Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2
Type: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Fiction Romance, Office Romances, Enemies to lovers
Primary Characters: Joshua & Lucy
Narration: Single POV
This book was suggested to me by several fellow bookstagramers in several reading groups. I hadn’t picked up for so long even if it was in my kindle for long time. I read this purely because it’s always all over my feeds in Insta, FB and goodreads. It’s an office romance with enemies to lovers backdrop. It wasn’t that woooww for me. Maybe it’s the saturation I’ve endured reading so many contemporary novels by now.
To me, the book started out a bit slow. Lucy and Josh work in the same company in the same room. The two have hated each other since they first laid eyes on each other. No one can provoke Josh like Lucy and no one can annoy the hell out of Lucy like Josh. Things get even more intense when an opportunity for a promotion appears and both Lucy and Josh want in on it. Their competition went to another new level. Although their relationship seemed to take another route after one kiss.
“I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them.”
I completely adored Lucy’s personality. She was so darn lovable. Josh was gem and highlight of the book. He was smart, attractive, grumpy, cynical and ornery hero. The development of the relationship is gradual and good. Their pettiness felt juvenile and twee sometimes. Banter was good. Writing style and narration is good. I don’t see any other intriguing secondary characters.
Book filled with Humor and drama. The plot is good. Book maintains a semblance of comfort. I would suggest this for person who is looking for perfect enemies to lovers along with office romance back drop.
Buy link : https://www.amazon.in/Hating-Game-Novel-Sally-Thorne-ebook/dp/B01825C598
Blurb as per good reads
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.
Meander - Read & Roam 