The Hating Game follows Lucy Hutton, a young woman with a job as an assistant to the CEO at a publishing house. She is good at her job and enjoys it, with one exception--another assistant at the company, Joshua Templeman. She and Josh do not get along at all, and they spend most days engaged in an endless battle of wills, purposely antagonizing each other to the point of big arguments and, occasionally, tears. They push each other's buttons constantly, and their terrible relationship is the stuff of office legend.
As the story begins, a big promotion becomes available at their company. Both Lucy and Josh decide to pursue it. Whoever gets the job would be the other one's boss, so the stakes are high. Early on, Lucy decides that if she doesn't get the promotion she will resign her position. She can't bear the thought of having to report to Josh, who she assumes would make her life miserable. The tension between the pair builds steadily as they both start preparing for their interviews, and then a curious thing happens. Josh corners Lucy with a steamy kiss in their elevator one afternoon--a kiss that she thoroughly enjoys. Now, Lucy must figure out her evolving feelings for a person she's always hated and determine whether this kiss is a ploy to distract her from her professional goals, or the start of something more interesting.
This book ended up really surprising me, in a good way. Don't get me wrong, it was total and complete fluff that played to every classic romance trope, but I completely loved it. The relationship between Lucy and Josh was well-developed, with their initial negativity growing into a romantic connection at a good pace. Sally Thorne clearly knows what she's doing in this genre, as the story, while definitely silly and unrealistic in parts, was always engaging and provided an excellent backdrop for Lucy and Josh to play off of each other. The steamy scenes were well done and weren't awkward for me at all, which I was a bit concerned about as a newer reader of the genre. This provided the best escape reading I'd experienced in a long time, and it was really fun to get lost in this book.
There aren't too many layers or themes to discuss in a work like this, but what I can elaborate on a little bit is how relatable I thought Lucy's character was. She starts off the story as a competent professional, but is also deeply lonely and insecure on the inside. She is a people pleaser that is nice to everyone (except Josh) and she ends up getting taken advantage of because of this. I know I felt this on a deep level, and I am willing to bet that a lot of other women will as well. Throughout the course of the story, Josh helps her take more agency in her life, while appreciating the good qualities she has. I really enjoyed watching a character so like myself get caught up in a whirlwind romance with a sexy guy. It was a sweet, entertaining experience that I wouldn't mind seeking out again.
I'm really glad that I ended up purposefully looking for a book I wouldn't normally choose for this reading prompt. I got to explore a new genre and ended up really enjoying myself. The Hating Game is a much more lighthearted novel than I usually pick up, but it was kind of nice to leave the darkness and social issues I tend to gravitate towards behind for a while and get lost in something fun. This was a nice surprise!
Total Books Read in 2020: 66
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