*✩‧˚ 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!

Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

“Just say the word and I’m yours.”

I received this book early as an ARC in exchange for review, thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and Donna Marchetti for giving me access to the story.

This story nailed the banter and tension between the leads, Luca and Naomi, from the teasing hate mail to the subtle flirtation and attempts to take a leap of faith for one another. There’s not a whole lot of the plot I can comment on without it containing spoilers but a common theme throughout the book is the idea of lying by omission, and the idea of emotional cheating. Personally I wasn’t a fan of it and spent a lot of the book wishing the characters would just be honest with each other, because of this I also was not a big fan of the epilogue, I think that it didn’t add anything to the story and was pointless because the reader can already tell that they’ve got a happy ever after without it.
Despite that, I did enjoy the book and it was a nice quick romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this earc

This book was very cute.
Let’s start that we knew Luca and Jake were the same person. But I actually couldn’t wait to figure out how the author would connect the two. The reason you can read this book in one sitting is just to find out at what point the two timelines connect.

I liked that both Luca and Naomi did stupid things that made the whole situation even more messing. and I liked they kind of fell in love twice. first as Luca and Naomi. Than as Jake and Naomi. It was so amazing to see them having a connection even when the history wasn't there.

If you're look for a tale through time told in letters, this one is for you

I absolutely loved Hate Mail!

I loved the sass, the witty comments and the steam, the dual povs and ugh, just everything about it was so good?!

The line between love and hate is indeed very thin.

Naomi and Luca were both fantastic protagonists, and I thought the way the story was done was so good!

I really struggled to know how to rate this book. I started off really not enjoying it, then I kind of liked the middle part, then I got to the end and just felt a bit... meh. I'm really disappointed that I didn't love it because the cover is gorgeous, I love the title and the synopsis sounded right up my alley! I just couldn't get on board with the two love interests (even though I guessed the plot twist as soon as Jake asked Naomi out). I think I would've enjoyed both stories separately, which is why I'm giving this book 2.5 stars, but for me they just didn't work together. I thought the romance with Jake was a really sweet neighbour romance and the romance with Luca was a fun childhood-enemies-to-lovers storyline but having them alongside each other in the same book kind of put me off both of them. I also took issue with the amount of lying (by omission, but still) that Naomi and Jake did. I didn't find it believable that they would ride off into the sunset with each other after finding out about all the deception, even with the third-act breakup. All in all, this was a disappointing read for me. I thought it had potential but the deception, miscommunication and immaturity just took away most of my enjoyment.

Thank you to netgally for this arc, I enjoyed this book I love the concept and the writing style with dual POV and letters.
The character development was amazing too I enjoyed the grumpy sunshine and enemy to lovers. The plot was enjoyable and unexpected.

R E V I E W

Hate Mail

Advanced reader copy graciously provided by Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter via Netgalley

☆☆☆.5

The minute I realised that Hate Mail was an epistolary story, a tale of two reticent pen pals whose letters span decades, from fifth grade to adulthood, I was keen to read it. Letter-based literature is definitely having its time in the sun right now with Rebecca Ross' Letters of Enchantment setting the trend and books like The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and A Letter to the Luminous Deep proving popular too.

Unlike the aforementioned books, where the letter writers' are seeking companionship or connection, main character Luca wants nothing of the sort. Forced into a correspondence through a school project, Luca sets out to dissuade his pen pal from ever writing to him again by being as cruel as a 10-year-old can be. Unbeknownst to him from her first letter, Naomi can give as good as she gets and refuses to let Luca have the final nasty word. And so begins their story, writing acerbic letters to one another over the years without ever really knowing who the other is or even what they look like. But as is to be expected, constant communication paves the way for a more meaningful connection between the two, hidden by acidic words and casual death threats. As they grow up and the world around them continues to change, the only constant for them both is the far-reaching letters they exchange. Until after 18 years, the letters stop and Naomi is left feeling bereft; missing something she never really knew she'd come to love. Then two years later, a new letter arrives and Naomi is determined not to let Luca have the last word again.

I enjoyed this book and the 'hate mail' aspect was a creative twist on the standard letter writing trope. It took me a while to get into the story and I didn't love the opening, whereby Naomi starts recalling the letters with friend Anne (in order to set us up for the story). This felt a little forced and I didn't feel like the friendship between Anne and Naomi was very authentic; it seemed to be a friendship included purely to provide Naomi with a companion to scour the country for Luca later on in the book.

I did enjoy the dual POV element and was pleased to learn more of Luca from his chapters since his hateful letters didn't endear you to him - as was intended. I guessed pretty quickly who Luca would ultimately be to Naomi but I feel anyone with any experience reading contemporary romance would anticipate this plot twist. The premise that she'd been dating someone without truly knowing their name (she may not have realised this, but Luca did) seemed a little odd and I didn't love the third-act break-up, feeling his explanation of the events that lead to that moment could have been better and the whole mess avoided if he'd only written her a letter - their main form of communication for so long. The end to this story also seemed a little rushed, with Luca's treasure hunt seeming hastily added for drama. But since I got my happy ending in the end, I won't hold it against the author. Overall, this was a nice, easy9 read, and I enjoyed it.

A romance novel where Naomi and Luca exchange hate mail from childhood to adulthood seemed charming initially.

As a fan of books involving communication like letters, I enjoyed the dimension it added to characters and the story. The letters, initially entertaining and charming from a fifth-grade perspective, became tiresome as Naomi and Luca aged. The book's central theme of mean-spirited letters lost its charm, with some becoming downright vile.

Despite a predictable romance and an irritating friend, Anne, the novel had enjoyable moments. It occasionally became repetitive, but likable characters, Naomi and Luca, kept me engaged. In summary, the novel provided a lighthearted and fun read, especially suitable for those seeking an enemies-to-lovers storyline.

Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins and One More Chapter, for providing me with an advanced reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Oh my god I love this book so much! I laughed and cried in the first 70 pages and the humour is dark but so good!

This book is about Naomi who as a child at school is given the pen pal of Luca. Although Luca doesn’t want a pen pal and have to write to someone so instead he writes something mean in a hope that will be the end of that. But Naomi writes back. And soon the two of them are writing each other cruel letters trying to one up each other for years. Until they stop… for two years.

That is until one morning at work a hate letter arrives and Naomi knows just who it is from.

I did kind of guess early on what was happening but that didn’t take away from anything because I was so excited to see it all play out! The teasing enemies to lover style story is unique and hilarious! I loved the characters instantly and felt all the emotions too. Honestly sped through the whole book and now struggling what to say as when I love a book so much I became speechless and full of gushing. I am gushing of this little book and it’s quirky romance, full of dark humour and teasing and surprises! With a sprinkling of spice.

3.5 ⭐️

From when I first saw the cover I knew this book would be right up my street, how cute is it!? 🥰

I really enjoyed the start of this book, although it’s sometimes rare to find them, I do really enjoy the penpal trope! And I found that it was done so well in Hate Mail! Reading this you wouldn’t be able to tell that this is the author’s debut book, it’s written really well and I felt like the plot was well thought out! I also really appreciate when there’s dual POV chapters, I find it really helpful getting to see both sides of the story in romance books!

I loved Naomi as a main character, she was someone I grew to really admire and I’m so happy she managed to get her happy ending!
I did guess the little plot twist quite early on, I’m not sure if it was intended that way or whether it was supposed to be a genuine surprise to readers but for me it wasn’t. I did find at times I didn’t understand why Naomi or Luca did what they did, there were a couple of times they were just a bit blunt with each other and I couldn’t figure out what was going on, maybe it’s just me though 😅

Overall I did really enjoy this and would recommend it to anyone reading this review! ☺️ For a debut, it really is a beautiful story that romance fans will swoon over!!

Huge thank you to One Chapter, Donna Marchetti and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this in exchange for my honest thoughts! ☺️

"Maybe I wanted to believe that we were only ever mean to each other."

I need to start this off by saying that I absolutely adored the premise and the overall ideas of the story. The characters were really fun to follow along with, the inclusion of the letters throughout was such a sweet addition to the story. I enjoyed that we got scenes with different characters and that they were included into the story instead of them just been neglected for the main characters relationships. I loved the snippets with other characters as I think it brought out funny moments and they were utilised really well for the set up of the story.

However, I personally felt that something was missing. Some parts of the story moved and flowed really well, but suddenly it became a bit jumpy and decisions and actions were being made without any build up or understanding. I found that the jumping around happened mainly towards the end of the story and it was just a shame - I think however it could be easily solved if there was just a few sentences or extra paragraphs between certain scenes that would make the story flow smoother.

But this doesn't take away from the writing that was clever and set up future events very well, a lot of the main plot was fleshed out very well I just wanted more overall cohesion.


Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Hate Mail” by Donna Marchetti:
First off the cover is gorgeous and immediately drew me in. I loved every second of this book.
I immediately fell in love with Naomi and Luca, from the first, hilarious encounter.
I laughed, and screamed, and maybe even cried a little. I was not expecting all the twist and turns in this book.
Donna did an incredible job creating such lovable characters that drew you in from the first page. (And adorable pets also)
This book had it all
* Enemies to lovers
* Dual pov
* Spice
* Comedy
* Plot twist
* Second chance
* Pen pals
Will definitely be a book I will be thinking about and keep coming back too in the future. I couldn’t ask for a better read.
I’m gonna rate this book 5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 2/5
🔥🔥
Thank you for the opportunity to read this incredible book!!🩷

Naomi is so excited to participate in a penpal initiative at her school. She writes an adorable letter only to receive back the most scathing hate mail...I mean brutal!! Not going to lie, I chuckled when he said her parents were involved in a incestual relationship 👀 Naomi & Luca continue their hateful correspondence for over a decade 🖊️ 📪

The story is a very interesting read with HER POVs set in the present time & HIS POVs retelling his story from their first letter in 5th grade. I enjoyed different timelines because it made the book interesting and paced well.

Romantic relationships 💌 in this story are more of a love triangle variety which I did not expect. While Naomi is trying to locate her childhood penemy Luca she is also heavily involved with her cute neighbor ‘Jake’ aka Husky Eyes. Most of the story centers around the relationship between Naomi and Jake 💕 I had some issues with their relationship with his ghosting and her emotionally cheating but it’s all grey area. The whole story is a San Francisco level fog!! I’m not even talking about the stalking on Naomi’s part 👀

Spice levels were equivalent of a single mild peppercorn 🌶️ not complaining! This is a cute contemporary romance that has a semi predictable storyline but still somehow keeps you guessing.


childhood frenemies
independent & career oriented fmc
vet mmc that fosters kittens 🐈‍⬛
female friendships!
third act breakup
pretty good groveling (3/5)
HEA


Thank you to NetGalley & publishers for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An adorable love story that had me laughing out loud multiple times, even made the mistake of reading it in class and laughing when the room was silent. Oops. Naiomi got under my skin a bit with how she treated Luca but again I’m not a fan of the miscommunications trope.

This story is absolutely precious. Love with a side of snark and sarcasm. The reader can definitely sen se where the story is headed between the leads, but there are enough twists, turns, big reveals to keep you guessing. It did feel like the end dragged a bit and that would really be my only feedback - I wish that was a little more polished. But overall, I super enjoyed this.

A sweet little book about childhood penpal forming a bond, a friendship, and growing up held together only by the letters they send. I can’t go too much into detail, but whilst a little predictable, this was an easy read that left me grinning multiple times. I can’t lie though, by the end, I was most invested in Bruno, our loveable puppy friend.

The main issue I had was the writing style tended towards more ya, which is fine, but the adult characters and content made it harder to connect with when I felt like they were teenagers

Pen Pals are supposed to send fun letters to each other right? What if your pen pal only ever sends you hate mail for years... until you both lose contact and now two years later suddenly he sends you a letter with no return address asking you if you can find him... will you try? Naomi and Luca have been pen pals since fifth-grade, they're not normal pen pals, they send each other letters that are filled with mean and slightly disturbing things, always trying to one up the other. They keep at these letters for years, from fifth grade to college, to graduation, to more.... and then suddenly the letters stop. It's been two years since Naomi last heard from Luca. Naomi is a weather girl now and when a mysterious letter comes to her at her station... signed by Luca with no return address asking her if she can find him, she can't resist trying to find him again. Things only get more complicated when the very hot neighbor in her building ask her out and she begins falling for him... yet she's also started writing to Luca again.... and the closer she gets to him the more she's going to figure out he is a lot closer than she could have ever imagined. This was the CUTEST book ever. I absolutely adored the hate mail pen pal relationship between Lua and Naomi, it was so cute and hilarious. As someone who loves writing letters to my own pen pals this was such a cute read and I adored it. The letters between Naomi and Luca were so funny and at the same time the way they both wanted to connect to each other throughout the years and fell for one another was so sweet. This is an absolute must read and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a really cute romance read!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was a enjoyable. Naomie and Luca were relatable and through each of their letters to each other you got to know them better as they grew (literally and emotionally). Lucas story was a litte heartbreaking in parts yl. I think he should have acted better in some aspects but was still hoping for a happy ending for him and Naomi. The mix of side characters was good, though best friend Annie did annoy me multiple times. 3 🌟

This was a cute book. I enjoyed the back and fort of the letters between Naomi and Luc. Some of them were so mean but there was also a thread of connection tying our two leads together which they obviously could not slake. Saw the twist quite early on and thought the truth should have come out sooner. Was not a fan of Anne, she was a little over the top. Overall enjoyed the book as (t made me giggle at various points and get a little emotional as well. 3🌟