Books Like The Hating Game by Sally Thorne — 10 Workplace Enemies-to-Lovers Reads (2026)

The Hating Game is the book that made a whole generation of readers believe in office rivalry. Lucy and Joshua share an office, a staring problem, and a mutual loathing that anyone with eyes can see is something else entirely. Sally Thorne runs the whole thing on tension — the games, the elevator, the infamous shirt-color observation — and then pulls the rug out so hard the back half reads like a completely different, softer book. It’s the modern template for the trope, and finishing it leaves a very specific craving: two people forced together by work, sniping to cover something they can’t say, and a slow crack in the armor that pays off enormously.

That exact itch is what this list is for. Five trad-pub picks that share Thorne’s voice and trope, then five from our own catalog for readers who want the same office-rivals tension with the heat turned way up — across MM, FF, and MF. The indie five are all free with Kindle Unlimited.

5 Trad-Pub Books Like The Hating Game

1. The Love Hypothesis — Ali Hazelwood

The most-recommended readalike for a reason. Swap the publishing office for a Stanford lab and you get the same engine: a whip-smart woman, a man with a terrifying reputation, and a fake relationship that curdles into the real thing exactly on schedule. Adam Carlsen is grumpier than Josh and Olive is more of a disaster than Lucy, but the shape is identical — and it happens to contain one of the most talked-about scenes in modern romance. Get The Love Hypothesis on Amazon →

2. Beach Read — Emily Henry

Not an office, but pure rivals-to-lovers. A burned-out romance writer and her literary-fiction rival end up in neighboring beach houses and dare each other to swap genres for a summer. It’s got the same competitive spark and the same trick as The Hating Game — a sharp, funny surface with real grief underneath. If what you loved was the banter that turns out to be a defense mechanism, start here. Get Beach Read on Amazon →

3. Book Lovers — Emily Henry

The workplace-rivals pick for readers who want the sharpest banter on the shelf. A cutthroat literary agent and a broody editor keep colliding in a small town they’ve both escaped to. It’s the closest Henry gets to The Hating Game’s specific two-professionals-circling-each-other energy, with a heroine who’s all armor and a hero who sees straight through it. We’ve got a full guide on it. Read our Book Lovers guide → Get Book Lovers on Amazon →

4. The Spanish Love Deception — Elena Armas

Enemies-to-lovers with a fake-dating chaser. Catalina needs a date to her sister’s wedding in Spain; the last person she’d ever ask is her insufferable coworker Aaron, who of course volunteers. It’s a slow burn built on years of workplace antagonism that turns out to be hiding something much softer — and the wedding-trip forced proximity does the rest. We’ve got a guide for this one too. Read our Spanish Love Deception guide →

5. Boyfriend Material — Alexis Hall

For readers who want the banter dialed to eleven. Not strictly a workplace romance, but a fake-dating enemies-adjacent comedy with the sharpest dialogue on this list. Luc and Oliver are a disaster and a control freak who fake-date for mutual PR reasons and fall for real. If your favorite thing about The Hating Game was two people who can’t stop needling each other, this is your next read. Get Boyfriend Material on Amazon →

5 Indie KU Picks That Turn Up the Heat

Thorne keeps The Hating Game on the tame side — the tension is the whole meal and the payoff is mostly emotional. If you want that same office-rivals charge with the door wide open, that’s our catalog’s specialty. Five picks below across four pen names and three pairings — MF, FF, and MM — all free with Kindle Unlimited.

6. Hyperfixated on Him — Rowan Black (MF Workplace Rivals)

The closest match to The Hating Game’s brainy-rivals dynamic. Two colleagues who can’t stop competing, a neurodivergent hero who channels everything into the one problem he can’t solve — her — and a rivalry that runs on the same fuel as Lucy and Josh’s. It’s got the workplace tension and the sharp banter, with heat Thorne never puts on the page. Start here if you came for the enemies half of the trope. Browse Rowan Black’s catalog →

7. Office Daddy, Overtime Brat — Isla Wilde (MF Office Age-Gap)

The boss-and-employee power dynamic that The Hating Game only flirts with, made explicit. An age gap, a chain of command, and two people pretending the tension across the desk is strictly professional right up until it isn’t. If the corporate-hierarchy charge was your favorite part of Lucy and Josh’s setup, Isla Wilde takes it all the way. Browse Isla Wilde’s catalog →

8. Hot Desk, Hotter Boss — Aurora North (FF Office)

The sapphic take on the office-rivals fantasy. All the corporate tension of The Hating Game — the proximity, the professionalism straining at the seams, the two women who should not be doing this at work — from our FF specialist, who does not fade to black. If you ever wished Lucy’s rival had been a woman, this is that book. Browse Aurora North’s catalog →

9. Hate at First Shift — Jace Wilder (MM Workplace Enemies)

The MM entry, and a pure enemies-to-lovers workplace burn. Two coworkers who genuinely can’t stand each other, stuck on the same shifts, grinding the mutual hostility down into something neither wanted to admit. It’s got the exact hate-that-isn’t-hate engine of The Hating Game, on a blue-collar backdrop with a lot more heat. Browse Jace Wilder’s catalog →

10. Hate Week — Fractal Enigma (Enemies to Lovers)

The title says it all. A concentrated hit of the trope — a rivalry with a deadline, forced proximity, and a hate that combusts into exactly the thing both parties swore it never would. For readers who finished The Hating Game and want the enemies-to-lovers dynamic at its most undiluted and its hottest, this is the closer. Meet our authors →

FAQ

What should I read after The Hating Game?

Trad-pub: The Love Hypothesis is the closest voice-and-trope match, Book Lovers for the sharpest workplace banter. On Kindle Unlimited: Hyperfixated on Him for the brainy-rivals dynamic, Hate at First Shift if you want it MM, Hot Desk Hotter Boss if you want it sapphic.

Is The Hating Game on Kindle Unlimited?

No — Sally Thorne’s books are traditionally published at standard pricing. The five indie picks above are all in Kindle Unlimited, which is the cheapest way to binge the office-rivals trope.

How spicy is The Hating Game?

Moderate — around a 2 to 3 out of 5. There’s a payoff, but the book runs on tension far more than heat. If you want the same enemies-to-lovers charge with the door open, that’s exactly what the five KU picks are built for.

What’s the difference between enemies-to-lovers and rivals-to-lovers?

Rivals know each other — they share an office, a ranking, a profession, and they’ve studied each other’s weaknesses. Enemies can be strangers with a grudge. The Hating Game is really a rivals-to-lovers book, which is why the tension is so specific: Lucy and Josh are experts on each other before they ever admit to anything.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Fractal Enigma earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Want more recommendations like this? The newsletter sends new releases, free bonus chapters, and reader-only giveaways. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. 💼