I requested this because pen pals are a favorite trope, but this is better described as “pen enemies”.

As children, they write juvenile insults to one another, but for whatever reason, continue writing to each other. It would be one thing if it only felt juvenile when they were kids, but I fear they never grew out of it. They write for one another for twenty years until the letters start being returned to Naomi. Two years later, she receives a letter at her work.

This book was a mess. The writing wasn’t bad, but it’s a cluster of mistaken identity and miscommunication. The latter is my least favorite trope. It’s difficult to execute well, and this isn’t an exception. If a simple conversation is all it takes to resolve the main plot of a book, it’s not a good read for me.

The beginning was interesting enough to continue. The middle dragged, and the ending was sweet, but it couldn’t make up for my disappointment in the rest of the book.

Thank you, HarperCollins UK for the e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this book gives off major ‘you’ve got mail’ vibes.

they’ve been pen pals since fifth grade but have never met. the letters between them can only be classified as one thing. hate mail.

i loved the dual pov that allowed you to get a peak into luca’s side of things especially because the letters didn’t really dive into what was happening in their personal lives.

the concept for this book was out there and unique and i liked it. i will say that i clued into what the outcome of the letters was going to be and figured out who luca was at about the 20% mark so the majority of this book i was on the edge of my seat wondering when it was all going to fall apart.

although i enjoyed it i felt that there were times I lost interest in where the story was going and the pacing slowed but I would still recommend this book to anybody looking for a cute romance!

thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an e-arc!

"Hate Mail" is Donna Marchetti's debut novel, and has a very original premise with a twist at the end. In "Hate Mail", Naomi and Luca are elementary school pen pals. While at first they only write letters to each other at their teachers' requests, they soon start to rely on their letters to each other. Each letter is filled with sarcasm as they try to one-up each other with the cruelest jokes possible. Over the years, they keep in touch but never do meet. As they head off to college (for her) and the military (for him), they unfortunately lose touch. However, now a letter has shown up at Naomi's work years later, and she'll stop at nothing to find Luca again. But things get a little confusing when Naomi is also attracted to another man in her apartment building and they begin to date.

I thought this storyline was very unique, and I was rooting for Luca the whole time. I was surprised by the twist, but there are a few things about the ending I didn't really understand and I felt that it was a little rushed. Overall, it was an enjoyable book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Luca and Naomi’s pen pal situation makes you laugh from the beginning of this book.

As the story progresses, Naomi meets this cute guy in her apartment building and they get to know each other.. well, do they? That’s something you will have to find out yourself!

I knew one thing since she met the “elevator guy” - there was something fishy about him! And not just the fact that he worked at an Aquarium as a vet! 😂

This is a sweet, heartbreaking romance and you will not be able to stop reading. It also makes you guessing and kicking your legs 😂

If you want your heart broken and then patched up again, this book is for you! Also some scenes are quite spicy! I would say 2🌶️/5🌶️

Thank you HarperCollins and OneMoreChapter for letting me read this as an ARC reader!

OMG this book was a cannot put down book. I devoured it in one day. I loved the quick wit of the letters back and forth. The book had me hoping Naomi would find her Luca.

10/10 need to find myself a pen pal

Thank you NetGalley, Donna Marchetti, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for the ARC

Pub date march 14 2024

DNF at 40%

I really thought I would enjoy this because the cover was cute, but I just couldn't get behind the characters. I hated the love triangle that the synopsis didn't warn of. And as for the rest of it, I'm just not motivated to pick up Hate Mail again. Maybe at some point in the future, but not today.

This is one of my favorite romance tropes, and it did not disappoint! I could not put it down, I was way too anxious about how everything was going to be discovered. So fun to follow along the ride and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the early ARC of this book.
This book was so fun. Within the first 15 pages, I was laughing out loud. The banter between the two main characters is hilarious. Naomi and Luca are 5th grade pen pals. Naomi is assigned Luca and writes him a nice, gentle letter as most 5th graders would. Luca has a less than enthusiastic response. This catapults a series of mean letters being sent back and forth over the course of 20 years. One trying to top the other. What starts out as an enemy situation eventually becomes one of comfort.
Luca finds stability in writing Naomi. Naomi finds an unlikely friendship that she longs for when she thinks she may have lost it.
This book is surprisingly sexy with pent up tension. I loved that the characters had out of the norm careers. Although this book was predictable, it was a very enjoyable read. The conflict at the end goes back and forth for a bit too long and the MMC makes some questionable choices along the way. I would highly recommend for fans of love letters.

Thank you so much to One More Chapter and NetGalley, who provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hate Mail is a charming romance about childhood pen pals who grew up trying to one-up each other by writing the most mean letters they could think of while sharing glimses of their own lives. Two years after radio silence from Luca, Naomi gets a letter at work from a familiar 'frememy.' The story progresses as Naomi tries to track down Luca as he leaves her more and more letters while simultaneously getting to know her new neighbor Jake. Jake is attractive, kind, and he has instant chemistry with Naomi. However, as Naomi's feelings develop for him, she feels conflicted over her growing thoughts and attraction towards Luca.

The story was pretty predictable, but I won't hold it against the author because I think it was meant to be one of those 'everyone here knows how this will end except the MC' situations. And it really was a super fun and engaging story. I read it really quickly, and the only gripe I had was that the last quarter of the book dragged on just a bit too long. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will absolutely be checking out this author's other work!

Note: I got this as an ARC on NetGalley and won't be publishing my review to Goodreads, rather providing feedback directly to NetGalley since Marchetti is a debut author and I don't want to add a rather negative review for someone new in it.

I did not like this book and was unable to finish it. It was just a mess all around. First off, everything starts way too quickly. I thought the first chapter was great, but then it started to dissolve. I didn't like how our FMC was narrating it to her best friend (who started as a coworker and then a chapter later was her BFF), it felt very much tell not show. And then everything with Jake?? We don't get any backstory about him being cute or her having a crush on him, he just all of a sudden appears and asks her on coffee and he's her neighbor and then they're stuck in an elevator together? What?? It was too quick and too forced.

Also, not to be like there needs to be a turning point, but the characters are just so mean for so long. I was expecting them to start off mean because they were literal children and as they aged get closer and be kinder, but it was just too mean at too old of an age, especially with some of the inappropriateness of it. At some point you just have to grow up and it goes from funny insulting to just rude.

Arc review
Luca and Naomi
Pen pal to enemy penemy
Secret identity
Neighbors
In fifth grade Luca and Naomi class started a pen pal sending mail (not email) and it start innocent enough for Naomi until she received one from Luca and he was mean it when back to forth Naomi was also mean until highschool where getting less mail and then after highschool on and off when Luca got engage which he didn't propose at all his girlfriend bought a ring with his CC and then started the wedding planning. Luca was having doubt to go along with the wedding until he wrote a letter to Naomi and ask if he should marry which she never response back and everytime he would write he never received anything until his fiancé Penny confronted him about the letters she was hiding the letter Naomi send back with a response. Which ended is relationship.
Naomi got a letter at her job and when she realize it came from Luca and it start her journey to finding out who is Luca so she does to San Diego to Georgia and Dallas. Which she found information but also dead end. While looking for one guy she was dating another and keeping all this. Secret from him. She eventually find out who is Luca.
I really love this book I love there banter it's hilarious. It's a slow burn but very enjoyable.

This is one of those books that I wasn't sure if I'd love or hate and, thankfully, I absolutely loved it.

I figured out the "big twist" quite early on but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of this story. I really like the way the relationships were written between all of the characters and the inclusion of the letters between Luca and Naomi was incredible.

Even the side characters were well formed and wonderfully written and I read this book straight through in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down! I'm looking forward to reading more work by this author!

I cannot reccomend this book enough, you need to read this. it's the story of Naomi and Luca who have been panpals since they were 10. The kind of letters they shared were not the usual letter a ten-year-old would write. As they grow old these letters become easily one of the most important thing in both Naomi and Luca's lives. That is until these letters abruptly stop. It's been two years, when Naomi receives one at work, without the sender's address. Determined not to let Luca have the final word, she decides to embark on a mission to find him, alongside her friend Anne. Will she find him?

First and foremost, I can't believe this is a debut novel. It hooks you up from the very beginning with the letter Luca sends Naomi, and you can't get enough of them. Of Naomi and her friendship with Anne, her pen-friendship with Luca - that you get to read about throughout most of the book - and her budding romance with Jake, a vet who lives on the upstairs apartment from hers.

This book has everything, friends to lovers, dual pov, the slow burn romance, the dark humor these two had from a very young age. I laughed and I cried a bit as well. But the thing that hooked me up the most was this incredible unique plot, that I think I've never read before, it kinda gives You've Got Mail vibes, with all those letters shared.


To sum up, the novel was a lighthearted and fun read. A perfect choice if you are looking for a fun sort of enemies-to-lovers novel.

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.

4.8 ⭐️
What a sweet and heartwarming story 💕

So many things I identify with: childhood penpal, history of being stuck in elevators, carrying everything in one trip, child of divorce, loss, otters 🦦 and of course, sarcasm 🫶🏼

📫 Banter between childhood penpals in letters originated as a means for emotional support and evolved into a sarcastic flirt.

🛩️ After losing touch, Naomi (aka: Gnome) goes on a journey to find her long-lost penemy, unraveling a heart-felt story that lay hidden between the lines of letters. But just as she’s getting closer to re-connecting with him, things start heating up with her neighbor who had been pursuing her.

💕 This was a super cozy quick read for me. There’s not a lot of distraction to get lost in, and I found myself smiling and giggling (in public!) while reading.

“As fun as that sounds, I should probably go home. I promised the kittens I would take them bowling.”

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and Donna Marchetti for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This couple is so stinking cute but also so normal. The love was built over the years so you saw how they became friends and were able to fully move into the romantic side of things easily. I did like the twist but it could be a little predictable just because of the book cover. The side characters were a great addition and were really fun to read. I love the pen pal aspect. The plot was fun and was written at a good pace. I liked the format of this story and how effortlessly it flowed from flashbacks to the present. The spice was ok. The writing of it was a little awkward tho. I would have loved Luca to be more honest in his letters when he was younger. I also would have loved their letters to be more positive to each other instead of all of them being mean or sarcastic. Overall this was a really fun and enjoyable story

While the main plot was semi predictable I enjoyed this book so much. Cute story and lovable characters. I really liked how it was a dual timeline. It added depth vs just reading the letters by themselves. I like spice so I think it could have been spicer but I still enjoyed it.

3 stars!!

This book was really cute! It was a easy and quick read!
This book is about Luca and Naomi who have been pen pals since fifth grade! Luca and Naomi end up losing contact for two years until luca finds Naomi and starts sending her letters again!
I thought this book was good but I had the problem of guessing the whole plot in the first 10 percent of the book, And since i guessed the whole plot i was a little bored! But other then that this was a cute book!


Thank you Netgally and One more chapter for the eARC for this book for my honest review

I just loved this book. It's very You've Got Mail, but with a bit of a more serious tone. Beware: the letters can be cruel at times, but there are good reasons behind that.

I love stories in which the people fall in love through contact of letters, phones, email, etc... without actually seeing each other. Typically, those types of communications show the main characters reading the BEST of what the sender has to offer personality-wise and oh, they are just so in love.

HATE MAIL was different because the two started off as pen pals for a school project. One didn't want to do the assignment and his disgust for writing to his pen pal carried on for two decades. Or was he really disgusted?

You have to read it to find out! I've been in a huge book slump and this helped get me out of that funk.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for an e-copy of HATE MAIL to review.

I rate HATE MAIL five out of five stars.

Naomi and Luca have been penpals, or enemies, since the 5th grade and continued to write mean letters to each other up until 2 years ago when Naomi never received a reply to her last letter. Now living in Miami as a meterologist she never expects to here from Luca again. Thrn a mean letter shows up at the station where Naomi works - and a challenge. Can she find Luca after all tie time, or let him have the last word?

I really liked the concept of this. Two people who've never met face to face, yet they've known each other the longest time. They know so little about each other, yet have also been at every major life stage so far. There's a lot of plot to run with, and I think the story overall does a pretty good job at spinning an interesting idea into a tangible plot. I think it helps if you get the jist of what is going on, plot wise, before Naomi does too as it makes the addition of Jake that bit more understandable to a story that's suppose to be about Naomi and Luca. If you have no idea what is very heavily implied from the get go, then I could understand why you might wonder why this random neighbour features so heavily in the plot. I also liked the dynamic between Anne and Naomi, especially in scenes involving their office boss who kept walking in to their inappropriate work conversations and getting flustered.

What I wasn't really a fan of was the weekend trips portion of the plot, scouting out Luca's old addresses. It's made clear very early on that Luca obviously knows more than he's letting on, and gives hints to Naomi that he's open to revealing where he is. There was no need for the cross country road trip that added nothing to the plot, as all the information Naomi and Anne receive could be found within the letters. This point is further provided when the trips are swiftly dropped part way through the story, and overall I found thr writing style to be a bit childish, making the sex scenes feel that little bit cringy - especially at the beginning.

Overall I found this to be an interesting and clever romance that combines the tropes of childhood friends and enemies to lovers to create a slow burn, yearnful filled story but it definitely could have done without the road trip element and, for me personally, better written sex scenes.

Thank you to HarperCollins, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Hate Mail is a hilarious childhood rivals to lovers romcom, Naomi and Luca battle each other out since elementary school via pen pal letters, coming up with the most random and hurtful insults toward each other. This exchange of letters lasts for several years until they are brought to an abrupt end.

And just when our FMC Naomi is about to move one she gets a surprise letter from Lucas, and so begins her quest to find him!

Luca and Naomi have an interesting dynamic and one that I surprisingly enjoyed! Their romance begins way deep in the rocks and blooms as it continues. The letters in their early elementary school days definitely had me cracking up given how silly and flat out MEAN they were.

The book is written in a dual pov featuring the letters and the timelines in which they were written in, I actually was able to enjoy the jump in timelines given how entertaining each timeline and the letter alongside with it was!

If you want a book with the perfect early 2000's vibes alongside some great humor and adorable romance this is definitely the book for you!

This book would have gotten a higher rating but I wasn't entirely a fan of how the conflict was resolved but it was pretty cute!

The pets in this book get a highlight of their own because they were simply adorable! I will always be a fan of pets in books <3333