Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Just a quick check and yes, The Hating Game holds up

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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Re-read: After reading Thorne’s latest (Second First Impressions) I wanted to see if maybe my memories of her first novel were being seen through some rose colored glasses. I am happy to report that no, not in the slightest. The Hating Game perfectly nails the first person inner monologue neurosis protagonist and the ETL, two tropes that are very, very frequently given short shift in Romancelandia. Thorne definitely has a very distinct sort of voice that she uses to write her (exclusively female, exclusively white) (I will […]

Not quite The Hating Game but excellent secondary characters

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

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Like many people, I really liked The Hating Game and was so-so on 99 Percent Mine. This is another 3.5 star book but rounded down, because as an adult woman who lives in the world I never quite was able to lower my haunches where our male lead (Teddy) was concerned. As I noted re: Just Last Night, you need have both growth and tropes to get to a earnt HEA. My issue here was that Teddy never really earned the right to his HEA, especially after spending a […]

A sweet, but ultimately slightly unconvincing romance – the rest of it was great, though

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

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3.5 stars Ruthie Midona is mid-twenties going on old-age pensioner, dressing like a Golden Girls-cosplayer, and has dedicated the last six years of her life to the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa. She doesn’t just work the front desk there and go out of her way to make life flow smoothly for the residents, she also lives on-site and hasn’t really had any complaints. In her spare time, she cares for the endangered turtles who populate the grounds of the retirement community, having given up on […]

“Good Fun” – People and also me

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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Lucy and Josh sit directly across from each other all day, willing the other to slip up in front of their bosses so they can appear superior. The antics ramp up even more when the co-CEOs, their direct bosses, announce that they’ll be hiring a Chief Operating Officer, and Lucy and Josh are in the running. Both would love to have the job, and both would die if they had to call the other their boss. They’ll do whatever it takes to get the edge. […]

Fun, steamy enemy-to-lovers romance

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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Executive assistant Lucy Hutton hates her publishing house coworker Josh. Typically well-liked and cute as a button, Lucy’s usual charms failed to break the stony demeanor of her work partner, leading to childish animosity between the two adults. Lucy and Josh’s resentment plays out as a series of rancorous “games” in which the winner revels in getting under the other’s skin.  Their hatred is so visceral that HR frequently intervenes and halts their little hating games. A steamy elevator make-out session changes everything and Lucy […]

Games People Play

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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There are a lot of games that Lucy and Josh have been playing over the past year. There’s the Mirror Game (mirroring each other’s movements), the HR Game (threatening to go to HR, and sometimes actually going to HR), the Staring Game (self-explanatory), and more. Lucy claims to hate Josh and is certain that he hates her as well. Their relationship dynamics start to shift as they begin vying for a promotion at work. I generally enjoyed the story. Lately I’ve been wanting to read […]



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