When Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end with...
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reviews
Dec 21, 2010
Gabriela
rated it: 
Talli Roland's "The Hating Game" is all you could expect from a good romantic comedy: fun, light, sweet and highly entertaining. Her story-telling is great (kudos for the stats on the beginning of each chapter, which are hilarious), her characters are lovable and her wit and quick pace turn this book into a real page-turner. It's a must-read for anyone who loves authors like Sophie Kinsella, Helen Fielding and Marian Keyes.
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Dec 01, 2010
Joanna
rated it: 
Mattie takes the word Man- Eater to a different level, in my mind she is now being referred to as the nutcracker. She is like the best of us, hard in the face of unwelcome surprises and betrayal.
Flung into a world of exes and reality TV you can only imagine how hard she will fight back when her back is against the wall, the true test of her strength is revealed when she has to face up to her own flaws and stop whipping others into shape.
Talli Roland has captured the essence of her More...
Flung into a world of exes and reality TV you can only imagine how hard she will fight back when her back is against the wall, the true test of her strength is revealed when she has to face up to her own flaws and stop whipping others into shape.
Talli Roland has captured the essence of her More...
Sep 26, 2011
Alexandra
rated it:
Originally posted at: http://alexandrashostak.blogspot.com/201...
Watch out, Shopaholic, you have some serious competition.
Mattie Johns is in a serious financial bind. After being cheated on by her ex-boyfriend Kyle, the bastard stole most of her small business' clients, leaving her near to bankruptcy. So when a new reality dating show approaches her about appearing on TV, she jumps at the chance to win the 200,000 pound prize money. But what the show doesn't tell Mattie is th More...
Watch out, Shopaholic, you have some serious competition.
Mattie Johns is in a serious financial bind. After being cheated on by her ex-boyfriend Kyle, the bastard stole most of her small business' clients, leaving her near to bankruptcy. So when a new reality dating show approaches her about appearing on TV, she jumps at the chance to win the 200,000 pound prize money. But what the show doesn't tell Mattie is th More...
Nov 17, 2010
Len
rated it:
A captivating, unputdownable book! Mattie Johns is an enthralling character that may appear to be tough and vicious outside, a man-eater, and unhappy human being...but I think every woman needs a little bit of that toughness, of her confidence and poise, a vision of strength and inner power even if the reality is she is crumbling inside. Even when she's losing an argument, she makes sure she says something smart in the end, even if it's only a one-word 'Whatever!' You'll both love and hate her,
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Jan 30, 2012
Teresa
rated it:
What a totally refreshing read! A different approach to romance, with the back drop of a reality TV show as the plot.
I really enjoyed this book. It had great pacing, sharp, witty writing and by the end I didn't want to put it down. The author has a great way with words. This story had me giggling, and cringing at the poor things Mattie had to endure.
Mattie is one tough cookie with a chip on her shoulder (if you ask me) but I still found myself empathising with her, reali More...
I really enjoyed this book. It had great pacing, sharp, witty writing and by the end I didn't want to put it down. The author has a great way with words. This story had me giggling, and cringing at the poor things Mattie had to endure.
Mattie is one tough cookie with a chip on her shoulder (if you ask me) but I still found myself empathising with her, reali More...
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Jan 07, 2011
D.J.
rated it:
I was offered the opportunity to read a pre-release copy and found it to be a fabulous indulgence in a The Devil Wears Prada meets The Dating Game sort of way. If you are the sort of person who loves reading while wearing your comfiest clothes, as you sip champagne and work your way through a box of chocolates, then you will love The Hating Game. Treat yourself to a copy of The Hating Game because you're worth it.
Jun 09, 2011
Stephen
rated it:
we begin with self-published author extraordinaire Talli Roland and her debut novel The Hating Game, which is also the first Chic Lit book I’ve ever read. Coming into this, I did not know what to expect. Honestly, I was hooked from the beginning. There was never a dull moment. This was a character driven comedy that could easily be made into a two-hour movie for the Hallmark Channel.
The characters were about as diverse as one could imagine. They reached out of the pages and engaged t More...
The characters were about as diverse as one could imagine. They reached out of the pages and engaged t More...
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Feb 10, 2011
Glynis
rated it:
Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella move over, Talli Roland is in the house!
I do not read many Chick Lit books, but when I have picked up a Green or Kinsella book I have enjoyed them. Having read so many rave reviews about the ebook, The Hating Game by Talli Roland, I decided to buy a copy. I downloaded Kindle for the PC and bought myself a copy of the ebook straight away. (The paperback is out in a couple of months).
The cover is vibrant and begs to be read.
Mattie Johns is a More...
I do not read many Chick Lit books, but when I have picked up a Green or Kinsella book I have enjoyed them. Having read so many rave reviews about the ebook, The Hating Game by Talli Roland, I decided to buy a copy. I downloaded Kindle for the PC and bought myself a copy of the ebook straight away. (The paperback is out in a couple of months).
The cover is vibrant and begs to be read.
Mattie Johns is a More...
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May 29, 2011
Jo
rated it:
This was a very fun read! Snarky, hip, humorous,romantic--a page turner! On top of being entertaining I thought it took an insightful look into the heart of someone with "daddy issues" and how it affects her dating, while also making a satirical poke at the "reality TV" epidemic and what we consider "good drama" and the extremes that some shows will go to just for ratings.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants an enjoyable read laced with thought prov
I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants an enjoyable read laced with thought prov
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May 17, 2011
Agi
rated it:
I have waited soooo long to get this book in my hands, and when I finally got it(thank you, Talli!!!)I was not dissapointed. Although it's a kind of chick lit a little bit different from this what I am used to. Nevertheless, it's interesting. I was never a fan of any reality show, it's just not my world, and reading about it, and how it is organized, and what are the producents doing just to get the viewers, got ma a goose bump. I had some problems to get to warm to Mattie at the beginning, but
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Jan 22, 2011
Theresa
rated it:
"`IF I GET PNEUMONIA, HE'S GOING to pay,' Mattie Johns muttered as she gripped the chains of the dunk- tank swing and looked down into the murky water."
The first scene already had me laughing so I was hooked. The story unfolds seamlessly. When I began the book, it was a busy time for me but I made time to read. I finished it in four days.
At first I found Mattie unlikeable. But even in the beginning, I could detect her vulnerability within her uncompromising ex More...
The first scene already had me laughing so I was hooked. The story unfolds seamlessly. When I began the book, it was a busy time for me but I made time to read. I finished it in four days.
At first I found Mattie unlikeable. But even in the beginning, I could detect her vulnerability within her uncompromising ex More...
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Feb 17, 2011
Jonita
rated it:
Mattie Johns prides herself on the fact that she doesn't need a man to survive. She has a strict love- 'em- and- leave- 'em personal philosophy that has worked quite well for her in the past. However when her business starts crumbling because an ex-boyfriend has stolen most of her clients and the bills start piling up, Mattie signs up to be on a dating show where she just has to stick it out for two weeks in order to become the winner of 200,000 GBP. What Mattie doesn't count on is the fact that
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Mar 22, 2011
Siobhan (Totally Bookalicious)
rated it:
Orginal Review: Thoughts of a Mad Hatter!
The Hating Game is a great spin on reality TV. I can admit I love reality Tv shows. So this book really appealed to. Talli has took the simple dating game show and twisted it into something fun, exciting and yet dangerous.
The story follows Mattie (our main character). Mattie is almost bankrupt and is getting desperate, so when Nate appears in her office one to with an offer she can't refuse she signed up for a reailty TV show, Thin More...
The Hating Game is a great spin on reality TV. I can admit I love reality Tv shows. So this book really appealed to. Talli has took the simple dating game show and twisted it into something fun, exciting and yet dangerous.
The story follows Mattie (our main character). Mattie is almost bankrupt and is getting desperate, so when Nate appears in her office one to with an offer she can't refuse she signed up for a reailty TV show, Thin More...
Mar 30, 2011
Girl_fren
rated it:
Talli Roland is that rare writer who presents the reader with imperfect characters--good guys and bad guys, alike--then drives them into terrible situations (something like my life and, possibly, yours), adds malice, dishonesty and greed until we don't know whom to boo or to applaud. Certainly, the action doesn't let up until the back cover.
Warts and all, her characters weave their flaws into plots and sub-plots fraught with surprise. At times, I noticed I was holding my breath and g More...
Warts and all, her characters weave their flaws into plots and sub-plots fraught with surprise. At times, I noticed I was holding my breath and g More...
Feb 27, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
*spoilers might be in here*
Under normal circumstances I would never have read this book. I accidentally ran into the Author's website, liked her posts and decided that i could chance trying a new thing. I bought her book.
I was surprised. I enjoyed it and spent two nights quickly turning pages desperate to know the outcome. The writing is witty and the sarcastic humor is right up my alley. It had the right amount of good romance and a rather large dash of drama. The characters More...
Under normal circumstances I would never have read this book. I accidentally ran into the Author's website, liked her posts and decided that i could chance trying a new thing. I bought her book.
I was surprised. I enjoyed it and spent two nights quickly turning pages desperate to know the outcome. The writing is witty and the sarcastic humor is right up my alley. It had the right amount of good romance and a rather large dash of drama. The characters More...
Mar 21, 2011
Ann
rated it:
I didn't like the extremes in the novel, particularly in the protagonist Mattie, and also in the world of Reality shows. I squirmed a lot. But this is to the author's credit. To create characters and situations that instill passionate feelings in the reader, one way or the other, is indeed a fine accomplishment in any novel, let alone a debut one.
Mattie is almost too mean-spirited for my taste throughout most of the book. But the author has a talent for dialogue and scene setting, the More...
Mattie is almost too mean-spirited for my taste throughout most of the book. But the author has a talent for dialogue and scene setting, the More...
Apr 24, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
Cheer on serial dater Mattie Johns as she overcomes her heartbreak over losing the love of her life and business partner, Kyle Cook. In order to bail herself out of financial trouble, she agrees to go on a show called 'Second Chance for Romance' only to discover the reality TV show name has been changed to 'The Hating Game' and she has to go on dates with four ex boyfriends. But the prize money is £200,000 and that amount will resuscitate her recruitment business. Along with the believable chara
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Nov 15, 2011
Beth
rated it:
I think the protagonist in this book is one of those characters you love or you hate. I loved her. She's a total beeyotch, but a funny one. Some readers are turned off by characters, especially protagonists, who think and say mean things. While I admit I wouldn't necessarily enjoy spending lots of quality time with someone like that in real life, I have no problem with it in fiction. And although the protagonist can be really snarky, the author absolutely tortures this woman to the point whe
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Nov 28, 2010
Jude
rated it:
Think Blind Date meets Big Brother meets I'm a Celebrity and you've pretty much got the idea of the sort of game show hell Mattie Johns finds herself in.
She's asked to do some embarrassing things during the course of the game show. You expect her to refuse, but she's so determined to save her business she just takes a deep breath and gets on with it. Albeit, with some fabulous putdowns to anyone who annoys her.
I thought I knew how the story was going to unfold but I was wrong More...
She's asked to do some embarrassing things during the course of the game show. You expect her to refuse, but she's so determined to save her business she just takes a deep breath and gets on with it. Albeit, with some fabulous putdowns to anyone who annoys her.
I thought I knew how the story was going to unfold but I was wrong More...
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Sep 02, 2011
J.L.
rated it:
A cash strapped businesswoman gets the chance to be on a dating game show, which will save her from financial ruin. The twist on The Hating Game is that all of the men are her ex-lovers. The main character goes through hell and high water to salvage her business, but discovers that money is not always the bottom line.
Mattie Johns is a tough-as-nails character, who isn’t easy to like. I got past her orneriness because of how much I laughed while reading The Hating Game. She’s mean – More...
Mattie Johns is a tough-as-nails character, who isn’t easy to like. I got past her orneriness because of how much I laughed while reading The Hating Game. She’s mean – More...
Jun 24, 2011
Nikki
rated it: 
Reviewed at JudgingCovers.co.uk
As embarrassing as it is, I’ve always quite liked reality television. If it involves a group of weirdos desperately clinging to their 15 minutes of fame, it’s likely that I’ll be hooked… so when I stumbled upon The Hating Game, a book based around a reality TV show, I couldn’t resist.
The story centres around Mattie Johns, a shrewd business woman who is having a bit of a crisis. Her recruitment company is failing and she’s facing bankruptcy – More...
As embarrassing as it is, I’ve always quite liked reality television. If it involves a group of weirdos desperately clinging to their 15 minutes of fame, it’s likely that I’ll be hooked… so when I stumbled upon The Hating Game, a book based around a reality TV show, I couldn’t resist.
The story centres around Mattie Johns, a shrewd business woman who is having a bit of a crisis. Her recruitment company is failing and she’s facing bankruptcy – More...
Sep 01, 2011
Kathryn
rated it:
From the quirky cover and the title and blurb of Talli Roland’s debut novel, The Hating Game, I knew that this was no cosy, formulaic boy-meets-girl chick-lit romance and I was looking forward to reading it all the more because of that. I wanted a feisty heroine who wouldn’t melt into a puddle within metres of her dream man. I wanted a strong voice and some of the sharp wit I’d come to know from Talli’s tweets and blog posts and I wanted a great story in an unusual situation or setting with its
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Mar 07, 2011
Leah
rated it:
When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she’s confident she’ll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she’s perfected from years of her love ‘em and leave ‘em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £50,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it’s revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront
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Feb 04, 2011
Lucie
rated it:
What a refreshing read.
Previous to reading The Hating Game, I had been an avid follower of Talli Roland on her blog page. Just by reading her blog you can tell instantly that she has a way with words and is a fantastic writer. I was very much looking forward to reading her debut novel and, well, I was not at all disappointed.
Main character Mattie Johns is a strong, confident woman with a few personal issues. She is in dire financial trouble and is offered the chance to part More...
Previous to reading The Hating Game, I had been an avid follower of Talli Roland on her blog page. Just by reading her blog you can tell instantly that she has a way with words and is a fantastic writer. I was very much looking forward to reading her debut novel and, well, I was not at all disappointed.
Main character Mattie Johns is a strong, confident woman with a few personal issues. She is in dire financial trouble and is offered the chance to part More...
Jan 15, 2011
Carly
rated it:
I've been following the journey of The Hating Game for a few months now so it was pretty darn exciting to receive an electronic copy to review. I fell in love with the plot as soon as I heard about it - I'm a complete sucker for reality TV, especially dating shows so I knew I was onto a winner from the outset.
Roland's characterisation here is great - we're introduced to a lot of characters throughout the book but I didn't find myself confused at any point as to who was who or having More...
Roland's characterisation here is great - we're introduced to a lot of characters throughout the book but I didn't find myself confused at any point as to who was who or having More...
Dec 01, 2010
LindyLouMac
rated it:
Talli Roland is a very enterprising young woman that totally understands the importance of publicity. She obviously realises that it is just not enough in the competitive world of publishing to sit back on your laurels and think how well you have done to get a book published! No this young lady has gone out of her way to promote her first novel ‘The Hating Game’, for this alone I hope it succeeds. She writes a blog called Talli Roland is a Goodreads author has a Facebook Page and is also to be
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Nov 15, 2010
Jessica
rated it:
Talli Roland = Nick Hornby with boobs. 'The Hating Game' knocked my socks right off, and replaced them with a comfy warm foot bath. Reading this book was just as good as a Friday night with pizza, chick flick, and full body massage all at once.
And it wasn't only entertaining. It was different than other chick lit books I've read. It was different because the main character, Mattie, wasn't someone a reader would easily warm to or root for. I didn't get all teary-eyed, or hate what wa More...
And it wasn't only entertaining. It was different than other chick lit books I've read. It was different because the main character, Mattie, wasn't someone a reader would easily warm to or root for. I didn't get all teary-eyed, or hate what wa More...
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Nov 27, 2010
Deniz
rated it:
Talli Roland's debut is a rollicking can't-put-it-down read. The characters are well-developed and believable; you find yourself rooting for nearly all of them by the end. The dialogue rings true and it was fun to see both sides of the story, from Mattie's point of view and that of the producers 'backstage'. I stayed up way past my bedtime turning the pages as I couldn't wait to find out how Mattie would extract herself from her latest scrape – and which man she would ultimately choose.
Dec 01, 2010
India
rated it:
Top 5 reasons to read "The Hating Game".
5. It’s original. So many rom-com/chick lit books are all the same. I’ve never seen anything like The Hating Game, and yet it still has the fun, feel-good factor you want from a rom-com.
4. No stereotyped characters, no women that are too stupid to live, no men with throbbing, well, anything. The main character is anything but loveable in the beginning, and yet I connected with her. I really enjoyed the journey she went on in the More...
5. It’s original. So many rom-com/chick lit books are all the same. I’ve never seen anything like The Hating Game, and yet it still has the fun, feel-good factor you want from a rom-com.
4. No stereotyped characters, no women that are too stupid to live, no men with throbbing, well, anything. The main character is anything but loveable in the beginning, and yet I connected with her. I really enjoyed the journey she went on in the More...
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Jan 11, 2011
James
rated it:
From the reality television game show subject matter to the strong-willed lead character, I found the story to be fresh and timely. The Hating Game as a show sounds like something we might see with next fall's television line up. I also found the unfolding drama to be well-paced and the twists and turns difficult to anticipate. There wasn't one instance where I felt that Roland had become lazy or had taken an easy way out with regard to plot. Her characters are layered and believable, and I felt
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