The Hating Game

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne follows Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, executive assistants who despise each other - until a job promotion forces them to confront feelings that aren't hate at all. A sparkling enemies-to-lovers workplace romance classic.

The Hating Game is Sally Thorne's 2016 debut novel that became a modern romance phenomenon, establishing the template for countless workplace enemies-to-lovers stories that followed. This deliciously tense office romance proves that the line between love and hate is thinner - and more thrilling - than anyone expects.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman sit across from each other every single day as executive assistants to the co-CEOs of Bexley & Gamin, a publishing house formed by a corporate merger. Lucy is cheerful, colourful, and diminutive - barely five feet tall with a penchant for bright dresses and positivity. Joshua is tall, cold, and impeccably professional in his identical blue shirts and expressionless demeanour. They've been engaged in psychological warfare since the merger, playing elaborate games of one-upmanship, trading barbed comments, and making each other's lives difficult.

Their "Hating Game" involves various petty competitions: who can make the other break eye contact first during their staring contests, who can claim the strawberries in the shared fridge, and who can score the most points in their elaborate system of workplace one-upmanship. To everyone else, their mutual loathing is obvious and concerning. But readers quickly understand what Lucy struggles to admit: this isn't hatred at all.

When both Lucy and Joshua apply for the same executive promotion, the stakes escalate. They're forced to work together on a presentation, travel together to a corporate retreat, and spend even more time in close proximity than usual. As the professional masks slip, Lucy begins to see beyond Joshua's cold exterior to the man underneath - someone protective, surprisingly sweet, and affected by her in ways he's desperately tried to hide.

Thorne structures the novel entirely from Lucy's first-person perspective, allowing readers to experience every flutter of confusion as her feelings shift from antagonism to attraction to something far deeper. Her internal monologue is witty, self-deprecating, and refreshingly honest about desire. The novel excels at building sexual tension through small moments: Joshua's unexpected kindness, the way he looks at Lucy when he thinks she's not watching, the accidental touches that linger too long.

The "Hating Game" itself serves as a metaphor for their relationship - what looks like antagonism is actually the only way they know how to interact safely. Both characters are protecting themselves: Lucy from being overlooked and underestimated (a pattern established in childhood), Joshua from vulnerability and emotional exposure after a painful past relationship.

Supporting characters include Lucy's elderly parents who adore Joshua despite her protests, her best friend Val who sees through the "hate" immediately, and the feuding co-CEOs whose merger created this delicious tension. The corporate publishing setting feels authentic, from tedious meetings to office politics to the particular dynamics of merged companies.

Themes of perception versus reality, the courage to be vulnerable, breaking down emotional walls, and recognising love when it's been hiding in plain sight run throughout. The novel also addresses workplace dynamics, size differences in relationships (Lucy's insecurity about her height against Joshua's tall frame), and the fear of risking a working relationship for something more.

The book's climax involves both the job promotion and an emotional revelation that recontextualises their entire relationship. Thorne delivers deeply satisfying romantic payoffs whilst maintaining believable character growth and realistic relationship development.

The Hating Game became a word-of-mouth sensation, dominating book clubs and online communities before becoming a 2021 film. It remains the gold standard for enemies-to-lovers workplace romance.