The Hating Game
Ratings379
Average rating3.7
Take a drink every time the narrator mentions how tiny she is and you'll be blackout drunk in the first 50 pages. I didn't hate this but it also wasn't as amazing as its reputation. Lucy was a fun character and I didn't mind being in her head, but she also felt weirdly isolated. Like, she doesn't seem to have any hobbies or friends or even a pet. All she seems to do is work, Skype her parents, and obsess about Josh. The book makes a big deal about how Lucy's best work friend got fired and blamed her, but girl. Go to a yoga class or something! Having said that, I did enjoy this. The banter was fun and it was a perfectly pleasant long holiday weekend read, though not something I feel like I'll want to revisit.
Alright for a romance novel. The main problem is how much the author fetishises the height difference (the girl is 5ft and the dude is somewhere over 6ft) and how buff the guy is.
The girl even disses an ex for being “fragile and boy-sized” at 5'6” which just feels mean spirited too.
Still I enjoyed it, mostly, so 4 stars.
I GET THE HYPE AROUND THIS BOOK NOW. I FREAKING LOVED IT. The execution was flawless.
I wish we had an epilogue tho, even if a short one. But I LOVED THE WITTY BANTER and “the games”
It's one of those books that makes your heart feel like it's being squeezed (in a good way tho)hahahah
Love is definitely the most exciting and terrifying game of all.
This might straight to my top5 romance books ♥
rating- 3.5/5
I usually don't like rivals to lovers when there's no reason for why they hate each other in the first place, but i think this could be an exception. Sally Thorne's witty writing style worked really well with the characters and the plot. I was entertained throughout and even laughing out loud at some parts.
While the characters did seem immature and childish for their age, it was hilarious and fun to read so i'm not complaining. The little details- matchbox cars, smurfs, robin's egg blue and strawberries were an added bonus and i absolutely loved these tiny impersonal details that don't really add anything to the plot, but the author decided to include anyway:)
was the wall thing slightly creepy? maybe. but it's a romance novel so eh.
you should definitely pick it up if it's on your tbr, although the writing style might not be for everyone.
This book just left me unsatisfied.
In the beginning, the main character Lucy really annoyed me, she acted like a teenager and was just really immature. After the first part I eventually did get into it, I especially enjoyed the dialogue and the dynamic between Lucy and Joshua. There where several cute moments, and some tropes that I had fun reading about.
But after I finished it, I thought to myself, this isn't the end right? There has to be more. I didn't think this because I was sad that the story ended or that I wanted more of these characters. No, it was because the conflict in the ending was very week and practically non-existent. Call me dramatic but I really did want to see more drama and conflict, also I would have appreciated to dive deeper into Lucy's and especially Josh's past. The ending was in my opinion rushed, anticlimactic and unsatisfying.
Speedrunning that third act breakup, but damn if I don't love a dude who's head over heels and a woman who totally despises him.
3.5/5
Sweet, easy workplace romance read. I was invested in the characters and their growth but it is a bit cheesy, in an endearing way. Toward the end, it gets super cringe but the tension throughout is electric.
This book reminds me of The Proposal; different trope but parallels with the enemies to lovers, office romance. Also, no Betty White but you do get daddy issues!
Drinking Game: take a shot every time
a) Lucy's height/shortness is mentioned
b) Josh's body-ody is mentioned
Good luck!!
It was cute and quick to read. Meh. I know people love this book but I don't quite get it. It seemed to follow all the “I'm not a nice guy” “I'm an insecure girl” “s/he's mean to me but actually likes me” tropes. And most of the romance and chemistry they have is all around her being tiny and him being huge and ripped. Which is fine, I guess, but seemed to unnecessarily rag on men who are shorter or lean. Lame.
I have been so conflicted about this book for quite some time. On the one hand I really liked it. On the other hand I had some issues with some of the aspects and things that happened in the book.
First of all: after reading the Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, I realized that I am a sucker for office romance books. I don't know why, it's just the truth
“I love him so much it's like a thread piercing me. Punching holes. Dragging through. Stitching love into me. I'll never be able to untangle myself from this feeling. The color of love is surely this robin's-egg blue.”
The Hating Game is about Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman. Two co-workers who hate each other. Lucy is the girl who can't say no. Joshua is the boy who only says no. There's a huge promotion coming up, and each person wants to beat the other. They both agreed to resign if the other co-worker wins.
Joshua is an asshole, but all girls love assholes, right? No. Lucy has made it very clear she wants a nice guy, and Josh assures her that will never be him. There's tons of built-up tension between the two, which leads to Josh “testing” something in the elevator.
If you thought the tension before that was heavy, you are in for a ride. Lucy cannot stop thinking about Joshua. I wouldn't either, to be honest, that kiss was hot. But Lucy begins second-guessing her feelings for Joshua.
They have playful banter. Which is supposed to make it seem like they hate each other... girl where?
Joshua comes up with the brilliant idea of a paintball match between all their co-workers. On the battlefield, both Lucy and Josh go out of their way to protect the other. Lucy gets sick, Josh stays at her apartment to help out, and that's when we see Josh's soft side. Stuff goes on from there.
And I love it when Josh gets soft. You see him be an asshole all the time and then he looks at Shortcake and his hearts swell. So cute. Anywho, things get awkward between the two.
Danny comes in, Lucy likes him because he's nice but we all know she's trying to get over Joshua. But she just can't stop thinking about him. Neither would I.
No one told me there would be S E X in this book... I was very unprepared but perhaps I liked it. Possibly. I thought it would be that one time but after the first time, the book keeps going on with those “gentle touches” and “sweet kisses” and I kept wondering where the plot went.
UGH but Joshua is so soft for his Shortcake and I love them both so much.
Compared to the other romance novels I've been reading, this was so much better. So much more story. I couldn't put it down!
This was cute, I did enjoy it. Could've done without the detailed descriptions of Josh's dick though - unfortunately, the words “beautifully veined” are permanently seared into my brain.
For most of the book all I wanted to do was sneak away and keep reading. I was obsessed. But then the ending happened. It wasn't bad... but it wasn't great. Meh.
This was soooo fun! Some books from this genre are a bit too fanciful and cheesy for me, but this one was not at all like that. It was really fun, and had the right amount of cheesiness. I daresay that this is one of the best enemies to lovers novels out there.
Loved this so much!! Josh and Lucy work together. They also hate each other, or do they? There is a promotion at work they both apply for which on intensifies the hate. But, the hate may not be real. I am already planning a reread!!!!
Thinking ab this book again and how much I did not like it....... Down a star it goes lol
This book was so good. It made me giddy and emotional. I wanted to binge it but it made my heart too giddy that I had to take breaks because I couldn't handle how good and cute it was. As soon as it was over I immediately wanted to read it over again. SO CUTE. SO GOOD.
¿Por qué son tan monos?
O sea, sé que es super cliché y tal pero me encantó, a lo de cliché también se le puede sumar predecible pero me encantó, no sé
〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜
This was a great quirky fun read. I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and loved seeing their relationship progress. The ending did seem a little rushed and there was this weird obsession with explaining that the characters fit together perfectly (their bodies not so much their personalities). It was just a weird description that I noticed over and over.
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 7
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 6
Enjoyment: 10
This book was soooooo cute.
You follow office rivals both competing for a new management position. They hate each other, and constantly create tension in the office. You watch as this hate slowly dissolves and becomes something new entirely.
I really enjoyed this book. I read the first 70% via audiobook, then switched to ebook. The best part of this book is for sure the banter. Their conversations and Lucy's inner dialogue were so funny, I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. Josh and Lucy's relationship is fun, snarky, and sexy. I definitely recommend this book to romance fans.
I give 5 stars because I can relate with Lucy, I have experienced in the past with this enemy-to-lover story.
