18 Powerful Non-Fiction & Fiction Books about Grief for 2023
One of the beautiful things about stories is how they can help us process our emotions. The books about grief we have rounded up below are prime examples.
Loss is one of the hardest parts of life. Processing the loss of a loved one can be devastating and difficult, as can knowing your friends are grieving and not knowing what to do.
Reading books about grief can help us connect with our own losses and helps us understand what those facing devastating loss are facing.
The gifted writers we’ve rounded up have beautifully taken us into the painful process of dealing with grief. We are confident you will find yourself examining aspects of loss you hadn’t previously considered when reading these fiction and non-fiction books about grief.
*The books about grief post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you.
Books about Grief and Family Loss
The Guncle
Author: Steven Rowley
Year: 2021
Genre: Fiction
More info: National Bestseller • Wall Street Journal Bestseller • USA Today Bestseller
An NPR Book of the Year
Finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor
Finalist for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Steven Rowley is a writer who has mastered the art of storytelling. With his signature wit and humor, this book tackles love, loss, and growth.
When Patrick’s sister-in-law dies and Patrick’s brother needs to go to rehab, Patrick takes custody of his niece and nephew for 90 days. Patrick is basically David from Schitt’s Creek with snark and sass. He treats the kids like mini-adults in the most delightful way.
Trigger Warnings
Death of a spouse/ mom
Why Kirsten loves it
I am such a fan of Steven Rowley and each book provides depth and insight into people at their best and worst. While this is a book about grief, you will find yourself laughing out loud multiple times throughout. It’s a poignant reminder of the importance of family.
Why Jackie loves it
There is humor and love in this book that is essentially about a family learning to deal with profound grief and loss. Rowley writes with sensitivity and humor.
Find this book in: Books About Grief / Best Beach Reads of All Time / Poolside Novels / Popular LGBTQ Novels
Plot
Maddie is grief-stricken over the loss of her older brother, Josh. She is not surprised that he asked her to scatter his ashes. She is shocked that Josh asked his best friend, Dominic, to go with her. Now Maddie must spread his ashes in eight destinations with the one person who broke her heart. Dom has the notes and the instructions to ensure that everything will be completed the way Josh wants.
Trigger Warnings
Loss of a brother
Why Jackie loves it
This is such a wonderful book about dealing with grief and finding love! The trips that Maddie and Dom have to take are sad and healing at the same time. I love the adventures that they take in this book. They learn how to navigate tremendous loss together. It was such a great love story.
Find this book in: Non-Fiction & Fiction Books about Grief / Second Chance Romance Books / Fiction With a Funeral
If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook
This novel about grief reminded me of This is Where I Leave You. It’s about a family that learns a shocking secret at their grandfather’s funeral and must spend the next week coming to terms with what they learned.
Like all good family sagas, each member of the family also has their own life struggles. From pregnancies to struggling marriages, the drama unfolds as the children and grandchildren try to help their matriarch grieve and come to terms with the long-held secret.
This is Where I Leave You
Author: Jonathan Tropper
Year:2009
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Age Range:16+
Plot
When Judd Foxman’s father dies, the entire family must come home to spend seven days under the same roof while sitting shiva. The family has not been together in years and the reunion is even more awkward due to Judd’s missing wife, Jen.
Trigger Warnings
Infidelity
Why Kirsten loves it
The week becomes a time to rehash old grudges and remember what it is like to be a family. If you love family drama books, this one is for you.
Find this book in: Fiction With a Funeral / Books About Grief / Family Drama Books
Maame
Author: Jessica George
Year: 2023
Genre: Literary Fiction
More info: February 2023 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This story about Maddie, known as Maame to her family, was immersive and beautifully complex. Dealing with friendships, racism, familial obligations, and then grief, this story swept me away. Maddie lives in London as the primary caretaker of her father who has Parkinson’s. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana.
Trigger Warnings
Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness
Why Kirsten loves it
I felt fiercely protective of Maddie while reading this book. There were times I wanted to swoop in to relieve some of the burdens of this wonderful character with a heart of gold. But it was more rewarding to see Maddie finding her inner strength and learning to prioritize herself and her dreams. I can’t recommend this coming-of-age book about grief enough – especially as a book for book clubs.
Find this book in: Best Books of 2023 / Best Coming-of-age Books for Adults / Novels about Africa / Beach Reads 2023 / Fiction Books about Grief / Best Books for Book Clubs to Read / Best Read With Jenna Books
Transcendent Kingdom
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Year: 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: September 2020 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Gifty is a PhD candidate at Stanford who is studying depression and addiction through mice. Her brother died of a heroin overdose after becoming addicted to oxy after a sports injury and her suicidal mother lives her life in bed.
Covering drug addiction, immigration, racism, and more, this story is as entertaining as it is stimulating. Its discussion of drug addiction’s impact on the larger family unit was reminiscent of Long Bright River.
Trigger Warnings
Addiction, drug abuse, mental illness, racism.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a beautifully written and powerful book. I also kept having to remind myself that it was a contemporary fiction story and not a memoir because the emotion and knowledge expressed in the book were so believable.
Find this book in: Non-Fiction & Fiction Books about Grief / Books by Female BIPOC Authors / Fiction & Non-Fiction Books About Addiction / 20 Best Books of 2020 / Best Read With Jenna Books
Plot
Emily Stone’s last book was my favorite Christmas book of 2021, so I knew I would love her newest book. This story is heartbreaking as well, but not in the same way.
Cassie has relied on her brother, Tom, since they were orphaned when she was 5. Each year, Tom creates a Christmas scavenger hunt for her, but after a sudden accident kills Tom, Cassie is left bereaved and celebrating Christmas without him. Until she finds his final scavenger hunt. As she begins to solve the clues, her heart begins to heal, and love forms as well.
Why Kirsten loves it
This book is like the Christmas version of P.S. I Love You in the best possible way. I adored this Christmas romance novel about grief.
Find this book in: Fiction Books about Grief / Christmas Books for 2022 / Christmas Book Club Books / Emily Stone Books Ranked
Novels about Grief and Dying
The Celebrants
Author: Steven Rowley
Year: 2023
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: June 2023 Read With Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is a story of friendship that has lasted decades, cemented in stone when one of their best friends died by suicide shortly before college graduation. Never wanting to face the loss of each other or doubts of how much they mean to one another happen again, the friends make a pact: a living funeral, to see how long they will be missed.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide
Why Kirsten loves it
Steven Rowley writes with wit and humor as we see the lowest point in each character’s life when the previous funerals are reflected on. But he really shines, in the final chapters when these friends help Jordan and his partner grieve. It’s a lovely book about grief and friendship.
Find this book in: Fiction With a Funeral / June 2023 Celebrity Book Club Spoilers / Books About Grief / 2024 Read With Jenna
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.
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.
The Immortalists
Author: Chloe Benjamin
Year: 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: A “Best Book of the Year”: Washington Post
Instant New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
What would you do if you knew the day that you were going to die? Would want to know? The four Gold children find out the information that will shape their lives in this amazing family drama book. We follow the Gold children over the next 5 decades. Simon heads to the West Coast, Klara becomes a magician in Las Vegas, Daniel becomes an army doctor, and Varya seeks out the research of immortality.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide, Mental Illness
Why Jackie loves it
This book is beautifully written. Ms. Benjamin does a superb job of creating different voices for each of these characters. They are so vivid and unique.
Why Kirsten loves it
This family saga book about grief is un-putdownable and stays with you long after you have finished reading the last page.
Find this book in: Family Sagas / Carnival and Circus Books / Books About Mental Illness / Books Set in the 80s / Best Books About Siblings / Best Books of 2017
Fiction Books about Grief and Losing a Lover or Spouse
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
It’s been two years since Kate lost her husband, Cameron, and her life is still upside down. She’s struggling to be a single mom while working in fundraising.
When mechanical issues cause Emma to be stranded in Australia with her boss, Hugh, for a weekend, she thinks she finally has the break she deserves. As she takes time to process her grief she realizes that Hugh has feelings for her, but she’s unsure if she’s ready to move on.
Why I Liked It: This novel has two love stories at its center and Grey respectfully gives each relationship its own depth. As I read, I felt deep compassion for all Kate had gone through. I just wanted to reach through the pages to hug her.
Someday, Maybe
Author: Onyi Nwabineli
Year: 2022
Genre: Fiction
More info: November 2022 Good Morning America Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Wow. This was a searing and emotional look at the grief surrounding the loss of a spouse. Eve opens the book by explaining that her husband, Quentin, has committed suicide, and she is picking up the pieces of her own life.
We are taken through the days and months immediately following his death as Eve navigates a mother-in-law from hell, reentering society, and a surprise left behind by Quentin.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
Her feelings were all over the map and felt so deeply true to the grief process. I loved Eve’s Nigerian family and how they came together to try to put her back together. This is one book I will recommend over and over again.
Find this book in: Books About Grief / Books by Female BIPOC Authors
A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman
Year: 2014
Genre: Fiction
More info: A recent Motion Picture Called A Man Called Otto Starring Tom Hanks
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Ove is mourning the loss of his wife and is consumed with grief. He decided to end his life. His attempts are foiled by mishaps and interruptions from his new neighbors. While this sounds like a depressing book, I laughed out loud while reading it.
Mr. Backman has a beautiful way of capturing the reader’s interest with wonderful characters who find themselves in hilarious situations. But, this story is so much more than that. As it progresses, Ove is able to have a profound impact on the life of everyone he meets, and at its heart, it is a book about friendship.
But don’t let the description throw you off. At its heart, this is one of the best feel-good books and one of my all-time favorite books! If you have not read it, you should consider it for your book club.
Trigger Warnings
Attempted Suicide
Why Jackie loves it
The love and friendships that develop in this book are almost unmatched, in my opinion. Backman is a master story teller.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is a book that allowed me to laugh and cry equally. I loved Ove and his second chance at living life.
Find this book in: Ultimate List of Contemporary Fiction / Books Like A Man Called Ove / Books About Friendship / Jackie’s Top 10 All-Time Favorite Books
Forever, Interrupted
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Year: 2013
Genre: Romance
More info:
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
In the story, told in a dual-timeline narrative, newly married Elsie loses her husband of 9 days. As her timeline as a widow moves forward, we also get to see her romance with Ben unfold in the previous narrative. As she struggles to overcome her grief, Elsie connects with Ben’s mother who was unknown to her prior to the tragedy.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
This is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s debut novel, and while it is good, it’s clear that she has grown her craft a great deal from this book. I found the story to be compelling, but it didn’t get me choked up the way TJR books can usually do.
Find this book in: Books About Grief
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Wow. I wasn’t expecting this book to be such a serious look at life after the loss of a loved one. It was moving in multiple places and I was full-on SOBBING at the end. The concept is fascinating. Lydia’s fiance dies in the first chapter but when she goes to sleep, she is able to live her alternate life by his side.
We see her try to adjust to life without Freddie in one life, and her trying to find her new self, the one that remembers that he isn’t alive, trying to remain who she used to be in her dream life. Don’t go in expecting a romance. It’s a raw look at grief and how it changes us.
Come Again by Robert Webb
If you read The two Lives of Lydia Bird, then the premise of this book – a recent widower who gets to see her deceased husband again – may sound familiar…..but the execution on the two novels could not be more different.
Where Lydia Bird was poignant and sorrowful, Come Again had me outright giggling. I don’t normally associate depression and widowhood with romantic comedy, but this story was lighthearted and lovely!
Come Again finds Kate at the bottom, widowed and contemplating suicide. But then she goes back in time to 1992 for a chance to save her husband from his slow-growing cancer to hysterical results. Her whole 2020 woman trapped in her 18-year-old body was funny and endearing. As she attempts to save the man she loves, she puzzles over whether she can even fall in love with him again.
Non-Fiction Books about Grief
Plot
This moving memoir was written by Geraldine Brooks to help her process the unexpected death of her husband, Tony Horwitz a few years prior. She had not grieved properly because of the release of her Pulitzer prize-winning book, Horse, so she takes herself to a remote island to be in isolation and process her feelings.
Trigger Warnings
Death of a Spouse
Why Kirsten loves it
I was moved by Brooks’ candor about her grieving process. She lets us into her deepest, most private thoughts as she oscillates between telling the story of what happened to her husband and the immediate aftermath of his death and why, years later, she finally decides to grieve properly. It was hard to read at times, but I believe it will be very helpful for others in similar circumstances and for friends and family wishing to support loved ones suffering a loss. #gifted by PRH Audio
Find this book in: Books About Grief / Celebrity Memoirs
Spare by Prince Harry
I’m still reeling from the revelations and truths woven throughout Prince Harry’s narrative. His candor in taking us from the death of his mother to the death of Queen was refreshingly real and often poetic, no doubt thanks to the incredible skills of his ghostwriter.
I was struck by how much I had believed the press’s story of his life; accurate or not. To think that an entire family’s stories could be so fabricated or twisted into untruth was astonishing.
In revealing his own truths, however, he illuminated the dreadful antics of his family. Wills, Charles, Camilla, and the courtiers do not come out of this book without tarnish – and with good reason. There is so much to talk about, this is our book club book for next month.
At the end of the day, it’s hard not to judge everyone for lack of compassion but it’s a generational cycle that needs to be broken. I felt proud to see Harry putting in the work to make sure his own children don’t go through what he did.
This is a must for fans of books about the royal family and stories about royalty. This book about grief is also a perfect pick from beach reads. Even if you don’t usually read memoirs, this is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.
From Scratch
Author: Tembi Locke
Year: 2019
Genre: Nonfiction
More info: May 2019 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I knew what this book was about before reading it and I was still not prepared for the heartbreak and beauty within the pages. This memoir is truly a love letter to Tembi’s husband who died from cancer. This is an incredibly sad book that had me in tears.
The descriptions of the food, the people, and the love she had for her husband are unlike anything that I have read before. This is a five-star book about grief if you can read through heartache. It’s one of the Netflix book adaptations I’m planning on watching.
Trigger Warnings
Death of a Spouse, Grief
Why Jackie loves it
This is a five-star book about grief if you can read through heartache. This is beautifully written and although it is sad, the authors journey to finding herself again is inspirational.
Find this book in: Books Set in Italy / Books About Grief / Best Netflix Book Adaptations / Best Reese Witherspoon Books / Books About Food / Reese Witherspoon 2019
More Novels about Grief
Plot
This speculative novel revolves around The Poppy Fields, a location in the desert where those suffering from grief can undergo medically induced rest for a few months to help them heal. After a plane flight is cancelled due to severe weather, a group of strangers ends up on a road trip to the Poppy Fields, where each has a different reason for visiting.
Along the way, their individual grief stories are revealed and they form connections that have each reevaluating their feelings about The Poppy Fields in surprising ways.
Why Kirsten loves it
I was mesmerized by each character’s narrative and their growth throughout the novel. The pacing of the story was a perfect balance of quick, high-tension scenes and slower, thought-provoking ones. I found myself examining grief in a new light after reading about each character’s experience with it. I can’t wait to read whatever Nikki writes next. #gifted by William Morrow.
Find this book in: Books About Grief
Plot
Bennett is struggling with her life in NYC after the sudden death of her fiancé. She’s friendless, temping, and just generally miserable when she reluctantly agrees to go on a date that her roommate sets up for her. The date doesn’t go quite as planned – it ends up a disaster, but that night she meets Henry, who wants to help her find her passion and become her friend. As she works to learn to love the city, she begins to face the grief and open herself up to love again.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
This was such a cute Rom-Com that also so tenderly dealt with finding love after loss. It was also a love letter to New York City that left me inspired to go explore on my next visit. If you can handle the trigger, it’s worthy of your time!
Find this book in: Books About Grief / Books Set in New York
Lily and the Octopus
Author: Steven Rowley
Year: 2016
Genre: Fiction
More info: Bestselling Author of The Guncle
Age Range: 14+
Plot
This book will make you cry but it will also make you laugh. Ted is a lonely, middle-aged, gay man whose love for his wiener dog Lily knows no bounds.
I mean, who spends hours playing Monopoly with their dog while imagining the dog’s side of a conversation? However, I think every dog owner can relate just enough to find it hilarious.
Trigger Warnings
Death of a pet
Why Jackie loves it
This book about the death of a pet is poignant and lovely. What could have been a tragic and sad book is somehow endearing and funny as well.
Find this book in: Books With Flowers in the Title / Non-Fiction & Fiction Books about Grief
Plot
In this wonderful romance story, Bastone deals with the heavier topic of grief as our main character Lenny is still distraught by the death of her best friend. As a temporary nanny, she meets Miles, her charge’s uncle, who is newly involved in his half-sister’s life and looking to connect with his neice.
As Lenny helps Miles connect with his new family, he helps her tackle her grief head on, making himself available to her at all hours of the day when she’s at her lowest. Their love story grows from a place of truly seeing each other.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. The tenderness and compassion I had for all the characters while reading this delightful story really speaks to the author’s talent. I cried numerous times while reading because their sorrow felt like my own and so did their happiness. It was a marvelous book.
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025 / Books About Grief
One Italian Summer
Author: Rebecca Serle
Year: 2022
Genre: Magical Realism
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Rebecca Serle has done it again with this book set in Italy. Katy’s mother, Carol, has died and left Katy to take their trip to Positano alone. When Katy leaves, she is uncertain about everything and whether she will return to her marriage.
Then, the impossible happens, and Carol appears at Katy’s hotel. She is in perfect health and thirty years old. She is not the woman Katy thought she knew. As she gets to know her mother, she realizes more about herself.
Why Jackie loves it
This is a beautiful, well-written book with a touch of magic. I loved how Katy and Carol are able to develop a relationship in Italy after Carol died. It is unique and wonderful.
Find this book in: Contemporary Fiction / Book Set in Italy / Book About Grief / Best Magical Realism Books / Books About Mothers/ Books Set on a Beach / Books with Summer in the Title
Fiction Books About Grief for Teens
Clap When you Land By Elizabeth Acevedo
Camino Rios lives in the Dominican Republic and counts down the days until her father comes to visit every year from New York City.
Yahaira Rios lives in New York City and her life changes forever the day she finds out her father has been killed in a plane crash on his way to the Dominican Republic for his summer trip. This is one of the most emotional and poignant books about grief and the bonds of sisters.
Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds
Year: 2019
Genre: Fiction
Age: 12+
More info: A Newbery Honor Book, A Coretta Scott King Honor Book, A Printz Honor Book, A Time Best YA Book of All Time
Plot
This book for a 13-year-old takes place throughout a 60-second elevator ride. 15-year-old Will is taking the elevator down on his way to shoot his brother’s killer. Visited by spirits at each level as he descends, he needs to decide if he should continue the cycle of street violence or let his brother’s death go unavenged.
Trigger Warnings
Gun violence
Why Kirsten loves it
This moving book about grief is perfect for teens. It’s not a long story, but it doesn’t need to be. I would recommend it for a parent-child book club because everyone will find this powerful story to be thought-provoking and worthy of discussion!
Find this book in: Best Books for 12-year-olds / Fiction Books about Grief / Middle Grade Books for Tweens / Newbery Award Winners
