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Description
Now a movie starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell, USA Today bestselling author Sally Thorne’s hilarious and sexy enemies to lovers workplace comedy all about that thin, fine line between hate and love.Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome. 2) A person’s undoing 3) Joshua TemplemanLucy 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 and witty banter 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, a classic grumpy sunshine dynamic.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 in this slow burn romance, 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. Read more
Publisher : Avon
Publication date : August 9, 2016
Language : English
Print length : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 0062439596
ISBN-13 : 98
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.86 x 8 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #27,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #18 in Holiday Romance (Books) #52 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction #78 in Humorous Fiction
#18 in Holiday Romance (Books):
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I absolutely loved this book! The constant banter between Lucy and Joshua had me smiling the whole time. Watching them go from hating each other to falling in love was so much fun, and their chemistry was amazing! Joshua was hands down my favorite part of the book. 😍 This is the perfect enemies-to-lovers romance with an amazing grumpy vs. sunshine dynamic. If you’re looking for a cute office romance filled with tension, witty banter, and a swoon-worthy MMC, I definitely recommend this one! 💕
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Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2026 by audrey
Format: Kindle
This was an enjoyable story that hit all the right spots. Josh and Lucy are polar opposites that work opposite each other as executive assistants (something like that anyway) of a publishing house. She's cheerful, popular and excessively nice to the point where her co-workers walk over her. He's brusque, ruthless and feared at the company. Lucy just wants Josh to like her but having given up all hope to ever get along, they play these little inter-office games designed to one up each other and get on one another's nerves. When a lucrative job opportunity arises, it's game on between the two. It was entertaining and a cute take on the enemies to lovers trope with some laugh out loud moments delivered dryly by Lucy. If you're not a fan of insanely positive and upbeat people, Lucy might grind your gears a bit but I really liked her character for the most part. Josh was a tall, cool drink of handsome and was perfect as the love/hate interest. I loved the little idiosyncrasies between the two. There was a bit of repetition from Lucy who's the story teller. Not terrible, but lots of talking about how swoony and fit Josh is and how she just wants him to laugh and like her. As is common with this trope, the plot takes a predictable path and the big build up to a key event where Lucy has to be Josh's plus one to a family event could be picked a mile away. A couple of bits were a bit over the top and made to be more dramatic than they actually were, making it almost a bit of a cringe fest. That being said, it was still a sweet, feel good read with a really happy ending that hit all the right notes to give you that warm, gooey feeling.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2021 by erinaf
Format: Kindle
FINAL DECISION: This book isn't what I expected from the blurb. I expected a lot of backstabbing and undermining and anger and angst. But this book was such a beautiful romance. I loved both these characters and how their relationship developed. It is a slow-burn romance but not boring -- just wonderful. THE STORY: Lucy Hutton's nemesis is Joshua Templeman. Lucy and Joshua are executive assistants to the co-CEOs of a publishing company. Now they are both competing for the same promotion. Neither is going to back down from the competition, but at that precise moment, Lucy begins to get to know Joshua better. Perhaps neither really hates the other as much as Lucy expected -- or is Joshua playing the long game in winning the competition between them? OPINION: This book was hot several years ago. I have to admit that I wasn't attracted to the book then. I ended up reading it recently for a book club. Unlike many "hot" books, this one was amazing. From the first page to the end, I loved the couple and the story, even though it has many elements that aren't my favorite -- such as it is told in the first person present (by Lucy), and we never get Joshua's perspective other than what Lucy learns. But it worked for me because it ended up being precisely what the story needed to work. Lucy is sweet but surprisingly determined and strong when it matters. Joshua ... no, I can't say any more because it will give the story away. I can say that Lucy's perception of Joshua is that he is a stick-in-the-mud, cold person, and a big jerk. When she finds herself attracted to him, she can't imagine why. What I love about this book is that it takes all the tropes of the office romance from 20-30 years ago and writes in a new and unexpected way. I've read stories like this many times before, but this book never gave the easy, expected answer. It is modern and funny, but it is also sweet and romantic. It wasn't the typical angsty and angry enemies-to-lovers story that I was expecting, but it was definitely worth the reading. WORTH MENTIONING: THE HATING GAME was made into a movie. CONNECTED BOOK THE HATING GAME is a standalone. STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022 by Sheila M
Format: Kindle
I saw the movie first, which was great, but the book is better! The dialogue, the banter, the chemistry, the storyline: all intriguing, engaging and satisfying.
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2026 by Mary B.
Format: Paperback
This is my first book by Sally Thorne. I know there was a lot of talk about it and great reviews, so I thought it would be a great beach read. While I liked the book, I felt it was a little too wordy for me. There were a lot of descriptions that seemed to repeat, so sometimes I just skimmed through them. I like details but some can be too much. I liked the office “hate”. I liked the games they played, “knowing” they both kind of hated each other. The rivalry was great, but it also hinted sometimes that maybe they didn’t hate each other that much. I liked how spunky Lucy was. She was cute, sarcastic & fun. Josh, on the other hand, was a little broody, like he didn’t want to be there most days. He was fun to read about though. I do feel their first schmexy time in the hotel was a bit drawn out with descriptions and chatting between the characters. I wasn’t feeling the connection between them. Maybe because this was her first novel and I’m reading it many years later after reading so many novels where authors have improved their writing from the time they started. I do plan on reading more of Sally’s novels, as this one still had a great storyline.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2025 by Dawn G
Format: Kindle
Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve read a single POV romance book, so I was often wondering what was going through Josh’s mind. But despite that fact, this was such a cute book. The spice was very tasteful for the kind of book this was. It wasn’t quite closed door, but the door certainly wasn’t as open as I’m used to. It took me a minute to get into the first few chapters, but once I was in, I was freaking IN! I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened at the end. I was pleasantly surprised. I absolutely loved the playful banter between Josh and Lucy. Josh’s character growth and development was soooo captivating. While I loved Josh, Lucy’s character really grew on me. Especially her badass rant towards the end. Boss energy. This will definitely be on my roster when I want an easy, cute, funny book to read.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2026 by Stephanie Flippo
Format: Kindle
I was a little late on the game when it came to reading this book but decided to randomly give it a go. I tore through this book in less than two days. Was it perfect? No. Did I thoroughly enjoy it? Yes! What made it good: - The characters, Lucy and Josh, were well written. - Lucy and Josh's relationship, Enemies to Lovers, was well executed and fun to follow. I loved Josh's jealousy when it comes to Lucy and other guys (I read some reviews that it was a little possessive but I thought it was quite realistic when you consider he wants her.) I loved Lucy's lust for Josh. It was easy to imagine that she both hates him and wants him. - I like that Josh came with some flaws and complexities. He wasn't just a handsome, arrogant dude. - I enjoyed the workplace competition and the overall premise that Lucy and Josh play these little workplace games to get at each other. Was it mature and professional? No. But it's a fictional book about two young adults (I'm guessing in their late 20s... can't remember if that was ever explicitly put out there) who are workplace nemesis. It was fun to see them go head to head. What was not so great about the book: - Lucy's inner dialogue could be confusing at times... I had to pay close attention to whether or not she was thinking something or saying it out loud. I started listening to this book in audio version but really struggled to decipher if the main character was talking or thinking. I ended up downloading the kindle version instead (I was already a few chapters in and couldn't wait for a hardcopy to come in the mail). - I felt a love/hate relationship with the ending. It was good but I felt a little unsatisfied. While it tied up the storyline, it also felt as if it ended abruptly. - There were a few events in the book that seemed drawn out and the multiple chapters on these events didn't add any more depth to the story (when Lucy was sick, the wedding, etc.). Overall, I really enjoyed this story! I'm not typically a RomCom reader but I judge a good book by whether or not I can't put it down and how I feel after it's over. I breezed through this one and kept thinking positively about it for the next few days.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2022 by Cee Chance
Format: Kindle
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 5 stars!!! “My hostage. My blackmailed, unwilling captive. Stockholm Shortcake.” There is nothing like a good hate/love book to get your reading mojo well and truly pumping and that is exactly what The Hating Game delivered. Sally Thorne captured everything about those office relationships where competition takes on a whole new meaning and to think that this is her debut novel, I was totally blown away. Enemies to lovers is one of those tropes that literally has me salivating. You learn more about a person through their actions in that kind of environment, especially in the work place. It is harder to hate than it is to love and there is often a very fine line between the two. Sometimes there is that genuine hate, because let’s be honest, there are a lot of douches and b****es in the world, but more often than not we hate as a veil of our true feelings and that was definitely the case with these two. “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.” Two publishing houses struggling in the economic climate merge to ensure the viability of at least one of them, two CEO’s, two assistants. One male assistant, one female assistant who knock their a**es out week after week to be the best. This was all about one-upmanship. Who could work the longest hours, who was more efficient, who has the best ideas etc.: Their competitiveness was the source of many hilarious scenes, yet so relatable having been in a similar environment myself. But they loved to hate one and other, their inter-office games of “hate” had me laughing so many times and this book was written so well their story effortlessly flowed from page to page. This was an easy read, a real page turner. “The trick is to find someone who’s strong enough to take it. That one person who can give it back as good as they get.” Lucy Hutton was working in a place that she had dreamt of since she was a teenager. For her, publishing had always been her dreams albeit maybe not as a PA to the CEO. Her position had left her friendless because of everyone’s “snitch” mentality and her only source of enjoyment in her working day were her battles with Joshua. These two sat in the same office where daggers were drawn from clock in to clock out. Where juvenile staring competitions were the norm and trying to decipher codes and logins were their speciality. “I feel like your Easter egg.” Joshua was a whizz with numbers, he kept himself to himself and was definitely a closed book. He was an ornery man of rituals and order and was as predictable as they came. But who was Joshua Templeman? With a new position being made as COO, a promotion for Lucy or Joshua, battle lines are well and truly drawn as both know that neither one could work for the other. This was a fight to the death in more ways than one. Lucy begins to see a different side to Joshua when little chinks in his armour are slowly revealed, could this be who Joshua Templeman really is and god forbid Lucy for actually…falling in love. “The energy that usually lashes ineffectively inside each of us now has a conduit, forming a loop of electricity between us, cycling through me, into him. My heart is glowing in my chest like a bulb, flashing brighter with each movement of his lips.” The humour and banter in this book was contagious from start to finish, the dialogue was spot on and the chemistry was seriously off the charts. Even in hate mode you could feel those flickers of electricity and you were constantly on edge just waiting for them to ignite into a raging inferno. These two as enemies were hilarious, as lovers totally swoon worthy. I adored EVERYTHING about this book. I made the mistake of starting this late in the day and then read into the early hours of the morning, I couldn’t put it down. The characters were infectious, the plot was riveting and as each layer of Joshua Templeman was revealed my heart just got mushier and mushier. For those that love enemies to lovers this is a must read and the story will speak for itself. “This is the best game I’ve ever played in my entire life.”
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Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2016 by DonnaC