Maddie Sanderson just lost her older brother Josh to cancer, and she is devastated. She is at his funeral in an ill-fitting dress, hiding in a supply closet, checking work emails on her laptop. She is hiding from her grief. She is hiding from her mother. And she is hiding from the man who broke her heart years ago.

Dominic Perry, Josh’s best friend, finds Maddie hiding in the closet, because he needs her. Josh had made him executor of his will, and Maddie needed to be there for what Dom had to say. As he handed out personal letters from Josh to his grandmother, his mother, Dom’s ex-wife Rosaline, Dom’s parents, Dom’s twin brothers Carter and Adam, Maddie waited with bated breath until he pulls out her letter. But there is no letter for Maddie. It’s a big envelope with several individual letters for Maddie and Dom. Together.

Josh had been an adventurer. He had traveled the world taking photos, meeting people, living large. Every once in a while, he would talk Maddie into coming on a trip with him, but she preferred to stay close to home, where her asthma was under control and her jigsaw puzzles were nearby. But his final wish was for Maddie and Dom, together, to spread his ashes in 8 different places, in 8 states that he said he never got the chance to visit. There is an envelope for each destination: Delaware, Alabama, Kansas, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Alaska.

Since they’re in Pennsylvania, they decide to go ahead and head to Delaware. Josh left a set of coordinates for each destination, and Maddie and Dom find themselves on the beach. They read the letter Josh left them and release some of his ashes in the ocean. Afterwards, per Josh’s instructions, they go to a bar for Dogfish Head beers on tap and a toast to Josh. Then they get stupid drunk. Since neither Maddie nor Dom are in any shape to drive, they find a motel and raid the vending machine for snacks. They head to their individual rooms, but not without a steamy kiss.

As the months go by, and the trips bring Maddie and Dom together for a brief time, Maddie’s old anger starts to slip away, and Dom’s tight-fisted control starts to loosen. They remember the night the spent together as kids, the one before Dom and Rosaline decided to get married, upending Maddie’s life and sending her to the other side of the country. But now he’s divorced, and they share their grief over losing Josh as they experience new adventures across the country.

Maddie starts to wonder if her brother is acting as matchmaker from beyond the grave, but her grief and childhood trauma still burn brightly in her heart. Will she be able to get past her mistrust of Dominic to give them a real chance at love? Or is she destined to do her jigsaw puzzles at home alone?

PS: I Hate You is a bittersweet romance filled with grief and tattoos, travel and trauma, cheese and snowstorms, glowworms and glaciers. This story of healing is so moving as well as laugh-out-loud funny, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with Maddie and Dom. There are wonderful surprises along the way, but there were also several moments where I was reaching for tissues. There are ups and downs, ins and outs, and so much love in these pages.

I loved this book so much, but there were moments I had to step away. Maddie’s pain is so strong in some moments, so present, that I had to take a minute to catch my own breath. There is so much love for Josh that his loss is palpable to these characters. But the love and friendship is also strong, so there is a lot of hope and warmth and true love in Maddie’s found family. This book is absolutely lovely, but it may prove to be too much for someone who is actively grieving a loss, so please keep that in mind. PS: I Hate You is beautifully written, a love letter to the triumph of the human spirit in the face of loss, and just so much fun.

Egalleys for PS: I Hate You were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.