Sometimes grief related books are comforting and just what I need and sometimes...they're not. Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I didn't like Maddie as a character.

2.75
I was excited to read this one because I love books that center around grief. While second chance romance isn't my favorite, I was intrigued by the premise of the plot and thought it sounded cute. This one just didn't work for me mainly because of the main character. She was extremely immature and self centered. She didn't think about anyone but herself. The 'jokes' she tried to make would ruin what could have been good scenes. I have no issue with inserting jokes when the main character is uncomfortable but these jokes came off as cringeworthy. Overall, this was a miss for me but maybe if you are able to get over the main character and focus on the other aspects of the story you might enjoy it. Warning, the book is also way too long and could have been edited down. 

Thank you so much @prhaudio for my gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The narrator is one I'm familiar with and even though my rating is low it has nothing to do with her performance. I thought she did the best she could with the story and character she was given.

This was fun and cute and emotional. I don’t think I like Laurens contemporary books quite as much as her paranormal ones, so please be aware of that with this review. I found it a bit hard to get into, mostly because the premise of the story made me mad at her dead brother. Basically, Josh (dead brother) set up a road trip kind of thing for his sister and his best friend — who are also ex’s — to spread his ashes in all the states he never made it to. To me it felt like an overstepping of boundaries and that is one of my biggest icks in books. I think all that made it really hard for me to enjoy the book even when it got cute. I do love her writing style and I did enjoy reading this but it just wasn’t for me.

I think fans of Emily Henry or her style of contemporary romance would probably really enjoy this, because they do feel similar to me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
428 pages

EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!!!

this book wrecked me okay? the last few chapters had me absolutely sobbing. it was so good to see our main girly maddie finally come into herself and open up to her grief. she was such a complex character handling so many things outside of her brother's death, and while that is a huge component of the book, this really comes down to maddie's fear of abandonment. and that is so goddamn relatable.

i was genuinely surprised at the depth this book went to while still giving us some spicy romance scenes. and dom definitely worships maddie, which we looooove 😍

i would look for the triggers warnings with this one and make sure you keep some tissues with you because lauren connolly will make you cry. 💞

This is such a beautiful story! The harrowing feelings of grief that both Maddie and Dom go through separately and together are tangible. The storyline is fantastic and the characters leap off the page. A great read.

I have seen all the high ratings on this one!! I was excited to read it as well.

Why oh Why does this always happen to me?! I am definitely an outlier on this. Ugh I really wanted to like this one but come on second chance romance after they only hooked up once?! Give me a break haha.

It just felt a tad forced and not a natural second chance romance to me. . Also... he married his ex gf the next day because she was pregnant. I mean come on really?!

Also... she said she knew him? After a day? She didn't know shit about him haha. She didn't know anything about his brothers and the responsibility piece for him. She didn't ask him hardly anything about himself..... and the loss. How self centered can she be? Ugh.. no def wasn't a fan of her.

The friendship between Dom and Josh was the best part.

Nope nope nope

2/5 stars

4.25⭐️
This book is captivating and emotional that it will definitely get you in your feels. I really do enjoy romances that have more depth to them and aren’t just about the love story. We have Maddie and Dom, who are brought together by the death of Josh, Maddie’s brother/Dom’s best friend. The enemies to lovers is very strong in this one, particularly on Maddie’s side. At times, I even began to wonder how the enemies would eventually turn to lovers. The grief that Maddie experiences losing her brother felt very real. Grief comes in different forms and I think it was handled well with how the author wrote Maddie’s grief. Back to wondering how Maddie and Dom would get back together. I can totally understand why Maddie hated Dom, and it seemed like it would be hard for them to overcome that hurdle. However, I think that the explanation for what happened and how Maddie moved past it was reasonable. I would recommend this if you want a wonderful balance of sadness and hopefulness; something that can make you cry and laugh out loud in the same sitting.

💩 rough family dynamics
🪦 family death
💌 postmortem travel bucket list
👯 brother’s best friend

This novel was every bit of sad and humor mixed together perfectly. In an attempt to not sound morbid, I absolutely loved the travel bucket list that Maddie’s brother, Josh, left her and his best friend to do together. The romance with deep emotional moments weaved in was absolutely perfect. I truly loved this book.

This book was so good. I came into this book with no expectation and I was pleasantly surprised. This was like a cute little take on P.S. I love you and almost everything I could have wanted in a book.

This book was an easy read.
Dealing with heavy topics but also trying to be light hearted so it doesn't completely destroy you.
Having lost a brother, this one was a bit close to home for me.

The romance went from 0 to smut quick. But I'm not mad about it.

Thank you NetGally and Berkeley Pub for a copy of this eARC!

I gave this one 4 stars, and wow, it really packed an emotional punch. It had me feeling all sorts of things, and if you’ve ever lost someone close to you, I think it will hit you right in the heart. But what makes this story so special is that it’s not just about grief, it’s also a beautiful journey of healing and finding a way to move forward, even when it feels impossible. This is definitely a contender for one of my favorite listens this year. It’s so good, and the narration is done by one of the absolute best. Highly recommend!

You know a book is good if it makes you cry a little bit. I loved the journey Maggie and Dom went on together even if their characters did get a little tedious. Does dom do anything but growl? Just curious. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly!

I loved this book! This was a contemporary romance that had funny and light moments but also suprisingly emotional and heartwrenching moments as well.

I came for the romance but I stayed for the plot—and not even the spice could distract me from how compelling it was. Yes, I’ve read plenty of stories with scavenger hunts before, but this one hit so hard emotionally that I couldn’t put it down. I love how Lauren weaves dry humor, angst, and pain into the story while still offering hope, especially as the characters grapple with grief. She did an amazing job tying it all together, I appreciated how she gave humor to side characters and gave them more life. The biggest downside to this story was the miscommunication, and it felt like it was dragging on longer than it needed to be. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful second chance, brother’s-best-friend, enemies-to-lovers story—highly recommend! Just a heads-up: it’s a slow burn and can get pretty heavy emotionally, but it’s so worth it.

▫️what I liked:
-plot
-Adam/twins
-Josh/letters

▫️what I didn’t like:
-miscommunication
-I WANT DOM’s POV

Why Did I Listen To PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connelly?

Initially I thought that I had downloaded PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connelly via Netgalley, so my brain logic was like, well if I listen to it via audiobook I'll get to it faster. Well, I did not download this one on Netgalley. However, I am so very glad I listened to this book. I am a sucker for a contemporary romance - in particular one that makes me tear up and makes me really care about the characters. So, my mistake was a very happy accident. I am so, so glad I picked PS: I Hate You up. And okay, on second look, I did download this. In all fairness, it has been a very long 2025 and I am thankful for books like this which are getting me through and providing some real self care.

What's The Story Here?

PS I Hate You opens up at the funeral of Maddie Sanderson's brother, Josh. Unfortunately, Josh passed away due to cancer. He leaves behind several letters. For Maddie, it is a packet of letters shared with his best friend, her enemy, Dominic Perry. Maddie is asked to spread Josh's ashes over several states that Josh has never visited. However, she has to do this in partnership with Dominic. Maddie isn't too pleased about him but she will do what it takes to have those final words from her brother, whom she loved deeply. Through the various trips we start to learn more about Maddie's past with Dominic, whom she had a crush on growing up. We also learn about Maddie's feelings of abandonment from her mother and the distance from her grandmother. I just felt so terribly for the hand Maddie had been dealt and understood why she keeps people at arm's length. Over the trips, she starts to become close to Dominic again -- and we see some tropes that I truly appreciated.

How Did I Like PS: I Hate You?

I was captivated by Lauren Connelly's PS: I Hate You. Maddie is a character that you root for. She works so hard at her job. She's a good person. However, she's really been through it with her mother and then later on, with the loss of her brother. You can see how she views what happened with Dom in the past as echoing the other times she was abandoned and why her guard is up. I liked how hard Dom had to work to win her trust. I liked how the story spun out. I even liked when her best friend -- also her bisexual ex -- unraveled his past to her as a means of showing her that she is a good person and deserves to feel able to trust those she cares about to not abandon her. And this isn't even delving into the romance or the travel aspects of this book - which are so fantastically written as well. I just loved this story so much.

How's The Narration?

The audiobook of PS: I Hate You is narrated by Karissa Vacker. I really enjoy Vacker's narration - this is one of many audiobooks I've listened to with her narration. Also, this audiobook kept me chilled out when I was driving at night listening to it. I don't drive as much at night anymore because I am old but also all the construction on the highways by me, and well, props to Vacker for keeping my attention and for keeping me calm through dark lane changes and weird traffic patterns. I thought this was well narrated and that was such a big factor in my enjoyment. I think if you are someone who is newer to audiobooks and likes contemporary romance, this might be the gateway audiobook for you! It's 11 hours and 22 minutes unabridged.

This is a really touching second romance in that grief also plays a role. Maddie is fulfilling her brother‘s last wishes by scattering his ashes over a lot of different places, but she hast to do it with his best friend who broke her heart years ago Dom. I really thought that the way Maddie’s grief was handled the thoughtful and it was realistic in that. It comes up when she doesn’t expect it. It’s a fascinating book because it’s handling the recon thing of relationship while also dealing with old memories while dealing with grief at the same time. It’s a touching book from start to finish.

I didn’t anticipate that this book was going to rock me the way that this one did! This was so well written and will touch you deep in your bones! The roller coaster of emotions this one will give you between the humor, laughs, cries and everything in between! It was so real and the banter was the best! Super fun read that you’ll be able to read in one sitting!

I have read and enjoyed books from Lauren before, but this is my new favorite she's written. This is the kind of book that will stick with me for a very long time, and I already can't wait to go back and reread it.

P.S. I Hate You deals with sadness and grief in a heartbreaking and honest way. There is great character growth and I loved Dom and Maddie so much. Often I prefer dual POV, but this story truly needed to be told solely by Maddie. She's snarky, sometimes difficult, and hurting more than even she realizes, but she's also relatable, likeable, and someone so many of us can see ourselves in.

I was hooked from the very first chapter and I loved every minute of reading it. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Lauren Connolly’s PS I Hate You is an emotional, laugh-out-loud, and deeply moving romantic comedy that delivers everything you could want from an enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance wrapped in a poignant journey of love, grief, and healing.

Maddie Sanderson never expected her late brother’s final request to include teaming up with the one man who broke her heart—Dominic Perry, her brother’s lifelong best friend and her personal enemy. But Josh’s dying wish demands that the two embark on a cross-country road trip to scatter his ashes at the places he never got to visit. Forced into proximity, Maddie and Dom navigate old wounds, undeniable chemistry, and a whole lot of unresolved history.

💕 What Makes This Book Stand Out:
✔ Enemies-to-Lovers with Second Chances – The tension between Maddie and Dom is palpable—every interaction crackles with a mix of frustration, longing, and the ache of unfinished business.
✔ A Grief-Fueled Road Trip – The unique premise adds depth, giving both characters time to grow, reflect, and confront their past while discovering new places.
✔ Josh’s Presence as a Matchmaker from the Afterlife – The way his love for both of them lingers throughout the story makes it all the more bittersweet.
✔ Forced Proximity & Tension-Filled Moments – A snowstorm, a shared bed, and all the feels—yes, please!
✔ Emotional but Uplifting – While grief is central to the story, the humor, banter, and sizzling chemistry keep it from being overly heavy.

This book hurts in all the best ways. It’s raw, romantic, and full of moments that will make you tear up, laugh, and swoon. If you love road trip romances, forced proximity, and a second-chance love story with depth, PS I Hate You is an absolute must-read.