Book Review: PS - I Hate You

P.S: I Hate You is a contemporary romance novel written by award-winning author Lauren Connolly.  The narrative of the book centres around Maddie Sanderson, who after losing her beloved brother Josh to cancer is trying to find ways to hide from her grief. At the reading of his will, Maddie learns that Josh had one final request for her to undertake upon his passing; he wished for her to travel to eight different US states and experience the things he couldn’t, all the while spreading his ashes in each spot.  Not one to make things conventional however, Josh also adds the stipulation that she must do this adventure with his best friend who just so happens to be Maddie’s distant ex; Dominic Perry.  With a flurry of emotions, Maddie reluctantly agrees to the request in honor of her brother and sets about with Dominic to visit each of the noted locations on Josh’s list.  While Maddie is insistent to get on with the adventure so she can soon rid herself of Dominic Perry from her life once again, she soon discovers that the feelings they once had for each other are annoyingly beginning to root to the surface. 

My initial interest in this book came from the grief side of things.  I liked the concept of a sister trying to cope with the death of her brother and how it smartly tacks on a reluctant pairing to bridge into its romance aspect. While that interest was enough to make me pick up the book, the actual narrative in itself left a lot to be desired upon reflection. When the story focuses on the mature elements like grief, self-confidence and isolation, it actually manages to draw my attention quite easily. Connolly clearly understands the gravity of these aspects of peoples lives and gently weaves their weight into Maddie’s personal life in a way that can be empathized and even related with.  Where the story loses me though is in the romance aspect.  As characters, Maddie and Dominic are just too generic when it comes to their romantic personalities.  Maddie is played clearly as the reluctant attraction in which she starts out hating Dominic to an almost exaggerated degree and Dominic is the straight do-gooder who despite supposedly mistreating her emotions in the past has no degree of flaw besides his need to be perfect.  The way the romantic plot develops also feels too generic and filled with the typical misunderstandings and final act remedies for me to truly appreciate.

Tonally, the book’s teeters constantly between maturity and immaturity which sadly impacted my engagement of the story too.  Like I said, when Connolly gets out of her own way and lets the characters express their grief or trauma, it feels like good, solid writing.  It’s clear as day that as an author she understands fundamental aspects of what it means to be human and face these emotions head on, no matter the hurt that might bring.  Yet for all the maturity these moments project, she often follows it up with some really cringe writing in the romantic element.  I’d argue one third of this book deteriorates into self-indulgent smut too, which also reflect the immaturity of the book.  It’s like as soon as these characters realize they may have feelings for one another again; they find ways to make every encounter sexual which in turns devalues that actual core of the story.

I honestly think when the book focuses on what it means to grieve the loss of a loved one and live the life they never got to have; this book is able to produce something truly meaningful.  It’s what makes me even more mad that it constantly dismisses that by insisting upon throwing an honestly quite generic and uninspired romance plot alongside it.  Every time I felt I was finding my footing with Maddie as a character, Connolly would remind me of her romantic and sexual frustrations with the cardboard cut-out of a romantic partner.  It’s impossible to enjoy one aspect of the story when the other half proudly displays its obnoxious issues right into your face.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐