'Hate mail' is a of enemies for years novel, but they only know each other only through letters. An entertaining and mysterious romantic comedy that will delight romance readers.

I always say that going for a reading without any kind of expectation is the best because you discover 100% the reading in a purer way, if it surprises you or not, it doesn't depend on whether you expected that surprise or not, if you like the characters, if you enjoy the relationship, everything is better if the expectations are 0. And this book has given me all that. I devoured it completely, in less than 24 hours I had already finished it, and I also enjoyed it very much.

I'm not particularly a fan of books where the characters communicate through letters for much of the novel, I really enjoyed the form of communication between the two protagonists. It is true that for much of the novel we only see Naomi's reaction to these letters, but the letters themselves were already entertaining to read. They have a close, funny tone that makes it not at all heavy to read a part of the story through a correspondence.

It's hard for me to talk about the novel without saying much, because I feel that the ending makes sense to everything you've read, and talking about it without spoilers is super complicated. I can tell you that the final twist can be simple or not, because as you read you are creating theories and eliminating others. In the end I think that although it doesn't surprise a lot, it satisfies what you have been experiencing during the novel. For me the last 25% of the book is spectacular, you are hooked and you can't put the book down. During the whole novel you are hooked to the story, but the final quarter of the book is non-stop.

I can tell you that this has been my first approach to the author's prose, but I hope it won't be the last. I love romantic comedies and after having enjoyed this one so much I will be happy to read more of her stuff, because I haven't told you but this is her first novel so if this is the first one I'm sure the next ones will be great too.

I honestly LOVED this book!

There's so much I want to say about this book but I can't without spoilers and I don't want to spoil any of it.

There's the main twist which I think the majority of people will see, but then there are other little twists and turns that just make it perfect!
The hate/love between Luca and Naomi is beautiful. How it starts as just a boring kid thing that shows exactly how boys and girls are different with things - Luca being so unbothered and Naomi taking her time to be all cute and sweet - and it turns into some weird, funny, silly thing between two people as they get older.

Honestly, I don't think I can say anything that would come close to how I feel about this book. It gives me all the feels. Its a five star for me. I finished it in a day, and I wish I could read it again. I was hooked! It was perfect. Amazing. Sensational.

It was everything.

This is one of the cutest books i've read in a long time! Luca and Naomi are pen friends from a young age and they keep it going mostly i think because they didn't want the other to have the final say! But one day the letters just stop after that one letter that changed everything. until 2 years later Naomi receives another and just doesn't want Luca to have the final word she writes back. the letters are hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud a few times. This is definitely the perfect romcom!

Naomi and Luca have been penpals since fifth grade. Their letters start out as pure insults with both going back and forth, dishing it out as good as the other. Slowly the insults turn into friendship and as life goes on, the letters become more of a lifeline between the two until they one day stop. After two years of silence, Naomi can't believe it when she receives an envelope addressed to her workplace. Luca is back.

This book was so, so good! Yes, it was predictable but the journey was just so incredibly sweet that I found myself smiling throughout the chapters. The letters exchanged between the two were a hoot, causing me to chuckle often. Great characters, lots of emotion and a cute story - you can't go wrong with this pick if you're after a heartwarming romcom. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars, rounded to 5
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Synopsis:
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, 12 years later, when the letters suddenly stop.

The letters between Luca and Naomi over the years had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard! I read this whole book in one sitting because I was so obsessed. Yes, its a super cute "penemies" to lovers romcom, but there's also some mystery involved. Having Naomi's POV set in the present, and Luca's in the past just added to the intrigue of it all. I had a feeling I knew where Luca was the whole time (I was right btw) but I didn't know the *how* or *why*. This book was brilliant and unique, with a fresh, fun take on the enemies (frenemies? penemies?) to lovers trope!

My only negative is that I think the characters were a little immature or naive, but not to the point where it ruined the premise of the story or the romance.

It’s already over…I want more. I wish the story could go on and on. I didn’t have high expectations going into the book, but it definitely took me by surprise. It was cute, swoonworthy, funny, sad at times, and had everything a rom-com needs! I am excited to see what the author will put out next since I will be giving a try!

Hate Mail by Donna Marchetti is a sweet, easy-going RomCom that has a delightful story.
This book delivers a funny, romantic, second chance romance sizzling with delicious tension and witty banter. With its lovable characters, engaging plot, and hilarious humor, this book is sure to put a smile on your face.
Pure escapism… Exactly what you want from a romantic comedy.

Thank You NetGalley and One More Chapter for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This heartwarming story has a great mix of humour and romance. The pen-pals dynamic, with interspersed witty examples of their ‘hate-mail’ correspondence, adds a welcome boost to the story, and the dual points of view add depth to the narrative. The romance is pretty slow burn, but still sweet, despite the pseudo love triangle; although It’s fair to say that I had guessed the identity of Luca pretty quickly. Despite guessing the big reveal way in advance, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story as a whole. The book is out on March 14, 2024 and it’s well worth a read if you’re looking for something fun and lighthearted. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for allowing me to get an early copy of the book. It’s really appreciated.

Cute and fun story, I'm not a huge fan of love triangles so this one didn't capture my full interest but loved all the characters and thought it was great holiday read 😃

Easily one of the best romances I’ve read. This had me kicking my feet one minute and tearing up the next 😭

‘ “ Your penemy”, she repeats. “Get it? Like a pen pal, but he’s your enemy. Pen enemy. Penemy.” ‘

Naomi ‘Gnome’ Light is on a mission to find her old pen pal Luca after receiving her first letter from him in two years with no return address. Determined to not let him win this years-long hate mail battle, she travels across the country, accompanied by her best friend Anne to visit some of the places his previous letters came from.

The letters first started as insults and mockery, kicked off by Luca in response to Naomi’s first letter (written in fifth grade as a class activity) to stop her writing back.

As they both got older, weaved into the ‘hate’ was Luca subtly opening up to her about his trauma. It’s also clear that both have developed strong feelings for the other, but neither is sure if those feelings are reciprocated.

We see a bit of a love triangle as Naomi starts dating her neighbour ‘Jake’ whilst she is searching for Luca. Jake seems to be the perfect guy and she is conflicted with her feelings towards him and those for Luca. Who should she choose and will she ever get to meet Luca in person?

I’m a big fan of dark comedy, so I loved the insults being thrown around. The first letter we see made me laugh out loud because of how savage it is 😂💀

Everything about this worked remarkably. The romance and comedy intertwined flawlessly to create an entertaining love story which had me rooting for both characters 🥹

Special mention to the scavenger hunt at the end of the book, utterly adorable 💜

An absolutely amazing debut from @donnamarchettiauthor and has set the bar high for all other romances I will read, I can’t wait to see what she brings out next. 💕✨

Any romance reader should add this to their tbr!

This adorable cartoon cover promises a cute romance story, and that definitely fits the vibe of this book!

Naomi and Luca have been pen pals since they were in middle school, but instead of writing about their hobbies and their families, they take turns insulting and bashing each other in each letter they share. When Naomi gets a job as weather girl at the local news station in Miami, the year long radio silence from Luca is suddenly broken when he sends her a new letter -- but without a return address. Naomi is determined to write back to him, even if it's just to insult him back, so she starts a hunt for his current address. But she's also juggling her budding romance with marine vet and neighbor Jake.

This was an adorable, very readable book. Through reading a handfull of the letters that Naomi and Luca share, you get to know them throughout the years. I thought maybe I wouldn't enjoy the constant switching between the letters and present time, but in the end it really wasn't too bothersome and I was able to keep everything neatly separated. I'm forever jealous of schools that shared pen pal projects, because it sounds like something I really would've enjoyed when I was little.

Romancewise, I was a little underwhelmed. Naomi and Jake kind of share in an insta-love romance (and while everything makes sense after the plot twist you get after finishing the book), it still felt kinda unrealistic reading it. It also made the mentioned plottwist kind of predictable, which is a shame, because I can imagine a good many people being absolutely shocked by the reveal. And to be fair, I think these characters really could've benefited from a good, clear conversation once everything was out in the open.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters, the writing style and the overall vibe of the book. I'd definitely recommend this to romance readers who love something light-hearted to read whenever they need a little pick me up.

Was lured in my the utterly adorable cartoon cover and the synopsis, but sadly this is a DNF for me. I guessed the “twist” about 15% of the way through and went on Goodreads to confirm my suspicion was correct. Not a fan of love triangles or deception, so it doesn’t feel worth it to continue right now. I hope to return to this title again sometime.

4.5/5 ⭐️s

LOVES:
- Wow, what a first impression. I laughed. I felt uncomfortable. What a start!
- The mysteriousness really got me going. I kept reading into things and then doubting my predictions when new things were revealed. Well done 👏
- The bounty hunter explanation and that whole interaction 😂
- Her grand gestures 🥰
- All of the name shenanigans, goodness 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

CRITIQUES:
- Not for the author, but parents who act like this: WHO DOES THAT WHEN GETTING A DIVORCE. Despicable.
- I was frustrated with the FMC’s handling of the situation, but eventually it all came together well so it was fine.

This was such an unusual, creative premise for a book and I really enjoyed it!

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC. The release date is March 13th.

I wanted to love this book. I loved the idea of old pen pals reigniting a decades old relationship with a letter sent to a news station and no return address. Only to be complicated by FMC catching the attention of a local man all while searching for where her missing pen pal is. Had the entire plot not hinged on miscommunication I think I would have enjoyed it more, as all of the characters were endearing and it was well written and fun. I just HATE miscommunication 🫣

3.5 stars

Naomi and luca have been pen pals since 5th grade more like rivals writing hate letters to each other but what starts out as hate filled letters turns into a friendship spanning coasts and years. But it's been 2 years since naomi heard from luca but when a new envelope turns up out of the blue at her desk, naomi is determined not to let luca have the last word.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters, i got attached to luca very quickly, this reminded me so much of punk 57 but make it into a rom com and it was super easy and fast to read definitely a good palette cleaner.
I was literally laughing out loud at some of the letters and there was some moments that were just gut wrenching and i loved that it was dual pov but the one big thing i didn't like in this book was the “plot twist” i had figured out in the first 30% of the book i also felt the ending was a bit rushed and i wish the epilogue was a bit longer but i did enjoy this book and the characters

This book was such a fun, quick, spicy romantic comedy. I really enjoyed Luca and Naomi’s relationship. I loved the back and forth between them. The flash backs to the letters made me laugh so much.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Donna for allowing me to read this ARC!

A cute Sunday read. And by cute I mean laughing out loud multiple times. Hate mail really takes angry flirting to a whole new level with a couple of surprising twists and turns that leave the audience gasping, swooning, and of course laughing.

I’m a sucker for books with mail/letters exchanges, especially when there’s a lot of banter. So, the promise of two people writing hate mail to each other convinced me instantly. And I loved it, even though I guessed the mystery a few chapters in. Regardless, the story is told in a lighthearted way, that warmed my heart as expected, and I found both main characters charming. Their letters to each other are equal parts funny and mean, and I loved how they had even more chemistry in person. I also enjoyed the dual POV: Naomi POV’s are set in the present time, and Luca’s POV retell the story from their first letter in 5th grade, which I think it’s a clever way to give us all the little puzzle pieces. There’s also Jake aka Husky Eyes, with whom we spend a lot of time, since Naomi POV’s centres a lot around their relationship. I don’t want to spoil the experience to anyone, but there’s a lot of grey regarding ghosting, stalking and emotional cheating. I felt very conflicted at times since I hate the miscommunication trope, especially when it’s the reason of the third-act breakup, but ultimately the story’s is really giggling and kicking feet worthy and I just couldn’t put it down.

This book opens with a death threat hoping she gets struck by lightning which shocked me, especially when she started laughing and said she hadn't heard from him in a long time. I loved getting to read their letters, and at the beginning of the book I wished it was more letters and less other information but it all came to a very nice end. I was a bit interested in the love triangle situation that was forming with her choosing between Jake and Luca. While it was a bit of a slow start, when it started to pick up it was really hard to put down!

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for the copy to review!

the absolute perfect enemies-to-lovers romcom! i enjoyed every single second of this book and was dying for more! the plot twist was not expected at all and i was so shocked!