Once again, belonging to a book club means moving out of my comfort zone occasionally when the leader chooses a book I most likely would not have read on my own. Such is the case with The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, a debut novel published in 2016. Thorne has since published Second First Impression and 99 Percent Mine. The Hating Game has been optioned to be made into a movie. Thorne received the honor of having The Hating Game being named in the top 20 romance novels of 2016 by the Washington Post. Thorne maintains a Web site about her life and her work at this link: https://www.sallythorneauthor.com/.
Lucy Hutton has a job as executive assistant to a co-owner of a publishing firm, a dream job. Lucy is efficient and well-educated. Helene, her boss, had merged her firm with another publishing firm in order for both of them to survive.
Lucy works in a mirrored glass office across the desk from Josh Templeton, executive assistant to the other co-CEO, Mr. Bexley. He, too, is well-educated, efficient and gorgeous, according to Lucy’s thoughts.
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Unfortunately, Lucy and Josh are oil and water—at least that is what readers see in the beginning. Given the fact that the story is a romantic comedy, however, readers expect the malevolent stares between Lucy and Josh to turn into romantic sparks. How long will it take for the changes to occur between the two?
Adding the tension in the office, Lucy and Josh are both vying for a promotion---the same promotion. If Josh wins the promotion, Lucy knows she must quit since she cannot work for him. She believes if she wins, Josh will also quit the job.
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Then in a team-building event on a Friday at a paintball site, an event that Josh promotes, the relationship between Lucy and Josh changes dramatically, or does it? As with any romance novel, the writer builds in a continuous tug-of-war between Lucy and Josh. Will the hatred win or will that hatred turn into romance?
Following the tense paintball team-building event, Lucy becomes very ill. Josh steps up and takes her home and cares for her as she suffers through what could be food poisoning or a virus. Josh even calls his brother Patrick, a doctor, to check on Lucy.
Because of his visit to help Lucy, Patrick elicits a promise from Josh that he will attend Patrick’s upcoming wedding and that Josh will bring Lucy as his plus one.
The wedding becomes a pivotal point in the relationship between Lucy and Josh. Lucy learns a great deal about Josh as secrets and long-hidden hurts surface.
Readers may find The Hating Game uneven and perhaps even a bit cut short. Who wins the coveted promotion?