The Hating Game, Sally Thorne, 2016

The Hating Game Review

About

Published in 2016, Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game is a witty, slow-burn office romance that thrives on tension, banter, and emotional payoff. Beneath the flirtatious wordplay lies a surprisingly sincere exploration of ambition, vulnerability, and the masks people wear at work. Thorne’s voice is sharp, funny, and self-aware—romantic comedy written with a wink and a full heart.

Overview

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman are executive assistants to the co-CEOs of a publishing house that has just merged two rival companies. Their workdays are fueled by a constant cold war of pranks, glares, and verbal sparring. When they both become contenders for the same promotion, the competition turns personal—and the line between love and hate begins to blur. What starts as antagonism slowly unravels into chemistry neither of them can ignore.

Summary

(light spoilers) Lucy, endlessly cheerful and people-pleasing, prides herself on being liked by everyone. Josh, disciplined and seemingly humorless, infuriates her with his precision and indifference. Their office games—The Staring Game, The Mirror Game—become a safe outlet for deeper feelings neither wants to name. When a surprise kiss changes everything, Lucy starts questioning whether she’s been misreading Josh all along. As the promotion looms, career goals collide with honesty and desire. The novel’s charm lies not in grand gestures but in small revelations: that affection can hide in irritation, and that kindness isn’t weakness. The ending, equal parts funny and tender, earns its happy-ever-after through emotional maturity rather than cliché.

Key Themes / Main Ideas

• Love and rivalry — intimacy born from friction.
• Identity at work — how professionalism hides vulnerability.
• Perception and pride — learning to see beyond first impressions.
• Balance — ambition without losing empathy.
• Emotional honesty — the courage to be seen, flaws and all.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strengths — Crackling dialogue, sharp comedic timing, and characters who feel vividly human.
• Strengths — The romantic tension builds naturally; the payoff is satisfying and earned.
• Weaknesses — Some plot beats feel predictable; Lucy’s inner monologue can overexplain emotion.
• Weaknesses — Secondary characters are thinly drawn, but the central chemistry overshadows that easily.

Reviewed with focus on themes, audience, and takeaways — Sally Thorne