Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!

E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!

Discover

4 Must-Read Sad Books Lists That Will Break Your Heart and Heal Your Soul”

12 items

Book Store

I’ve gathered four unforgettable collections of the saddest, most heart-wrenching books that stayed with me long after reading. These stories dive deep into love, loss, and hope—making you cry, think, and feel everything all at once. Whether you’re l...

Sections

Heartbreaking Stories That Stay With You

Tears and Truths: Books That Broke My Heart

Soul-Stirring Sadness: Books That Tugged at My Heartstrings

Unforgettable Sad Reads That Stay in Your Soul

Heartbreaking Stories That Stay With You

Reading this list was like taking an emotional journey through love, loss, and unexpected healing. Each book left me with a bittersweet ache—a reminder that even broken souls can find connection and hope. These stories stayed with me long after I clo...

I wasn’t ready for how deeply this book would hit me. Ove’s grumpy exterior hides a world of pain and loneliness, and reading his story made me realize how much love can heal—even the most broken souls. I laughed, I cried, and I felt every emotion in...

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Paperback

This book crushed my heart in the most beautiful way. Hazel and Gus’s love story felt so raw and real that I couldn’t help but cry multiple times. It’s a reminder of how fragile life is and how important it is to cherish every moment.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Paperback

This novel left me breathless. The quiet sadness in the characters’ lives, their longing for normalcy, and the chilling reality they face made me reflect on humanity and loss. It’s haunting yet incredibly moving.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Paperback

Tears and Truths: Books That Broke My Heart

This collection of books broke me open in the best possible way. They made me face the hardest realities about love, loss, and pain, but also showed the fragile beauty in human connections. I cried, I paused, I reflected deeply on the power of empath...

I went in expecting a love story, but I got so much more. Will and Lou’s journey made me feel deeply—the joy, the pain, and the impossible choices. By the end, my heart felt heavy, and I had to pause and just sit with the emotions.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, Paperback

This story about love and loss during WWII pierced my soul. The way Death narrates adds a bittersweet layer to the tale. I found myself weeping quietly, overwhelmed by the beauty and tragedy woven through the pages.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Paperback

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. The friendships, the trauma, the relentless struggle for hope—it was painful to read but impossible to put down. It reminded me how deeply scars can run beneath the surface.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, Paperback

Soul-Stirring Sadness: Books That Tugged at My Heartstrings

Going through these books felt like walking through the quietest, saddest moments of life that no one often talks about. They tugged at my heartstrings gently but firmly, leaving me with a profound sense of awe, grief, and hope all at once. Each stor...

The bravery and sacrifices of the characters felt so real that I was sobbing by the end. The way it portrays love and loss during war made me appreciate the quiet strength in ordinary people

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Paperback

This poetic and heartbreaking story filled me with awe and sorrow. The characters’ struggles and fleeting moments of hope haunted me long after I finished the last page.

All the Light We Cannot See (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by Anthony Doerr ...

Reading Mia’s story was like standing on the edge of a heartbreak cliff. The mix of grief and hope pulled me in so deeply, I could feel every painful choice she faced.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Paperback

Unforgettable Sad Reads That Stay in Your Soul

These books grabbed hold of my soul and refused to let go. The sadness here is wrapped in beauty, mystery, and the haunting reality of loss that lingers long after the story ends. They made me see how grief shapes us and how love persists beyond even...

This book is heartbreak wrapped in nature’s beauty. Kya’s loneliness and resilience stayed with me long after finishing, and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of her isolation.

Explore "Where the Crawdads Sing"

The narrative from beyond the grave gave the story such a haunting sadness. It made me cry for the loss and the ways people cope with tragedy, but also for the love that lingers after death.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The child’s perspective on grief in this book was so raw and real, it broke my heart open. I felt the confusion, the pain, and the desperate hope for answers.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Paperback