Was this predictable? Yes, but was it also a fun way to spend a few hours? Absolutely. While I worked out the twist pretty early on, it doesn't detract from the enjoyable journey. This is a fun, easy read romcom that had me laughing. The Letters were entertaining and I loved the barbed flirting. You could really feel the chemistry. I would have loved to have more from Luca's POV though. I wasn't a massive fan of Anne as a friend but their trips were never dull. Perfect If you're looking for a cute romance with just a hint of spice as well as a lot of laughs and cute animals.

In this charming novel, Naomi and Luca kick off their journey as pen pals back in fifth grade, sparking years of playful banter between them. Donna Marchetti really nails it with the characters in this book. Naomi's humor is just spot on, although I wish we got to delve a bit deeper into her backstory. And Luca? Total sweetheart. I would've loved to get more of his perspective. The chemistry between them is undeniable. Honestly, a lot of the drama in this story could've been avoided if they just talked things out, but hey, where's the fun in that, right? Watching them fall for each other, all while Naomi's blissfully unaware of their past, is a real treat. And don't even get me started on the banter between Naomi and Anne – it's comedy gold! All in all, I absolutely adored this book and can't wait to read it again.

Naomi and Luca were so existing and I couldn't get enough, I couldn't breathe!
I absolutely devoured this. Everything about the debut rom com was completely captivating, I ate up every single word. This had me laughing, crying, sweating, feeling allll the feelings. Every one needs to pick this up on March 14th, you will not regret it!

What intrigued me about the book to begin with is the “penemies” theme - pen pal enemies - that was a source of humor in the story as well as a clever literary device to portray dual timelines beginning with their first letter in fifth grade. If you hate the dual timeline, you must read this story if only to see how it can be done so well.

As far as the actual plot, it is funny, sweet, a little spicy, romantic, and a real page turner. It’s also one where the less said about it, the better. Just let yourself be led through the story and enjoy where you wind up. I did enjoy it.

I received a copy of this book to read ahead of time but put off reading it. Don’t make the same mistake. Voluntary review.

First of all a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from the off. Blinked and I'd already read 30%. This book is such an easy read.

I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, the letters made me laugh and I enjoyed how the story unfolded. I saw a major plot point pretty early on, but I don't think that took away from the book. It did make me really uncomfortable though while Naomi was lying to Jake.

I can't say too much without spoiling things, but I would recommend giving it a read.

Naomi and Luca became pen pals through a class assignment in fifth grade. They’ve spent the year’s since continuing to write each other mean letters (aka hate mail). Fast forward to the present and after two years of radio silence, a letter makes it to Naomi at the tv station she works at.

Do these Penemies have the potential to be more than friends? I thought I had this book figured out right away, but there ended up being a twist I just didn’t expect. Had that not happened, I might not have enjoyed the book as much as I did. Definitely worth reading!

Hate Mail will be out on March 14th! Thanks @netgalley for the e-arc!

I have been in a slight reading slump for a while now, and Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti got me out of it. I absolutely adored this book!

I'd describe it as a light hearted romcom that will make you smile and your heart ache at the same time. Luca and Naomi are childhood penpals, more like prenemies; they send each other hate mail, hence the title. And the insults? They were actually cruel, some really surprised me. They grow up, and for two years, the letters stop. The story begins when the letters are back, but not in the way Naomi expects.

Loved the way everything gradually came together, and more of the mystery of Luca and plotline was uncovered. I had figured out the main mystery at the beginning but I had no clue how "the result" happened. It was very impressive how everything eventually made sense. The writing was brilliant. And the ending made my heart melt, it was perfect! I gave this book a 4.5, Luca's immaturity at the start and some of his later actions did bother me, but his character development was so good.

If you're into romcoms, I highly recommend this book, it's a gem of a novel. Thank you so much to Donna Marchetti, NetGallery, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for the ARC, my thoughts are my own.

I absolutely loved this book!

I started this while sitting in the airport. I intended to put it down until I got home tonight because reading on planes gives me vertigo. But by the time I boarded the plane , I couldn’t put it down and binged it during the whole flight.

I was laughing at the letters they wrote each other. The pettiness was too funny.
I loved the banter and personalities of all the main characters.
And I mean the chemistry between Jake and Naomi was hot 🥵
Luca’s story had me tearing up in public.

Again, really really enjoyed this book. Definitely recommend

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and of course Donna Marchetti for the opportunity to read the arc of Hate Mail in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I loved the ideology behind this book. I think the premise was so unique, and really enjoyable! It has the perfect amount of wit for a rom com! I was pulled in immediately by the chemistry that Luca and Naomi had. One thing I loved about this book, and characters specifically, was that not only did I love their storylines together, but their own separate lives were also really fun and intriguing to read about - which at least for me doesn’t happen often.

The writing was great, and the story flowed so well, at just the right pace. I’m excited to share this book recommendation with friends and will be purchasing on pub day!

Thanks again for the arc, it is always appreciated

Penemies-to-lovers is a thing I never knew I wanted until I read Hate Mail. When Naomi got paired up with Luca for a class pen-pal project, she thought she'd make a new friend. Instead, it started a sassy feud that lasted the next decade or two until the letters started bouncing back. Now, her pen pal has resurfaced, taunting her at her to find out his current location and finally meet. However, tracking down Luca means derailing her plans with her hot, nice neighbor and confronting the nature of why they exchanged mean letters for so long--and why neither has wanted to let go.

I love the premise. It's got undertones of You've Got Mail, which is a longtime favorite. It was hard for me to root for Luca because we mostly knew him from mean letters in the beginning. We do get chapters from his perspective, starting as a kid, whereas with Naomi we start in present day. Naomi's reaction to his first letter cracked me up. Young Naomi was feisty and fun! Current-day Naomi has her moments, but I think I didn't warm to her as much because her naivete sometimes came off as painfully, almost willfully stupid. I won't talk about plot points, but for example at one point she's talking to a guy who's a marine veterinarian and she asks him if that means he operates on cats underwater. Honey, no! She's a weathergirl! Surely, she took science classes and can put context clues together. Regardless, it was a fun premise and people who love barbed flirting will enjoy this romcom.

I received a copy of Hate Mail in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book. The concept of the story was so interested and it really had me interested at the beginning.. While I loved it, I felt like the execution was lacking. All the stacking felt weird to me, especially since this is a romcom. i truly hope it is not that easy to find someone’s address. The characters were all annoying to me except maybe Ben. Their reasoning for their actions was weird to me. The dialogue felt cringe to me at times. However, the letters had me actually laughing, they were my favorite part of this book.

A great story about two renemys . Luca and Naomi started writing letters since there where in fifth grade when they were choose pen pals at school . The letters are mostly vicious and caustic . They keep writing until two years ago and then he stoped writing back . Now suddenly at her work and her building she finds letters from him without his adress . She and her friend Anne start looking for him at the towns he used to live at the past years . But also there is her new neighbor Jack the veterinarian who works at the aquarium . What will happen when she finds out who Luca really is ?
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

This is one of the sweetest, emotional & romantic stories pulled together through the craziest letters between pen pals! The story is filled with funny letters based on insults thrown around by Naomi & Luca. This appears to be the wildest situation ever yet their crazy letters keep them connected. It might not appear like they could ever write complimentary letters yet eventually the reader can see the developed change in what is shared. Of course, the insults still remain.

The differences between Naomi & Luca are quite obvious yet their lives somehow merge together. There are moments that put a smile on the face. There are moments that make the heart beat a little faster. There are moments that overwhelm with emotion. And there are the kittens & deaf puppy - the smile brought on is so huge!

I had such fun reading the letters, seeing the interactions between Naomi & Luca and fitting all of the puzzle pieces together! The book is a must read!!!

This book had me hooked from the first page! I loved the mean letters that Luca and Naomi exchanged, they were hilarious!
And then when a new letter appeared from Luca, sending Naomi into turmoil I couldn't wait to see what happened next!
As she juggled her search for Luca with her dates with her hunky neighbour I couldn't decide who I was rooting for.
I loved the way it played out and the spicy scenes were perfect!

I chose this book as it seemed like an interesting story line that I have not read before. Here we have Naomi and Luca who have been pen pals since 5th grade, exchanging hate mail between each other. Then one day the letters stop, another two years pass by until a letter mysteriously shows up at Naomi's workplace without a return address. Determined not to let Luca have the last word she goes on the hunt to track Luca down. Overall an enjoyable story.

Thank you for letting me read and review this book on Netgalley.

I loved this book. It's nothing like what i usually read but i loved it and found the characters and chemistry between them amazing. I laughed so much throughout this book and it kept me hooked until the very end.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone who enjoys brilliant rom-coms and slow burn romances.

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.