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crazyylizard's review against another edition
Reading about privileged people bullying is not romantic. Add in an ax murderer and this could be a good book, but I know the goal of this book is for the two jerks fall in love. Pass.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Ableism, Xenophobia, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
psliz's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? Yes
1.0
thought it was okay but upon further inspection, it's terrible because its characters are horrible people
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Ableism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Toxic relationship and Racial slurs
becausebrenna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Read this book because I enjoyed the movie. That was not the best decision, but at least it was a fairly quick read.
The plot was fine but there are numerous slurs used, fatphobia throughout, and some characterization that edged on bio essentialism. Just of the most cishet books ever created.
The plot was fine but there are numerous slurs used, fatphobia throughout, and some characterization that edged on bio essentialism. Just of the most cishet books ever created.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Vomit, and Racial slurs
Minor: Body shaming and Alcohol
battysbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Fatphobia
Minor: Racial slurs
elyssathelibrarian's review against another edition
1.0
DNF after 50% because I couldn't tolerate the constant harping about how Lucy is sooo tiny. The tiniest. It was becoming a little creepy, really. Plus there was quite a bit of blatant fatphobia—Lucy literally calls her boss "Fat Little Dick"—among a slew of other problematic things.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Stalking, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Racial slurs
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
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
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
miak2's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This book is called The Hating Game and that's what I felt like I was playing as I read it. Whoops. Usually I put the TL;DR at the end of my reviews, but I can tell this'll be a long one, so here you go: Can we please stop putting toxic men and unhealthy relationships on a pedestal like this? And despite the fact that I found both Lucy and Josh immature and unlikeable, there were a number of problematic things about this book as well. I could recommend a number of fanfictions with this exact premise and much better execution. Just name the fandom, I guarantee I'll find one.
I do want to recognize that this type of contemporary romance just doesn't work for me. I'm sure there was a certain amount of confirmation bias as I read, ok skimmed, through it.
...That being said, a lot of my issues transcend personal preference. I'll start with the more serious offenses. There was a LOT of fat shaming played off as quirky jokes (i.e. Lucy referring to her boss as 'Fat Little Dick' and a "fat, sleazy toad.) There was the sentence: "I look like a g**** fortune-teller screaming about your imminent death" p. 27. There was also shaming of sex-workers ("The investigators will see my fishnets and heavy eye makeup and assume I'm a hooker" p. 66).
And then we get to Joshua, who was a consistently toxic person. I didn't like Lucy for a lot of reasons, but I would legitimately be scared of Josh if I worked with him (or, heaven forbid, dated him). Here's just a few (ok, many) examples:
- Page 108: Joshua is holding me by the scruff of my damp T-shirt and tells them it's fine. He has a lively debate with Danny, who keeps asking me, "Are you sure?" / "Of course she's fucking sure," Joshua thunders.
- Page 122: "The elevator," I blurt ... "You surprised me then." / He looks at me carefully. "What did you think?" / "I thought you were trying to hurt me." (This is when Joshua lifts her by the ass and kisses her without consent!)
-Page 135, Lucy to Danny: "He didn't tell me you'd tried to call. Thanks for checking on me."
- Page 141: The balance has shifted dramatically between us. I'm in his debt now. I owe him.
- Page 159: Another text. Joshua Templeman: Lucinda. I'm getting annoyed.
- Page 165: I lift one foot and begin to run. / "No you don't," he tells me. He walks into the building lobby with me under his arm like a rolled-up newspaper.
- Page 171: "I snooped through your apartment. It's your turn."
- Page 224, to Lucy and Danny: "You're working on your presentation. Right. Okay." Josh takes his coffee when his name is called and gives such an accusing look my face nearly melts off. "And we were doing that too, Lucinda? Last night on my couch?"
- Page 253: Surely he'll laugh. It's sort of funny when you think about it. "Yeah, I did lie about it." / There's a pause, and this time I'm in a hell of a lot of trouble. "Lucinda. What the fuck? Why would you do that?" His anger is visceral.
- Page 296: "How could I tell you this morning, and ruin the moment? I knew how you'd react. Just like this."
- Page 299: He takes the phone out of my hand and looks at the caller ID. "It's Joshua. Don't call her again. Yes, I'm serious." He hangs it up and slides it into his pocket. / "Hey. Give it back." / "No fucking chance."
Anywho, I'll move onto the more lighthearted things that just didn't work for me. The biggest one is Lucy. My GOD she was SO CHILDISH. Photocopying pages of Josh's planner. Making her computer password 'IHATE-JOSHUA4EV@' (I wish I were making that up. Also later she changes it to DIE-JOSH-DIE!). Not to mention her constant pity party. Seemingly every other page, she'd describe herself as a "loney loser." Let me be clear, this isn't some commentary on mental health and isolation, it's all played off as quirky character-building.
My other complaint is that it's clear that Thorne has never worked in an office, or even watched a TV show set in an office (which are usually absurd and unrealistic anyway, but somehow even less so than this book). There's this unnatural divide between the men and women in the company (where the women are all emotional and passionate and the men are cold-hearted and numbers-driven. Rolls eyes.) Also, it's a Big! Deal! apparently that Joshua uses blue post-its and Lucy uses pink ones, and later she comments on how his bedroom is too feminine. I guess we're still doing that in 2016.
The HR director literally babysat Lucy and Josh because she 'spent most of her job fielding their HR complaints about each other.' They should not have jobs, then, let alone be up for a promotion. Not to mention the casual discussions of sex and relationships with their bosses (the CEOs!) - sure, Jan. The dialogue was just... bad. The hilarious stand-out is Lucy saying "I want to know what's going on in your brain. I want to juice your head like a lemon" p. 203. I get that it's a cheesy romance, but these characters did not talk like real people. At one point, Lucy's talking to Josh's parents and refers to him as their 'offspring.' I can't 😂.
At the end of the day, they were unlikeable individually and unhealthy together, which made the book wholly unenjoyable. But let's be real, the biggest offense was Lucy's huge obsession with Smurfs.
I do want to recognize that this type of contemporary romance just doesn't work for me. I'm sure there was a certain amount of confirmation bias as I read, ok skimmed, through it.
...That being said, a lot of my issues transcend personal preference. I'll start with the more serious offenses. There was a LOT of fat shaming played off as quirky jokes (i.e. Lucy referring to her boss as 'Fat Little Dick' and a "fat, sleazy toad.) There was the sentence: "I look like a g**** fortune-teller screaming about your imminent death" p. 27. There was also shaming of sex-workers ("The investigators will see my fishnets and heavy eye makeup and assume I'm a hooker" p. 66).
And then we get to Joshua, who was a consistently toxic person. I didn't like Lucy for a lot of reasons, but I would legitimately be scared of Josh if I worked with him (or, heaven forbid, dated him). Here's just a few (ok, many) examples:
- Page 108: Joshua is holding me by the scruff of my damp T-shirt and tells them it's fine. He has a lively debate with Danny, who keeps asking me, "Are you sure?" / "Of course she's fucking sure," Joshua thunders.
- Page 122: "The elevator," I blurt ... "You surprised me then." / He looks at me carefully. "What did you think?" / "I thought you were trying to hurt me." (This is when Joshua lifts her by the ass and kisses her without consent!)
-Page 135, Lucy to Danny: "He didn't tell me you'd tried to call. Thanks for checking on me."
- Page 141: The balance has shifted dramatically between us. I'm in his debt now. I owe him.
- Page 159: Another text. Joshua Templeman: Lucinda. I'm getting annoyed.
- Page 165: I lift one foot and begin to run. / "No you don't," he tells me. He walks into the building lobby with me under his arm like a rolled-up newspaper.
- Page 171: "I snooped through your apartment. It's your turn."
- Page 224, to Lucy and Danny: "You're working on your presentation. Right. Okay." Josh takes his coffee when his name is called and gives such an accusing look my face nearly melts off. "And we were doing that too, Lucinda? Last night on my couch?"
- Page 253: Surely he'll laugh. It's sort of funny when you think about it. "Yeah, I did lie about it." / There's a pause, and this time I'm in a hell of a lot of trouble. "Lucinda. What the fuck? Why would you do that?" His anger is visceral.
- Page 296: "How could I tell you this morning, and ruin the moment? I knew how you'd react. Just like this."
- Page 299: He takes the phone out of my hand and looks at the caller ID. "It's Joshua. Don't call her again. Yes, I'm serious." He hangs it up and slides it into his pocket. / "Hey. Give it back." / "No fucking chance."
Anywho, I'll move onto the more lighthearted things that just didn't work for me. The biggest one is Lucy. My GOD she was SO CHILDISH. Photocopying pages of Josh's planner. Making her computer password 'IHATE-JOSHUA4EV@' (I wish I were making that up. Also later she changes it to DIE-JOSH-DIE!). Not to mention her constant pity party. Seemingly every other page, she'd describe herself as a "loney loser." Let me be clear, this isn't some commentary on mental health and isolation, it's all played off as quirky character-building.
My other complaint is that it's clear that Thorne has never worked in an office, or even watched a TV show set in an office (which are usually absurd and unrealistic anyway, but somehow even less so than this book). There's this unnatural divide between the men and women in the company (where the women are all emotional and passionate and the men are cold-hearted and numbers-driven. Rolls eyes.) Also, it's a Big! Deal! apparently that Joshua uses blue post-its and Lucy uses pink ones, and later she comments on how his bedroom is too feminine. I guess we're still doing that in 2016.
The HR director literally babysat Lucy and Josh because she 'spent most of her job fielding their HR complaints about each other.' They should not have jobs, then, let alone be up for a promotion. Not to mention the casual discussions of sex and relationships with their bosses (the CEOs!) - sure, Jan. The dialogue was just... bad. The hilarious stand-out is Lucy saying "I want to know what's going on in your brain. I want to juice your head like a lemon" p. 203. I get that it's a cheesy romance, but these characters did not talk like real people. At one point, Lucy's talking to Josh's parents and refers to him as their 'offspring.' I can't 😂.
At the end of the day, they were unlikeable individually and unhealthy together, which made the book wholly unenjoyable. But let's be real, the biggest offense was Lucy's huge obsession with Smurfs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Racial slurs