Gorgeous story! Told from the perspective of Maddie as she is instructed to go on a road-trip with her brother's best friend, through the will of her brother who passed away, this story has all the elements that tugged on my heartstrings. The way that grief was portrayed, plus the road-trip aspect were beautifully done.
Maddie and Dom had a complicated history, and undeniable chemistry, which made every scene with them riveting. Each of the secondary characters: loved, especially Adam of the Perry twins who added levity to the story, and Carter who's quiet presence shone bright.
This story is a journey, with its hard moments and moments that will make readers feel seen. I really enjoyed it!
The story took a bit of time to build up, and I would have loved to get Dom's perspective, which is why it is a 4 stars for me. In any case, I did love the writing, and plan to read more from the author.
Thank you Quercus for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Wow! What can I say, I really enjoyed reading this book... So much that I read it in one night! This book is full of heartbreak, sadness, tension, missed opportunities, love and healing! It's a big mix of emotions, which was amazing. It definitely had me crying at points throughout the story, but the ending made my heart happy 🩷

I absolutely loved this book, and it is the one book I will get a copy of to keep on my bookshelf once it is published and out. Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with this ARC. But also to Lauren Connolly for writing such a beautiful book!

Trigger warning **it does involve cancer and death and goes through the stages of grief! **

The premise of the story is amazing. After losing her brother to cancer, Maddie is send on a whirlwind trip. Together with her brother’s best friend, Dom, they get the assignment to visit all eight states Josh never got to visit. Each destination would have a letter to read and one eighth of his ash to spread.

However, the history between Dom and Maddie makes it a difficult task and Maddie is torn between going to all eight places as quickly as possible to get rid of Dom, or to drag it out as long as possible to keep her brother with her.

I am torn about this book. The first half of the book was difficult to read for me. Maddie irritated me and especially her attitude. I mean, come on, I can understand being upset with the guy who broke your heart, only to then be dependent on him to hear your brother’s words, but honestly, she behaved like a spoiled child.

The second half of the book we saw her falling back in love with Dom, but she also started behaving like a rational human being.

So for me three stars, loved the second half, had some difficulty with the first half!

A very bland book. Filled with Cliches and was dull from start to finish. There was no character development at all and the writer seems to be relying on old tricks to try and create a story.

This book was an absolute joy to read, funny, witty, emotional, and everything I could've hoped for and more. The writing style is so easily digestible, and I really appreciated how Lauren Connolly handled such sensitive topics like grief and cancer.

As someone who's experienced both, I felt like her portrayal of these emotions physical and mental was incredibly well done and deeply authentic.
This story was so much more than just a romance for me. It felt personal, like it spoke directly to my own experiences. It was warm and comforting, reminding me that I wasn't alone in the feelings I've had about loss and hardship.

Dom and Maddie were such a delight to read about. Their banter was on point, with just the right amount of flirtation and chemistry. It was the perfect slow burn romance, and I loved watching them grow both individually and together throughout the story. The way their journey unfolded, especially as they fulfilled Josh's wishes, felt like a tender, heartfelt adventure. Given my own experiences with grief and loss, it honestly felt like a warm hug.

The way Maddie's family struggles and personal issues were portrayed felt raw and real. The same goes for Dom, his backstory and personal challenges were developed in such a genuine, yet heartbreaking way.
These characters were well-rounded and deeply human, making them easy to connect with.

Overall, PS I Hate You strikes a perfect balance between humor, love, and grief. It's a story that touched me emotionally, gave me something to reflect on, and left me with a sense of warmth. I'm definitely going to be picking up a physical copy when it's released in Australia.

Buena idea, no tan buen desarrollo.

Mi gran problema con la historia fue que Dom dice amar a Maddie, pero nunca la puso como prioridad, estuvo 7años en un matrimonio sin amor y prefirió eso a luchar por el perdón y amor de Maddie. Además de que solamente tienen una oportunidad por el hermano de Maddie, Josh, quien resulta que también es su mejor amigo, si no fuera por él, nunca en la vida Dom se habría atrevido a hablar con ella.


Gracias NetGalley y a la editorial por el Arc a cambio de una honesta opinión.

Thinking about the 5 stages of grief, Maddie dips in and out of them all. It is done with raw expressions of feelings but with a hilarious twist.
It has been a while since I’ve laughed and cried in the same paragraph.
What a beautiful story of friendship and love. Not to mention a perfect example of how we can’t choose our family.
I’m excited to explore more from this author.

ARC - PUBLICATION DATE 16TH JAN 2025

5 ☆

『 tropes 』
•brother’s best friend
•road trips
•forced proximity
•enemies-to-lovers
•miscommunication
•second chance
•found family

『 plot 』
maddie would do anything for her big brother, the most important person in her life, and the last thing her brother has asked her to do, is via his will; a request that she scatters his ashes in 8 different places, places he never got to visit on his travels. the only thing is, she’s got to do it with his best friend, dominic, someone she was hoping to avoid once the funeral was over, she’s done it for the past 8 or so years, so it should have been easy to do, but she can’t deny her brother his last dying wish. even if that means she has to do this with the guy who broke her heart.
over the course of 2 years, 8 different places, thousands of miles, and a long complicated history, maddie and dominic embark on this journey to say their final goodbyes to the one person they both loved more than anything.


『 my thoughts 』
this is one book i will accept no criticism of, none. at all. this story was perfect, it was everything i enjoy in a book. maddie is complex, insecure, heartbroken and scared to death of people leaving her. her brother, josh, was the only person who showed her what family and love is supposed to be. dominic is grumpy, mr responsible, a bit standoffish and serious, he’s always the one looking after everyone else. but they are both so loveable, intriguing characters. this book made me laugh, cry, blush, kick my feet, and was just beautifully written. i can’t quite put into words how much i loved this story and how much it moved me.

it was a story full of heartbreak, grieving, tension, angst, missed chances, second chances and healing. it was bittersweet, it was beautiful, it quite literally broke my heart and then put it back together again.

obsessed. obsessed. obsessed. it has become one of my all time favourite books and i am so so glad i stumbled across this book.

A great read
A book I read in one sitting
An excellent written book with emotion and romance
Thanks NetGalley

This is a book about love, grief, and trauma. I cried several times throughout the novel as Maddie and Dom travel across the country on a trip orchestrated by their recently deceased brother/best friend. It spans across a couple of years, so you see the journey of their grief and the deep roots that trauma-based fears play in interpersonal relationships.

Dom's urge to control the situation and take care of everyone paired well with Maddie's fear of being left. It was interesting to bounce in and out of their interactions together, and I never felt like I was missing any pieces.

The only negative for me was that the time jumps didn't really translate. I had to remind myself that a year or two had passed.

I enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

‘PS: I Hate You’ by Lauren Connelly is a second-chance, brother’s-best-friend contemporary romance that explores themes of grief and childhood trauma.

Despite the heavy topics, particularly in the first half of the story, I found myself wanting a bit more depth. I think the frequent time jumps contributed to this feeling. Every time I felt Maddie and Dom’s relationship was about to deepen, the chapters would end abruptly, and suddenly, several months had passed.

Overall, I was intrigued by the concept of the story and, to some extent, the characters, but unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite work for me.

2,75⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with this ARC.

Although this story is fundamentally a rom-com, the main plot is centred on Maddie's grief following her brother's death, and bad parenting decisions by her mother and grandmother, which continue to affect her mental state. Despite the title, this is not an enemies-to-lovers story - it’s more of a second-chance/contemporary romance, so I’m not sure the title accurately reflects the content - although Maddie is a bitch to him, Dom is consistently nice and thoughtful towards her. Her protestations that she hates him at least once a page and the reiteration of why, particularly in the first 30%, wore on the nerves - but at around the 30% mark things seemed more genuine and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the story - particularly the adventures which Josh sent them on. If you can get past the first 30%, this is a great read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to get an early copy of the book, which is out on 17th January 2025.

Funny, sexy, moving, and with a heroine you can really get behind. Maddie is struggling after her brother's death, but his last request of her is to travel to all the states he never visited, along with his best friend Dom, who broke Maddie's heart when she was a teenager. The trip is life-changing, for both of them, allowing them to finally lay to rest the ghosts that have haunted them for a decade.
The writing is sharp and witty and the story packs a proper punch. I loved it.

3 ⭐️ I'm not sure how I feel about this book...

The thing is, I'm fairly certain it wasn't bad, but also I know it wasn't great so I think a three is a more than fair in between. This is a very heavy book, even if it has a lot of rom-com-y elements to it. The main plot of the book focuses on Maddie's grief surrounding her brother's death. He was her only sibling and the only family member she truly cared for and loved. After her brother's battle with cancer, she finds out during his funeral that he left letters to everyone in his close family/friend circle, including her. Except for hers, there were a couple of stipulations to meet. First, every single one of her letters was addressed to both her and his brother's best friend, Dom - the only guy Maddie has ever loved (in secret) and now hated (very publicly). Her confusion and feelings are all part of the journey, and it takes a while for us to settle into such a difficult story and dynamic, especially when there seems to be no clarification for the greater part of the book.

I think part of my problem with this book is that the whole thing was just a big, massive, huge miscommunication after the other... all paired with making slightly f**cked up choices all in the name of being a good person. The 'big explanations' we wait until the very end of the book to hear are so obvious from the beginning when we're given just a hint of how everything played out all of those years ago, that the angst just feels idiotic and convoluted for no reason, and it was more frustrating than anything else.

Still, grief and pain are very heavy topics, and I always applaud authors who do not shy away from them and respect the ever-changing nature of it all. It might not have been my favourite book, but it may be worth a read if heartbreak and grief are something you wish to explore or understand a bit better.

🌶🌶/ 5 - I didn't particularly enjoy the spice in this book. It felt like a way to keep the characters together even when they refused to talk to each other about any of the things they both knew they should. It was just s+x for all the wrong reasons... but also they were both very attracted to each other so idk.

genuinely really loved this. read this so quick i couldn’t put it down. such a beautiful and unique story. perfect mix of humour, grief, love and pining. I loved the idea of travelling to different locations to read a letter from Josh. As someone who’s experienced too much grief for anyone aged 23, this was shown so well. really loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of PS I hate you.

The book begins with the death of Maddie’s brother, Josh.
Through a series of letters, Josh tells Maddie where she should scatter his ashes. Each letter must be opened at the specific location where the ashes are to be scattered, and they must be read by her, along with Maddie’s worst enemy, Dom, who happens to be Josh's best friend.
Over time, we see the dynamic of hatred between them shift to friendship and eventually to something much deeper. The line between hate and love is thin, especially since Maddie had feelings for him back in college.

Although the book starts with a very sad event—Josh's death from cancer, a life cut short and the grief of a sister left behind—the story is captivating, and you can’t stop reading. You’re constantly eager for the next letter, wanting to know more about Josh and the reason behind his letters.
I found Maddie a bit repetitive, about her feelings for Dom and how she didn't want to take any risks although that's thank you to her mum and grandmother, both insufferable as we know them through the book, specially the mum and her love to use her social media for every event in her life, even the death of her beloved son.

By the end of the book I completely understood Maddie and the way she was.

The book was emotional and romantic and I do love a good romance. I finished in a couple of days as it was hard to not know what happened at the end.
This book will be one of my recommendations of the year and I will add Lauren Connolly to my list of favourite authors.

Best friends
Grief
Dealing with death
Family issues
Hate-Love
Country travel experiences

What a beautiful (but also sad) story! I really really enjoyed this book. <3
I loved Maddie, even though she seemed snarky and sometimes obnoxious (especially in the beginning) but I somehow connected with her. With a childhood and mother like hers who could blame her for having her insecurities? Thankfully she had her older brother Josh, and her neighbor family - the Perries.
This story was amazing in many ways, and I especially enjoyed Dom and Maddie going on the trips - the last wish of Josh, who recently passed away. Not only was it a story about grieving a loved one, it was also a second chance romance, and it did have some plot twists I didn't see coming.

I'm totally recommending this book, and I think if you've enjoyed "You, with a view" or even "PS: I love you" you'll totally love this book as well!

I tead this on Kindle. Unfortunately, it messed up the format and made it incredibly difficult and irritating to read!

So I couldn’t enjoy the reading experience because of that, but that is not the author’s fault, so i’ll try to be fair here.

It is a beautiful emotional reax that is not just a romcom. It deals with traumatic past and grief. It gets very heavy in the second half especially. I struggled feelign a connection with the characters but not sure if it’s because of the format mess or just Maddie is not a character for me.

Still, I think this book deals with important topics, so I recommend it!

3-3.5

La idea me encantó, pero el desarrollo no.

Es el tercer libro que leo en menos de cuatro días en el que el protagonista es un cobarde que elige a medio mundo antes que a la protagonista.

Odio cuando hacen de las protagonistas unas "dejadas". El tipo le aplastó el corazón, nunca le pidió perdón, ni fue su prioridad, a pesar de que juraba amarla y de que nunca dejó de hacerlo. Y la tonta de Maddie siempre le puso las cosas fáciles. Me dio pena verla lanzarse sobre él en cada oportunidad. Lo que esperaba, al menos, es que estuviera enojada y lo hiciera luchar por su amor, pero no, ella le sirvió todo en bandeja de plata.
Ella alejaba a todos y con quien debía hacerlo no lo hacía.




Spoilers ⚠️ ⚠️


Dom y Rosaline fueron novios durante años hasta que, un día, terminaron. Durante ese verano, Maddie estuvo ayudando a la familia de Dom, lo que los hizo acercarse más. Empezaron a coquetear, y Maddie pensó que esa era su oportunidad. Una noche tuvieron intimidad (sin penetración) y ella estaba feliz porque, durante años, estuvo enamorada de él. Al día siguiente, fue a visitarlo, pero se encontró con que Rosaline estaba allí y él le estaba pidiendo matrimonio.

Antes de seguir, debo mencionar a Josh, el hermano de Maddie y mejor amigo de Dom y Rosaline.

Durante siete años, Maddie se mantuvo alejada de él, pero empezaron a pasar tiempo juntos después de la muerte de Josh. En su testamento, él les pidió que repartieran sus cenizas en ocho estados, por lo que tuvieron que viajar juntos.

Como era de esperar, Maddie no había superado a Dom y al enterarse de que se había divorciado, saltó inmediatamente a sus brazos.

Durante los viajes, Maddie lo besó varias veces, pero él no hizo nada. El tipo era un adorno en la historia. Se supone que se fueron convirtiendo en amigos y luego comenzaron a dormir juntos y a salir. Pero en todo ese tiempo nunca hablaron sobre cómo él le rompió el corazón.

Maddie estaba lidiando con muchas emociones: por un lado, la pérdida de su hermano, la persona que más amaba, y por otro, intentaba tener una relación con alguien en quien no confiaba y que, estaba segura, no tardaría en regresar con su ex.

Cada uno vivía en estados diferentes, así que solo se veían durante los viajes que hacían cada ciertos meses, y se comunicaban por correos electrónicos y mensajes. En el penúltimo destino, él no apareció porque su ex necesitaba ayuda. Todos los miedos de Maddie se hicieron realidad, y ella decidió terminar la relación.

Se supone que Dom siempre estuvo enamorado de ella, así que se mudó al mismo estado. Finalmente le contó por qué la había dejado y le dijo que la esperaría.

La razón por la que se casó con Rosaline era la que ya sospechaba: ella estaba embarazada. No dudó en dejarlo todo para estar con ella, sin pensar ni por un momento en Maddie. Pero según él, la amaba, aunque su responsabilidad con Rosaline era lo primero. Un mes después de casarse, Rosaline sufrió un aborto. En lugar de solucionar las cosas, pedirle perdón a Maddie y demostrarle que era a ella a quien realmente amaba, decidió hacer funcionar su matrimonio. Durante seis o siete años fue feliz, pero cuando se enteraron de que Josh tenía cáncer, se dio cuenta de lo corta que es la vida. A pesar de amar a su esposa, su matrimonio se había vuelto cómodo, y él quería algo más. Uno pensaría que, después del divorcio, iría a buscar a Maddie, pero no fue así. La única razón por la que se dieron una nueva oportunidad fue por Josh. ¿Cómo se supone que crea que siempre la amó si ni siquiera fue capaz de irla a buscar?

Y su gran gesto de mudarse al mismo estado y esperar por ella, no tuvo chiste porque fue lo unico que hizo, se veian y él la saludaba todo seco. Se supone que quién tenía que dar el siguiente paso era ella porque él ya había hecho su parte. ????

3.5 Stars

P.S. I Hate You is an emotional story with an interesting premise and dark humour.

Maddie's beloved brother, Josh, has died of cancer, and in his will asks her to travel to specific locations across America he never got to visit to spread his ashes. There are eight locations and eight final letters from Josh to read at each place. The crux thought is Maddies has to do it with Josh's best friend Dominic. However, Dom and Maddie have a past. One in which Dom broke her heart.

Where this book shone was the portrayal of Maddie's grief in all it's messiness and the poignancy of the last wish Josh bequeath to Maddie and Dom. Every journey they went on and letter they read, I cried to much. Josh was a fantastic character and he really came across in the letters and the memories of the characters which is an impressive feat of the author.

The central romance was weaker. The banter was not strong and the chemistry between the characters wasn't always on the page. It felt more like telling than showing the actually attraction and chemistry between the FMC and MMC. There were glimpses and moments, but not enough to carry the whole romance for me. There is a good amount of spice in this book, but sometimes it came across a little robotic and felt like it was there was only for spices sake and didn't actually serve a purpose to further the story or characters. Which is fine. I ended up reading it for what it is was, but for me to truly invest or enjoy a story, I like a little more out of it than that.

Overall, I enjoyed this book though I preferred the grief and Josh's final wish storyline more engrossing and poignant than the central romance. I would recommend the book solely for this aspect of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.