Oh this book made me smile so many times! I started reading another book last night which I couldn't get into. At 20% I stopped reading and decided to read the first chapter of this book and then go to sleep. 2 hours later I finally went to sleep and today I finished it off as soon as I could.

I really enjoyed the Dual POV and varied timeline, it kept me interested and the author has a wonderful way with words. A light hearted book with a fun story that kept me interested and lots of dark comments that made me laugh out loud.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, my feedback is honest.

Hate mail follows two pen pals starting at age 10 until adulthood. Luca and Naomi exchanged mean letters to each other. No real reasons why they were so mean but they were. I picked this one up because I love a good pen pal romance. Yet, this was a strange one. Luca and Naomi cared about each other throughout the years. They worked well together. I liked Luca the best because he worked hard on himself. And was loving to animals. Who doesn’t love that! Now to the bits I didn’t like. Naomi’s best friend/work colleague Anne was the least person I liked. She acted like she was 12 years old. And I know there needed to be a sidekick to get these two people together but she was HORRIBLE. The story was also very predictable. I had guessed what will happen early on. Which wasn’t too bad. Overall, I enjoyed reading the cute story and how romance blossomed between these two unlikely friends. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

I’m so torn! I think the banter and wittiness of this novel is what kept me going, but I hate to admit that some of the plot was “meh”. I think what I expected to happen did happen, so there were some aspects of predictability in the storyline. The predictability isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I definitely think the author could have added more twists to make it more interesting. Also, I do have to say I have some minor questions that I wish were answered in the plot line, which, unfortunately, makes me have to rate this lower than usual. Overall, I would recommend this novel to any rom-com lovers who don’t care about the plot being easily anticipated!

Couldn't put it down! This rom com book is a delightful blend of charm, humor, and heart. From start to finish, it's a fun-filled ride that's impossible to resist.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc. Hate Mail was a really interesting concept — the idea of a “penemies” to lovers trope really interested me. While I did not love the first half of the book or so (seriously, the hate part in the letters is no joke), I’m really glad I finished the book, as it did significantly improve. I didn’t love some of the characters, but a lot of it made more sense at the end of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Hate Mail had a fun premise that turned into as fun a read. A light hearted romance that follows Naomi and Luca’s blossoming hate-mance as kids turned adults, I thought this was easy to read and a great addition to the romance genre.

As a reader, I thought the introduction to the penpal relationship of Naomi and Luca was well done, introducing us to the characters as they grew up and then pivoting to their points of view to add more color to their letters. While this is done it’s layered with the current day life of Naomi and her mission to find and reconnect with Luca. This sounds complicated but was executed in a simple way that works. There were times when this felt a bit YA, but that was likely some very good writing when these characters were growing up (in fact there are steamy bits). Full of adorable pets, trips, and intrigue, I believe any modern day romance reader will enjoy getting lost in this story.

This was cute read. I enjoyed this from start to finish. Naomi and Luca were such fun characters. I was captivated on where this story would lead and it did not disappoint. Seeing how their story over the year changed as they got older and them realizing that while they know each other, they don't really. I can't wait for this to release so I can get it for my shelf.

I loved the letters and the chemistry they had together. Luca and Naomi are so adorable together and their connection through the letters is lovely.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)

Spice Rating:🌶️🌶️🌶️(3/5)

Tropes: Miscommunication, Friends to Lovers, He falls first and HARD

Publisher: One More Chapter(Harpercollins)

Review:

*This title was given to me early in exchange for a honest review by One More Chapter*(Thank you for trusting little old me!)

Naomi and Luca have been pen-pals since the 5th grade. They have kept in touch all these years- until Naomi moves to Miami. Then after 2 years of no contact, the letters start up again-only this time without a return address. So now Naomi starts trying to chase Luca down while also getting to know her new neighbor next store.

Everyone meet my new favorite romance novel. I honestly want to applaud the author, this was a great read.

The characters in this book have great chemistry. They made me laugh and cry and all the fun emotions. I also LOVED the banter, seriously 5/5 stars for just that alone!

I want Anne to be my best friend. I can say that with complete and total seriousness.

Y'all. I really want to see this book go viral! I think it has the potential to be THE NEXT BIG ROMANCE NOVEL! Yes, It isn't that spicy, but it honestly worked better that way. It gave more time for the wonderful banter and tension. It's a perfect rom-com read!

So, I only have one negative(Its the reason its not 5 stars because it majorly bothers me). The plot build up was too long. I think because of that the ending of the book felt rushed. All that tension and build-up and yes it ended with a sweet ending, but it felt fast. That being said, I did enjoy the 3rd act breakup, which I normally don't in books.

Hate Mail comes out March 14th, make sure to pick up your own copy!

This read was a solid 3.5 for me. There are things I like and things I didn’t like which made the book a split for me.

The things I liked:
- the pen pal story including reading the actual letters which I enjoyed a lot.
- the banter and the petty sarcasm is my kind of humour!
- has a cozy read-whilst-snuggled-in-blankets vibe which is the kind of book I love
- dual POV is great as it tells us what they’re both thinking and avoid a one-sided story

Things I didn’t like;
- the pacing was odd. Super fast and jumpy
- the dreaded miscommunication trope is in play here and I didn’t feel was done well.
- there’s kind of a love triangle thing happening which I don’t work well either especially when you can figure out what’s actually going on very quickly.
- my biggest grievance is that we didn’t get to know Naomi some more compared to the MMC.

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.