by Sally Thorne
Rating: ⭐4/5⭐
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual
Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.
If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth-shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.
Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
Today, the movie adaptation of Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game hits theaters and streaming services. So in celebration of that, I’ve decided to upload this old-ish review for the book here on the blog. Congrats, Sally! 🥳🎉🥂
I’ve never read a book quite like this one before. The author has such an unique voice and such an original and different writing style. It was simple and kinda straight forward, but had these really poetic analogies, and ways of describing things interspersed throughout it that made it quirky and fun. I really enjoyed it.
Lucy was adorable, if a little bit too clueless when it came to the opposite sex. Such a determined, hard-working little bean! I loved how she was super nice, but still had a backbone. Also, her sassy side and hardass moments entertained me to no end.
And Josh. Insecure, jealous and a totally arrogant asshat on the outside. But so gooey, caring and thoughtful on the inside. He was also adorable, but in a completely different way from Lucy. It broke my heart how battered and torn down his self-confidence and self-worth were because of his dad’s neglect and contempt. I wanted to hug him till all the pieces fused back together.
They were both nuanced, rounded out characters. And I really love it when a character’s personality has been shaped by their backstory. It shows the author really took the time and put some thought behind the whole thing. They were both such lovable weirdos!
Also, all the games they played to one-up each other and get the other’s attention were such a clever, perfect way for their relationship to develop. Observing, learning and getting to know the other under the guise of bitter, fierce competition? Again, a very clever and cool way for a plot to develop.
My favorite aspect about this book was the whole blue thing. I swooned so hard when ❌he confessed he painted his bedroom walls her favorite shade of blue because it was the color of her eyes!❌ Like, some people may think it was cheesy. But let’s be real. How more romantic could he get? So amazing❤️
Least favorite thing? The whole huge guy/tiny girl deal. I get it was kindasorta necessary for how their characters were portrayed, but I’m honestly tired of reading novels with dainty, petite, tiny heroines. Women come in all shapes and sizes! I’m on the tall side and, just for once, I’d like to see a female lead I can empathize with about height issues. The struggle in finding tall guys to date is real, y’all! especially when you live in a country where you’re taller than the average male height, just saying.
Starring Lucy Hale as Lucy Hutton and Austin Stowell as Joshua Templeman, and directed by Peter Hutchings.
Here’s the movie description:
Resolving to achieve professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against cold and efficient nemesis Joshua, a rivalry that is complicated by her growing attraction to him.
I’m curious to see how closely this adaptation will stick to the events from the book, and if the blue thing will even be a thing considering that as pretty as Lucy Hale’s eye color is, it’s certainly not blue (that was my absolute favorite part of the book, so I certainly hope the adaptation does it justice!)
Do you typically enjoy watching movie or TV show adaptations of books you’ve read? Do you have any favorites or ones you absolutely hate? Will you be watching The Hating Game? Have you read the book? Which is better to do first, do you think? Reading the novel or watching the adaptation? I’m still debating over this last issue regarding One of Us is Lying, can’t decide so I still haven’t done either. Let me know in the comments!
What should I read next?
