Sally Thorne

USA Today Bestseller! Debut author Sally Thorne bursts on the scene with a 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.

A Novel

The Hating Game

Elizabeth

"Watching you pretend to hate that nickname is the best part of my day."

lily

"I love you, Lucy Hutton. So much, you have no idea. Please be my best friend."

"You're the girl he calls Shortcake. When I first heard your nickname, I knew. I will tell you now, he's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you."

But you know he's in love with you, right?"

"I love strawberries. So much, you have no idea." He sounds so kind that I feel a wave of emotion. 

Books were, and always would be, something a little magic and something to re- spect.

Lisa Weidacher

Breelyn Campbell

I love you, Lucy Hutton. So much, you have no idea. Please be my best friend. 

There’s a full-length mirror and I see myself, at long last sitting on the bed in his robin’s egg bedroom. His walls are the color of my eyes. 

You never have to explain your choices. Not to me, not to anyone. 

Maj ❤❤

"What? No." My stomach folds in half. And in half again. She puts one hand to her hair and smoothes the already perfect style. It’s blond. She's tall, tan and brown eyed. She's Tall Blondie.

Kayla Jardim

Ellie 

Jenna

Julia

I dnf-ed this book at page 300 and smth and I feel so free.

Sarah Hamrick

I have never had to DNF a book. I came so close to doing it with this one

chloe rae

I bought this to read on my kindle last night as a palate cleanser after finishing the Scythe series. I needed something fun and easy to hold my attention for the next couple days.
I was up reading to 4:00 IN THE MORNING. 
I am OBSESSED.
This may be my favorite romance novel of all time. I haven’t been sucked into a romance so completely in what feels like ages. This was THE BEST. I am IN LOVE. I am immediately purchasing a physical copy of this book so I can read it whenever I’m sad or happy or just simply existing. 
I feel like I’m glowing. I feel like I’M the one that fell in love. This was PERFECT. It was...everything. I feel like I’m floating?! Am I ok?
God, what a great book.

Marcy Pursell 

Everything about this. Enemies to lovers. Set the bar high.

Saffana Nuraulia

i think it is very lovely, if you’re looking for the 90s romcom vibes, i think this one is veeeerrry perrfect! i enjoy reading it but it gets kind of slow pace hence i got a lilll bit bored but i like it!

“Love and hate are visceral. Your stomach twists at the thought of that person. The heart in your chest beats heavy and bright, nearly visible through your flesh and clothes. Your appetite and sleep are shredded. Every interaction spikes your blood with adrenaline, and you're in the brink of fight or flight. Your body is barely under your control. You're consumed, and it scares you.
Both love and hate are mirror versions of the same game - and you have to win. Why? Your heart and your ego. ”
--------------------
All I can really say at this point is that I am a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope.

Except, the characters in this book aren't exactly enemies. In fact, it is clear from page 1 that this isn't hate. It isn't even mild dislike. It is wild infatuation, obsession, and sexual tension, inflamed by hurling obvious compliments at each other across a desk, and trying to convince yourself that they are insults. It goes a little bit like this:
"I hate Joshua. What kind of a dumb ass looks like a Calvin Klein model without even trying? He is also really intelligent and good at his job. What a loser! And smelling good all the time? Absolutely awful. I will now proceed to observe and record every little detail about him, all because I hate him and I hope he disappears from the surface of the Earth."

But, you know what I love even more than enemies to lovers romance? The trope where the guy is tough and cold with everyone, but has a soft spot for that one person. THIS I like. And THIS we get.

And finally, the ending had me reeling, because we never even get to witness the main event that the whole plot has been gearing up to. I actually had to stop and check that it wasn't just my copy, and that the book really ended where it did. Kind of a let down.

Overall, it was an entertaining but predictable romance, and I have to say it was WAY steamier than I expected! Definitely think +18.

I FINISHED THIS IN ONE DAY WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK

I could not stop smiling. THE BANTER. The banter was everything. Lucy very much teetered on the edge of being annoying, but she never was, which what made her character so great. Josh was a perfect soft tall boy. And though I do wish they concentrated more on Lucy's love for his personality, they are still a great pair.

Tatiana

The Hating Game: 2/5


  “The trick is to find that one person who can give it back as good as they can take it.”

Premise:
Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeman are arch-enemies. They sit across from each other at work, and their day-to-day contact consists of games to piss each other off, competition, and pranks. The stakes increase to new levels when they're up against each other for the same promotion. As the tension skyrockets, their view of each other starts to change as well.

Writing & Plot:
The first half of this book is phenomenal! I loved the "I love to hate you" trope and the jealousy that radiated off of Lucy and Josh, even though they're enemies. It shows their internal conflict, but as the book progressed, there wasn't much development between their hate relationship and their more romantic relationship. 

If this were more of a slow-burn, it would have been easily five stars, but it went from hating each other on one page to loving each other the next. I wish their banter went on for more than.. two chapters? This got a bit confusing and just overall was weird. It finally ends with a highly sexual relationship that the plot did not introduce during the book's first half. I don't know; all the begging and groveling didn't seem totally in line with their previous characteristics. Overall, the obsession between Lucy and Josh was just not okay and seemed extremely unhealthy.

Also, the R-word is used once... Eeek...

Characters:
I think Josh was the most consistent and complex. He had reasons to back up his behavior, and I enjoyed learning more about him as the story progressed. On the other hand, though, I feel like Lucy just catered herself to Josh, and it was told from the perspective of the male gaze, even though it's Lucy's POV. Lucy was also a wild card for me. Like I mentioned above, I felt like one second she hates Josh, and the next she's suddenly in love and begging him for sex. It just felt WEIRD. Kind of like two different romance novels getting smashed together.

Also, Lucy... honey.... you gotta stop with the smelling. PLS, it's CREEPY. 


  “When you get so little of someone, you take what you can get.”

Conclusion:
First half: ok....
Second half: ..no....

I wish I liked this more. Truly. Overall the vibes were off, I wish there were more "mean" banter, and I wanted more hate. I think the book overall would have made more sense from Josh's perspective since it is told from the male gaze, and Lucy was all over the place and.. messy. 

I'll still be reading more of Sally Thorne, though.

Robi Carballo

The build up is really slow, and the plot is rushed. It's not promising but I still enjoyed it tho.

I love you, Lucy Hutton. So much you have no idea. Please be my bestfriend.

HOLY SHIT! 
The Hating Game is one of those journey. Actually, I've read this book a while ago, but I haven't reach the end so I thought I have to finish it. And no regrets. One of the best office romance I have ever read. Josh and Lucy bickering all day long... one of my favorite thing about this book. And Josh and Lucy being vulnerable and opened up to each other.... please just break my heart it would hurt less. 

Solid 4 stars!

☆ // (DNF) super agressive male, borderline stalker, and I can't stand forced kisses, especially when someone's trapped in an enclosed space like an elevator (even if she kissed him back). blergh.

This book was meh to me, i had a hard time finishing it cause i kept getting annoyed that they were making it so obvious that they loved eachother even while they were still enemies like I NEED SLOWW burn and it was just missing smth for me. ALSO IF ANYONE PAINTED THEIR BEDROOM WALLS THE COLOR OF MY EYES I WOULD FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER LIKE UHM?? PLS NO.

Daniela Castrodes

carolreadabook

no começo é blé e depois é terrivelmente ruim.

Kenzi Linton

This book has been on my list for a very long time and honestly, I’m a bit disappointed because I feel like this book was so hyped about and it really didn’t do much for me. I feel like it went from 0 to 100 real quick and then it suddenly went back to 0. It felt like every chapter the characters were either friends or hated one another. I wasn’t a fan of the whole back and forth. I thought about quitting this book so many times, but ultimately was curious enough to finish it.

honya

overrated 👍 i didn’t even read the book lmao but everyone’s been saying that the movie is the exact same thing as the book and i didn’t really love the movie so 2 stars

I had a hard time getting into this book, I didn’t really like the characters at first but they grew on me and so did the story. They had great banter which I love

Julia McKenzie

DNF

Honestly just couldn't get interested and didn't want to finish it. There was just a total lack of plot and lucy was so contradictory which I personally just found annoying. I wanted to love it and wanted to read it before seeing the movie but honestly just going to save myself the time and just watch the movie (hoping thatll be better)

I really wish this book had an epilogue. There were a few plot points that I wanted to see wrapped up a little bit better. Other than that I really enjoyed this book!

Mary Rose Gibson

Girlie get ur Smurf underwear and get the fuck out of my sight

Kat 

What in the ever loving fuck

Girlie get ur Smurf underwear and get the fuck out of my sight

NEMESIS [n] 1) A long-standing rival; an arch-enemy 2) A person's undoing 3) Joshua Templeman Lucy Hutton, baker-of-cakes, exemplary assistant and professional 'nice girl', is waging war. She's got the whole office on her side - except for 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. 'Charming, self-deprecating, quick-witted and funny.' The New York Times 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. 'A smart and funny modern romance.' Good Housekeeping 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 . . . 'The next Sophie Kinsella.' Bustle **RT REVIEWERS CHOICE WINNER** **iBooks Best Romance 2016** **Amazon Pick Best Romance 2016**

Ayça

We get it girl. Youre short and petite. Loved the sick trope tho.

Brittany Peterson

The banter, the growth, the realization, the confession. I am a puddle. Where are the men like Joshua in real life.

I loved the fact that this wasn’t an instant-love but you could actually feel the developing feelings between them. It’s so cute.

Kyra

This was so cute

The banter, the growth, the realization, the confession. I am a puddle. Where are the men like Joshua in real life.

I loved the fact that this wasn’t an instant-love but you could actually feel the developing feelings between them. It’s so cute.

Zaira A 

Goodreads needs to get on the half stars program. This book for me was 3 1/2 stars so I’m just going to round it up :). It was very entertaining but super predictable. The characters were endearing and you definitely root for them to stand up for themselves. It was cute book overall

The Hating Game A Novel

Reviews

Highlights