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Source: advance e-galley courtesy of William Morrow Books on Edelweiss
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 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.
Source: advance e-galley courtesy of William Morrow Books on Edelweiss
Two ultimate rivals facing off every day, doing their
best to out-maneuver one other makes The Hating Game a quirky and witty office
romance that’s full of surprises.
Lucy and Joshua are forced to work together at a
publishing house because of a merger that was badly needed to save both
companies that they worked for. As a result, many people lost jobs or were
forced to work with replacements. Lucy and Joshua are both ambitious, stubborn
and cynical. Each is indispensable to their respective bosses. To pass the
days, they come up with games to see who caves first. Lucy and Joshua are
opposites. Everyone in the company knows that they don’t get along and it’s
kind of a joke. Now they’re gunning for a promotion and only one of them can
win. Talk about the ultimate competition!
The writing to me felt informative though I didn’t find
it a distraction from the story. I loved the pace, their silly-quick banter and how Lucy and Joshua try
to outwit each other at every turn. The thing is, they don't realize how much they both
thrive on challenging each other the way they do. Joshua forces her to be more
firm as a manager while Lucy’s influence helps to soften him around the edges. So
as certain forces encourage them to become closer, there’s always this inkling
in the back of her mind as to whether she can trust what’s happening and what
it will mean for her career. Their games are fun but they’re ridiculously
adorable when they set aside their differences.
I’ve wanted an adult romance that’s atypical from what
I’ve read recently. Office romances can be tricky due to the politics involved
and the potential for a disastrous outcome, all of which is alluded to in here
and which is what makes The Hating Game so appealing!
~ Bel
