Since watching the film adaptation a few weeks ago of Sally Thorne’s novel of the same name, The Hating Game, I’ve been stalking my local library for the book. Now that I’ve had the chance to read it, let’s compare.
I will say, the movie was a pretty damn faithful adaptation! Lucy and Josh are still frustratingly aloof and lack real communication skills, but the events in the novel happen almost shot for shot in the film. The two relentlessly torment each other at work and you can almost see them seething at each other until they make out in the elevator. Then Lucy can’t decide if Josh hates her, if she has a chance to be his friend, or if he actually wants her. What still remains the most annoying part was how terrible Lucy was at reading a room. I don’t feel like if I made out with someone I thought I hated and then had sex dreams about is someone I would constantly want to be my “friend” afterwards.
Something I think the movie had an edge over the book was chemistry. You know with reading you can only visualize so much, but I thought Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell did a great job of really taking their relationship, in all its weird phases, to the next level. The movie’s shortcomings came with time. There are so many details in books that there is no way you’ll capture them all. One thing that really stood out in the book was Lucy’s constant homesickness. Her parents were brought up a lot more, along with strawberries. Learning that fact made the nickname “Shortcake” make a lot more sense.
Overall though, there were only very slight differences between the two, so I hope Sally Thorne was pleased with the film’s outcome. I still don’t understand how these two individuals never got fired for their hostile, flirtatious, and juvenile behavior, but I suppose that’s why it’s a work of fiction. I would say you couldn’t go wrong reading this novel or watching the film. Your personal preference.