The Bookworm Says... Maybe. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is a little bit outside of my wheelhouse- I'm not a big romance gal, but this was mailed to me by a friend to pass time during quarantine so I thought I'd give it a shot. If you have ever hated someone- really, truly hated someone- you know how all consuming hatred can be. Josh Templeman and Lucy Hutton are both consumed by their hatred for each other and they let it show every chance they get. They are assistants to former CEOs of rival publishing houses who became co-CEOs after an unfavorable merger and spend their days sitting across from each other and trying their best not to let their virile hatred distract them from their professional responsibilities. When a promotion comes along for which Josh and Lucy are the primary candidates, the additional competitive dynamic in their relationship drives their hatred to new levels. As their respective interviews for the promotion grow nearer, their relationship dynamic continues to grow more and more heated; however, Lucy going on a date with another employee of their office brings this heat to a new level. Perhaps their all consuming hatred for each other was suppressing some other emotions all along...
As I mentioned before, this is definitely a little bit of a departure from what I usually read, but I wasn't totally disappointed. It's perfect for a quick guilty pleasure read. The plot lacks substance, the characters lack depth, and at many points it read like a Wattpad fanfiction, BUT I couldn't bring myself to put it down. I was frustrated by the lack of complexity in the characters and their misconstrued notions of love, but I still found myself picking up the book in my breaks between Zoom classes. I wouldn't recommend The Hating Game if you are looking for something profound or intellectually stimulating in any way, but if you're looking for the literary equivalent of a steamy romantic movie, this is the one for you. It isn't incredible by any means but it is certainly indulgent.
"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."