Nothing But the Radio - My Review of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 8/9/2016
Source: My Shelves

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

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.

Crisp dialogue.
Exceptional writing.
Two clever opponents.

This was a fresh anecdote in the friends-to-lovers trope. The characters are stunning and the storytelling is extraordinary. 

Lucinda and Joshua are bitter adversaries at a publishing house. The rivalry heats up when they find they are competing for the same promotion. 

Joshua is the hulking jerk everyone in the company that keeps everyone on the cusp of terrified. Lucy is the sweet go-getter that will bend over backwards to help literally anyone but Josh. 

As interviews grow closer, trickery and spying kick into high gear. When the competitors begin to soften towards each other you are left guessing if any of it is real or simply more manipulations to gain an edge in the game of one-upmanship.

5 out of 5 Stars

Maia Sharp - Nothing But The Radio