The Hating Game, Sally Thorne, 2016

The Hating Game Review

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is a bright, banter-driven office romance with genuine heart. Published in 2016, it tracks two executive assistants who share a desk line and a rivalry that looks a lot like chemistry. For you, this book offers quick dialogue, slow-burn payoff, and characters who learn to translate competition into trust.

Overview

Enemies to lovers is the framework: HR meetings, elevator standoffs, and a promotion both want. You will notice how tiny rituals become signals: a color of lipstick, a shared apple, a text at the right time. The tension is fizzy, but the arc is about seeing carefully rather than sparring cleverly.

Summary

Lucy and Joshua play daily games of one-upmanship until a corporate merger forces them into close proximity and a single opportunity. A kiss breaks the stalemate; a road trip and a family visit deepen the stakes. Without spoiling the beats, past armor explains present habits, and professional risk makes honesty necessary. The final chapters deliver what the genre promises: a choice to show up, not just show off.

Author

Sally Thorne writes crisp, flirty dialogue and builds scenes around small, tactile details. You benefit from humor that lands without undercutting feeling.

Key Themes

You will explore perception: how misread habits become myths. You will see ambition and intimacy learn to share space. You will consider vulnerability as a skill and apology as attraction in action.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: sparkling banter, satisfying slow burn, and leads who grow. Weaknesses: a few heightened moments lean rom-com convenient. Overall: comfort reading with craft.

Target Audience

Perfect for readers who love contemporary romance, workplace settings, and enemies-to-lovers done with warmth. Book clubs can enjoy talking about boundaries at work and what support looks like in practice.

Favorite Quotes

Short lines land: I see you, pick me, the game changes now.

Takeaways

For you, the lesson is that chemistry is easy; care is the work. Pay attention, cheer loudly, and make room for the other person’s wins.