The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: A Book review

What is the most recent that made you stay up all night reading it? Quite a few books have done that to me currently, and I am totally loving that. And The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is the latest book on that list. I know everyone on the blogosphere and their brother is loving this one and read on to know how that turned out for me.

I know everyone on the blogosphere and their brother is loving The Hating Game by #SallyThorne and read on to know how that turned out for me. Click To Tweet

About The Hating Game

hating game

Book Name: The Hating Game

Author: Sally Thorne

Genre: Fiction – Romance

Characters: Lucinda Hutton, Joshua Templeman 

Setting: The United States of America

Plot Summary of The Hating Game

When two publishing houses that are entirely contrasting on their values merge their empolyees are forced to work together. Lucy Hutton despises Joshua Templeman and she is sure he is out to get her, just waiting for her slip up.

Things worsen when they set to compete against each other for a new post. While Lucy is well liked by the coworkers, even a pushover sometimes, Josh is feared and respected for his no nonsense attitude. Who would win the war and at what cost forms the rest of the story in The Hating Game.

Book review of The Hating Game

The Hating Game is a classic ‘hate to love’ story with fully etched characters that everyone will want to root for. In fact everyone I know loved this book and let me be honest, my reactions were lukewarm at the best. How many times does one have to read about how short she was and how athletic his body was before one can roll their eyes?

Do not get me wrong, The Hating Game has everything needed for a romance novelsassy females, hot guy, witty dialogues and a lot of angst and frustration, all of which I totally enjoyed and liked. But at some point, Lucy started annoying me with her choices and assumptions. 

Things that worked for me

  • I loved the writing filled with witty banter between Lucy and Josh.
  • I am always game for a book set in the publishing world (though it was not of any consequence here)

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I like the ‘hate to love’ trope but The Hating Game left me wishing for more ‘hatred’. It was more of misunderstanding between them or being irksome rather than hatred. 
  • I wish Lucy had a bit more to her than – work and ‘hating Josh’. She literally has no friends and has been avoiding visiting her parents.

Bottom-line

If you are in the mood for an unoriginal romance that involves hate to love trope, you should pick The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I didn’t love it, but you might. 

Similar reviews you might like

Pin me!

hating game

Let us chat

Have you read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne? Did you love it? Do you like the hate to love trope? What was the book that kept you up all night recently? Let us talk. 

11 Comments

  1. Allie Bock

    Great review. I have read alot about this one.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I remember your review, DJ!

      Reply
  2. Kate @ Bitch Bookshelf

    Oooh, I loved this one! But I agree – I was surprised that they moved on from the hatred so quickly given the title.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Finally, someone agrees!

      Reply
  3. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

    This one has been hyped for so long and has been recommended to me so many times, that I’ve actually been hesitant to read it. I feel like, it can’t possibly live up to the hype at this point. Too bad it didn’t really work for you. 🙁 I know I’ll get around to picking it up one of these days… and hopefully I’ll enjoy it.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Let me know when you get to it!

      Reply
  4. Sam@wlabb

    I really enjoyed this, but I think I was a little let down, because people were hyping the humor so much, and it wasn’t that funny for me. I did love these two together, and thought it was fabulous the way Josh handled Lucy. Great banter and sweet and tender moments made this a win for me, though I wish we had more of Josh’s perspective.

    Reply
  5. Ara @ Open Pages

    I’ve heard so many things about this book, but I’m glad for a more nuanced review of it. If I pick it up, I’ll go in with eyes wide open and not too many expectations. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Laura Thomas

    This trope is always kid of fun. And I enjoy books and movies with love to hate. Sorry this didn’t wow you. If the book subject is hate to love and there’s no real hate, I can why.

    Reply
  7. Renee @ ReneesBookcase

    I’m with you. I like a bit more hate than a misunderstanding in these types of books. But, then again, I do love witty banter.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Gayathri

Gayathri

Gayathri has been reviewing books since 2010. When she is not reading books or creating online content, she works as a writer and a digital marketer. Head over to meet me!