The Hating Game is a debut novel from Australian author, Sally Thorne, and the story is a classic office romance of enemies turned lovers. This isn't necessarily my favorite trope in romance (that distinction goes to the "friends turned lovers" trope), but I like how complicated it can make things and it means that there can be a lot of great, snarky banter and dialogue between the hero (Joshua) and heroine (Lucy). The Hating Game had heaps (haha - very Australian of me) of this, and so it was quite a humorous book. But what I didn't expect was how sweet and perfectly balanced the romance was as well.
The main plot of this chick-lit novel is that Lucy and Joshua are two co-workers who hate each other but work in a confined space as the assistants to the respective heads of their recently merged publishing company. After a very steamy incident in the elevator though, Lucy isn't quite sure that they are really enemies. Thus begins a wonderful journey for both of these leads to really figure out what their feelings are and ultimately what to do about them. Joshua initially comes off as an ass, but ends up being one of my favorite male leads I've read about in awhile and earned him a spot on my goodreads shelf "crush-worthy males".
Overall, if you are looking for a fun romance to read, where the drama isn't too crazy and the conflicts between the leads are addressed maturely, then check out this debut. I'm excited to read more by her!