This is a bittersweet romance that is just as much about grief as it is about love. Maddie's older brother's dying wish is that she scatter his ashes over eight destinations that the adventurous 29-year-old Josh never got to visit before he died from cancer. But in his will, Josh assigned her an impossible partner to help complete the mission: his best friend, Dominic. Maddie and Dom have history together, and she hasn't forgiven him for breaking her teenage heart. Maddie and Dom embark on their forced series of farewell trips that span thousands of miles, exploring new places and revisiting their complicated history along the way. Maddie's grief is raw, she lashes out in anger, and her fear of abandonment is evident right from the get-go. This isn't a rom-com, so don't read it if you're just looking for a lighthearted laugh. But if you're like me and appreciate romance novels that delve into deeper, tougher topics with messy complicated characters who find each other on their healing journey, this book is for you.

This is the first book of Lauren Connelly’s I’ve read, and let me tell you…it won’t be the last.
This debut author has earned herself a lifelong fan. I loved this book so much that I’ll blind-buy her next book. Just tell me what it’s called and when it goes on sale!
The story follows Maddie, a young woman grappling with the devastating loss of her brother to cancer. He wasn’t just her sibling; he was her anchor, her only real family. The mother and grandmother are AWFUL. They’re selfish and self-serving, and their ineptitude toward parenthood only strengthens just how important Maddie and Josh were to each other because each other was all they really had. Before his passing, he created a heartfelt wishlist for Maddie to complete—a journey to visit several states, accompanied by his best friend, who also happens to be Maddie’s first love. As the miles pass, Maddie begins to realize that her feelings for Dom are not as past tense as she hoped.
First of all, this freaking book made me cry. The depth of Maddie’s love for her brother and the raw honesty of her grief resonate powerfully. If you have ever lost someone you loved dearly, you will not only understand but connect with her grief in a way that will most likely dredge up your own. It was deeply sad, but it was not depressing. If you have not found a way to the other side of your own grief, yet, I think reading Maddie’s journey will help ease you toward it. I am not through my own, yet, but this was a cathartic read. I loved it very much.
Touching and beautifully written, this book isn’t just about loss—it’s about love, resilience, and rediscovery. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the kind of book that keeps you up late in the night because you just can’t wait to find out how it ends. I appreciated that it took place over a span of time which made it more realistic that the main characters were going on these short trips and also displayed how grief ebbs and flows. There is no one right way to experience loss. Characters in the book were dealing with serious trauma and grief and I felt like the way it was addressed made sense. Make sure to have tissues handy and be prepared for a book hangover. #PSIHateYou

Wow! Where do I even begin with this book. It was AMAZING, and I am at a loss for words. I probably should start by saying to make sure you have tissues close by when going in to this one. I cried literally like every single chapter with the first set of tears less than 30 pages in. I binged the entire book in one sitting. I don't even know where to start with what I loved because every single second of this read was phenomenal. I've sat with my feelings for a few days, and I'm still just in awe. I can't even figure out what to read next. Gosh, this was just so incredibly good. It's for sure going to be an instant bestseller! I wish I could give it a million stars!

Special thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC and @berkley for the ARC of PS I Hate You.

PS I Hate You by Lauren Connolly is a heartfelt and emotionally complex romance that blends the themes of grief, forgiveness, and second chances. The novel follows Maddie Sanderson, a woman tasked with fulfilling her late brother Josh's dying wish—to scatter his ashes across eight destinations he never got to visit and while doing so she'll receive letters Josh left for her. However, there's a slight catch....she'll have an impossible travel companion: Dominic Perry, Josh's best friend, and Maddie's long-time source of heartbreak. Together, they must face both the physical journey and the emotional one as they revisit the past, heal old wounds, and confront a future, neither expected.

Connolly does a good job of portraying the tension and attraction between Maddie and Dom. Their shared history is laden with unresolved feelings, and their banter crackles with a mix of bitterness and underlying chemistry. Despite Maddie’s initial reluctance, the chemistry between the two builds gradually, making their evolving relationship feel natural and organic. The setup of a forced travel partnership adds a layer of tension, as their journey through various beautiful and remote destinations mirrors their emotional journey of healing and reconciliation.

The audiobook narration is <chef's kiss> 🤌 Karissa really brings out all the emotion the characters are experiencing.

Lauren Connolly has crafted a heartfelt and poignant tale of forgiveness, healing, and love that endures despite the trials life throws at us. We'd recommend this one for readers looking for a romance that is both touching and full of heart.

It was fine. It was very "P. S. I Love You."

However the major issue that I had with it was that Maddie was such a brat. Unjustifiably so. She was way too immature for the age that she was supposed to portray. So much so, that I wasn't wanting her to get the guy. I wanted him to turn and run away from her toxicity as soon as humanly possible. It's hard to have a romance when you actively rooting against the couple getting together.

Drowning in grief after losing her beloved brother, Josh, to cancer at the young age of 29, Maddie Sanderson is tasked with spreading his ashes in eight different places that require serious travel. Maddie is horrified to find out that Josh’s best friend, Dominic Perry, must be her travel partner. Maddie is loath to accept her brother’s last wishes, but to read the precious letters that go along with her assignment, she must acquiesce. Dominic had broken Maddie’s heart seven years ago, so he is the last person she wants to spend any amount of time with the burden of this task.

At Dom’s insistence, they follow the rules beginning the first trip almost immediately. Maddie’s attitude is a toxic mix of grief, resentment, anger, and incredulity at being forced to spend time with Dom. Each trip takes months to plan and accomplish. Since Maddie grew up with Dom’s family as her only refuge from her own cruel and insensitive mother and grandmother, she has many strong connections to all the Perrys.

Despite the smiley cover, this book is definitely a Women’s Fiction and is in no way a rom-com or mainly a romance. Maddie is a difficult character who is quite immature, has a self-destructive inner monologue, and a huge resistance to giving Dom any grace for his prior actions. Dom is very patient with Maddie bearing guilt for hurting her while processing his own grief. I found Maddie to be an irritating unsympathetic character who was really a major emotional mess beyond her current grief circumstances. This story is quite drawn out and as the author notes, comes with several trigger warnings of “emotionally difficult topics.” Readers should be prepared for a very angst driven, heartwrenching ride.

Well this one hurt quite a bit. I don’t think I ever really read a part where my eyes weren’t burning or read.

Sometimes I get a bit hesitant with 2nd chance romances, but this one is by far my absolute favorite. Maddie’s brother, Josh, passed away and his last will was for her and his best friend, Dom, to explore the last few states he couldn’t visit.

Very straightforward and yet, the plot is as intricate as feelings always are. Everything that has happened, everything that the characters have felt, was so realistic, so genuine it was honestly painful to how much this book has wreaked havoc on emotions.

As heartbreaking as this book was, it’s also so so beautiful and will be one of my favorite reads this year.

This book was so good! I laughed, I cried, I couldn't stop reading it. I love the MMC! This is a book that had me thinking about still, days after finishing it. No notes!

All the stars for this incredible story!!

The way this story was written was so beautiful. The elements of grief mixed with laughter really helped with the overall feel of the story. It’s a heartfelt emotional journey filled with sadness, laughter and friendships.

Everyone should have a Jeremy, Tula and Dom in their life. The way these friends really cared for Maddie and helped her along in her journey of healing was amazing.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and feel so much for these characters.

A deeply emotional, forced proximity, brother's best friend road trip second chance romance that sees two people grieving the death from cancer friend/brother who are tasked with scattering his ashes together across 8 states. This was full of emotional depth, disability rep (the female MC has asthma) and lots of angst/pining. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Jessica Joyce and Sarah Adler. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars
At the funeral of her 29 year-old brother, Josh, Maddie learns that he left a series of letters for her and his life-long friend, Dominic, asking them to travel to 8 states that he never had the chance to visit and sprinkle some of his ashes. The mission is complicated by the fact that it has been 7 years since Dom broke Maddie's heart and she hasn't spoken to him since. Over the course of the next couple of years, the two of them visit Delaware, Alabama, Kansas, Arizona, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho and Alaska as they take Josh along on the adventures that he didn't have a chance to enjoy before he died and savour his words in the letters he left for each destination. Spending time together on these trips forces Maddie to confront her resentment of Dom and as her feelings toward him start to soften she realizes that there's a risk that she'll fall in love with him again.

I was drawn to PS: I Hate You because of the concept of travelling to various places on a farewell tour to a loved one. There are a bunch of tropes - enemies to lovers, brother's best friend, miscommunication, forced proximity, one bed - but two main characters dealing with grief is heavier subject matter than a typical romance. The positives - I enjoyed the travel parts but would have preferred more time in each place, the grief process that Maddie and Dom go through after Josh's death was relatable, and I appreciated the found family that Maddie had with her two close friends and Dom's brothers who all helped her get through the grieving process. The negatives - Maddie can be insufferable but grief affects everyone differently so I cut her some slack but I didn't love Dom's behaviour after they break-up late in the book - it was a bit stalkerish. Also a little more than halfway through the book they get together and the sex scenes are quite graphic which felt out of place for the story. This was an okay read for me but nothing special - early reviewers are raving about this book though so I'm clearly an outlier.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

5 stars⭐- I adored this so much.

P.S. I HATE YOU by Lauren Connolly
432 pages
Contemporary romance with a bit of spice (which are my favorites!! give me the real love story and a splash of spice.)

Thank you to Netgalley, Lauren Connolly, and Berkley for the #ARC in return for an honest review. I do want to say that as much as I loved this book, it has quite the heavy background so PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS!! This a new favorite of 2024....

What did I enjoy/what to expect?
👍🏻grief journey. this book made me look at how I deal with grief and my process. It is different for everyone: it can be ugly, tiring, sad, and messy. And sometimes there is beauty in that.
👍🏻 "never give up on yourself or finding true love"
👍🏻brothers best friend
👍🏻DOM WAS PERFECTION ugh my heart
👍🏻angst and tension
👍🏻second chance romance
👍🏻sad and gut wrenching

What could have been better?
👎🏻why why why did we get that weird love triangle/relationship in the end...... could have done without that.
👎🏻miscommunication trope

I adored this book! Seriously. One of the best romances I’ve read all year.

It’s been a while since I loved a book boyfriend as much I loved Dominic Perry. Most MMCs are either controlling alpha types or sweet golden retrievers. Dom manages to be a strong character witho being controlling. He cares for everyone and wants things to go a certain way, but he also allows the FMC to stand on her own two feet and make her own choices. Despite the enemies to lovers vibes, there was mutual respect between the two MCs.

Maddie, the FMC, gave us chronic illness rep as she suffered from asthma. She had a lot of trauma to deal with from her childhood and her brother’s death. I thought her character arc was so well written. Watching her growth was beautiful. All the side characters were great as well. I loved how, since the book is single POV, we got to know the other characters little by little as Maddie learned to open up.

The plot was an original take on the road-trip trope. Having them visit a variety of far flung locations over the course of time instead of merely traveling from point A to point B, made for a more varied story! I appreciated that we still got to follow Maddie in between trips as she reflected and digested the things that happened during their times of forced proximity. And that forced proximity led to some excellent spicy scenes. No closed doors here!

I cried at the ending, which I loved. And I definitely recommend this romance. It’s a must-read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the chance to review this ARC.

PS: This Is A Must Read
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)  
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5) 
Audio Rating: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️(5/5)

“Love, Josh”

Tropes:   
Brother’s Best Friend
Road Trip
Second Chance
Snowed In
Found Family
Grief Rep
~
Vibes:
My first Lauren Connolly book, and I’m completely HOOKED.

These characters were absolute perfection. Maddie Sanderson’s snark is witty, her character growth is spectacular, and her love story is applaud worthy. Dominick Perry is a top-tier book boyfriend, quiet and responsible, willing to admit mistakes and show up when it counts. I love the Maddie’s friend group - Jeremy and Tula are the truest of friends! I need more of the Perry Twins - Adam and Carter! Josh was a brilliant puppeteer, and I ended up liking Rosaline by the end. Cecilia can go rot in a ditch somewhere, and Florence can take a trip to the sun 😡.

The only part that frustrated me was the miscommunication, but they were all young and making poor decisions. I was also surprised this was dual POV - because I craved Dom’s perspective - but the single POV captured Maddie’s grief so well!

Final thoughts - the letters, the banter, the spice, the road trip adventures - this book is so freaking amazing.

It’s a must read/listen!
~
Audio Notes:
Absolutely fantastic performance by Karissa Vacker - I’ll be adding this to my top favorites for 2024. Perfect comedic timing, pacing, and emotion. I highly recommend this audiobook.
~
Recommended to...  
All romance readers who crave character development, banter, and a forever kind of love.

Oh my gosh I adored this book!!! I swooned and I sobbed. I truly don't have the words to sum up everything I felt while reading this book. It's definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. Grief roadtrip books are hard to pull off because the grief can be very heavy. This story never felt unbalanced though because Lauren Connolly infused the book with so much snark and banter that the book was never weighed down by the sadness. This story was deliciously bittersweet. The angst was an absolutely delight. I fell in love with Dom and Maddie's relationship but I also fell in love with Josh. He felt full of life despite everything we learned about him coming from flashbacks. Dom's steady presence was the perfect anchor for Maddie's turbulent grief. I loved watching Dom be there for Maddie time and time again during the most difficult points of her grieving process. Watching them grieve together and remember together was extremely heartwarming. I adored everything about this book and I'm very excited about this author's future releases!

I liked the premise of P.S.: I Hate You You, and I adored the love interest, Dom, who was a sweetheart, but I found the main heroine, Maddie, annoying and immature. I had high expectations for the book because of all the positive reviews, but I found it hard to enjoy because of how insufferable Maddie was. I don't mind unlikable characters in some genres, but in romantic fiction, I want characters I like and can root for. Although I appreciated the portrayal of loss and grief, it wasn't enough for me to love the book.

A story that made me laugh, smile, and cry! I went in blindly for this title, and I loved every second of the journey! Beautifully written with a unique story and plot. I absolutely fell in love with the characters!

Thank you for this ARC!

This book got me. It had me laughing, swooning & crying all in a span of five pages. I thought it was an amazing depiction of grief and how personal each person's journey is. I loved the second chance romance and all the romantic tension in between. It's an amazing book that I will sure to recommend for years to come,

This was FANTASTIC. I could not put it down. I was immediately pulled in by the wittiness and humor of our fmc but then stayed glued with the premise of our two mcs having a past. What I wasn't expecting was the deep level of grief and processing that goes along with it, but it made this book so much better. I love when a romance book can make me laugh and swoon but I love it even more when it handles a serious or hard topic, and does it well. The writing was great, the characters were fantastic, and the story just felt so incredibly real that I was in tears by the end. I'm gonna leave a semi spoiler praise down below but just know that I love this book so freakin much and I know it'll be one I reread someday. I will absolutely be purchasing a copy for my shelves!!

Thank you Berkley Romance for the advance ebook!



* semi spoiler below**




I just wanted to sing my praises for how this book came to its conclusion. With the big conflict, I love how it wasn't just an easy 2 second fix. It took a lot of time, dedication, and self work to get to the point where our MCs could be together and that just felt really realistic and I really appreciated it!