Scan barcode
A review by love_your_shelf
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
4.0
Immediate and Most Likely Rambling Thoughts:
As with most romance books that I tend to read, I breezed through it (for my reading pace/standards). I was sucked into where the Adventures of Lucy and Josh would go next but the thing that bothered me was that it never really felt like a true hate to love, at least not as much as the book advertised. Of course Josh was an asshole for the beginning but he also had a tiny bit of nice side that Lucy just didn't seem to see. When Lucy needed a ride home, he offered but Lucy just scoffed and declined his offer. Also there was an kiss that happened out of the blue and without consent in the beginning that threw me for a loop.
Most of the hate seemed to be stemming from Lucy. But also, similarly to the Unhoneymooners, the resentment in this plot hinged on the Miscommunication trope. Now this trope doesn't bother me as much as it might most people (probably because I rarely recognise it) but it does cheapens the hate a bit. For once, I would like to read a romance where they openly admit that they hated each other from the beginning which would actually make it seem like they grew to love each other. I felt it was obvious he liked her from the beginning.
Speaking of Lucy as a character, she seemed childish in the beginning but she grew on me. I loved in the end when she stood up for Josh to his father. Especially because he couldn't. Josh had tried so hard to when his fathers approval but realised nothing he ever did would be good enough and Josh would always live in his brother shadow's in his eyes. I also like that the father and Josh didn't have a quick reunion as most brooding guys with a hate relationship with one of their parents. The way that Sally Thorne twisted the brooding guy with a bad/abusive father in a more unique was than I have seen was that it was most of neglect and a psychological abuse than physical abuse. It's a different perspective.
This is a long, spur of the moment review with no structure which I am writing at 4 in the morning so if you actually read this far and it makes no sense you know why. I'm tired and about to sleep
As with most romance books that I tend to read, I breezed through it (for my reading pace/standards). I was sucked into where the Adventures of Lucy and Josh would go next but the thing that bothered me was that it never really felt like a true hate to love, at least not as much as the book advertised. Of course Josh was an asshole for the beginning but he also had a tiny bit of nice side that Lucy just didn't seem to see. When Lucy needed a ride home, he offered but Lucy just scoffed and declined his offer. Also there was an kiss that happened out of the blue and without consent in the beginning that threw me for a loop.
Most of the hate seemed to be stemming from Lucy. But also, similarly to the Unhoneymooners, the resentment in this plot hinged on the Miscommunication trope. Now this trope doesn't bother me as much as it might most people (probably because I rarely recognise it) but it does cheapens the hate a bit. For once, I would like to read a romance where they openly admit that they hated each other from the beginning which would actually make it seem like they grew to love each other. I felt it was obvious he liked her from the beginning.
Speaking of Lucy as a character, she seemed childish in the beginning but she grew on me. I loved in the end when she stood up for Josh to his father. Especially because he couldn't. Josh had tried so hard to when his fathers approval but realised nothing he ever did would be good enough and Josh would always live in his brother shadow's in his eyes. I also like that the father and Josh didn't have a quick reunion as most brooding guys with a hate relationship with one of their parents. The way that Sally Thorne twisted the brooding guy with a bad/abusive father in a more unique was than I have seen was that it was most of neglect and a psychological abuse than physical abuse. It's a different perspective.
This is a long, spur of the moment review with no structure which I am writing at 4 in the morning so if you actually read this far and it makes no sense you know why. I'm tired and about to sleep