The Hating Game
by Sally Thorne
★ Top 25 book of 2021 · #19 on Best Books of 2021
Lucy and Joshua, rival executive assistants at a newly merged publisher, trade daily passive-aggressive games while competing for the same promotion. When a stuck elevator ends in a kiss, Lucy questions whether she truly hates him.
Best for: Fans of workplace enemies-to-lovers romance with a playful, competitive edge
The Hating Game is #19 on BookWard's Best Books of 2021, out of 59 2021 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Hating Game is about
Lucy and Josh work as assistants to the two joint-CEOs of a publishing company formed when their old firms merged. They could hardly be more different, and each seems to find the other unbearable. Their days are filled with small, silent contests. Then a new executive position opens up and both are put forward for it. They make a bet that whoever loses the job will quit.
Lucy has a master's in literature and Josh has a Harvard MBA, and the office is the only place they ever seem to meet. Underneath the sparring, though, something else is stirring, and a family wedding puts the two of them in closer quarters than either planned. Funny, flirty and light on its feet, it's a romance for readers who enjoy a rivalry with a lot of heat in it. A film version followed in 2021.
The Hating Game on the Best Books of 2021
The Hating Game came out in 2021. Of the 59 books first published in 2021 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #19 on our Best Books of 2021 list.
Why it made the list: 1,154 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.6 out of 5 (28 ratings); 54 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2021 list
- You'd Be Home Now Kathleen Glasgow, #17
- Think Again Adam Grant, #18
- The Hawthorne Legacy Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #20
- One Last Stop Casey McQuiston, #21
See all Best Books of 2021 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2020 Best Books of 2022.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 1,047 want to read it, 54 are reading it now and 53 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.6 out of 5 from 28 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 80 | 55% |
| Reader love | 19 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 83 | 20% |
Questions about The Hating Game
When was The Hating Game published?
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne was first published in 2021.
Was The Hating Game one of the best books of 2021?
The Hating Game is #19 on BookWard's Best Books of 2021, out of 59 2021 books that cleared our data bar. 1,154 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.6 out of 5 (28 ratings); 54 are reading it right now.
Why is The Hating Game on the Best Books of 2021 list?
1,154 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.6 out of 5 (28 ratings); 54 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2021
- The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood, #1
- Twisted Games Ana Huang, #2
- Project Hail Mary Andy Weir, #3
- As Good as Dead Holly Jackson, #4
- You've Reached Sam Dustin Thao, #5
- Twisted Love Ana Huang, #6
See the full Best Books of 2021, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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