Let me begin by saying this book has been sitting on my kindle for the last year. Drawn in by the cutesy cover, I had snatched up Hate Mail when it went on sale without a second thought. But like most book girlies, I have a never-ending tbr pile, so this one got put on the back burner for a while. When the valentines season started approaching, I knew right away I wanted to finally read it. The cutesy Tessa Bailey-esque cover just screams valentines day. So I did what we all long to do on a snowy day, and curled up with this book, as well as a warm cup of coffee, and read the damn thing. Here are my thoughts.
Synopsis
An enemies-to-lovers story following two life long pen pals. Well that is, until 2 years ago when the letters suddenly stopped. But now all that is about to change when Naomi gets a spontaneous letter at her job as a news anchor from Luca. There's one little hitch though, there's no return address. Now Naomi is determined to not let him get the last hateful word.
Strengths
I feel like one of the main strengths of Hate Mail is that Donna Marchetti knew exactly what she was doing when she chose to write a book about childhood pen pals who just happen to form more than a friendship over time. This is a trope that typically works really great in romance books, and when executed correctly can make for a compelling read. Plot wise, she did everything right. Two characters who lost touch, trying to reconnect after many years, and even adding in the unique element of the letters not being sweet loving letters, but instead two kids trying to one up each other with hateful letters. It gave a really fun aspect to the story, and even had me laughing on multiple occasions. I also thought Luca's character development and back story was done well, and gave his character a lot of depth, despite the fact that most of the chapters were from Naomi's point of view. Oh, and there also were skateboarding kittens (so cute).
Weaknesses
The biggest weakness in my opinion was the introduction of a love triangle. I think if it was disclosed in the synopsis provided by the publisher it wouldn't have thrown me off as much, but this is by far one of my least favorite tropes. I will say it kept me guessing which was probably why the author decided to go this route, but it often left me feeling confused, and slightly underwhelmed. In addition to this, there was the dreaded third act breakup, which could have been completely avoided if the characters just communicated with each other.
Would I recommend It?
Yes, I would for sure. Especially if you're new to romance books I think this would be a great quick paced book to get into the genre. It was funny, witty, and will keep you guessing until the very end. There were many cute parts throughout, while also having some depth.
My Ratings
Overall Rating: 3.25/5
Spice Rating: 2/5
Content Warnings
Death of a loved one, cancer, abandonment, stalking
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