The Hating Game by Sally Thorne…Guest Review

Synopsis:

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.

Excerpt:

“I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them. I’ve had a lot of time to compare love and hate, and these are my observations.

Love and hate are visceral. Your stomach twists at the thought of that person. The heart in your chest beats heavy and bright, nearly visible through your flesh and clothes. Your appetite and sleep are shredded. Every interaction spikes your blood with adrenaline, and you’re in the brink of fight or flight. Your body is barely under your control. You’re consumed, and it scares you.

Both love and hate are mirror versions of the same game – and you háve to win. Why? Your heart and your ego. Trust me, I should know.”

Tiffany’s review:

Sally Thorne’s debut novel, The Hating Game, was recommend by the amazing Tessa Bailey. My thinking is, if an author you adore says READ THIS BOOK, you READ THAT BOOK. This is by far one of my favorite reads of not only 2016, but honestly, ever! I devoured it in about six hours. I laughed, cried and yelled more than once during this read. Then I promptly did what all good readers do when they become obsessed with a book, I stalked Sally Thorne on Goodreads, Facebook, IG and Twitter.

Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeman live to hate each other. The clock started on their hating game the moment their struggling publishing companies merged last year. He views her overly friendly personality as weak and allows people to take advantage of her. She can’t stand the fact that he never smiles and is constantly brooding and complaining about the staff at Bexley-Gamin. Both are executive assistants to the co-CEOs and both are plotting their next move to ensure they are promoted for a new coveted position up for grabs. Problem is, there can only be one Chief Operating Officer. The game changes course after a team building exercise of paintball takes Lucy out of commision for the weekend and Josh steps in to take care of her. Lucy learns there may be more to Josh’s surly attitude when his past starts to collide with his present. Can she guard her heart when the game shifts from hate to something else? She knows if he is promoted, she could never work for him and will have to leave the job she loves. But after Josh holds Lucy to a promise she made him that ill fated weekend, his smile returns and he makes a decision that will push the game into overtime. When the buzzer sounds, who will win? Because in the Hating Game there can be no tie.
This book is FIVE HUGE LOVES for sure. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you Sally Thorne for giving us Lucy and Josh to fall in love with. Thank you, Jillian, for giving me the opportunity to gush over this book and share it with Read-Love-Blog.

Five Loves

Book Links:

Amazon  |  Goodreads  |  B&N

Thank you , Tiffany, for this amazing guest review!  We hope you’ll join us again for more reviews of books you love! ~ Jillian

About the author:

Sally Thorne lives in Canberra, Australia, and spends her days writing funding submissions and drafting contracts (yawn!) so it’s not surprising that after hours she climbs into colorful fictional worlds of her own creation. Sally believes that romance readers are always searching for intensity in their next favorite book—and it isn’t always so easy to find. The Hating Game is her first novel.