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54th out of 172 books
—
193 voters
The Hating Game
by
Talli Roland (Goodreads Author)
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 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 £200,000 prize? Plen...more
After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plen...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
March 9th 2011
by Prospera
(first published November 15th 2010)
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Jul 29, 2012
Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity
marked it as did-not-finish
Chick Lit, it's nothing personal, but we have to break up.
As much as I would love to be able to read and enjoy every single genre in existence, it's obviously not possible. I'm finding that I'm just not a chick lit kind of girl. I gave it my best shot. There is something about this particular style of story-telling which fails to grab my interest.
I mean, I honestly can't explain why I wouldn't enjoy a story where a woman is conned into participating on a dating game show in which her ex-boyfri...more
6 likes · like · see review
view all 7 comments
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.
3 likes · like · see review
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 characters and...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 characters and...more
2 likes · like · see review
Originally posted at: http://alexandrashostak.blogspot.com/...
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 that rather than dating f...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 that rather than dating f...more
2 likes · like · see review
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,...more
1 like · like · see review
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, realising her mum's brainwash...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, realising her mum's brainwash...more
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.
2 likes · like · see review
Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes
Rated 3.5 Star
I had anticipated reading The Hating Game since being contacted by Talli Roland about reviewing her debut novel. Loving almost anything reality TV related, the premise of this novel intrigued me and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it, and I wasn’t disappointed. This novel was fast paced, easy to read and frequently amusing. I was eager to discover what was going to happen and was rooting for Mattie to figure everything out.
At times I loved...more
Rated 3.5 Star
I had anticipated reading The Hating Game since being contacted by Talli Roland about reviewing her debut novel. Loving almost anything reality TV related, the premise of this novel intrigued me and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it, and I wasn’t disappointed. This novel was fast paced, easy to read and frequently amusing. I was eager to discover what was going to happen and was rooting for Mattie to figure everything out.
At times I loved...more
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 the reader. I...more
The characters were about as diverse as one could imagine. They reached out of the pages and engaged the reader. I...more
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 career minded high flying...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 career minded high flying...more
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 provoking "reality".
I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants an enjoyable read laced with thought provoking "reality".
1 like · like · see review
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...more
"`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 exterior. This is a woman who wants...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 exterior. This is a woman who wants...more
It is beyond me how people rated this book so high. It is one of the stupidest, silliest, unimaginative books I've ever read.
The writing is appalling, the characters deplorable, the storyline sickening. Honestly, I'm just upset I wasted my money on this book. I don't know who Talli Roland is, but she needs to stop writing. In my opinion, she is a disgrace to all other chick-lit writers, and only succeeds in making their genre look bad.
I think it's clear I hated this book, just as much as I hated...more
The writing is appalling, the characters deplorable, the storyline sickening. Honestly, I'm just upset I wasted my money on this book. I don't know who Talli Roland is, but she needs to stop writing. In my opinion, she is a disgrace to all other chick-lit writers, and only succeeds in making their genre look bad.
I think it's clear I hated this book, just as much as I hated...more
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...more
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, Thinking it will be an easy...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, Thinking it will be an easy...more
Mar 30, 2011
Girl_fren
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves a good laugh.
Recommended to Girl_fren by:
India Drummond
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 glad I wasn't...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 glad I wasn't...more
*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 were well formed. I...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 were well formed. I...more
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 writing i...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 writing i...more
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...more
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 where y...more
Mattie Johns is a snarky, mean, calculating, bitchy character. But you still want to find out what happens to her – even if it’s only to see her get her comeuppance. It was fun reading about a heroine who was so very different to the normal chicklit heroine.
The title, and the game show that features in the book, is great idea. The Hating Game. Mattie has to go on dates which four exes and then has to spend two weeks with the ‘winner’. That would be easy if it wasn’t for that fact that one such...more
The title, and the game show that features in the book, is great idea. The Hating Game. Mattie has to go on dates which four exes and then has to spend two weeks with the ‘winner’. That would be easy if it wasn’t for that fact that one such...more
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-footed by something...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-footed by something...more
1 like · like · see review
Heart-warming, funny, strange, action-packed, full of fear, misunderstandings, friendship and love! Talli Rolands novel "The Hating Game" has it all!
After reading and loving "Build A Man" and "Construct A Couple" I was eager to start reading "The Hating Game".
I loved every page of this novel, BECAUSE it was not what I expected.
I have to say, reading the plot left me with a giant question mark. How is this going to work? How is going to win in a game show, where all your partners in play are y...more
After reading and loving "Build A Man" and "Construct A Couple" I was eager to start reading "The Hating Game".
I loved every page of this novel, BECAUSE it was not what I expected.
I have to say, reading the plot left me with a giant question mark. How is this going to work? How is going to win in a game show, where all your partners in play are y...more
Mattie Johns runs a recruitment agency, but things are not going too well for her. When she broke up from her ex Kyle Cook, he had taken almost half her clients when he had set up his own agency. Business was now so bad that Mattie is about to go bankrupt.
Then when Mattie is approached to appear and take part in a brand new TV reality show and is told that the price money is two hundred grand. Mattie sees this as the answer to all her problems and agrees to take part.
Little does Mattie know that...more
Then when Mattie is approached to appear and take part in a brand new TV reality show and is told that the price money is two hundred grand. Mattie sees this as the answer to all her problems and agrees to take part.
Little does Mattie know that...more
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 – no doubt abou...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 – no doubt abou...more
Jun 24, 2011
Nikki
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
chick-lit
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 – all thanks to her cheat...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 – all thanks to her cheat...more
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...more
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...more
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 participate in a reality...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 participate in a reality...more
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Talli Roland writes fun, romantic fiction. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine).
Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her sec...more
More about Talli Roland...
Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her sec...more
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