Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Julia Quinn recommended this book, and I pay attention to her recommendations. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman work together. Both are assistants to co-CEOs at their book publishing company, the result of a recent merger. Lucy is nice to everyone at work, Joshua terrifies everyone else, and the two 'hate' each other. They spend most of their time playing games like The Staring Game and pulling pranks on each other. There's also a difference in height in that Lucy is about 5 feet tall, and Josh is well over six feet which result in a lot of name-calling and teasing. Finally, they're both up for a promotion which only one will get. The author takes the time to build the relationship here and it's well worth it. Written in first person in Lucy's POV, the reader gets to know both characters very well, both their flaws and good sides. Their banter is hysterical (the threats to go to the long-suffering HR woman are one example): -‘Shortcake, if we were flirting you’d know about it.’ -‘Because I’d be traumatized?’ -‘Because you’d be thinking about it later on, lying in bed.’ -‘Been imagining my bed, have you?’ -‘I bet it’s a very small bed.’ One reviewer mentions that if this were The Office and Jim and Pam hated each other at first sight instead of Dwight, it would be this book and I have to agree. It's very funny and sweet, the perfect romcom. It really needs to be made into a movie. This is Sally Thorne's first book and it's a very impressive debut. Link to Amazon