prettylittlewriter

 Synopsis
'Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She prides herself on being loved by everyone at work - except for imposing, impeccably attired Joshua Templeman.

Trapped in a shared office, they've become entrenched in an addictive game of one-upmanship. There's the Staring Game, The Mirror Game, The HR Game. Lucy can't let Joshua beat her at anything - especially when a huge promotion is on offer.

If Lucy wins, she'll be Joshua's boss. If she loses, she'll resign. So why is she questioning herself? Maybe she doesn't hate him. And just maybe, he doesn't hate her either. Or is this just another game . . . ?'

I haven't read a romance novel for such a long time, and I'm so pleased that The Hating Game has started me off again because it is absolutely brilliant!

I chose to read this book as I watched the movie recently featuring Lucy Hale (my absolute favourite person in the world) & Austin Stowell and I absolutely loved it, so I had to read the book to see how different the movie was. 
I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed! There were a couple of scenes from the book that weren't in the movie that would have been great to see on screen, plus the book was also quite a bit spicier which was VERY enjoyable!

The flirtatious banter between Lucy and Josh is electric; it filled me with hope and laughter and heartbreak all at the same time (I mean, it was obvious to absolutely everyone but Lucy that they were in love with each other, which was frustratingly heart-wrenching in itself).
I genuinely had a smile on my face pretty much the whole time reading this book, and especially towards the end (the scene in the hotel at breakfast with Josh's parents is brilliant, Lucy was a badass). 

There was so much tension between the two characters, that I found myself desperate to be able to read a million miles a minute so I could get to the part where they finally would kiss, or play the 'or something' game. 

Both characters were so incredibly fleshed out, Lucy a sweet little firecracker, who just wants to be Josh's friend. Josh, with his delicious and intense broodiness, and a body to *die* for! He is also secretly an absolute sweetheart (taking care of Lucy when she's sick was the epitome of chivalry).

Now, I won't say anything else as I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you like a romance novel, I HIGHLY recommend this! 

Ps. Watch the movie also, it's great!

5/5 stars