It might seem like I didn’t love these characters, and I wouldn’t say that I lovedddd them, but what redeemed them for me were their genuine quirks. This story is quite conventionally a romance with its use of well-known tropes – enemies-to-lovers, bring-a-fake-date-to-a-wedding and office-romance. Because nothing of what happens in THG is how healthy adults are supposed to engage with one another!

After a glorious night of sex, Lucy does a “save my man” move that I didn’t think was all that necessary (but oh well) and realises that she deeply loves Joshua. I’m definitely willing to try again with Sally Thorne, though I’m hoping her next book will be a bit more realistic. Both his eyebrows ratchet up, and he opens his mouth as his eyes go completely black, but he does not seem to be able to say a word.If she's not pantsless at home with her dog, she's out with friends, trying new foods, or on the road adventuring.

I read workplace romance before and it has been hit or miss for me but the author made this so perfect and set a benchmark for this trope. And I would love to have in depth discussions with fans of the book for their take on both characters connection together and their individual characters and backgrounds. She was a little over-stalkery, ngl, and at times took it over the top, but on the whole I felt she was a really well developed and fleshed out character. I read this in the middle of the night and spent the entire time giggling and smiling, because this book was just a blast.

Once, I did, the pace definitely picked up and I was invested in the outcome and the characters’ lives/relationship. Debut novelist Sally Thorne positions herself as the next Sophie Kinsella in this sassy, sexy romance that brings new energy to the trite enemies-turned-lovers narrative. She gets to his apartment and sees him, then she runs up to him and smells him, describing his sweat as “[rainwater and cedar], leaving a faint rosemary-pine tingle in my nostrils.

In this same vein, the drama for the most part was unnecessary and overblown, most notably near the end. Later that evening, Josh invites Lucy to his apartment and reveals that he has a strained relationship with his father because he dropped out of med school, while his brother was always the favorite.

Honestly, that's one of my biggest issues when reading: unnecessary fillers or there not being enough time for feelings to really develop. But putting the oddity of the game aside, Thorne does a great job of following the rules she sets in this world, keeping her characters consistent and the story addictive. I doubt Joshua’s friends would encourage him to be with Lucy because she wasn’t so great to him either. And then the book just sorta ends, instead of telling us what happens next with the promotion and with her long-put-off trip home, as if the only worthwhile part of Lucy’s story is how she finally starts banging the hot guy. Lucy overhears that Josh needs a +1 for his brother‘s wedding and offers to accompany him to get even.

She was spunky, really funny, and was really sweet and just nice, but also knew how she should be treated. A witty writing voice combines with spot-on timing to make sure this novel is difficult to put down! I pull back in astonishment, and in one millisecond his face has defaulted back to grave and serious, albeit flushed.Of course, anyone can like what they like but it genuinely astounds me that everyone seems so in love with Josh/their relationship when it seems so obviously toxic. There is no other consideration; even to the point that they decide that the losing party will quit. They both had a sincere weirdness about them that you do not often see in rom-coms, especially where the main girl is “omg so quirky and random.