Film Adaptation: The Hating Game
The Hating Game is Sally Thorne’s first Romance Novel. It centres around one office’s adversaries. Lucy Hutton is the sweetest of summer fruits. Joshua Templeman is the equivalent of bursting a child’s bubble. Sharing an office is slowly tearing at both their sanities, as is their obsessive need to screw with each other’s minds with the constant play of childish games, and with a new job up for the offer, they are both pushed to the brink. The need to win is Lucy’s sole driving compulsion, but Josh is playing for a completely different price. What game will be the one to push them both off edge finally?
The Hating Game had me hooked from the very first line, or should I say Lucy had me hooked from her very first thought. I laughed countlessly, reading this book, if not from Lucy’s slightly crazy but relatable thoughts than from the constant uproarious banter between her and Josh.
On the surface, Lucy is all things sweet and delightful, but to those that know her, she is that and slightly neurotic. Where Josh is seen as everything hard and disagreeable, except when it comes to Lucy- she gets to see him as more, more than anyone ever has. The surface-level juxtaposition should be simple and easy, but they are more than that. When they are around each other they become both the worst and best versions of themselves. They have unintentionally created a no-holds-barred relationship. They are both obsessive to a fault and can’t help but push each other’s buttons. Josh can read Lucy like an open book and if she lowered her last defences I’m certain she would have been able to do the same a long time ago. He pushes her to be more of her true self and she makes him want to be more than he pretends to be- my heart ached right along with them.
I have to say I was not expecting the ever-increasing heat that Sally Thorne wrote into the book, but I lived for it. I could not put the book down because I wanted to know which one of them would snap and finally, either, murder or jump the others bones. It was intoxicating to read.
There was not a single thing that I disliked about The Hating Game, it has firmly made its way to my comfort book pile, and I have no doubt I will be reading this book again and again over the years to come. I could not stop smiling like an idiot and cackling at the banter, that I could not rate this book anything but Five out of Five stars.
I stumbled across the book by watching the film adaptation ‘The Hating Game’ – which has also made its way to my comfort pile- because of this I had assumed that the book would be chick-lit, but colour me happily surprised to find some spice. The book offers so much more than the film does; there is so much more quirk to Lucy and so much more tenderness to Josh. Which means I get to enjoy both forms, separately, for what they are.
This was my first Sally Thorne book, and it will most certainly not be my last. I already have one residing happily in my Kindle TBR pile. I just adore the way Sally Thorne writes, the book is in Lucy’s first-person, but you still get to see all the well-rounded character build of Josh. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves the enemies-to-lovers trope, but The Hating Game is so much more than that. The banter is brilliant, Lucy’s chaotic thoughts are hilarious, the romance is sweet, the well-rounded characters are a dream, the slow build of heat is heavenly and the spice is perfect. If anything, I wanted the book to be longer because I simply did not want to leave Lucy and Josh for a moment. They hold a very special place in my heart. Do you think it is too soon to reread?
Favourite Quotes
““This is unprofessional.” He glances at the ceiling for inspiration before finding it. “HR.”“Is that our safe word? Okay.””
page 59
“He’s seen and heard almost everything now. There’s nothing left to do but fake my own death and start a new life.”
page 155
““Watching you pretend to hate that nickname is the best part of my day.””
page 123
“The thing about the truth is, it’s addictive.”
page 244
““I’m gonna die tonight. Please take your pants off.”“I want that embroidered on a pillow.””
page 314
Finer Details
Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Pages: 384
Publisher: Piatkus
Publication: 2016
Language: English
Rating: 5/5