating Game, Sally Thorne


Blurb:

Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.

Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.

If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth-shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.

Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.


The Review: 1.5 Star

This was such a disappointment. My all time favorite romance trope is haters to lovers, so I was really really looking forward to this one. Sadly I struggled with it. This was not haters to lovers, this was pathetic abusive asshat is secretly in love with heroine but instead of acting on it treats her like sh**. You know, like little CHILDREN do at school! 

Both characters are above and beyond childish. If I had not been told they were adults I would think I was reading some stupid teen romance (although that is probably an offence to all the amazing teen romance writers). 

It is repetitive to the point of torture. Lucy talks about Joshua's shirts just about every other flipping page. Come on! we get it, you are obsessed and memorized his wardrobe. Stop now!

There is also a good amount of "nice guy" bashing and that is not ok. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to books I prefer my bad boys, but that doesn't mean bashing good guys is ok. Wtf? Oh, and lets not forget she fat shames her boss too. And only behind his back of course...

I could talk to you about the ending but it wouldn't sound as good and (sorry, but also hilarious) as Skyler's review on goodreads: 

The good news is this book pulls itself together in the end and makes your girl hearts swoon.... I'm fuck kidding the ending wraps this shit up so quickly you almost think you missed a chapter. In the end love is declared, jobs are saved and you find out that the handsome guy is actually a stalker hoarding your garbage and painting his room the colour of your eyes. I thought then the novel was going to take a cool twist and become like You by Caroline Kepnes and Josh was going to murder Lucy but no she lived and he lived and the world is now a darker place for that. 

Anyway, I usually add a 'find the book' line here. NOPE. If you wanna read this go find it yourself.

Bye. 

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