I don’t know what to say without giving away the plot. But I loved reading this book, had me laughing till 3am to finish because I had to know how it ended.
We get Naomi’s POV in present day and Luca’s POV starts in fifth grade and progresses to present day. I’ll say that by 50% into the book you’ll be suspicious and figure out what Naomi is looking for. But the fun part is Naomi’s journey.
The pen pal letters are ridiculously cruel but in a joking manner, someone outside Naomi and Luca will definitely be disturbed with the content of these letters, see Ben and Anne.

When Naomi was ten years old her school had a class project to write a letter to a child in a different part of the country, Naomi receives a reply from Luca. As a typical ten year old boy, he's a reluctant correspondent, his letter to Naomi is unfriendly intending to put her off, but she takes up the challenge and her letter back to him is equally rude. Through the following years they continue trading insults, then Luca stops writing.

The book opens when Naomi receives a letter which sounded threatening but was from Luca. His two years of silence are broken but there was no address for a reply, Naomi is determined to find him - she always has to have the last word. Instead of simply telling her boyfriend Jake she intends to search for her pen pal, she was sneaky and kept her hunt secret, even using friend Anne as an excuse for her many trips away. Yet when Jake's past was revealed she threw a tantrum. So hypocritical. I didn't find the letters 'hilarious', only occasionally amusing, anyway two children exchanging spiteful insults wasn't that interesting and the offensive letters between adult Naomi and Luca seemed disturbing.

I had no empathy with the characters or found them annoying. Naomi was unnecessarily secretive (ok, she lied to Jake), her friend Anne was bossy and irritating, Luca mislead his fiancée Penny, and Jake seemed too good to be true - until he wasn't. The book's fine, just not for me.

eARC generously supplied by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book! It made me laugh (especially reading the letters), the characters were very likable and there was a little bit of spice.
Good book for some light romcom reading.


Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins UK & One More Chapter Books for providing me this ARC in exchange of an honest review

Naomi and Luca have been pen pals since the fifth grade, when one day the letters stopped. Years pass by until a letter mysteriously shows up at Naomi's workplace without a return address... 💌 

Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti introduces an entertaining spin to the adored pen pal romance trope by making our two main characters "penemies." Naomi and Luca bond in the form of hate mail, sending letters bursting with their witty, dark humor. Their letters were one of the best things about this novel, with their back-and-forth quips giving me some good chuckles. I adored this concept. That, along with the beautiful book cover art, drew me right into reading Hate Mail. There was also a playlist at the beginning of the book, which I thought was extremely cute.

The plot itself was very easily predictable, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your reading preference. I personally found it difficult to read through the characters' miscommunications and kept wishing that we had some more depth and connection to the characters. I was left with a few questions by the end of the book. What led Luca to go from being a mean kid and a player to a sweet, devoted gentleman? Was there no deeper reason for Luca to choose his career path? What was up with Joel giving Naomi and Jake sour looks while they passed by him? I can think of some possible answers to the questions I have, but it would have been pleasant to have some more specific insight on certain aspects of the novel.

Overall, Hate Mail is a hilarious, cheesy, and easy read with an amusing twist. Congratulations to Donna Marchetti for her debut novel! I recommend this book to anyone who loves a cute, predictable romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Donna Marchetti for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

☆ Childhood penpals
☆ Enemies to lovers
☆ He falls first

I really enjoyed this book. Luca and Naomi felt so perfect together and I loved the dual POV.
Getting to read the letters they wrote spanning almost 20 years was great and made me fall in love with them so fast.

I didn’t like Anne at all and got very bad vibes from her immediately. She’s very pushy and just doesn’t seem like a good friend.
I also didn’t really like the ending. It felt kind of rushed and I wish we got more in the epilogue.

Overall though, it was a very fun and flirty read.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved this!

Right from the off, the pen pal with a twist scenario was so good - I loved the snarky banter that developed in their hate mail over their long years of correspondence the frenemies dynamic was just *chefs kiss*

This book fully exceeded my expectations - one of those where you go in thinking you know what you’re going to get and it’ll be a solid like, but actually I had a really great time reading this one! Highly recommend.

In the fifth grade, each kid in Naomi's class has been assigned to write a letter to a student from another state. Her penpal turns out to be Luca, who's just an asshole child. They continue this back and forth of throwing (sometimes very mean) insults at each other, with a hint of flirting, all the way into their adulthood. Now, Naomi hasn't heard back from Luca for two years, until one day when she finally receives a letter at her job. Unfortunately, Luca purposely doesn't provide a returning address. In desperate attempts to have the last word, Naomi is on a mission to find a way to get back to her penpal.

I'm not really sure how to review it in a way that doesn't give too much away, since in the blurb one of the main plotpoints in the story isn't even mentioned.

"Hate Mail" was definitely a fun read. It's light and silly, which is all you really need from a romcom. It's a great premise. In a sea of anonymous penpals trope, you get character who have each other's government names and full addresses. They're also not flirting, but rather kinda bullying each other. It's a breath of fresh air. Oh and I adored the fostered pets!

On the other hand, Naomi and Luca were both pretty childish. You are in your twenties, there's no reason to talk to each other the way you were when you were kids. Also, both characters did things that were questionable, with Luca being more at fault, which is why I had to lower one star.
-
I highly recommend it to ages 18-22 especially, but anyone can read it, really. Characters are immature but there's also spice so be mindful of that.

Good lord this was such a breath of fresh air!! I was smiling, I was giggling, I was swooning… the ENTIRE TIME!!!

This book is sweet and silly and absolutely everything that is good in the world. With characters that you immediately fall for, flaws and all, and a super fun and engaging story that had me flipping pages welllllll past my bedtime.

We follow Naomi and Luca as they start out as reluctant pen pals back in grade school… they continue writing these hilarious hate mail letters to one another through the years, with this just purely adorable banter throughout.

They stopped suddenly though, and now Naomi is living her best life, working as a weather girl and loved by many. Suddenly, the letters start up again. She and her friend decide to track Luca down, since the two have NEVER met face to face. She doesn’t even know what he looks like. It’s bittersweet though… just as she is finding joy in the ridiculous letters back and forth with Luca, a new man enters her life… and her apartment building… Will things be able to work out with her new neighbor while she is still thinking about Luca? Does he even stand a chance?

This book is sweet, sweet sugary goodness. There is a touch of steam - which I found was the perfect amount. The writing is fantastic, and characters are so freaking fun. This was just all around a good time!

What a MARVELOUS debut! Between the characters ridiculous banter and the letters, this book had me laughing from start to finish.

The dual POV worked so well in the authors favor here. Being in the characters head and getting a past and present view through penpal letters was unique on its own. With such addictive writing, I found it easy to get lost in the pages and ultimately finishing the book within a few hours without realizing how much time had flown by.

Naomi and Luca were just so pure, and reminded me of my own kids as far as what and how they wrote to each other. I may have caught the twist early which, as a result, also told me how it would end. It didn’t take any enjoyment away as I kept reading the chaotic, messy goings on.

Overall, a great debut rom-com that’ll stay on your mind for hours, if not days, after finishing.

Thank you to Donna Marchetti, HarperCollins UK, and Netgalley for the eARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

OH MY GOD. HOW IS THIS ONLY A DEBUT? The romance genre is seriously revived for me. I haven't read such a fun book or felt this giddy about a romance since The Kiss Quotient, and that was YEARS ago. With the oversaturation and increased popularity in the romance genre over the last few years, while it's been fun to explore all the new titles and read a wide variety of titles, nothing has given me quite the amount of serotonin or rush in a long while. I was starting to feel stale...and then I read Hate Mail.

This shit actually made me laugh aloud and I do not remember the last time that happened. The dual POV is actually insanely good. The letters are incredibly funny and I don't know if this is embarrassing to admit, but right up my alley of just slightly inappropriate humor. Fucking hilarious. Donna Marchetti captures the voices of shitty, snarky little 5th graders who grow into adults who have known each other for years without truly ever meeting. I liked how she used Luca's POV as a jump back in time, and Naomi's was the present day search.

While there's a LOT to like, some of the plot at the later half of the book was not doing it for me. The conflict at the end was obvious, and I was wondering how they would resolve it without everything blowing up; the ending for me was a little rushed but, overall, the book was a great deal of fun and an awesome read.

I LOVED this book! It is so fresh and creative and I was hooked for the entire ride! All the characters were crafted perfectly and I loved seeing their purposes unfold throughout the novel. The dual perspectives between Naomi and Luca were really well balanced along with incorporating the current and past letters. I had no idea what was going to happen between Jake and Naomi or Luca and Naomi but the ending left me absolutely satisfied. I didn’t want to put this book down and there isn’t a single thing I would change. The banter and “hate mail” were funny but I loved the seriousness and depth of the characters that was woven in so well. Absolute perfect of a romcom! 5⭐️, 2🌶

Hate Mail is a cute romance, I really enjoyed the pen pal side of things and the way the story was told across timelines. The writing is very addictive, I was sucked straight into the story and kept wanting to read more.

I do think the plot was predictable, I guessed the 'twist' very early on and I think the basis for it was a bit unbelievable.

That being said, I really enjoyed my time reading the book. I think the connection between Luca and Naomi is really well written - their banter is funny and their personalities shine. I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you for a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, it was good. A solid rom-com that ticked off all the boxes I needed for it to be an overall enjoyable read. However, nothing stood out to me in this book that really set it apart, and had me kicking, screaming and clamoring to scream about this book from my rooftop. I think it’s a solid read that a lot of people will enjoy when it comes out (not to long until that now!!)😊

Hail Mail is a romance novel where two people are made pen pals through their primary school years. The letters start with who can give the better insult to the other, and slowly form into a friendship between the pair. The pair keep in touch over the years, but lose touch when they move houses. Over the next two years, no letters are exchanged and the two of them move on with their lives. Until one day, a letter shows up at Naomi’s work at the news station from Luca with no return address. Luca teases her with the letters by purposely not putting his address on them, which drives Naomi to go on a search for him.

This book had me GIGGLING in the first chapter. Honestly, this story made me laugh so much. The letters that Naomi and Luca sent each other were just so pure and hilarious. The letters started in primary school and were honestly brutal! The one where Luca referenced Naomin to a whale on the beach made me lose it, I’m not even kidding. I thought the way the letters were written and how the two of them bounced off of each other was just great. Both of them used the letters as a sort of coping mechanism for when things were going on in their own private lives. They both never shared too much or what the real life situations that they were experiencing, but somehow they both got what they needed from sending the letter back and forth between them.

I also love Naomi and Anne's friendship. I feel that they are so suited and keep each other right, especially when they keep getting in trouble at work for chatting about their personal lives, feels like what me and my friends would be like if we worked together. Naomin needed someone like Anne to keep things real and for someone to be honest with her. JOEL. I KNEW IT. As soon as the chapters were developing, I had a sneaky feeling Joel was involved somehow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to you all! Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Hate Mail -
Penpals for atleast 2 decades
Fall for each other on paper
Boy falls first
Chaos
Cute, dysfunctional pets
Letter writing Pro Max

The story started off nice,it got very chaotic and messy in between ,more towards the end. I enjoyed the letters the lead pair wrote to each other. It is a fun read however the pace was all wobbly and messy in the middle, while they get to know each other as neighbours before realising they're already penpals was not that enjoyable and chaotic.

This is a 3.5 stars for me.

Luca and Naomi have written letters to each other since they were in 5th grade, well into their 20s but then one day the letters stop, now it’s been 2 years since Naomi’s gotten a letter from Luca when all of a sudden a letter from him appears at her work place. Naomi goes out to find Luca so she can write to him again - during this time she meets ‘Jake’ and things get complicated when she’s developing feelings for Jake but also looking for Luca.

This kept me giddy the entire time, between reading the letters and the adventures that Naomi and Anne go on, to the little dates that Naomi and Jake go on.

I don’t normally have a strong opinion on the characters, and it really does take a bit for a character to stand out and for me to be in love with them, or for my to have a really strong negative opinion on a character, but Anne, she annoyed me so much. Her insist need to know every single detail about everything going on between Naomi and Luca, and then getting upset when Naomi doesn’t update her ASAP. Anne was just a very whiney character to me and I did not enjoy her presence in the story.

I don’t know if I would necessarily classify this title under miscommunication, it was more of a lack of information rather than miscommunication. As well as with enemies-to-lovers, the characters weren’t ‘enemies’ per se - they just willingly chose to be mean to each other, but that was how they both treated their relationship with one another. I feel like this book is miscommunication-adjacent and enemies-to-lovers-adjacent.

I caught the twist really early on and just couldn’t wait for the reveal. I do wish we got more of what happens after the reveal when everything has finally settled into what it was built to be rather than an epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story!

I’m always a fan of pen pal romances, but this author put her own special twist on this trope and made it "hate mail"/ enemies to lovers.

Naomi and Luca became pen pals in elementary school and wrote back and forth for YEARS. They always had a special and unique relationship!

The plot twist was very predictable, but it was such a cute read that I just ate it up.

There were times I was frustrated with the FMC for her decisions about Luca - but it would have been a very short book if that weren’t the case!

Absolutely worth 5 stars!

Thank you Harper Collin’s UK and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A great concept but this fell short for me! In HATE MAIL by Donna Marchetti, we read about Naomi and Luca who have been pen pals since elementary school - but they send mean messages.

I struggled to connect with a lot of the characters and found myself skimming sections - it felt like there needed to be better connection between characters. I also struggled with Anne - she wasn't a great friend, and I felt she was a bit too pushy and judgmental.

I didn't like that Jake/Luca lied either - lying through omission is still lying buddy! I would have loved the romance between Jake and Naomi (a great neighbour romance) and Luca and Naomi (childhood enemies to lovers), but together it just didn't work for me.

Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC! Opinions are my own

#rochellereadsit

Naomi and Luca, ahhhh... I LOVED this book! Kept me guessing and I loved the different storyline with the letters going back and forth and the way their lives changed and intertwined. Would happily read a sequel to this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

Wow! This was such an interesting and fun romance! It’s so funny that they tease each other in their letters! I was not expecting to love it as much as I do! The story was so engaging and addicting! I just had to know what was going to happen next! Their relationship from Fifth grade until they were adults was amazing! I loved that we got to see them both grow up and become the people they wanted to be!

I highly recommend it!