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!
My Favorite Sad Books to Read & Feel All the Things
20
items Sometimes I want a good cry while reading a book. Here are the best sad books that I've read and re-read in my life. From love stories to loss, they have all profoundly affected me and stayed in my heart forever.
My absolute favorite sad book. I cried so many times when I first read this. I re-read it all the for a cathartic emotional release. I love Susie's telling of the afterlife and watching her family from heaven.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
This is maybe the most sad book that I have ever listened to. I highly recommend the audiobook so you can hear Rob Delaney himself talk about losing his child to cancer. While this is heartbreaking, this writing is extremely profound. A must read abo...
A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
Just thinking about quotes from this book puts a lump in my throat. A beautiful story about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love. I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This book had a huge impact on me. I still think about scenes from it. I love that it's told from multiple perspectives. It is so morally grey that it will keep you thinking. A sad story about how one event affects multiple lives.
The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult
As a mom, this one is a hard read. The emotional journey of a captive woman and her young son is gripping and beautiful. I love the story of their relationship.
Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
The most confusing and beautiful love story I've ever read. Somehow the time travel in this book happens so naturally that it doesn't even feel like science fiction. I've never been so invested in a fictional couple before.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
If you have loved someone with a drug addiction, this book will shatter you and also make you feel seen. The many emotions of guilt, anger, sadness, are all depicted here in a heartbreaking novel about a father and his son.
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey by Scheff
This book took me on a very unexpected journey that turned out to be a delightful surprise. A way more emotional read than I was expecting about the life of a Hollywood movie star
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel
This beautiful tribute from a daughter to her mom that died of cancer will make you think about your own relationship with your mother. And cry.
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
Maybe you've seen the movie with Robin Williams, but you have to read the book to get the full journey of T.S. Garp. Humor and heartbreak all wrapped up in an award winning novel.
The World According to Garp by John Irving
This diary broke my heart as a teenager. A true story of a 14 year old girl who is date raped and gets AIDS. It's such a hard read but hard to put down.
It Happened to Nancy: True Diary Story
I think every single one of my middle school friends was obsessed with this found diary of a drug addicted teenager. It's a gripping and sad cautionary tale to stay away from drugs.
Go Ask Alice (Anonymous Diary)
This true story was a very traumatizing read and so upsetting that it's hard to believe it really happened. An incredible memoir of survival of abuse and dysfunctional family.
Educated : A Memoir by Tara Westover
At first, it's hard to get used to the writing style in this book but then you get wrapped up in the journey. It's a poignant, emotional story about a father and son in a post apocalyptic world.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The March family feel like my own sisters. I never get tired of this classic book about Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. I've never been so emotionally invested in a family.
Little Women (Masterpiece Library Edition)
A really emotional journey about a girl making a difficult family choice.
My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
Hannah Gadsby is a powerhouse and a pillar of strength, but her memoir tore me apart. Hannah has endured so much and shares her powerful story of trauma in this autobiographical novel.
Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir by Hannah Gadsby
I know this is a kids book, but it genuinely affected me so much as a child. I reread it over and over and Miss Honey feels as real to me as someone that I knew in real life. Such a touching story.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
This one is another kids book, but it is touching and heartfelt. A wonderful read.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
This horror book being on my sad reads list may shock you, but I promise that it is devastatingly heartbreaking. It is poignant and scary at the same time.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King