Early Review of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Title: The Hating Game: A Novel
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (August 9, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0062439596
ISBN-13: 978-0062439598
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher, and I am a current Avon Addict. What does being an Avon Addict mean? Well, it means I love their books enough to agree to read a bunch over the next year in exchange for honest reviews. I'll also be receiving a bunch of swag and the occasional hard copy of books.


Lucy Hutton is the office darling. She is loved by all except her archrival, Joshua Templeman, who incidentally, is hated and feared by all. The man makes her blood boil, and not in a good way until one day he does the unthinkable...He. Kisses. Her.

For the past year, since their two companies merged, Lucy and Josh have been playing the hating game--staring each other down, trading insults, and trying to one-up one another on work related projects. They've recently been told they're both up for the newly created position of chief operating officer. Is the kiss another ploy by the insufferable man to knock her off her game or could he be for real?

Only time will tell and the waiting is the hardest part...

This was such a fantastically fun read, and is no doubt making it into my top 5 favorite romances of the year. It was witty, sweet, and enchantingly captured that awkward getting to know you/can I trust you stage in a relationship. Lucy's and Joshua's actions and reactions to one another were priceless.

Lucy was adorable and her antics made me laugh so hard. A day later and I'm still chuckling. I could so relate to her and oh, when she falls she falls all in. She grows as an individual in this book, and at one point I was cheering her on when she acted slightly out of character and chewed someone out. Have you ever had one of those moments where you just want to give someone a piece of your mind? Well, Lucy has one and gives in to it and just lets her rip.

At first I intensely disliked Joshua. Slowly, through his action, he won me over. He and Lucy are at the opposite ends of the personality spectrum, but somehow the two of them together make sense. Surprisingly the two manage to compliment each other--he helps her gain a backbone while she helps him mellow out and be less uptight. Watching these two fall for one another was fun, and the attraction between them was scorching hot.

I can't say enough good things about this one. I absolutely loved it, and couldn't help but give it 5 out of 5 roses. A wonderful debut by author Sally Thorne. I look forward to reading many more of her stories. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a  FAN rating--the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice. A must add to your read list. I'm going to have to purchase a copy for my keeper shelf.