16 Heartbreaking Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You
Sometimes you need a good cry. Not just a Marley and Me the-dog-dies-at-the-end cry, but a good cathartic release which is why we made this list of books that will emotionally wreck you.
There are times when I feel gloomy or sad and I need to release some emotional anguish. I often turn to books when I feel this way. I like to connect with stories that help give my own life and hardships perspective but still allow me to feel deeply invested in the tale. We’ve rounded up 14 books that will emotionally wreck you.
You will be ugly crying at the end of these, so be sure to have a box of tissues nearby because these books will emotionally wreck you.
*Books that Will Emotionally Wreck you Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through these links will result in a small commission for us at no cost to you.
Fiction Books That Will Emotionally Wreck you
Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Year: 2011
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This is a haunting story about a woman held captive in a shed for years with her five-year-old son. She tries to teach him and entertain him in their tiny room until they have a chance to escape. Following their escape, they find acclimating to normal life to be challenging, especially for the little boy.
Trigger Warnings
Rape, Kidnapping
Why Jackie loves it
Even though the saying is “the book is better”, the movie adaptation of this contemporary fiction book written by a Canadian author was really good. There are only a few other book adaptations I would add to that list. This story will pull on your heartstrings and leave you in tears.
Find this book in: Books About Motherhood / Isolation Books / Canadian Novels / Books that will Emotionally Wreck You
Push by Sapphire
Push is a look at life in the poverty-stricken streets of Harlem in the eighties. The main character is an illiterate 16-year-old pregnant with her second child by her father.
The commentary on a life of poverty and the struggles to get out of her situation are horrific but inspiring. It is incredibly difficult, but such a worthwhile, thought-provoking book.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
GET READY TO UGLY CRY. This book wrecked me. This is the story of 17-year-old Lenni, who has terminal cancer, and her art partner, 83-year-old heart patient Margot.
They connect at the end of Lenni’s life in the hospital art therapy room where they decided to paint a picture for every year of their combined 100 years.
While painting their picture, we get to learn about their lives before their illnesses and witness an incredible bond form. The ripple effects of their bond and friendship took my breath away numerous times.
Truly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. This one needs to go on our list of books to emotionally wreck you.
Historical Fiction Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You
Hearts Invisible Furies
Author: John Boyne
Year: 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Winner of the 2018 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell AwardÂ
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Cyril Avery is not a real Avery- this is what his adoptive parents tell him. Cyril is born to a young woman out of wedlock and is adopted by a rich family in Dublin.
He spends his life coming to know himself and who he wants to be.Â
Trigger Warnings
Homophobia
Why Jackie loves it
This is a touching and heartfelt story from the first page to the last. Even though this book is well over 500 pages, it didn’t feel long while I was reading it. The writing and the story will pull you in if you give this book the chance.
Find this book in: Books Set in the 1960s / Books to Emotionally Wreck You / LGBTQ Books / Best Long Books
Where the Crawdads Sing Deluxe Edition
Author: Dehlia Owens
Year: 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: September 2018 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
The book begins when a body is found in a North Carolina marsh and is identified as Chase Andrews. The story moves between the past and the present to tell the story of Kya Clark, The Marsh Girl, who is a suspect in the murder.
Kya Clark, The Marsh Girl, is abandoned first by her mother, then by her siblings, and eventually by her father at a very young age. She is forced to fend for herself in the marshes, away from society.
With the help of two beloved friends, she learns to care for herself but not without experiencing cruelty and violence. Then, she finds herself faced with murder charges and is forced to confront her secrets and past that have shaped her into the woman that she has become.
Trigger Warnings
Abandonment, Domestic and child abuse, assault
Why Jackie loves it
I admit that when I saw the description of this coming-of-age book, I was not sold. A trusted individual, who has never steered me wrong in the past, gave me an advanced copy so, I took the leap. And wow, am I glad I did. I read this book and then recommended it to everyone I knew. It is a story about love, nature, and perseverance.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a novel that is so much more than the sum of its parts. It is part mystery and part historical fiction that shows the importance of human connections.
Find this book in: Books About Poverty and Its Impact / Best Mystery Books of All Time / Books Like Where the Crawdads Sing / Book Club for Where the Crawdads Sing/ Books with Food in the Title / Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You / Best Reese Witherspoon Books / Books Set in the 1960s
A Fine Balance
Author: Rohinton Mistry
Year: 1995
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: November 2001 Oprah Book Club Pick
Age Range: 18+
Plot
A Fine Balance is an epic and heartbreaking family saga of life in India. It’s a story of love and friendship in an unnamed city in 1975. Lovers come together and are ripped apart in this memorable book.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide, Violence
Why Jackie loves it
I read this book years before it was an Oprah Book Club pick, but it is not a book that is easy to forget. It is heart-wrenching in every way and a literary feat.
Find this book in: Books that will Emotionally Wreck You / Long Books / Family Sagas / Books About Poverty / Books Set in the 70s / Best Oprah’s Book Club Books
War Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You
The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
This book is about Syrian life and a modern-day refugee seeking safety. The story is spliced in with another taking place centuries before – a mythical adventurer looking to learn the map-making trade. War-torn Syria is hard to read about, but the mapmaker’s tale helps lessen some of the heavier moments.
You will be rooting for both heroines in this moving tale destined for our list of books that will emotionally wreck you.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This coming-of-age book set in the 70s in Afghanistan is one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read. I sobbed for a full 30 minutes after the last chapter. The story of the friendship between a wealthy boy and his servant is one filled with betrayal, tragedy, and heartbreak.
Told against the background of Afganistan’s destruction and the war, this sweeping tale is a must-read if you are looking for books that will emotionally wreck you.
Refugee
Author: Alan Gratz
Year: 2017
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Age: 10+
More info: New York Times Bestsellers
Plot
Three tales in one, this realistic fiction story is told in alternating chapters by three narrators.  The stories feature Josef, a Jewish refugee fleeing WWII Germany, Isabel a Cuban girl on her way to Miami in 1994, and Mahmoud a Syrian refugee seeking asylum in Germany in 2015. The chapters rotate between the three characters and their stories do connect at the end in a meaningful and moving way.
Trigger Warnings
War, Child Death
Why Kirsten loves it
The characters are all about 13 years old but shoulder burdens that would be hard for an adult to handle. Gratz accurately portrays each child’s struggle with both grace and clarity – not shying away from difficult emotions and even death.
Find this book in: Best Books for 11-year-olds / Realistic Fiction Books for Kids / Middle Grade Books for Tweens / Best Audiobooks of All Time / Best Books of 2017 / Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You / WWII Books for KidsÂ
Non-Fiction Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You
Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
Year: 1958
Genre: Memoir
More info: January 2006 Oprah Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is a must-read non-fiction book about the Holocaust by the Nobel Peace Prize winner. It is a short but compelling book that will change you and your view of the Holocaust. It’s Elie Wiesel’s account of what happened to him when he was a prisoner at the Nazi death camps.
Trigger Warnings
Death, Antisemitism, Genocide
Why Kirsten loves it
Weisel’s harrowing story can be difficult to read at times, but it is truly essential reading. I read this story as a girl and I continue to think about it all the time. It is probably the most impactful Holocaust autobiography I have ever read.
Why Jackie loves it
I have a personal story about this book. My husband’s grandmother grew up in the same town as Elie Wiesel. She knew both him and his wife. This was the first thing that she told me when I met her (My husband’s name is also Elie, but this is purely coincidental).
Find this book in: Books About the Holocaust / Best Celebrity Book Club Books / Books that will Emotionally Wreck You / Best Oprah’s Book Club Books / Best Books in Translation
Plot
Did you know the town of Gander, Newfoundland, took in 6,500 people on planes that had to have emergency landings after 9/11? I didn’t until I read this story, which also inspired the show Come From Away.
The townspeople were so welcoming and kind. It’s like Mr. Rodgers says – always look for the helpers.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
I sobbed through this entire story. This non-fiction book was poignant and hopeful at the same time. It will keep you in the grip of its pages.
Find this book in: Plane Books / Feel Good Nonfiction / Books to Emotionally Wreck You
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
Probably the most graphic novel on our list, this memoir details a young boy’s severe child abuse case. It is incredibly hard to stomach the things the author experienced. That anyone could do that to a child is heartbreaking and disgusting.
This book is deeply disturbing and like Push is not for the faint-at-heart.
Love Stories That Will Emotionally Wreck You
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Year: 2003
Genre: Time Travel Fiction
More info: 2009 Movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range:16+
Plot
Clare and Henry have an unusual love story. They’ve known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six but were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry was thirty-one. Henry is an adventurous librarian who inadvertently travels through time.
He never knows where he will turn up and when he will disappear. He knows that he will travel suddenly and without warning. Will Clare and Henry be able to determine what causes the time jumps or is Henry destined to spend the rest of his life wondering and worrying?
Trigger Warnings
Sudden Death
Why Kirsten loves it
I adore how this story explores very real challenges that any couple faces. With the added time travel element, it becomes an unforgettable pick from our list of romance books.
Why Jackie loves it
The way Clare and Henry fight for their love shows a deep connection between the two that is unmatched.
Find this book in: Best Time Travel Books / Time Travel Romance Books / Books Like A Discovery of Witches / Best Romance Novels of All Time / Nonlinear Narrative Novels / Books About Librarians
Castle of Water
Author: Dane Huckelbridge
Year: 2017
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
When Sophie and Barry find themselves on an Island as the sole survivors of a plane crash, they learn to depend on each other. Â The book moves seamlessly from the past to the present, weaving an intricate tale.
Trigger Warnings
Plane Crash
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a wonderful contemporary fiction book about love and survival. Â It is so much more than it appears on the surface. I cried during the ending and have been singing it’s praises ever since. Everyone I’ve ever recommended this one too has had the same response.
Why Jackie loves it
I loved how the characters developed in this book. It was surprising and moving.
Find this book in: Kirsten’s Favorite Books / Feel-Good Books / Plane Crash Novels / Books Like People We Meet on Vacation / Books Set at the Beach
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Me Before You has quickly become a classic story – and a movie to boot. But beware! This is one of the grumpy sunshine romance books that will emotionally wreck you that you don’t want to read in public!
When a young man becomes paralyzed his parents hire a young woman to be his companion. As love blooms, and she tries to convince him that life is still worth living, the reader questions what they would sacrifice to make a loved one happy. This novel about grief deals with grieving before the person has passed.
Always, in December
Author: Emily Stone
Year: 2021
Genre: Romance
Spice Rating:đź’‹đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This tear-jerking story blew me away. It was a romance story for the first 30% of the book, but then it became something much deeper.
Josie mails a letter to her deceased parents every Christmas, but this Christmas she accidentally hits a stranger named Max with her bike on the way to the post box.
As she explores the holiday season with Max her feelings start to grow, but when he leaves unexpectedly, she’s left to deal with the aftermath of the impact he had on her heart. But fate isn’t done with their story yet as they bump into each other throughout the year.
Why Kirsten loves it
Probably my favorite Christmas romance book of 2021, this one is a tear-jerker for sure. I sobbed for the entire last 10% of the book and it will most likely, emotionally wreck you. This book is a testament to the healing power of love and the kind of impact each of us can make on each other.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you are looking for a Christmas book that ends with a bow and smile, you may want to look elsewhere. Despite this, we needed to include this on our list of best holiday books. #gifted by
Find this book in: Â Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You / Best British Books / Best Holiday Books / Best Christmas Books Of All Time / Best Christmas Romance Books / Christmas Book Club Books / Christmas Novels for 2021 / Emily Stone Books Ranked
Did you find your favorite books that will emotionally wreck you?
21 Extraordinary & Sad Books That Will Make You Cry
If you want more books to emotionally wreck you, check these out.
Oh goodness, what a list!! I must say, though, *nothing* wrecks me more than when a dog dies – I’ve been banned from reading books with dogs for that very reason, so Marley & Me remains a mystery to me. I really need to get to reading The Kite Runner – I’ve heard from multiple sources that it is absolutely heartbreaking but also brilliant. <3