Like most of her plans to get the better of Joshua, it backfires. Tormented by the dream, she decides to dress up for the office the next day and turn the tables on him. The conversation, as per usual, goes off the rails after Joshua says, “When I’m your boss, I’m going to work you so fucking hard.” That night, Lucy dreams of Joshua working her hard in a completely different way. A conversation the following day rapidly devolves into a brand new game of When I’m Your Boss.

That, for reasons she’s unwilling to examine closely, makes her sad.įollowing the announcement, interactions between Lucy and Joshua are more charged than ever. Lucy wants the job, but the knows that if Joshua gets it, she’s resigning. Lucy and Joshua are expected to apply and compete for it. The tension and their mutual dislike only escalates after their bosses announce the creation of a third executive position, chief operating officer. She knows the day of the week by the color of his shirt (Navy leads to Gorgeous Payday Black), and his husky, soft laugh raises the tiny hairs on her arms. Fated to spend workdays together in an office with a (bizarre) abundance of mirrored surfaces, they indulge in ridiculous games of brinksmanship, but in spite of that and her snippy computer passwords (variations on Lucy finds herself preoccupied trying to figure him out and aware of everything he does. At least Lucy hates Joshua – and she’s pretty sure he hates her too. The Bexleys are hard geometrics… Bexleys move in shark packs, talking figures and constantly hogging the conference rooms for their ominous Planning Sessions. Joshua (in her opinion) is Bexley through and through: Lucy is a Gamin, passionate about books and people, charming and easygoing. Bexley Books and and Gamin Publishers are newly merged just like their respective companies, Lucy and Joshua are total opposites. She shares an office with Joshua Templeman, the executive assistant to Richard Bexley, the other co-CEO. Lucy Hutton is the executive assistant to Helene Pascal, the co-CEO of Bexley & Gamin book publishers.

If you like any (or all) of those things in a romance novel, shuffle your TBR queue and move this one to the top.

The Hating Game is quirky, funny, romantic, delightful, and most of all, charming. So if I can recommend a book I think they will both enjoy – well, you’d better believe I think it’s special. The chance of them agreeing on anything – let alone a fiction book, is slim to none. And second, my parents (but most especially my mom) are super conservatives and my sister is a committed (and vocal) bleeding-heart liberal. A couple of things you should know – first and foremost, I review and recommend a lot of books, BUT – I don’t LOVE a lot of books. I finished The Hating Game and immediately emailed my editor, sister, mom, and hairdresser to tell them about it.

Sally thorne the hating game a novel