I was born under a Pisces sun, and thus, my curse in life is a love of all things emotional. If a movie makes me sob, I'll watch it 400 times (Titanic [1] is my favourite movie of all time, for reference), and if a book will cause me to quietly weep under a pile of blankets — or openly sob on a public train — it's one of the main reasons I'll pick it up. I don't know why I am the way that I am, but I do know that I'm not alone in this weird love of sad sh*t.
Keep scrolling for some of the emotional reads [2] that have stuck with me over time, mostly because they caused me to nearly drown in puddles of my own tears. And check out where each book is rated on the Sob-O-Meter™, a scale of my own invention that is both highly accurate and scientific.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
I've never been more bested by a book's twist than I was at the end of We Were Liars [4] ($11). Through streaming tears I read the ending and contemplated just how easily E. Lockhart managed to crush my soul.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
Recommended to me by another POPSUGAR editor, Beneath a Scarlet Sky [5] ($15) prompted me to Slack my coworker, "OMG I AM NOT OK." So much of this WWII story is heartbreaking, made only more tragic by the fact that it's a completely true story told to the best of Mark Sullivan's ability from IRL interviews with the main character, Pino Lella. I read this book in 2019 while still commuting to work, so you'd best believe I openly bawled my eyes out on public transportation several times during the week I read it.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭😭/5
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
I remember exactly where I was when I read the twist at the end of My Sister's Keeper [6] ($9): the year was 2008, I was sitting on my ex-boyfriend's floor in his dorm room while he did homework at his desk, and the look on his face when I screamed (read: literally shrieked at the top of my lungs) is something I pull out of the mental archives to laugh at to this day. My Sister's Keeper will take one look at your beating heart, rip it out of your chest, stomp on it, walk away, and then come back for another swift kick just because it can.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭😭/5
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
I've been recommending I'll Give You the Sun [7] ($11) for 10 years (so, I'm serious, read it!). It's a moving story that sticks with you, filled with joy, tragedy, and everything in between. Most of the pages left me unsure of whether to cry, laugh, or both, so I usually did both.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
THIS BOOK IS TOLD FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF AN OLD DOG. Literally, need I say more? The Art of Racing in the Rain [8] ($17) will ruin you on page one. PAGE ONE. I'm sorry for shouting.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭/5
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah has the uncanny ability to make me weep through her novels no matter the subject matter. Firefly Lane [9] ($18) was one of the first books of hers that I read and I've been recommending it to people since 2009 by saying, "It's going to make you cry, just read it." Big sell! It's a story you'll want to read at the same time as your best friend so that you can cry about it together. (Possibly controversial opinion: the Netflix series has done this novel zero justice [10] — please, don't @ me.)
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
A Monster Calls
A Monster Calls [11] ($14) is only 214 pages, but don't let that fool you — Patrick Ness packs each page with enough heartbreak to empty your tear ducts. The stock of Kleenex rose the day I read this one, I'm sure.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Can you even read the synopsis of Me Before You [12] ($8) without tearing up? Because I can't! "Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn't have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, 'What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?'" Heartbreak is an understatement. Like, are you kidding me, Jojo Moyes?
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭😭/5
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
The House in the Cerulean Sea [13] ($19) is one of the most delightful books I've read in a long time. I cried sad tears, happy tears, angry tears — all of the damn tears. T.J. Klune knew what he was doing with this one, I'm certain. This one is my best recommendation for the reader who likes to shed a few tears but ultimately prefers a happy ending.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭/5
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Like I said, Kristin Hannah is trying to upset me. Another historical fiction novel set during WWII, The Nightingale [15] ($28) is a heartbreaking and beautiful story about sisterhood and doing whatever it takes to survive in the darkest of times. Its pages are filled with scenes that will make your heart pound against your rib cage right before it forces your chest open and walks away to be alone with its feelings.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
It feels cliché to say that The Fault in Our Stars [16] ($13) broke me, but like, it's a fan-favourite for a reason, people! If you still haven't read this one, what in the world are you doing? Are you trying to stay positive and happy? Do you not like having your emotions tossed against a brick wall? I can't relate.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭😭/5
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief [17] ($15) is narrated by Death, but it's not all cold and distanced. Death manages to make this WWII story about Liesel, the book thief, a colourful one, despite it being a truly tragic tale in so many different ways.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭😭/5
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Oof. I thought about All the Bright Places [18] ($11) loooooong after I closed the back cover. I feel so deeply for Violet and Finch, and this story positively broke my fragile heart.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
One Day by David Nicholls
Ugh, I honestly don't even think I can talk about One Day [19] ($17) without tearing up. Another book that crushed my soul with its twist, this whole story is just tough to read. You know what these two people mean to each other, and watching them continue to miss each other at such pivotal times in their lives is frustrating and gut-wrenching.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
Normal People by Sally Rooney
If you love hard and fast and still think about your very first love, Normal People [20] ($26) is going to rip you to pieces. That ending, I just . . .
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭/5
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
The Heart's Invisible Furies [21] ($18) was Book of the Month Club's Book of the Year winner [22] in 2017 for a reason. It's a long read at nearly 600 pages, but it's worth every second you'll spend reading it for its combination of joy and heartbreak.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close [23] ($16) links the events of Sept. 11, 2001, to 9-year-old Oskar Schell, who so desperately wants to connect with his late father and make sense of his death. It's painful and full of tender moments, but it's also sweet and funny, so the tears you spill will be of many varieties.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭😭😭/5
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
The second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, A Court of Mist and Fury [24] ($18), hurt me the most. Not only is it my favourite of the trilogy (including its spin offs [25]), but it's the one that I still think about nearly weekly because of how it emotionally wrecked me. Read this whole series, but take special care with book two, please and thank you.
Sob-O-Meter™ Rating: 😭😭/5