It wasn't catching my attention enough to finish. I really wanted to love it but maybe another time.

Thank you for this arc!

This book completely captivated me from start to finish! I found myself fully immersed in every scene, as if I were watching a romantic comedy unfold before my eyes.

One of the aspects I enjoyed the most were the exchanges of letters between Naomi and Luca, even when their contents were teasing or downright mean. It was oddly entertaining to observe their reactions to each other's words!

Luca's mysterious personality fascinated me, and I truly relished the gradual unveiling of his secrets. It kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat, even when I thought I had the story all figured out.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, as they would detract from the essence of the story. The seamless transitions between past and present, as well as the heartfelt exchanges between Naomi and Luca, deeply touched me and brought these characters closer to my heart. The slow development was masterfully executed and made it impossible for me to put the book down.

Despite its complexity, the story of Naomi and Luca was undeniably beautiful, with poignant moments balanced by uplifting ones. Whenever Naomi and Luca were together on the page, they never failed to bring a smile to my face and fill me with excitement!

Even Luke proved to be a pleasant and captivating character, adding to the richness of the story.

While there were moments of frustration with both characters, their actions ultimately felt justified in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, this book completely blew me away, and I can't stop thinking about it. The supporting characters, especially Anne, were also wonderful additions to the story, and I eagerly anticipate more from the author, as her writing style has truly fascinated me!

Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins UK For Providing me the e-Review Copy.

i enjoyed a very large part of this book, i think i was just a little let down by the ending.

to start, i loved the characters! i thought they were genuinely such vibrant and well-written people. i was worried that the concept of an enemy-pen-pal was going to seem a little unrealistic, but the author actually pulled it off very well! their relationship was believable and you could see how writing these letters followed them throughout their whole life.

i think this kind of premise will always be a little hard to write without it being unrewarding, so as much as i wanted to love this book, i left it feeling a little unsatisfied.

the first part of the book was a little hard to get into, because we were introduced to two love interested–her hot neighbor and pen-pal guy from when she was young. immediately, you assume these are the same person (because you know your tropes), but then the author starts setting up clear differences between the two. hot neighbor has a family, pen pal guy lost his. and because of that, you assume that, instead of being the same person, the main character will have to, in some way, pick between these two people at the end. but then! the big reveal! they are the same guy after all. and why do they have different names? luca was accidentally wearing the wrong badge once and then just let our main character assume he had a different name for the entirety of the book.

thing is, i absolutely loved the writing and the characters and the sense of adventure, but i think there really was no way to do the romance justice under this premise. because either the author leaves hints that these two people are the same person–in which case 70% of the book is the reader waiting for the main character to figure it out–or you make it clear they are different people and then surprise the reader in the end–in which case the reader spends the majority of the book prejudiced against the hot neighbor because he’s not pen pal guy, until suddenly he is.

now i will say, the epilogue was absolutely adorable–and i love the idea of them continuing the letter writing as a kind of love-language after they’ve met in person.

overall, entertaining read that was just let down a little by the ending!

This was an absolute love for me. I love when letters are incorporated into a book and the 5th grade pen pals story line was my cup of tea. Then the letters turned into hate mail, and I was so in love. I actually read the 1st letters they wrote out loud at the dining room table to my family because they were so outrageous. We were all laughing so hard at them.
I think it was pretty apparent that "Jake" was Luca and I kept waiting for shoe to fall when she found out. It was so clear in certain scenes and it slowly gets more and more obvious and I just kept waiting for it to come out. I am never a big miscommunication fan, but this actually worked for me. It felt like the whole situation was just so over-the-top with them living in the same building and it was total fate bringing them together that the not knowing his real name and her not telling him about the letters actually seemed reasonable.
I loved that he is marine vet, and he has skateboarding riding kittens and deaf dogs. (i have to tell you I kept thinking of Adam Sandler in 50 first Dates when he brought her to the zoo). I kind of love that he was in love with her from high school on and he was too nervous to talk to her when her first saw her when he moved it. I love that he rekindled their pen pal relationship to start the book off.
This was just a great deal of fun full of witty banter, cute animals, hilarious over the top situations that you just have to laugh out loud.
Highly recommend to anyone that loves a good rom com, Epistolary novels, great banter that has enemies to lover vibes.

I

I’ll be honest this story wasn’t for me. Much of the story is based on the past and i felt it was too instalove for me. I didn’t see the real chemistry so the story felt fast and cliché but i feel any hopeless romantic might love it.

Absolutely Enchanting! 🌟

I fell head over heels in love with this book from the very first page, and I couldn't put it down until I reached the end four days later. Hate Mail whisked me back to my school days, evoking memories of failed pen pal attempts, yet this story unfolded into a delightful romance filled with 2000s rom-com nostalgia.

The chemistry between Naomi and Luca was simply electric, and I adored how their relationship developed through small gestures and heartfelt moments, steering clear of gratuitous smut scenes. The balance between their past and present perspectives added depth to their characters, especially Luca, whose journey was poignantly shaped by Naomi's letters.

Naomi Light and Luca Pichler have earned a special place in my heart as my new favorite romance couple. 💌 I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone! As a fan of epistolary exchanges, the promise of hate mail piqued my interest instantly, and I was not disappointed. The banter-filled letters between the protagonists, coupled with their undeniable chemistry in person, made for a captivating read.

I particularly appreciated the dual POV narrative, with Naomi's perspective unfolding in the present while Luca's delved into their shared history since fifth grade. It was a clever approach that gradually pieced together their story. And let's not forget Jake, aka Husky Eyes, whose presence added another layer to the narrative, albeit with some morally ambiguous elements.

Without giving too much away, the story navigates themes of ghosting, stalking, and emotional infidelity, which left me feeling conflicted at times. However, the overall experience was filled with giggles and heart-fluttering moments that kept me glued to the pages. 📚

In essence, Hate Mail is a charming and irresistible tale that will have you laughing, swooning, and eagerly turning the pages until the very end. Don't miss out on this delightful read!

Thank you so much for the advance copy.

I liked the premise, but I did not like the execution of this novel. It actually bothered me how mean the letters were, and the longstanding miscommunication and lying were such a turn off. I almost think it is criminal to sleep with someone basically using a false identity. It wasn't romantic; it was uncomfortable and borderline psychotic.

I didn't feel a strong connection to our leads, especially Naomi. Even by the end of the book I felt like I hardly knew anything about her. The writing just didn't get me there.

Pen Pal is my fave trope. I’m always gonna love it. Reading other reviews who discuss a plot twist and I’m like ohhh I thought the reader knew that from the jump…

Cute and easy read. MMC should have come clean earlier and there were a couple plot holes /points that could have been worked out better or were incredible unrealistic.

Overall Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5


This book was a breath of fresh air! It made me laugh out loud and I loved how different it was from the norm of romances!
The twist at the end, I had an inkling that it was true.
Naomi and Lucas letters made me chuckle, especially how they kept the letters going for so long!

Spicy Rating
🌶️ out of 5

A little bit of spice that added to the plot and storyline. Not much to mention besides her saying the “wrong” name during one of the spicy scenes 🤣

this was such a fun story to read!!

i loved the concept of the story and i really got my invested in the book

i do have to say i guessed the plot, BUT honestly the little details kept me second guessing the whole time and it also kept me on my toes!!!

every time i was sure of my guess, something happend that threw me off; needless to say it kept me entertained until the end

the letters had me laughing!!!!! i loved the fact that the letters continued in the story
also being able to read the previous letters was so much fun and gave more insight in their relationship

such an entertaining book that i had much fun reading!

★★★.75

I love this book, I couldn’t put the book down. I loved the love/hate relationship and I loved the characters a beautiful romcom with a great ending. Love!

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I struggled to connect with the story/characters, but that aside it was an interesting take on a Pen Pal romance. The letters were brutal, the back and forth was interesting and it was a refreshing story overall. I will definitely pick up more books by Donna Marchetti in the future!

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for my ARC!

I'm not really sure how to rate this one . . . I really enjoyed the writing style. I loved the letters. I loved the FMC, and I thought the overall premise was really intriguing. But--and this is a big spoiler--I hated how it wasn't more obvious that Jake and Luca were the same person. It should've been obvious, it looks like it was obvious to other readers, but it wasn't to me. So she starts full on dating Jake, and the reader is along for the falling-in-love ride. With a dude who it is not made obvious is the MMC. We have a full, open door, all night long sex scene when FMC thinks she's sleeping with Jake.

I was not here for the dub con of it all.

In fact, I had to skip ahead to confirm that Jake and Luca were in fact the same person because I was getting really confused.

HE LIED TO HER by omission the entire time they were face to face.

Because of that, it was hard for me to get into the beginning of Jake and FMC's interactions because I kept waiting for Luca and FMC's interactions. And I get that it should've signaled that the amount of time being spent on Jake and FMC's relationship was for a reason, but y'all, I have been duped by that before and this is a debut author, so no, she did not get the benefit of that doubt.

And then at the end, because, I, the reader, also didn't really feel it was obvious that Jake and Luca were the same, I was really rooting for FMC to stick to her anger, even though as a Romance reader no I did not. She forgave him way too fast. She gave in to her hormones and her nostalgia, and again I say THIS MAN LIED TO HER THE ENTIRE TIME THEY WERE FACE TO FACE. Because he knew who she was and knew that she did not know who he really was.

So, 3 stars because 2 seems too harsh here. it was okay. I liked the author's style and would be interested in reading her again. Perhaps if this had been dual POV or had just something more to really hit the reader with JAKE IS LUCA LUCA IS JAKE, I would've really liked this novel.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s funny and lighthearted, the plot twists are interesting and I didn’t see them coming but they made so much sende and helped with uncovering the Luca mystery!

Hate Mail follows Naomi and Luca, who have been pen pals since 5th grade. Naomi has not received a letter from Luca in two years, and then all of a sudden she gets one, with no return address. Naomi and her friend Anne decide to track Luca down, going to different states even, to track down Naomi’s penemy. Naomi is also starting a romance with her hot neighbor, but these letters and Luca are also important.

I thought the letters that Naomi and Luca sent to eachother gave this book a lot of humor, it really showed that they were friend-enemies but with a pen - penemies. I kept laughing throughout the book, but there were moments that really made me feel emotional, such as the revelations about Luca’s family.

I also liked the fact that Naomi had nicknames for people, such as Caterpillar Kid, because that is something I had done in thr past and thought it made Naomi even more of a realistic character. Jake the neighbour was really swoon-worthy, a vet that works at an aquarium and fosters kitties and puppies? Love! Luca was super mysterious but also really funny, he really tried to win each round of letter writing throughout the years, despite all he went through.

I absolutely loved Hate Mail and I am giving it 5 stars, it’s such a great romcom and I would not object to this being made into a movie!

you had me at hate mail.

i really enjoyed this book and how it was written. i liked the snippets into childhood penemies and beyond, they had a 20year pen pal relationship but they were certainly a constant for each other. i liked the dual pov, reading the letters and I really liked Lucas character. Naomie was a great character but there is a part towards the end where she frustrates me, I'll leave it at that as i don't want to give anything away. I'm glad i read this book and was able to finish it in one sitting its a quick lighthearted read (does touch upon some tough topics) its witty and has a bit of steam.

I would recommend this book to my fellow romance readers especially if you love a bit of enemies to kinda friends and lovers. It has minimal angst. I did work out very quickly where, what and how this book was going to go but it didn't diminish the enjoyment. I've rated this one 3.5 stars overall.

This was a cute and easy read! I enjoyed the characters and their banter throughout the book. I think many people would enjoy this story.

Sadly this was a DNF for me. I was so excited about this one after reading the blurb and I felt it would be a perfect read for me. But I couldn’t stand Naomi, I felt she acted like a teen and was a terrible friend to Anne, who just wanted to help Naomi while she was constantly hiding some stuff from her.
You’ll find the “plot twist” in the first few chapters and that made me feel like I will waste my time reading the book.

A different spin on a typical love story. I loved this book and found all the mean letters they sent to one another quite hilarious!

The book touches on some difficult subjects but it's all done with wit and humour, so that reading about a difficult childhood doesn't feel like a chore.

I also enjoyed getting to know Luca through the eyes of his friends and even his ex(!), rather than everything being told in the first person.

All the characters are cute and likeable, I found caterpillar girl especially endearing :)

A cute p'enemies to lovers romcom that had me laughing out loud.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

A lovely romance for people looking for the perfect spring read!
Absolutely loved the characters, their relationship as well as the storyline. It has the the ideal vibe for this moment when the first sun rays shine outside, as it is fresh, fast-paced and packed with snappy dialogues and lines that will make you giggle.
Highly recommend!

I love to read a romance novel after I’ve read a heavy fantasy book and this one did not disappoint.
This was such a cute and cosy romance book which follows a young Naomi at school as she writes a penpal letter as part of an assignment, to an unknown person. That unknown person is a boy named Luca who definitely doesn’t want any part of being a penpal and writes back being mean in hopes of ending the exchange. Naomi ends up writing back with an equally scathing letter. It doesn’t take long before the pair continue to exchange similar letters throughout the years before they abruptly stop when Luca stops responding. Only for Naomi to receive her letter back after Luca has moved and not passed on her new information. I loved seeing how the pair developed through the letters without having meet in person.
When Naomi meets her handsome new neighbour more drama ensures, as she ends up torn.
I loved the dual POV of the characters as it gives us insight into both characters feelings and emotions.
This is such a light romance read and I definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.