The premise of this book was so intriguing. Two co-
workers who hate each other so much that they've actually
made a game of it. Well, actually, they've made a
thousand little games of it, and you can feel the contempt
dripping off each of them. The Mirror Game, The Pen
Game, etc. Lucy and Joshua (whose name I feel Lucy
pronounces like Rachel Green pronounces Joshua in that
season of Friends, with elitist contempt) both
work as executive assistants for diametrically opposed
bosses at a publishing house. When a promotion comes up she
must win it or otherwise she'll work for her worst
enemy.
Except what if he isn't her worst enemy? And what if they
don't actually hate each other at all?
I was delighted by this book. Delighted by the ins and
outs of the publishing world, delighted
with the dialogue between them, delighted by the wit that
Lucy demonstrates in her inner monologues. Just flat out
delighted. I have not enjoyed a workplace romance this
much since the early seasons of Jim and Pam on the
American version of THE OFFICE. The characters are vibrant and
believable and I am anxious to read more from Ms. Thorne
as soon as she can write it.
I would absolutely recommend THE HATING GAME to anyone who is
looking for sparkling dialogue spoken by witty characters
who seem completely lived in and real. You will fall for
these characters, I'm sure of it, and I hope you deeply
enjoy them as much as I did.
Debut author Sally Thorne bursts on the scene with a
hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin,
fine line between hate and love.Nemesis
(n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or
overcome.
2) A person’s
undoing
3) Joshua
Templeman
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate
each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate.
And they have no problem 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 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
its 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.