BOOK REVIEW
Being such a renowned romance novel, I had high expectations when I heard about the Hating Game. I’m afraid to say I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.
The Hating Game follows work colleagues and counterparts Lucy and Joshua, as they compete to outdo the other . As they love to hate eachother, It was all fun and games until they are both up for the same promotion and the biggest battle begins. Throw in a love triangle, an ex-fiance, jealousy, lies and family estrangement; all your rom com clichés and that’s the hating game.
A light hearted and amusing enemies to lovers retelling, it was enjoyable to read, however didn’t leave me wanting more. It was a fun and pragmatic however felt increasingly cliché as the novel progressed. The storyline was predictable, and the characters lacked development and depth. The beginning was rushed, I didn’t feel like I was properly introduced, soo my undying love for the characters themselves never fostered.
It was essentially a one sided hate story, highlighting how actions are perceived differently in the eye of the beholder. Lucy thinking Josh hated her from the beginning and all their interactions following suite for this reason thereafter, when in reality his motives toward her were entirely the opposite. It was also extremely repetitive, going over the same details again and again as if we needed reminding, we got the explanation of her parents marriage and the farm, the height and size difference between Lucy and Josh and a run through of her work presentation soo many times I could recite them in my sleep.
Josh describes how as a kid he wouldn’t eat his Easter eggs straightaway and would drive his family mad by holding out and savouring it. This accurately describes the entire novel, the long dragged out Pas de deux between Josh and Lucy and finally after savoring the best till last, the destination wasn’t worth the hype. The plot itself being juvenile and unoriginal; comically soo in a way you couldn’t truly delve into it. It was like an iceberg, it felt like we were getting the surface level when there was soo much more hidden beneath the water that could have enriched the story and taken it to that next level.
In comparison to romance novels by LJ Shen and Whitney G - The Hating Game far from hits the mark! I normally love a good enemy to lovers trop, but their nuances were entertaining but never grappling. They went from hating each other and work colleagues, to spending day and night together so quickly that it felt unrealistic. It’s almost as if the novel itself is written as if it were a Rom Com Movie, moving quickly as time can in series of scenes and clips convey time, where the novel doesn’t have that liberty and turns into a whirlwind of failed tropes that don’t do the novel justice.
The Hating Game is a miscommunication of epic proportions as our two main characters toy with each-others emotions in a battle to out do the other. It’s a lighthearted read, but surprises me by the number of 5 star reviews. I'm afraid this may have turned into all the reasons I hated the Hating Game, hate is a little too strong a word, I enjoyed reading it, but it is certainly not one a I will be going back to anytime soon. I don’t doubt it would make a good movie and I look forward to how Lucy Hale and Robbie Amell bring it to the big screen!
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