The Hating Game…what can I say aside from I LOVED it and couldn’t put it down. I read it in just over 24 hours – that kind of dedication has not happened in a long time.
The Hating Game is a love story, set in a publishing house. Lucy and Josh are Executive Assistants to the co-CEOs, and not only do the CEOs hate each other, but so do Lucy and Josh. They’ve hated each other since the first moment they met. However, as the story unfolds through a series of delightful events, we discover that maybe they don’t hate each other after all…
And let’s talk about that series of delightful events for a moment, shall we? There’s a paint-balling scene reminiscent of Ten Things I Hate About You (still one of my favs), there’s a wedding scene reminiscent of The Wedding Date (need to watch that again now I think about it), and there’s bucketfuls of suspenseful tension to keep you turning the pages.
I thought at first that this might be a little too sappy for me, or that, given the limited cast, it might not hold my attention. Au contraire. I was hooked. I loved the dynamic between Josh and Lucy and that Josh was the more complex character of the two. A lot of romances fall into the trap of the man being strong, dependable, built like a god, and with no real issues of their own to deal with, but here, Thorne slowly reveals that Josh is the more emotionally scared of the two. He’s also wildly perceptive, far more so than Lucy, which gives him a sense of calm control, even as Thorne perpetuates a sense of possible impending doom. You’re pretty sure it’s all going to be okay, but she keeps you questioning right to the end.
The only very minor comment I would make is that there are a few more typos than I’d expect from a traditionally published book (which I only mention because people make such a big deal about typos in self-published books – nice to see publishing houses are populated by humans too…).
All in all I LOVED LOVED LOVED it – totally brilliant and deliciously wonderful escapist funny romance. If you’re into fast paced, fun romantic reads with relatively equally matched characters, then DEFINITELY give this one a go. You won’t regret it.