Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review ✨

Naomi and Luca became pen-pals in fifth-grade, quickly becoming bitter rivals exchanging letters full of epic insults. While they were the last pen-pals standing from their classes and continued to exchange letters for years, the letters suddenly stop.

Naomi has been waiting for a letter from Luca for two years, and wonders whether she'll ever hear from her pen-pal nemesis again... until a letter turns up for her at work out of the blue with no return address. Refusing to let Luca get the last word, Naomi enlists the help of her friend to track Luca down.

I'm a sucker for stories with letters so I rushed to request this when I saw it. Definitely a fun read and worth picking up if you need a light-hearted rom-com!

I loved the premise of this story and the start was incredibly strong. Getting to read some of the letters was fun, it was a great way to get an insight into the characters' pasts and see how they ended up reconnecting. I did find it quite predictable (not always a bad thing, and I feel that readers are probably meant to work out the 'twist' anyway) so I had the puzzle pieced together much quicker than our fmc did. I really enjoyed Naomi's adventures to track Luca down (although I'd have preferred it if she left Anne at home, I wasn't a fan), again it was an interesting way to learn more about him.

I found the latter half of the book a little repetitive, and felt that the 'reveal' was a little clumsy and rushed when there had been so much building up to it.

The fmc and mmc were both likeable and I liked them together. I was a little frustrated by them towards the end but I think that's because I found all of it quite rushed anyway.

Definitely needed a read like this, had a good time and I think many readers will enjoy this.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the arc!

This novel's story has childhood pen pals Naomi and Luca evolve from witty adversaries to close friends despite years of silence that added a mysterious twist to their tale. The way their past and present intertwine through letters is brilliantly executed, making every chapter a delightful surprise. Naomi's down-to-earth character and Luca's emotionally rich backstory added depth, while the supporting cast, especially Anne, provided a heartwarming sense of camaraderie. The clever use of dual timelines was refreshing. With its blend of humor, romance, and unexpected twists, this book is a standout read that I couldn't put down.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this adorable book in exchange for an honest review!! I loooooooved this. I started reading and had to payse due to work but oh my gosh when I picked it back up I could not put it down!
Favorite parts:
enemies to lovers (i love this trope) and they have known each other for a while so it adds to the build up!!
cute cover/title

This book was great! This is my first time reading Donna’s books, and it won’t be my last! The cover is what drew me in. I love the pink and stunning artwork of the characters. Naomi and Luca’s relationship was fabulously written! Their journey from enemies to friends to lovers kept me entertained. From their witty banter, to the love that grew for each other in their hearts, I could not stop reading! 4⭐️ rating from me!

Naomi and Luca have been penpals since fifth grade, when they have competed to send the meanest letters to each other. They lose touch, until one day, as adults, Naomi receives a letter from Luca reigniting their feud... with no return address. This leads her, with assistance from her friend, to try tracking him down.
Wow, this book took me by surprise - I didn't expect to love it this much!
Following Naomi and Anne on their weekly road (or air) trips to the different destinations was so much fun, I loved their friendship and seeing what they would discover each time.

I loved slowly learning more about them both over the years through the letters, and seeing how their relationship evolved.
I thought I saw the twist coming but questioned myself multiple times until it all came out. 😂 There were definitely a few things at the end I wasn't too pleased with (spoilers - 1. Luca turning out to be who he was and essentially tricking her for so long, Naomi's conveniently being bad with names... 2. Just because of how Luca's mom treated his dad, DOES not excuse how he treated Luca!), but overall this was such a fun read, I'm so glad I picked it up.

Hate Mail is the debut of Donna Marchetti. Even before this book was published I heard so much good things about this book, making me really curious about this title. The simple pink cover is really appealing and fits the title really well. I was really curious about what the story would have in store. Will this debut be a succes? What twists await in this story?

"There's a fine line between love and hate."

"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."

From the first moment this book already had me hooked. The writing style is amazing right from the top. The fan mail Naomi recieves isn't friendly at all, but she knows who send it and she isn't going to let him have the final word. The only problem? There is no return adress. Together with her coworker Anne, who wants to know all the details about the whole situation.

"Dear Naomi, I hope you get struck by lightning and die in the middle of your next weather report. Wouldn't that be ironic? -L"

Even though Naomi is busy with finding Luca, she also is opening her love life to Jake, her neighbor upstairs. However, their dates are often canceled due to trips with Anne to find Luca. Even though the search doesn't seem to go as smooth as wanted, the attraction to Jake goes really well. Every moment with him is really nice, even though the incomming letters and Luca still are in Naomi's thoughts. Can she find Luca and have the final word? What will Jake think of this whole situation?

Donna Marchetti has an amazing writing style. The whole story is written smoothly and has some really great vibes. The letters between Luca and Naomi really add to the story, and even though they are bullying each other they also find peace in the letters. In addition, I really liked Anne's positivity and Jake's character as well.

This book could have been one of my rare 5 star reads, however I am sad to say it wasn't. I really feel like this is a 5 star read, but because I predicted the ending of the story in chapter 3 the story lacked the element of surprise for me. Therefore I am able to give this book no more than 4,5 stars, even though I still feel like it definetly is worthy of a 5 star read! I would highly recommend reading Hate Mail to everyone who is looking for an easy and adventerous read.

GENERAL INFO

Hate Mail- a standalone

Year Pub/Re Pub:3/14/24, Read 3/11/24

Book's cover: a pink cover lover, the reason I requested the ARC!

Format: eBook, 355 pgs.

Source: Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK for this ARC🩷 !  I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Setting:: starts in Oklahoma

Genre: Rom-Com, Adult Fic

Tropes: enemies to lovers, pen pal romance, military, dual POV

TW: death of parent, parental abandonment, stalker, grief

HEA/HFN ending: HEA

Epilogue Included: yes

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: In fifth grade Naomi and Luca are assigned pen pals. They end up sending each other hate letters- some funny, some very mean. There is a two year gap that Luca doesn't send any letters, but when he does, his address isn't on the letter for Naomi to write back. Naomi and her friend Anne decide to get the last word by tracking him down, even if it means going on a plane.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Flashbacks: yes, they go back and forth because they've exchanged letters for several years. They discuss what happened in their personal lives

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : not really

Amount of Sex In The Book: a few scenes between Naomi and Jake

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Naomi Light-works at a radio station as a meteorologist in Miami. Writes hate mail to Luca over several years. When she wants to meet him, the letters stop.

Anne-Naomi's bff/coworker and cheerleader for going to find Luca.

Luca Pichler-lived in CA. His parents divorced , Dad abandoned him after his eight grade graduation. In high school his mother diagnosed w/ cancer. He plans to join the military but his mom wants to make it through his high school graduation.

Jake DuBois- hot neighbor who just moved in. An aquatic veterinarian who works at the aquarium.

Joel-the security guard in Naomi's building. Abandoned Luca & moved away.

Ben Toole-Luca's BFF since fifth grade. Let's Luca live with him for six months after breaking up w/ Penny.

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

OW/OM/Exes: Naomi likes her neighbor Jake, Luca had a fiancée( Penny) who he broke up with, and she stalked him.

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Donna Marchetti-debut author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4 

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: maybe

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: The pen pal romance isn't done very often, but when it's done right it's so good! Secret identities always cause drama. Naomi and Luca found comfort and humor in their letters. Finding out your parents aren't perfect is a hard to accept, but I loved the scene with Luca and father meeting after 15 years. This is a heart-warming, funny romance with a little twist.

This was an enjoyable read. It was funny, and many of the letters from their younger selves made me cackle. There were also a few emotional moments (cw: death of a parent) that made me cry in the way they were written. It was mysterious and I liked trying to figure out how everything would come together, I thought the dual timeline worked perfectly for this. I enjoyed the enjoyed the ending and the way they continue incorporating those letters into their lives.
For the most part I really liked it, and was almost expecting to give it 5 stars but ultimately I found the 3rd act conflict a little drawn out, you could see it coming and their reactions were expected so I just wanted to get through it.

I absolutely adored Hate Mail and couldn't put it down. Naomi and Luca have been pen pals since fifth grade and have been sending each other hateful letters ever since. They were "Penemies".

It is dual POV, where Naomi's point of view is in the present, Luca's goes back in time starting from the 5th grade, which gives so much insight into the characters and the history of their relationship. I really enjoyed the book and fell in love with both Luca and Naomi. This book has stayed with me since reading it.

This is a delightfully lighthearted romcom with an appealing plot and I'm very excited to read more from Donna Marchetti in the future.

5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I loved this book, it had me laughing out loud from the letters they sent to each other. It was great that the letters were a part of this story. It is also told from both Naomi and Luca's perspective, which was also good as it gave you insights into what they both were thinking.
I loved the chemistry between the main characters but unfortunately I guessed right from the beginning that Jake was Luca and that kind of put a damper on the story.
I will be recommending this book to everyone.

Let’s just preface this review with the fact that I knew what was going to happen by 20% in. This book was nothing new. Just a typical pen-pals situation that went on too long and they wanted to find each other but instead of being sane human beings, Naomi went out to find Luca by traveling around the country and finding clues from neighbors and acquaintances. A huge waste of time and money in my opinion.

The only difference — Naomi and Luca weren’t typical pen-pals. They sent hate mail. They dissed each other every chance they got and even wished death upon each other. That initially gave me the ICK. I don’t think in any circumstance that it’s okay to be so hurtful. AND as it turned out, Luca had a horrible go at life. His father left him and his mother died. All the while, Naomi’s sending him really horrible hate mail. And then Luca turned out the be living in the exact apartment complex as Naomi. Huh, weird. Didn’t see that coming. (sense the sarcasm)

At some point or another, I was interested to see if the two would figure it out. Let’s be real- we all knew Jake was Luca, that was no surprise if you’ve ever read a book before. Like if the author wanted us to think otherwise, she did a bad job at that.

I thought the hate mail was super cringy. Not sure how people can fall in love over literal death wishes. Like EXCUSE ME but politely see yourself out and never send me another letter. Not to mention, there was MAJOR miscommunication. I also got stalker vibes through this whole book. The plot had potential with all the trauma Luca had been through but I think Naomi was a SHIT friend and for someone going through really tough times, her negativity in the notes certainly couldn’t have helped Luca and I hope she felt bad after finding out his truths.

The book Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti was such a disappointment and many times throughout the book I really wanted to stop reading it. I am so tired of authors trying to give cute nicknames to people with completely normal names like Naomi and yet they called her gnome throughout the book is Naomi too long to say does it take up too much time? Also the whole mixup with Jake’s name was just frustrating to me because I figured it out early on especially his connection to Joel when they only thought Jake found out about her penpal and that they were taking a break and her best friend and kept trying to convince her to look for Luca and she contemplated this thought made me think this woman is too immature to be in an adult relationship especially when she is spending gobs of money looking for a man who she’s never met before and yet she is willing to give up her relationship with Jake on hope and a prayer. There was just lots of great tropes in this book that I feel were wasted I have a humongous pile of TBR books and feel like I missed out on reading something else. I have loved every book I got from One More Chapter but sadly this was not one of them. The characters seemed one dimensional the jokes are not funny especially the whole green dress episode incense others love it I guess this just wasn’t a book for me. I want to think one more chapter and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was fun and cute. There’s a great concept at its heart and the writing is solid and funny. Some of the letters, especially early on, made me laugh out loud. The romance between the two main characters was very cute and they had good chemistry.

I liked the ideas in this a lot and as I said I cannot fault the writing – it’s very light and engaging – but I found the way the story played out was quite muddled, personally. I could see what the twist was going to be a mile off (which I’m fairly certain was intentional), but some of the reasons it happened felt quite flimsy and I think could have been worked through better.

But the book as a whole was a lot of fun and I read it pretty much in one sitting. It wasn’t entirely my thing but it was certainly an easy, light read with some very solid writing. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun hidden/mistaken identity romance. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Death of a parent, cancer, absent parent / estranged parent, references to sexually transmitted diseases, on-page sex, unprotected sex, divorce (MMC’s parents, in past), infidelity / cheating (not between MCs; MMC’s parents, in past).

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, one more Chapter for this rea. This book was good. I love book with different mediums in it and with this...we got mail...haha..read this no spoilers if you like enemies to lovers and a lot of laughs.

Hate Mail follows Naomi and Luca, two individuals tied together when their respective teachers assign them as penpals. Over the course of almost 15 years, the two continue to write to each other until one day the letters stop and Naomi is left wondering if Luca and their budding relationship meant nothing to him. However, two years later Naomi is suddenly pulled back into their exchange when she gets a letter in the mail and is forced to decide if she finally wants to pursue Luca.

This was a delightfully lighthearted romcom full of fun and a dash of steam, featuring frenemies to lovers, he falls first, and dual POV. The penpal premise is so unique in that Naomi and Luca send each other hate mail, they had such a fun banter in their letters and it was so cute to read about them slowly falling for each other while they grew into themselves. The story unfolded between two POVs and timelines; it gave so much insight into the characters and the history of their relationship. This is a cute and sweet debut romance, and while I do think the characters and execution could use some work, I am very excited to read more from Donna Marchetti in the future.

Oklahoma-based Naomi and Californian Luca have been pen-pals since the 5th grade. They've been doing this, however, by sending mean-spirited letters to one another - until Luca stops, seemingly at random. Two years on, Luca waltzes back into Naomi's life - so Naomi decides to track him down, once and for all.

Hate Mail's central concept is really fun, and it's execution (mostly) works. The novel is a little overlong and gets a bit too bogged down in the details, and the timeline of the novel makes literally no sense, but I still had a good time. I loved reading the letters sent between Naomi and Luca, the casual virtriol was sparky and hilarious. The chemistry between the two is evident and Marchetti's novel shines in romantic, flirtatious scenes - lots of cute banter and some well-written spice.

Naomi and Luca, as characters, are great - the novel is told in dual POV and it's great to see the plot unfurl from both sides, though I wish the narrative voices had diverged a little more. Other characters aren't particularly well-developed'; Anne, Naomi's best friend slash assistant (weird?) is ok, but very annoying.

I know this is a romance novel so we're mostly invested in the central couple, but having read so many other great romance novesl with well-developed side plots, this was glaringly simplistic. Hate Mail is Donna Marchetti's debut novel, and at times it shows in the weakness of the writing; this isn't a criticism, necessarily, as Hate Mail was really enjoyable and I did find myself desperate to get back to it over the 24 hours I read it in. It's more a note to say that this novel is far from perfect, but she's a sparky, funny and clever writer and I am looking forward to seeing how her voice develops.

Thank you, netgalley and one more chapter for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so cute and funny and had me kicking my feet in the air as well as tearing up!

Luca and Naomi have been pen-pals since fifth grade. The content of most of their letters consisted of hate messages, death threats and sarcasm - all because a younger Luca couldn’t be bothered writing to a stranger as part of a middle school activity. What he didn’t expect was for Naomi to write back to his insults, and the two continue their banter over the years in a never-ending battle to become worse than the other. After 2 years of not hearing from him, Naomi receives a letter with no return address and attempts to track him down.

The story is told from both Naomi and Luca’s POV and we get to read their letters starting from their first letter up to their most recent. I loved reading them as I found the banter between them amusing and we got to see their friendship develop even though they’ve never met in person. The initial love triangle aspect caught me off guard as it wasn’t mentioned in the synopsis and I’m not really a big fan of the trope but it paid off in the end and is an important part of the story.

I was expecting the twist but it still made me emotional knowing what the characters have been through and you can really feel the strong bond between Luca and Naomi.

Thank you to netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

This was great! I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibes. The ending was really sweet. Ill definitely be reading more by this author

I thoroughly enjoyed this! This was such a cute romantic comedy that approached the enemies to lovers trope in a different way - being pen pals since fifth grade, but writing awful things to each other in each letter for years. They're not just enemies.. but 'penemies'.

When Naomi's 'penemy', Luca, sends her a letter after two years of silence with no return address, Naomi is determined to track him down and get the last word. It was so fun to journey along with Naomi to try and track down Luca, with multiple laughs and smiles along the way.

The letters Naomi and Luca sent to each other were absolutely savage from such a young age! Some of them I read had me snorting in laughter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this copy. This review is voluntary.

DONNA MARCHETTI - HATE MAIL
Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins and One More Chapter and the author for the advanced reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

REVIEW:
Naomi and Luca's love story was one which intrigued me from the start!It was a gem for my romance loving heart, as two childhood friends became something more...
Naomi and Luca's relationship started off as a compulsory thing: they were assigned pen pals in fifth grade, when a wide-eyed and sweet Naomi first encountered a misguided and full of teenage angst Luca. His first letter was mean and thus a weird tradition started: the two shared 'hate mails' for almost two decades. What started off as juvenile and mean evolved into a deep friendship and something special - they learned to lean on each other even in the midst of being horrible to the other.Up until two years ago, when Luca disappeared. After two years without correspondence Naomi is startled to see his handwriting - on a fan letter at her workplace. There's no return address, just a teasing, mean letter which sets her up a new mission:To find out what's the whereabouts of one  illuminous penpal of hers.  As he eggs her on, she goes on a treasure hunting path which leads her to re-discovering her past and tells her the truth about Luca. Funny, how close their letters seemed to bring them, even if they had no idea about some big things in each other's lives. Their eventual love story needed greater fundations, and that's where the missing puzzle pieces Naomi and her best friend tried to piece together were important. To add spice to the story, in the middle of searching for Luca, she encounters her charming neighbor, so she's struggling with past and new feelings on her literal doorstep. Could she be falling in love with two people?
I found the setting and characters charming, the backdrop of literal letter exchanges a fun way to incorporate two friends - who became strangers - rediscovering each other without switching between the dreaded past and current POVs.The switch up with the letters and the POV of the main characters gave a nice flow to the story, even if sometimes it was a bit repetitive in its prose.It was a funny, charming read, with cute animals, book boyfriend heroes, a big secret and epic love story.