This adorable cartoon cover promises a cute romance story, and that definitely fits the vibe of this book!

Naomi and Luca have been pen pals since they were in middle school, but instead of writing about their hobbies and their families, they take turns insulting and bashing each other in each letter they share. When Naomi gets a job as weather girl at the local news station in Miami, the year long radio silence from Luca is suddenly broken when he sends her a new letter -- but without a return address. Naomi is determined to write back to him, even if it's just to insult him back, so she starts a hunt for his current address. But she's also juggling her budding romance with marine vet and neighbor Jake.

This was an adorable, very readable book. Through reading a handfull of the letters that Naomi and Luca share, you get to know them throughout the years. I thought maybe I wouldn't enjoy the constant switching between the letters and present time, but in the end it really wasn't too bothersome and I was able to keep everything neatly separated. I'm forever jealous of schools that shared pen pal projects, because it sounds like something I really would've enjoyed when I was little.

Romancewise, I was a little underwhelmed. Naomi and Jake kind of share in an insta-love romance (and while everything makes sense after the plot twist you get after finishing the book), it still felt kinda unrealistic reading it. It also made the mentioned plottwist kind of predictable, which is a shame, because I can imagine a good many people being absolutely shocked by the reveal. And to be fair, I think these characters really could've benefited from a good, clear conversation once everything was out in the open.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters, the writing style and the overall vibe of the book. I'd definitely recommend this to romance readers who love something light-hearted to read whenever they need a little pick me up.

Was lured in my the utterly adorable cartoon cover and the synopsis, but sadly this is a DNF for me. I guessed the “twist” about 15% of the way through and went on Goodreads to confirm my suspicion was correct. Not a fan of love triangles or deception, so it doesn’t feel worth it to continue right now. I hope to return to this title again sometime.

4.5/5 ⭐️s

LOVES:
- Wow, what a first impression. I laughed. I felt uncomfortable. What a start!
- The mysteriousness really got me going. I kept reading into things and then doubting my predictions when new things were revealed. Well done 👏
- The bounty hunter explanation and that whole interaction 😂
- Her grand gestures 🥰
- All of the name shenanigans, goodness 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

CRITIQUES:
- Not for the author, but parents who act like this: WHO DOES THAT WHEN GETTING A DIVORCE. Despicable.
- I was frustrated with the FMC’s handling of the situation, but eventually it all came together well so it was fine.

This was such an unusual, creative premise for a book and I really enjoyed it!

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC. The release date is March 13th.

I wanted to love this book. I loved the idea of old pen pals reigniting a decades old relationship with a letter sent to a news station and no return address. Only to be complicated by FMC catching the attention of a local man all while searching for where her missing pen pal is. Had the entire plot not hinged on miscommunication I think I would have enjoyed it more, as all of the characters were endearing and it was well written and fun. I just HATE miscommunication 🫣

3.5 stars

Naomi and luca have been pen pals since 5th grade more like rivals writing hate letters to each other but what starts out as hate filled letters turns into a friendship spanning coasts and years. But it's been 2 years since naomi heard from luca but when a new envelope turns up out of the blue at her desk, naomi is determined not to let luca have the last word.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters, i got attached to luca very quickly, this reminded me so much of punk 57 but make it into a rom com and it was super easy and fast to read definitely a good palette cleaner.
I was literally laughing out loud at some of the letters and there was some moments that were just gut wrenching and i loved that it was dual pov but the one big thing i didn't like in this book was the “plot twist” i had figured out in the first 30% of the book i also felt the ending was a bit rushed and i wish the epilogue was a bit longer but i did enjoy this book and the characters

This book was such a fun, quick, spicy romantic comedy. I really enjoyed Luca and Naomi’s relationship. I loved the back and forth between them. The flash backs to the letters made me laugh so much.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Donna for allowing me to read this ARC!

A cute Sunday read. And by cute I mean laughing out loud multiple times. Hate mail really takes angry flirting to a whole new level with a couple of surprising twists and turns that leave the audience gasping, swooning, and of course laughing.

I’m a sucker for books with mail/letters exchanges, especially when there’s a lot of banter. So, the promise of two people writing hate mail to each other convinced me instantly. And I loved it, even though I guessed the mystery a few chapters in. Regardless, the story is told in a lighthearted way, that warmed my heart as expected, and I found both main characters charming. Their letters to each other are equal parts funny and mean, and I loved how they had even more chemistry in person. I also enjoyed the dual POV: Naomi POV’s are set in the present time, and Luca’s POV retell the story from their first letter in 5th grade, which I think it’s a clever way to give us all the little puzzle pieces. There’s also Jake aka Husky Eyes, with whom we spend a lot of time, since Naomi POV’s centres a lot around their relationship. I don’t want to spoil the experience to anyone, but there’s a lot of grey regarding ghosting, stalking and emotional cheating. I felt very conflicted at times since I hate the miscommunication trope, especially when it’s the reason of the third-act breakup, but ultimately the story’s is really giggling and kicking feet worthy and I just couldn’t put it down.

This book opens with a death threat hoping she gets struck by lightning which shocked me, especially when she started laughing and said she hadn't heard from him in a long time. I loved getting to read their letters, and at the beginning of the book I wished it was more letters and less other information but it all came to a very nice end. I was a bit interested in the love triangle situation that was forming with her choosing between Jake and Luca. While it was a bit of a slow start, when it started to pick up it was really hard to put down!

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for the copy to review!

the absolute perfect enemies-to-lovers romcom! i enjoyed every single second of this book and was dying for more! the plot twist was not expected at all and i was so shocked!

I was so looking forward to this book but it didn't quite turn out to be what I wanted. I found that the book moved so incredibly fast it felt like I was missing chapters in my copy. I thought it was quite predictable which isn't really a bad thing for a romcom but felt exessive in this one. I also just didn't like the MCs personally but there were some fun moments. I think the concept was great and the dedication to each other was real but overall didn't quite do it for me.

I really enjoyed this romance centered on a long-term pair of pen pals who had been writing snarky letters to each other for years and then lost track of each other. Naomi suddenly receives a letter out of the blue from Luca, her “penemy.” She and her best friend try to track down where Luca now is while also getting to know the attractive and interesting upstairs neighbor in her apartment building.

The twist is not much of a surprise, but I still had a lot of fun reading her nasty, yet witty letters with Luca while enjoying her new romance with the hunky neighbor.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Hate Mail was an enjoyable read with friendship, dark humour, drama, romance and more. It was an entertaining read with a great way of bringing past and present together through the letters between Luca and Naomi spanning from fifth grade to the present day. There were some good laugh out loud letters, if you enjoy a bit of darker humour then you'll enjoy this book. Great character development and an element of mystery as Naomi sets out to find Luca and deliver the last word. Perfect for readers who enjoy lively banter, romance with some spice too.

The only time hate mail is enjoyed.
When her grade school penpal tracks weather woman Naomi and sends her hate mail to work, she embarks on a wild exploration to track down this long lost friend. Meanwhile, she's learning more about him than their letters ever told her. Told through flashbacks of their letters, stories told through friends, and the current timeline, this book was a great read.

#netgalley
#hatemail

Well, this is something definitely different, Naomi and Luca have been exchanging letters since the 5th grade - except they're more like poison pen letters, full of insults and digs at each other. Two years ago she stopped receiving letters from him and lost all contact with him until they suddenly start again, but with no return address.
The story is centred on Naomi's attempts to track Luca down with the help of her feisty friend Anne (who deserves her own story, but that's another book). In the meantime she meets Jake, who lives in the same apartment block, and starts up a friendship with him which turns into something more. I did enjoy the letters, which although snarky always ended up signed "Love" Naomi or Luca. In summary this is a light romantic comedy that I did enjoy - and ended up finishing at 3am as I wanted to know how it finished.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I loved the premise of the story. Pen pals falling in love? Yes please!
You will need to read Hate Mail to find out what happened between the pen pals.
The story is a mix of romance and funny moments.
A fun romcom to read on a lazy weekend.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

First off thank you to NetGalley and Donna Marchetti for the ARC of this book in exchange for this review.

This is a debut novel, and it's pretty good! There were moments that made me cry and had my swooning as well as some parts I didn't care for.

Naomi and Luca are pen pals from elementary school and from the start their letters to each other have always been mean. Like, real mean. But long after everyone else stops writing to their school pen pals, these two continue on for years and years.

I loved the way that the author gave us flashes back in time in Luca's POV and then the present POV is Naomi, up until the end.

I thought all the twists were really predictable, and I absolutely did not like the side character Anne at all. She was the worst. And she's not supposed to be the worst. In fact there is a little hint there may be a book with her and I can't imagine she'll be more likable by then. There are also some repetitive
moments and sometimes I didn't buy into the characters felt a certain way.

When two people write each other mean letters that span years they have a special kindredness and I loved how these two came together in different ways.

It's was also a little spicy which was definitely appreciated even though it felt very first-book-ish. Like maybe the author didn't want to be too graphic but it's sex, we welcome the graphic. Go big next time!

All in all it's a pretty solid and like I said there were still moments that made me swoon and feel all the wonderful things a romance should. I good debut!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Hate Mail' by Donna Marchetti.

'Hate Mail' is exactly what I needed right now, fun and quick to read. The whole plot is one out of a movie and I was absolutely hooked. I would definitely read another book by this author in the future.

Sometimes you know from the very first page that you are going to absolutely obsess over a book, and this was one of those. I devoured this book and laughed the entire time. It was hilarious, unique, and swoony. I am enamored with it. I figured out the mystery pretty early on, but I wasn’t 100% sure and I kept second guessing myself because of some of the details being revealed. I don’t want to give ANY details away but go read it! It’s so fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the arc!
Pub date: 3/14/24

(4.25☆)

The romantic comedy Hate Mail by Dona Marchetti centers on the relationship between weather reporter Naomi Light and aquatic veterinarian Luca Pichler.

Many of my bookstagram mutuals were raving about this book before I even read my arc, and they had every right to since I was the same way.

The only thing that really put a dampener on the book for me was figuring out the plot early on. Like it wasn't all that interesting once everything was revealed because it was the main point of the book and the relationship.

I really enjoyed the book and fell in love with both Luca and Naomi, despite having spoiled the story for myself. From their intense chemistry to the way they got to know one another was everything!

Overall, this was a really adorable and enjoyable book with an appealing plot and tropes!

*Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and to the author, Donna Marchetti, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*