Sally Thorne lives in Canberra, Australia, and spends her days writing funding submissions and drafting contracts (yawn!), so it's not surprising that after hours she climbs into colorful fictional worlds of her own creation. She lives with her husband in a house filled with vintage toys, too many cushions, a haunted dollhouse, and the world's sweetest pug. The Hating Game is her first novel. You can find Sally on Instagram @sallythorneauthor or on Twitter @Sally_Thorne. You can find more of my reviews of her work here.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problems 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 that they're 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 a 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.
This may be a strange way to start a review, but I wanted to first mention how the reason I fell in love with this book isn't because of the enemies-to-lovers, or the plot points that I'll mention below, but the fact that it took place in the workplace, and that the workplace was the publishing industry. As a student in publishing, I feel like I'm constantly on the outside trying to look in, and do as much research and internship applications possible to learn more about the industry that has double locks on the front gates. The increase of books about books make it possible, now, for there to be books about authors (Beach Read), and now for books to take place right within the industry itself. While the book doesn't focus too much on the actual work of publishing too much, I have to appreciate the insight into the industry, into some of the positions and departments. It was especially gratifying to see someone like Lucy in the industry, as her character gives us some hope that anyone can get where she is.
Now onto the romance novel review! One of my favorite parts of the novel was its plot points—might be a strange thing to say, but it really felt fresh and a little unpredictable with the turns it took. I loved the development of Lucy's feelings that began after the paintball excursion and her sickness, and the incorporation of a family wedding. Lucy's going and being at Josh's apartment worked well to develop the theme of loneliness and being alone in adulthood, which I also appreciated as a theme within a romance novel. Despite living in a big city, Lucy is rather alone and homesick, and I think those are things not often touched upon in the contemporary romance novel genre. The subplots also work well in coordination with these larger plot points. For example, Lucy's inability to stand up for herself to her own coworkers implodes at the family wedding in a scene where she stands up for herself and for Josh to his own dad. It's a coming together of the subplots and main plots that makes for a really gratifying read as far as having all the loose ends tied up.
The tropes in this novel are some fan-favorites: enemies-to-lovers, workplace relationships, and a family wedding to top it all off. I think Thorne develops the enemies-to-lovers idea rather well, as well as making it a believable workplace relationship. I enjoyed the development of both tropes, and how the novel itself ended (although I wish Josh's reveal had been developed further! His decision was so intriguing, I just needed more than a few lines of dialogue before the ending!). I also appreciated the development of Josh's character. Lucy clearly thinks he's not a nice guy, but that's before she knows him. In some ways, the novel works to negate the idea that women need "nice" guys—that, rather, women like and want men who are complicated and are not afraid of showing all of themselves. Maybe this would have been clearer had a point-of-view been incorporated for Josh, but as it is, I think Thorne incorporates complicated ideas about relationships within the novel, which can be appreciated and seen against the backdrop of our favorite tropes.
Unfortunately, some of the humor didn't always land for me. The book was hilarious in the beginning. I thought it was funny in a pretty realistic way the way Lucy named the games she played with Josh, her way of talking about him when she was so convinced she hated him, and her reactions to some of the things he did. But as the novel went on, I couldn't quite understand Lucy's actions and reactions to Josh, and I couldn't always buy into a grown woman saying and doing what she was saying and doing. I'm not sure if that was just a disconnect for me with the character, or if other readers felt similarly, but by the end of the novel, I just felt like something was off enough to not fully get that five-star review. I understand that people have quirks and are quirky—I have my own Smurf collection equivalent, for sure—but it's just that Lucy was acting a bit animalistic and childish in some ways that I could not validate. After having to battle childish and animalistic portrayals of women in other media all my life, I could not quite find value in these character traits for Lucy. It is the only thing I hope is polished and changed for the movie.
For more of Lucy and Josh, make sure to check out the movie. For more Sally Thorne, try her next novel, 99 Percent Mine or mind her on Instagram @sallythorneauthor or on Twitter @Sally_Thorne.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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