On My Bookshelf: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Genre: Romance
My Rating: 5/5

Lucy Hutton adores her job as assistant to the co-CEO of a publishing company. The only problem is that she works opposite the worst person in the world: Joshua Templeman. Everything is a competition between the two of them, including the newly announced job opening for Chief of Operations. One of them will win the position. The other will resign.

As the interview approaches, the tension between them rises and their relationship starts to change. Lucy isn’t sure whether this is another game, but she realizes that whether she gets the job or not, she’s going to lose something important.

I borrowed The Hating Game from the library last year, read it in about a day, and then immediately reread it. I finally bought a copy for myself this month, read it in about two days (I savored it this time!) and then… immediately reread it. It will be a go-to comfort read forever, at this point.

The story has the perfect balance of plot and character development. Lucy is a quirky, likable character whose insecurities don’t hold her back from standing up to people in power. Josh is a snarky, yet shy and gentle, antagonist turned love interest. The enemies to friends to lovers trope is a tough one to get right because it has to be believable that the two people hate each other enough, yet not so much that they couldn’t form a connection (and then fall in love). Sally Thorne executes this trope well, in my opinion. Yes, Josh is Lucy’s adversary, but anyone who reads between the lines will quickly realize that Lucy is obsessed (not in a super creepy, weird way) with Josh and wants his attention and the same goes for him. The sexual tension between Lucy and Josh practically sizzles off the page and comes to a very satisfying (hah) conclusion.

The Hating Game is a really delightful romcom. I read Sally Thorne’s second book, 99 Percent Mine, and reviewed it a while back, because I liked The Hating Game so much. This is a stronger story than that one, but both are solid romcoms and earned Sally Thorne a spot on my “will read anything by this author” list.

Have you read The Hating Game? Do you love or hate the enemies to lovers trope?

I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them. I’ve had a lot of time to compare love and hate, and these are my observations.

The Hating Game, Sally Thorne

On My Bookshelf: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

1 Comment

Title: 99 Percent Mine
Author: Sally Thorne
Genre: Romance
My Rating: 4/5

One of my latest reads is Sally Thorne’s “99 Percent Mine,” a delightful friends to lovers romance. I feel like giving this book only four stars is a little unfair of me. I couldn’t help comparing it to Sally’s first book, “The Hating Game,” which I loved so much that I read it twice in a row. Despite my bias, “99 Percent Mine” is worth a read. The main character is both flawed and loveable and the love interest, thankfully, is a well-rounded character in his own right. Though the book oozes with sexual tension, both characters have their own growth arcs that don’t revolve around each other. Sally Thorne has a strong voice and a fresh take on romance tropes. I will read anything she writes in the future.