PS: I Hate You

In Part 9 and the Epilogue, Connolly resolves Maddie’s emotional arc by expanding the story beyond romantic reconciliation. The emphasis shifts toward emotional interdependence, the role of chosen family, and the redefinition of closure. These final sections do not present a sudden resolution to grief or relationship uncertainty. Instead, they depict how sustained effort—through therapy, honest communication, and togetherness—allows Maddie to rebuild her sense of self and her place within a broader community.

A defining feature of this section is Maddie’s willingness to be emotionally transparent in spaces where she has previously deflected or withdrawn, showing that she is truly accepting The Risks and Rewards of Being Vulnerable in order to grow and move forward. When Jeremy discloses his own past trauma, it prompts Maddie to finally disclose her full history to her closest friends. Rather than compartmentalize her grief, family dysfunction, and relationship with Dom, she integrates them into her social world for the first time. This moment is not positioned as a cathartic release but instead as a foundational act of honesty. Her friends’ responses—both compassionate about the interpersonal aspects and firm about the career imbalance—lead Maddie to confront how her work habits have long masked deeper fears of abandonment. Her admission that she works excessively so people “can’t leave [her]” highlights the reasons behind previous patterns and validates her turn toward therapy as a necessary next step (364). These scenes show the benefit of vulnerability, as Maddie’s choice to confide in her friends results in a perspective shift that leads to lasting change.

Importantly, Connolly de-centers the romantic arc in this section without undermining its emotional weight. Dom’s presence is steady but unobtrusive. His role on the second anniversary of Josh’s death is supportive, not performative. He shows up in a sweatshirt intended to comfort Maddie, asks for a hug, and accepts what she can give. His decision not to push Maddie after she faints on the glacier in Alaska further emphasizes the evolution from their “get it done at all costs” attitude to a “we do this at our own pace” expectation. Instead of framing her reaction as an obstacle to be overcome, Dom acknowledges that emotional readiness cannot be forced and suggests they try to spread Josh’s remaining ashes again only when she is ready, highlighting how, although they have both come a long way in their journeys, they are still Working Through the Complexities of Grief.

The inclusion of a new scavenger hunt in Alaska takes the novel in an unexpected direction while also introducing a previously unknown narrative thread: Josh and Rosaline’s relationship. This reveal complicates both characters’ histories without resorting to shock value. Rosaline’s account of her pregnancy, her initial choice to marry Dom, and her later decision to leave him for Josh reframes the emotional conflict Maddie and Dom have overcome thus far. Her admission that she and Dom should have fought harder for Maddie and Josh reflects a shared failure that is not excused but acknowledged. What results is not conflict but mutual understanding: Maddie and Rosaline, once positioned as rivals for Dom’s affection, become allies in preserving Josh’s memory. In addition, Rosaline and Josh’s courage in confronting their feelings and spending his last year together offers Maddie and Dom a model for The Importance of Seizing the Moment.

Thematically, the final chapters place increasing emphasis on flexibility in the grieving process. When Rosaline, too, hesitates to release Josh’s ashes in the Epilogue, Maddie does not interpret this as weakness or regression. Instead, she offers the same reassurance Dom once gave her: There is no correct timetable for letting go. This moment completes a clear parallel between Maddie and Rosaline, not only in their respective experiences with Josh, but in how they handle unresolved grief. The Epilogue closes the narrative by reframing Josh’s tasks as an ongoing communal practice. What began as an intimate journey between two grieving individuals expands into an annual ritual involving many people Josh loved. The repetition of travel, photos, and puzzles turns his memory into a sustained presence rather than something to be archived or left behind, as Maddie has always feared. In this way, she never has to let go of her brother—he will always remain with her.