Scan barcode
A review by jencolumb0
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
I had a hard time getting over the irony of hate reading the Hating Game. I watched the movie and was struck by the general creepiness of Josh, the main guy. Friends who read the book told me the book was funny and it read less creepy. I decided to read it to find out.
Ugh.
I think I chuckled a total of three times in nearly 400 pages. Their relationship is waaaaaaaay more toxic in print than in the movie and the whole thing just made me hostile, like the sort of stuff that dominated all but the last 20 pages is okay and should be tolerated in the hopes that the final apology actually happens. There are also frustratingly large gaps in Lucy’s character “development” in the book that were, blessedly, smoothed over in the movie. There’s also a lot of body image talk in the book that (blessedly, as well) got left out of the movie and that could be hard for folks.
Basically, the movie clocks in at 3 stars, at best, and it manages to be a vast improvement on the source material. I’m so relieved to be able to read something else now.
Ugh.
I think I chuckled a total of three times in nearly 400 pages. Their relationship is waaaaaaaay more toxic in print than in the movie and the whole thing just made me hostile, like the sort of stuff that dominated all but the last 20 pages is okay and should be tolerated in the hopes that the final apology actually happens. There are also frustratingly large gaps in Lucy’s character “development” in the book that were, blessedly, smoothed over in the movie. There’s also a lot of body image talk in the book that (blessedly, as well) got left out of the movie and that could be hard for folks.
Basically, the movie clocks in at 3 stars, at best, and it manages to be a vast improvement on the source material. I’m so relieved to be able to read something else now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming