What We’re Reading in July 2025

CURRENTLY READING

PS: I Hate You

by Lauren Connolly

Travel, second chances, and a gentle reminder to live and love to the fullest. This is a heartwarming summer read.

Get your copy of PS: I Hate You (Amazon) and read with us!

What Victoria Loved

VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5

⚠️ TWs: cancer, death, grief, self-harm, neglectful / emotional abusive parents

I couldn’t put this book down from the second I started it. I finished it in a single sitting and I’m already looking forward to rereading it. 

Lauren Connolly shows us the strength of found family and demonstrates different manifestations of grief through the loss of a sibling, a child, a best friend, a partner. But it’s the second-chance love story that will simultaneously fill your heart up and rip it to shreds with each turn of the page. 

What a beautiful way to celebrate life. What a devastating adventure to love. But in the end, she reminds us that it’s all worth it… because what would you do if you could love your person for just one more day?

Set the mood. Listen to our PS: I Hate You playlist (Spotify).

What the Book Club Loved

• FIREWORKS & STEAM: 2.75/5

  For a good portion of the book, there’s not intimacy between the MCs, but when we reach the point of contact it happens so abruptly it felt like whiplash. We go from zero to a hundred, from grief to “cum sandwich”… it felt rather juvenile. While the majority of the spice happens behind closed doors, there’s quite a lot of telling rather than showing, which was a further disappointment.
  

• WRITING STYLE: 3/5 — 4/5 plot, 1/5 writing

  We were torn. We loved the premise and the plot device of letter writing, and the adventure was spaced out over a believable timeline. But we were overwhelmed by the number of tropes incorporated into this story. In fact, it got to be so involved, Lauren’s writing style became inconsistent.

  However, her writing excelled in her description of grief. It’s difficult to look into someone’s POV at the lowest point of their life, and Lauren conveyed it beautifully. We also were inspired by her description of the many locations the MCs traveled to — we’re inspired to travel and add these to this list! We wish the descriptions were slightly more immersive, but we were decently satisfied.
  

• CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4.25/5

  It was a rather apparent truth that the parents in this book were not the best… They were all emotionally immature resulting in complexly impacted children who either matured too fast or not at all, needed to live in full-control or in utter avoidance of it. The MCs were overflowing with behaviors developed as a result of trauma, but we loved them for it. Their flaws made beautifully relatable and we became their #1 cheerleaders. Their growth wasn’t perfect — they made strides and took massive steps back. But it was realistic! The only thing that would’ve made it even better is if we also had Dom’s POV to further develop his character and to better understand his feelings.
  

• THE LOVE STORY: 3.25/5

  Maddie and Dom didn’t read like they were in love, rather like they trauma bonded triggered first by Dom’s mother’s accident and again with the passing of Maddie’s brother. Both were forced into parental roles as teenagers, they sought comfort and company from each other and it formed into something deeper. They’ve known each other their whole lives and have chosen to be responsible for everyone else, and they’ve hurt each other in the process.

  But beyond their relationship, this was as much a story about self-love surrounded in grief. There is such a spectrum in grieving, and Lauren presents a beautiful demonstration of what grief could look like. Maddie’s choice to focus on herself was the most responsible thing she could’ve done and a true embodiment of self-love, which is especially important as we learn more about her relationship with her mother. Her journey “was ugly at times… a brutal self- reflection of grief.”

“I’m tired from staying up til 3am sobbing.”

- JESS

If You Loved PS: I Hate You, You’ll Love These

• LETTERS FROM A LOVED ONE: These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (Amazon)

  Give me billionaire lifestyle and family drama wrapped in a little forbidden love and I’ll happily escape into a book. The black sheep and the prodigal son are a match made in heaven… (or a perfect storm!!), and they’ll make you feel nostalgic for a lifestyle you’ve never experienced. Read my full Sneak Peek.

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

• BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND: If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair (Amazon)

  The unexpected soft underbelly of this romance lies in Wyatt’s love for sailing, the relationship he had with his uncle, and how excitedly he shares this passion with Josie. She has always held an unflattering view of the grump with a hard exterior, but this little piece of Wyatt is all it takes for her to truly see him. If you didn’t have any interest in sailing, you might after this intro. Read my Sneak Peek!

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 3.5/5

• SECOND CHANCE FORCED PROXIMITY ON THE ROAD: Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (Amazon)

  An HoH Book Club Pick! Here We Go Again was an unexpected gift. Second-chances, peaceful endings. Living life to its fullest. This beautiful story unfolds through witty banter, literary references, and beautiful scenery. You’ll laugh out loud, you’ll cry (or sob). You’ll laugh-cry. But this story, these characters… they’re among the most beautiful I’ve read. My hope is at that when you turn that final page, you’ll go hug the people most dear to you.

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5

• BY THIS AUTHOR: This is the first of Lauren’s novels that I’ve read, but pre-order her upcoming release, Love in Plane Sight (Amazon). My sneak peek is on the way!

Until the next chapter!

xo, Victoria

P.S. Craving more books featuring these sub-genres, tropes, and themes? Tap the links below.