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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
mablayy's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Sexism, and Racial slurs
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