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uyeb's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
1.5/5 stars
you don’t understand the ANGER i feel at this book for so utterly disappointing me. let me go on a rant for a second.
first of all, i actually started this book liking it pretty well. then it went on and the writing style had me a bit confused, but i was still pretty into the story. then about 250 pages through i realized ‘this is bs’ and started looking at the whole book through a lens of ‘how did booktok so passionately promote something so problematic?’. yea sjm is on the list a lot and yes some of the popular books aren’t good but so far, tiktok has done a pretty good job for me. apparently it ends here?
for starters, i was pretty quickly annoyed with both the main character and the love interest. lucy is very adamant about making people know she’s short (fine for a bit but gets annoying after a while), and OBSESSIVELY talks about josh’s body and kissing him, etc. that came across like… super freaking gross to me? then josh’s whole point of existence was being tall and muscular but also mean and the ‘iceman’ that needed to be proven to be nice. first of all, overdone trope. second of all, ew. their romance was bearable for most of the book, but the make out scenes were confusing and the amount of time they spent talking about sex instead of… idk… hanging out? was frustrATING. plus the weird plot point of painting his room the color of her eyes???? no thank you. i also didn’t love the pacing but that’s a me thing not a book problem.
then there was the insanely talked about idea of masculinity? i caught somewhere between 5 and 10 really really weird things that were said, along the lines of ‘saved from femininity’, ‘his manliness’, etc. and it came across as toxic masculinity and misogyny wrapped up into one weird package. no idea if that was the intention or not, but that’s what happened. also should mention the ‘his desk was the male version of mine, with blue post it notes, while i have pink’. yep you heard it here first, blue = men and pink = women. also, not an uncommon thing in romance but i still hate it, groups of women were referred to as ‘females’ at least once in this book. and that’s not inherently problematic but it’s weird. a. vaguely derogatory and b. a little transphobic and/or trans-exclusionary.
then let’s not forget to mention the fat-phobia and strange mentions of eating/food (not even sure how to categorize them), the use of multiple literal slurs??? how have more people not talked about that. there’s also the casual mentions about wanting to die (not in reference to anything like mental health, just about kissing, sex, etc) that multiple people have pointed out are very inappropriate, ableist language that’s used very frequently, and the occasional sprinkle of implying that being a sex worker is inherently a bad thing. yeah the phrases used to describe disabled people (some of which are considered slurs to begin with) used derogatorily are too much. some other reviewers have said it more eloquently than i can but it’s not good. there’s also a blatant lack of consent- especially lacking on lucy’s part- that made me personally super uncomfy. edit: let’s also not forget the fact that josh is lowkey toxic- he was unnecessarily possessive and weird to danny when it was completely undeserved. not possessive in the way some books do it well, trust me.
all this said, the romance was fine for the most part, but the writing style and language used really ruined it for me. i’m starting to think the adult romance genre isn’t gonna do it for me (dw tho, i’m not giving up). i at least definitely should’ve listened to myself when i originally thought i wouldn’t like this. would not recommend, this is the lowest i think i’ve ever rated something even if it’s not the worst book i’ve ever read in terms of actual content. :(
you don’t understand the ANGER i feel at this book for so utterly disappointing me. let me go on a rant for a second.
first of all, i actually started this book liking it pretty well. then it went on and the writing style had me a bit confused, but i was still pretty into the story. then about 250 pages through i realized ‘this is bs’ and started looking at the whole book through a lens of ‘how did booktok so passionately promote something so problematic?’. yea sjm is on the list a lot and yes some of the popular books aren’t good but so far, tiktok has done a pretty good job for me. apparently it ends here?
for starters, i was pretty quickly annoyed with both the main character and the love interest. lucy is very adamant about making people know she’s short (fine for a bit but gets annoying after a while), and OBSESSIVELY talks about josh’s body and kissing him, etc. that came across like… super freaking gross to me? then josh’s whole point of existence was being tall and muscular but also mean and the ‘iceman’ that needed to be proven to be nice. first of all, overdone trope. second of all, ew. their romance was bearable for most of the book, but the make out scenes were confusing and the amount of time they spent talking about sex instead of… idk… hanging out? was frustrATING. plus the weird plot point of painting his room the color of her eyes???? no thank you. i also didn’t love the pacing but that’s a me thing not a book problem.
then there was the insanely talked about idea of masculinity? i caught somewhere between 5 and 10 really really weird things that were said, along the lines of ‘saved from femininity’, ‘his manliness’, etc. and it came across as toxic masculinity and misogyny wrapped up into one weird package. no idea if that was the intention or not, but that’s what happened. also should mention the ‘his desk was the male version of mine, with blue post it notes, while i have pink’. yep you heard it here first, blue = men and pink = women. also, not an uncommon thing in romance but i still hate it, groups of women were referred to as ‘females’ at least once in this book. and that’s not inherently problematic but it’s weird. a. vaguely derogatory and b. a little transphobic and/or trans-exclusionary.
then let’s not forget to mention the fat-phobia and strange mentions of eating/food (not even sure how to categorize them), the use of multiple literal slurs??? how have more people not talked about that. there’s also the casual mentions about wanting to die (not in reference to anything like mental health, just about kissing, sex, etc) that multiple people have pointed out are very inappropriate, ableist language that’s used very frequently, and the occasional sprinkle of implying that being a sex worker is inherently a bad thing. yeah the phrases used to describe disabled people (some of which are considered slurs to begin with) used derogatorily are too much. some other reviewers have said it more eloquently than i can but it’s not good. there’s also a blatant lack of consent- especially lacking on lucy’s part- that made me personally super uncomfy. edit: let’s also not forget the fact that josh is lowkey toxic- he was unnecessarily possessive and weird to danny when it was completely undeserved. not possessive in the way some books do it well, trust me.
all this said, the romance was fine for the most part, but the writing style and language used really ruined it for me. i’m starting to think the adult romance genre isn’t gonna do it for me (dw tho, i’m not giving up). i at least definitely should’ve listened to myself when i originally thought i wouldn’t like this. would not recommend, this is the lowest i think i’ve ever rated something even if it’s not the worst book i’ve ever read in terms of actual content. :(
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
Minor: Racial slurs
oliviarogers's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
DO NOT READ, SLUR USED.
Good concept, bad execution. I found the book incredibly slow and difficult to read at times. Not to mention the book also used the R slur to describe a character in a 'heartfelt moment'. This is extremely offensive and as someone who is disabled I am shocked that this was even allowed by the editors and publishers. I am actually disgusted by this.
Good concept, bad execution. I found the book incredibly slow and difficult to read at times. Not to mention the book also used the R slur to describe a character in a 'heartfelt moment'. This is extremely offensive and as someone who is disabled I am shocked that this was even allowed by the editors and publishers. I am actually disgusted by this.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
djdkkwiwks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
emilia_18's review against another edition
The language of the author uses is very inappropriate. She’s already used a slur and on top of that is very ablest. I physically couldn’t read the book because by chapter 3 it has been one too many times that she’s used inappropriate language. Do better
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism and Racial slurs
texassizedreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a solid 5 stars until the r-slur in the last bit of the book, so I’m knocking off a half star for that. Otherwise I had the best time reading this!
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
One use of r slur at end of bookbendersreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Ableism
Depending on your edition of the novel, Josh calls himself 'socially retarded' as a way of apology. Lucy also makes a comment on how she's a 'gypsy'.charlieiniso's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Ableism
danaesbox's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Hating Game was so swoony and enjoyable! I liked it even more the second time around. The characters are so lovely, quirky (yes, I'm using that word positively) and memorable. I still have a few problems with the ending but I did enjoy everything more upon re-reading it. This is such a special book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Fatphobia
midnightrubies's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Didn't expect to like this book so much. I love the angst, the yearning, the grade school pettiness. Borderline strange behaviour when you think about it to hard simping that happens in this book. This is Def a comfort read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism and Racial slurs
linesiunderline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ah enemies to lovers… this is probably my favourite romance trope and I will recommend The Hating Game to anyone looking for a strong execution of this storyline.
What I liked:
• perfect steam level for me, the slow burn was very well done
• the sassy banter (always here for sassy banter)
• the writing felt fresh and sharp
• the elevator scene…
Howevers:
• exactly why did they hate each other THAT much? Not sure I really know (but also, not sure it really matters to me if it’s believable or not)
• the main characters were not developed enough to really take this one out of the 4⭐️ range for me
• instances of fatphobia / ableist language / problematic dialogue around shaming for appearance left me with a 🤨 feeling at several moments while reading
My motivation to push this to the top of the TBR was the movie, so now I’m all set to watch and compare.
What I liked:
• perfect steam level for me, the slow burn was very well done
• the sassy banter (always here for sassy banter)
• the writing felt fresh and sharp
• the elevator scene…
Howevers:
• exactly why did they hate each other THAT much? Not sure I really know (but also, not sure it really matters to me if it’s believable or not)
• the main characters were not developed enough to really take this one out of the 4⭐️ range for me
• instances of fatphobia / ableist language / problematic dialogue around shaming for appearance left me with a 🤨 feeling at several moments while reading
My motivation to push this to the top of the TBR was the movie, so now I’m all set to watch and compare.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexism