Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

The cover, title and description drew me in and I was invested from page one.. ibenjoyed the letters between Naomi and Luca throughout the years and at times found them hysterical. It was great to see the world through their eyes as they grew and evolved through the years.

The plot was unique, the characters descriptive and I enjoyed thebread.

Recommend.

This book put a sour taste in my mouth and I don't know where to start. I should have listened better to the title because this was indeed Hate Mail. Our couple were childhood pen pals and exchanged despicable letters for a solid decade. From the first epistle, I was unimpressed. Many mean jabs were exchanged as an attempt at humor, even landing the hero in trouble after the heroine joked about a bomb threat at his military base. That is not funny on any planet and these two deserve each other for how deluded their messages were written. If it were me, I would have ripped up the first letter and never written back.

Mean letters aside, this book was a narrative mess. There was no logic and the character's actions left me baffled. The heroine is a weather girl and her job lets her jet set to the opposite end of the country multiple times on a hunch finding someone she's never met? Baby, she didn't even have a current address! My biggest annoyance was the inclusion of Jake. His name nor his status as a friendly neighbor was never mentioned in the synopsis. We were focused on finding Luca, yet Naomi spends all her free time canoodling with Jake. Naomi's coworker christened him Demonic Husky Eyes and that had me cringing into the next century. That's not cute nor is it a flattering nickname. Nearly every chapter had me grimacing in discomfort.

Hate Mail was overlong and the poorly concocted reveal could be seen a mile away. Shame on both these characters for not bothering with clarification as their relationship became more serious. These dumb bunnies deserve each other if they're not willing to communicate with their partner. I know I'm being harsh, but I wasted my time on a long book without a satisfying ending. So many narrative choices were aggravating and could have been easily resolved if the characters used their head for more than just a hat rack. To maintain some semblance of positivity, I loved the cover and it's what ultimately factored into me accepting this advanced copy. This was a fun concept and I would have enjoyed it more if these were actual love letters instead of just Hate Mail.

💌 Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti 💌
Thank you to the publisher for sharing an ARC copy of Hate Mail for me to read in exchange for an honest review!

I will start by saying, I love this book. It has absolutely everything I could ever want. The writing is funny, refreshing and so addictive. I bounded through this and loved every second of it. It’s a new favourite and absolutely without a doubt a 5 star book.

Naomi and Luca have been penpals since they were young, things have changed over the years and eventually the letters drop off into no contact. That’s until Naomi receives a letter at work, it’s definitely from Luca but… there’s no return address.

The premise alone had me dying to dive into this one and it did not disappoint. The connections and friendships between characters were believable and funny, the personalities were charming and the heartache leapt off the page in places.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book. If you love rom-coms with that feel good vibe this one is definitely for you. 🩷

I really enjoyed this one. It was cute, funny, and full of banter that made it fun to read. I appreciate the dual-perspectives of Naomi and Luca and how we get a full timeline of their "penemy" relationship. The letters were a little juvenile....but they're supposed to be. It made this read very light-hearted and fun. I would absolutely read this one again.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Whilst on the one hand I liked the premise and the story itself, on the other hand I found the story, in certain parts, repetitive.

Let's break it down.

Naomi and Luca won my heart. I wanted to hit Luca for hiding things from her and for not telling her the truth straight away, but on the other hand it would also take the fun out of the story. I really felt like I was in a retelling of You've got Mail, but instead of emails, it was letters!
Anne, on the other hand, was super annoying at certain points in the story, too insistent and wanting to change things for the better.

It was a good book overall, with a bit of spice 🌶️ and a very, very cute romance! I think the author has a lot to offer us.

Thanks to Harper Collins and One More Chapter for providing this copy for review.

Very quick rom-com read - I started and finished it in the same evening! It kept me engaged and entertained. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Fun, flirty and just a little silly, Hate Mail was such an enjoyable read. Frenemies to lovers, it follows Luca and Naomi, penpals since school whom despite sending each other totally mean snail-mail 🐌 fall head over heels for one another through letters. Their love story is totally cheesy and a tad predictable but it made for such an amusing and easy to devour romance. Snort-gigglingly funny, I had such a good time with this one! 💌💕

This book had me giggling at the very first chapter. Frenemies and penamies Luca amd Naomi are hilarious in fifth grade, writing awful things to each other trying to one up each other to see who can write the nastiest thing. And as children this is harmless fun!

What starts and verbal jousting and one up man ship soon turns into a friendship that spans 12 years, both a constant in each others lives. Till 2 years ago and the letters stopped.
Suddenly Naomi receives a letter at work and along with her bestie they start a mission to try track him down, determined that Luca wont have the last word this time.

What to expect:

🌸 Banter
🌸 Lots of animal love
🌸 Hilarious situations
🌸 Great romance
🌸 Fade to black scenes (minimal spice)

This romance was a breath of fresh air I loved the fresh new ideas. It was extremely easy to read and had me laughing throughout. I loved going on the ride with Naomi to track down her long lost pen pal rival Luca. Naomi was a loveable character and I was really rooting for her! She was fun, warm and kind. The writing is so easy to consume and this was an easy 4.5 stars for me!

4.5 stars
I love this book
Thank you One more chapter for gifting me this e-arc
I’ve never read something like this
I love it
Words can’t express how much I am in love with this book

In the current times of social media it's refreshing to read about letters sent between penpals. These "hateful" letters are compelling and funny and make for an enjoyable, entertaining read.

Having recently finished some (brilliant but dark), thrillers, I was looking forward to a lighthearted and 'fluffier' read. And 'Hate Mail', seemed like the perfect choice - a sweet, funny tale of childhood feuds and a search for love, makes a delightful romance.
Unfortunately however, this was not a story for me. Why? I could see how the story would pan out from the opening pages, and while this is not an issue if the reader continues to enjoy the journey, my frustration with the protoganist made this difficult. Naomi seemed to be just too naive - she has a fear of flying, which is fair enough for the reason proved very frustrating to me. I can't believe that a modern woman would make such an error.
Having said this, there are some very funny moments in the book that I did enjoy, in particular the scenes with Anne and their boss. Plus, there are animals! Cute puppies and kitten, so I must give credit for their inclusion as I love stories where animals are adopted.
As I said, not for me, but I can see this book being popular with less-cynical readers - especially with St. Valentine's day coming up!

3.75 ⭐️- I thought this book was so fun and cute! I loved the idea of pen pal enemies, and loved all the adventures Naomi was willing to go on to find Luca. The one thing I didn’t love was the main miscommunication plot line, however I thought the characters were adorable (especially the animals!!), and would recommend to anyone looking for a cute romcom read!

H Mail by D. Marchetti, published by Harper Collins UK / One More Chapter is the debut novel.
There is a bit of a build up, so don't give up, once you reached 40 percent you won't regret it.
Well written and intriguing a read that had me in knots sometimes.
Blurb:
Naomi and Luca have been pen-pals since fifth-grade. Well, more like bitter rivals caught in an epic battle of insults and verbal jousting...
But what starts as a hilarious chain of hate filled letters, slowly develops into a friendship spanning coasts and years. That is until one day, years later, when the letters suddenly stop.
It’s been two years since Naomi last heard from Luca. Two years since the letter that changed everything.
But when a new envelope turns up out of the blue at her desk at the local news station, Naomi is determined not to let Luca have the final word.

It’s a lovingly told love story with two flawed, but deeply fascinating characters at its center. No other book made me reread after I finished it. It quickly became my favorite book and it surprised me in such a good way that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully articulate.

Naomi and Luca have been pen-pals since school, although their correspondence is far from friendly with insults flying back and forth for years. A strange friendship develops but when Naomi doesn’t hear from Luca for a couple of years she starts to wonder what’s happened to him when suddenly a letter arrives out of the blue at her workplace.

I really liked all of the characters and it was an enjoyable book. It did drag out the obvious conclusion rather but a nice easy read.

Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this ARC

A romance book about two people writing mail, in this case, hate mail, to each other from childhood into adulthood sounds like a charming idea, and for most of the novel, it was.

I am a sucker for a book with mail, letters, or any other sort of communication. It adds dimension and depth to the characters and the story. In the book, the two main characters, Naomi and Luca, have been pen pals since fifth grade and have been sending each other letters ever since.

The letters were fun to read from the perspective of fifth graders; they were mean and juvenile, but they were still entertaining and charming, given their supposed age. The letters did become a bit tiring, and they "got old" as Naomi and Luca got older, but their letters stayed the same. The whole idea of the book was that their letters to each other were mean, and that was fun for a while, but some of the mean letters were simply vile and without charm.

Naomi and Luca's romance was predictable, even though a big part of the book was Naomi trying to put all the puzzle pieces together. Predictability does not always take away from the story, but it would have been fun to guess along with Naomi in this case.

I found Anne, Naomi's friend who had a prominent part in the book, to be insufferably maddening and pushy, which was a shame as I did not enjoy it whenever she was there.

The novel undoubtedly had its cute parts, and I enjoyed the general reading experience. However, it tended to become slightly repetitive at times, making it dull from time to time. Luckily, I found both Naomi and Luca to be likable, for the most part, and that made me want to continue to read their stories.

To sum up, the novel was a lighthearted and fun read, including the letters, which I enjoyed. This would be 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.

Naomi and Luca grew up on opposite sides of the country. In the 5th grade, they became pen pals for a school assignment and never stopped writing to each other, until 2 years ago, when the letters stopped.

But the letters weren't sweet or heartfelt, they were filled with hate and mean words, and they always tried to outdo each other in their insults. Slowly, over time, underneath all those jabs, a friendship developed.

Naomi works at the TV station as a weathergirl. And then she received a new letter at work, from Luca, but without his new address. She and her friend go on a whole adventure to find him, flying across the country, and finding more about his life along the way. At the same time, the cute neighbour asks her out and they start to date. There is this insane chemistry between them, but her heart is torn between two guys.

It's so so good! I couldn't put it down. It's funny, sweet and heartfelt all at the same time... and there are many steamy scenes too! :)

Highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this fresh take on the frenemies to lovers read. Naomi and Luca become penpals when they are in fifth grade and continue sending each other really peverse twisted letters until adulthood. Some of the letters were so mean yet very innocent that they made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed their dark sense of humour and in a strange way was it actually very sweet that they 'got' each other. I was really surprised that this book made me cry as I learnt more about the life that Luca was living behind his letters and how Naomi was the only constant in his life. This was a really romantic and spicy read that was a joyful and comforting read. I did see the twist coming a mile off much like Naomi's friend but that was part of the charm.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK - One More Chapter and Donna Marchetti for the chance to review this book in exchange for a fair review. I devoured this book in one sitting over a few hours. It wasn’t what I was expecting opening page one, but what an ingenious concept for a romance story!

A quirky premise for a romance story – evolving relationship dynamic through hate, friendship, and love via through banter of penpal letters that are essentially ill-wishing hate mail quips. The book delivers a juicy plot with all perfect enemy-to-lovers vibes and enjoyable storytelling through the pithy first dual-person narrative of Naomi and Luca.

You do start to guess where the plot is leading, but it doesn’t steal the thunder of the plot reveals when you get there. A good writer should be able to give you clues throughout the novel, yet still surprise you! The structure and presentation of the two timelines in this book are very cleverly integrated into the writing. No jarring flashbacks – extra kudos from me as it’s hard to do well in a book. Hate Mail seamlessly incorporates these into the story structure and keeps the pace of the plot pushing forward by using the dip into the past to reveal titbits of details about the mysterious Luca.

The letters content between Naomi and Luca had me in fits of giggle and raising eyebrows to mutter “Oh OMG” or a few other choice words. The title reflects the tone of the letters with punchy banter, hilarious insults, and dark quips as Naomi and Luca seek to get one up on each other with every letter. The letters are battle of wills - up to you to decide who gets the last word but I thought one character got a very clear one up in the end.

Characters crafting in this book are impressive, exposing some big personalities of characters who are down to earth, relatable, and likable (buckets of flaws and stupid moments making them feel very human). It’s not a huge cast of characters which means you don’t have to keep too many names in your head as you read. The side characters are memorable with personalities of their own adding camaraderie and putting their foot in it to cause chaos for Luca and Naomi.

A quirky, delightful debut book by an author who is going to be one to watch and who delivers a hilarious and entertaining read with a cast of loveable, relatable characters with a peppering of spice. Definitely will be looking out for more books by Donna Marchetti in the future!

“You are very hard to say no to.”“Do you want to say no to me?”“No. That’s the problem.”

I can't even begin to express how much I loved this book! I could clearly visualise every scene and it felt like I was watching a rom-com! I really loved the letters that Naomi & Luca sent each other even if they were really mean because it was entertaining to watch both of them fret over it lol! Initially, I thought this book is going to have a love triangle but then things started becoming clearer and I felt so elated! Luca was a secretive character and I loved how the build up about his identity was developed. It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat even when I had figured out where they story was heading. I feel like I should not give spoilers because it will deface the crux of the story. The constant moving from the present to past and getting to see all of Naomi & Luca's letters to each other and also getting to know about the circumstances they were in was so heartfelt and these two started growing on me. The slow burn was so good that I couldn't put the book down. Naomi & Luca's story was complicated but beautiful and there were some heart wrenching moments but the good ones made up for it. Whenever Luca & Naomi were on the page together, they never failed to make me smile and feel giddy with excitement! Also the ending was so sweet and adorable! I'm not gonna lie, there were some times where I felt frustrated with Naomi & Luca both but I guess the way they acted was in a way justified. Even when they were being childish, I found them to be very funny because these two goofs were just so in love, it was so noticeable lol and I knew that they'd somehow find a way back to each other because it was obvious that they were meant to be! Overall, this book stole my heart and I'm still not over it. The side characters especially Anne were great too and I can't wait to read more from the author because her writing style has really captured my attention!

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