The storyline of Sally Thorne’s “The Hating Game”
“The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne is a romantic comedy novel that recounts the narrative of Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, two coworkers at Bexley & Gamin, a publishing business in New York.
Lucy and Joshua are executive assistants to the company’s co-CEOs and are frequently at odds with one another. They compete in games such as the Staring Game and the HR Game, always striving to outdo the other.
But, there is an underlying tension that Lucy cannot explain beneath all of the arguing and one-upmanship.
As a promotion chance opens, both Lucy and Joshua apply, and the competition between them heats up. Nevertheless, as they collaborate on a project, Lucy notices another side to Joshua, one that is compassionate and loving, and she finds herself falling for him.
Lucy and Joshua must traverse the problems of falling in love with someone they’ve spent so long loathing, and they must determine whether their feelings are genuine or the result of their competitive nature.
Finally, they both realize they are in love with each other and express their feelings. They quit their employment at Bexley & Gamin to launch their own publishing company, with Lucy serving as CEO and Joshua as editor-in-chief.
They begin on a new adventure together, abandoning their competitive past in favor of a future founded on love and respect.
Themes of “The Hating Game”
Sally Thorne’s “The Hating Game” explores the following themes:
Office Romance: The story delves into the complexity of falling in love with a coworker and the difficulties that come with handling a romantic relationship in the workplace.
Competition: The novel depicts the workplace’s competitive atmosphere and the lengths people would go to get ahead. Lucy and Joshua’s incessant one-upmanship reflects the competitive nature of the publishing industry.
Perception vs. Reality: The novel questions the notion of passing judgment on someone based on initial impressions. Lucy initially perceives Joshua to be cold and unapproachable, but as she gets to know him, she finds that he is more than meets the eye.
Self-Discovery: The novel also addresses the concept of self-discovery through Lucy and Joshua’s interactions with one another.
Overcoming Obstacles: The novel depicts the difficulties that arise when two people from different backgrounds and personalities get together. To have a good relationship, Lucy and Joshua must overcome their differences and learn to compromise.
The characters in “The Hating Game”
The book has two primary characters, Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman.
Lucy Hutton is the novel’s protagonist, and she works as the executive assistant to the co-CEO of Bexley & Gamin. Lucy is a bright and hardworking young woman with a strong interest in the publishing sector. Despite the problems she experiences at work, she is a bit eccentric and has a good attitude on life. Lucy goes through a spectrum of emotions as she navigates her relationship with Joshua and the challenges of the business throughout the novel.
Lucy’s adversary is Joshua Templeman, who also works as an executive assistant at Bexley & Gamin. Joshua is tall, dark, and attractive, with piercing blue eyes that Lucy finds frightening. He is reclusive and keeps to himself, and he is well-known at work for his chilly manner. Nevertheless, as Lucy becomes more acquainted with him, she discovers that there is more to him than meets the eye. Joshua is a multifaceted character whose personality emerges gradually throughout the narrative.
Among the novel’s other characters are:
Lucy’s best friend and coworker at Bexley & Gamin is Helene Pascal.
Danny Lomond: A fellow Bexley & Gamin employee who is continually flirting with Lucy.
Rick is one of Bexley & Gamin’s co-CEOs.
Rodney is Bexley & Gamin’s other co-CEO.