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!

First, thank you SO much for this ARC! I absolutely loved this book so much. I cannot wait to purchase a hard copy. It was very much rom-com and enemies to lovers vibes. Also with the pen-pal romance! So unique and it was just so good. I wish the epilogue was longer, but overall I loved this. It was so cute and funny even though it was predictable when I was only 15% in. Reminded me of a easy rom-com film you would watch just for a good laugh.

This book was interesting. The concept was phenomenal, but I felt like it could have been worked on more. Parts of the story felt rushed. The plot twist towards the end was interesting, but before reaching that section the story was making little to no sense. The character Jake felt pointless and the plot twist left me feeling creeped out.

I struggled to connect with a lot of the characters as there wasn’t a detailed back story other than the pen pal friendship. I wished that it had been more of a chase and that she had been able to find Luca under different circumstances.

It was definitely a good concept but defo could have been fleshed out more. Especially with a better connection between the characters.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 - and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. What a cute, fun, and often emotional, read!!

*Full review in progress*

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc. The book was super cute and I found that i could not put down, it gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes and is great for anyone that loves that movie and wants more romance like that. I instantly fell in love with the characters and the banter that went along with their mail swap back and forth. The MFC forgiving the MMC was a little quick for me but the book as a whole was great. The MFC becomes pen pals with the MMC in grade school which last a lifetime of letters, and heartbreak, the two write to each other in their own way and instead of everyday conversation their letters they try to one up the other by being meaner and snarkier to each other. After not hearing from him for 2 years she randomly gets a letter from him but he doesn’t give a return address, so her an her friend go on trips to find his friends or anyone that knows him so that they can track him down so that she can send him return letters, but after multiple dead ends she find that he was closer than she originally thought.


🔹 He falls first
🔹 You’ve Got Mail Vibes

I gave this book five stars because it made me happy and also I will be sleeping on the highway tonight!! ✨

Naomi and Luca have been pen-pals since the fifth grade; a constant back and forth of threats, outlandish insults and bullying. But when the letters stop coming Naomi doesn’t think much of it until a year later one shows up at her office without a return address.

Now Naomi is determined to find out where the letters are coming from and confront Luca.

Omgomgomg. This book was laugh out loud hilarious. The letters were absolutely beautiful and left my jaw dropped at how insane some were.

Naomi was such a fun character to follow! She’s determined, funny and absolutely real. All of her insanity regarding finding Luca by traveling states away just for a chance of confronting him was just the absolute outlandish shenanigans I love to see in rom-coms like this!

I liked Luca! I wish we got more chapters in his POV because he seriously had such interesting history and family ties that it would’ve been really great to see more of that! Other than that, I think he also was hilarious. I think that’s what this comes down to, both of the main characters are just hilarious.

I would like to say that I guessed the ‘twist’ at the beginning and was super pleasantly surprised that I was correct!

Overall I 100% recommend this book! It was the perfect rom-com, amazing writing and enough tension to keep me entertained throughout!

Huge thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the E-Arc of this book!! 🥰✨

Ok, I love this book. This is the perfect book if you’re looking for a witty, fun and easy-read modern romance and i’m so excited for this to release in March so I can get a physical copy.

The story follows Naomi Light and Luca Pichler from childhood pen pals into adulthood and although the main storyline was predictable that doesn’t take away from the plot, in my opinion. There was many moments I found myself laughing out loud at some of the letters and at some points felt really connected to the characters. As soon as I finished it I immediately told one of my friends about it and recommended it because I know she loves contemporary romance, so if anyone else is reading this review - yes, I would 100% recommend you read this!

Thank you to Donna Marchetti and Harper Collins UK for giving me the chance to read this arc, I loved it!

Rating: 4.5 stars
First, thank you so very much to NetGalley for the digital advanced reading copy of Hate Mail in exchange for my feedback! I am beyond grateful to be given the opportunity to read this quirky, cute book. I was originally drawn to this book by the catchy title and adorable cover. Being a debut novel for its author, there is no prior work to go on whether I’ll like the writing style or not. All I can say is WOW! I laughed out loud the first few chapters while reading the initial pen-pal letters between Naomi and Luca. I devoured this book in 3 days (that’s fast for me!), and loved the two plot twists. If you love a classic frenemy to lovers story, this is it! Do yourself a favour and grab a copy! Enjoy!

Looking for a fun read? Then look no further! This cute frenemies-to-lovers mixed with hidden identity is just the funnily entertaining read that you need. It started as a school assignment in 5th grade to be pen pals, but took a decidedly wrong turn. Luca, being a 5th grade boy and in a bad mood, doesn't take the idea of having a girl for pen pal or really any pen pal well so he writes back a mean-spirited letter. Naomi doesn't just sit back and let it go, she writes back a mean letter of her own and the relationship is off and running. This continues through college and then stops. A few years later, Naomi receives another letter without a return address and the story is off and running. The characters are well developed and very likable with an interesting twist that involves assumptions and miscommunications. It's a fun read and I can definitely say that while this was my first book from this author, it won't be my last as her writing was fun to read and she crafts great witty banter!

Marchetti crafts a compelling narrative filled with tension and intrigue. The characters are well-developed, and the plot keeps you guessing until the very end. While some parts felt a bit predictable, overall, it's an engaging read that I would recommend to fans of mystery and suspense.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘜𝘒, 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

Naomi and Luca stole my heart. I l9ved this book. So cute and witty.. the line between love and hate is most definitely thin or grey. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this book.

Hate Mail is a feel-good rom-com about two elementary school pen-pals and their decades long string of hate letters to each other.

The banter is this book was amazing, I loved the characters (main and side) and the ending and epilogue felt perfect.

If you want a fun, light read with plenty of laughs, this is a good pick!

I love the idea of enemies sending letters to each other! The premise and concept of this book was really cool, and I think it was executed well. There was so much humor and so many heartfelt moments, and the romance was just so good. This was cute and fun and light, and not heavy at all. Naomi and Luca are so adorable together! This is a rom com that you will most definitely want to pick up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Donna Marchetti and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for the eARC of this book.

*✩‧˚ 𝟰 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 ੈ✩‧₊˚

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘜𝘒, 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

OK, I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover, 𝗦𝗢 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘! But it didn’t take me long to fall head over heels for this debut rom-com! Slow burn - tick! Frenemies-to-lovers - tick! Banter - tick! And 𝗢𝗠𝗚 𝗜 𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗨𝗣 that penpal element!

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝗼𝗺𝗶, 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁｡ 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰? - 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮｡”

This book had hooked from that first letter 😆 - Naomi and Luca have been penpals (penemies) since 5th grade and the letters they sent to one another were not what you would expect from your average ten year old. It was so much fun and I couldn’t get enough of their dark sense of humour and verbal sparring.

I really appreciated the dual POV in this one too and the way it was executed to give full emotional impact, as much as this was a rom-com, there were some seriously tender moments that had me swooning, or fighting back the lump in my throat!

An overall fun and heartfelt read I would truly recommend! I am a rom-com whore, so I did find this rather predictable and wasn’t that shocked by the big twist, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless and can’t wait for more from this author!

Hate mail

I loved this book so much and once I started it I couldn’t put it down!

The story between Naomi and Luca was fabulous and the characters alongside them were hilarious.

This book shows that there is a thin line between hate and love and sometimes they might slip between each other but love always wins!


I would love to thank NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to review this book early as it was just amazing!