New beginnings are never easy. No matter which area of life is affected — the end of a friendship, the breakup of a relationship, the loss of a job… Often, the end of a chapter feels like the end of life itself. But once, I wrote the following in a poem: “What do you do when you realize a dream has died? / You look for another one.” Yet, who said that’s simple?
Starting over is an extremely complicated process because we get used to the everyday life shaped by routine. When the inevitable moment comes to begin again, knowing yourself as deeply as possible helps a lot — but so does finding inspiration in people who have faced the same challenge. And why not turn to fictional ones?
Reading is beneficial at any stage of life, but during difficult times it can be even more powerful. Studies show that reading can reduce stress levels by up to 68%. Moreover, it’s a great ally in coping with anxiety. With that in mind, HC has selected 10 books that can help you go through the process of starting over with greater peace of mind.
- Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Mariko Tamaki
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Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me tells the story of Freddy Riley and her complicated, on-again, off-again relationship with Laura Dean. Freddy is deeply in love, but the relationship is marked by constant breakups that leave her questioning what’s wrong and hoping Laura will finally stay. The graphic novel explores the nuances of a toxic relationship, its toll on Freddy’s self-esteem, and the ways her friends try to help her — all while celebrating the power of friendship. In the midst of this painful cycle, Freddy learns that love shouldn’t hurt so much and that starting over is sometimes the ultimate act of self-love. The book shows that moving on — even if it means standing alone — can be the first step toward rediscovering one’s worth.
- Mary John, by Ana Pessoa
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Mary John is a coming-of-age novel about Maria João, a teenage girl who, after moving to a new city and school, writes a long letter to her childhood friend Júlio. Through it, she reflects on lost friendship and love, the struggle to find her place in the world, and her awakening as a young woman. In this tender story of transition and vulnerability, beginning again becomes an unavoidable part of growing up. Between memories and discoveries, Maria João learns that change, loss, and reinvention are not signs of failure but of courage — and that solitude often holds the first seeds of freedom.
- The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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The Little Prince tells the story of a pilot stranded in the Sahara Desert who meets a boy from another planet, Asteroid B-612. The prince recounts his encounters with lonely, self-absorbed adults on other worlds — a king, a vain man, a drunkard — and the lessons he learns on Earth from the fox about friendship and what it means to “tame.” With poetic simplicity, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry reminds readers that what is essential is invisible to the eye — and that even through loss, love and curiosity can guide us toward new beginnings. It’s a story about looking at the world with tenderness and understanding that to live is, inherently, to start over.
- Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams
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Seven Days in June follows Eva and Shane, two writers who fell deeply in love during a single week as teenagers, only to be separated for fifteen years. When they meet again at a literary event in New York, their chemistry reignites as old wounds resurface. Over the course of seven days, they reconnect, seeking answers about a past that still shapes their art and their hearts. As they confront who they once were, both realize that time doesn’t erase what’s real — it offers the chance to rewrite it. Seven Days in June is ultimately a story about second chances, forgiveness, and the strength that comes from daring to begin again.
- Little Goodbye Choreography, by Aline Bei
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Little Goodbye Choreography tells the story of Júlia, a young writer trying to find her individuality and free herself from the weight of her family’s trauma. Suffocated by constant fights between her parents and a lack of affection, she searches for meaning amid chaos and learns to rise above a dysfunctional household marked by violence and abandonment. As she begins to untangle herself from inherited wounds, Júlia discovers that saying goodbye to what shaped us is also an act of self-creation. The novel turns farewell into a dance of liberation, showing that sometimes the only way to exist fully is to begin again.
- First I Had to Die, by Lorena Portela
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First I Had to Die follows a young advertising executive on the brink of burnout who escapes to Jericoacoara, a coastal village in Brazil. There, she finds refuge in a guesthouse, reconnects with friends, and slowly begins to heal — rediscovering love and her own rhythm. The book tackles themes like corporate pressure, exhaustion, sexism, and harassment, questioning the glorification of overwork as a measure of success. Under the Ceará sun, the protagonist realizes that endings can be beginnings in disguise — that she must let parts of herself die to breathe again. It’s a sensitive portrait of rebirth and the courage to rebuild far from others’ expectations.
- Love According to Buenos Aires, by Fernando Scheller
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Love According to Buenos Aires is a novel about the many forms of love that intertwine in Argentina’s capital. It follows Hugo, a Brazilian man who moves to Buenos Aires with his girlfriend, Leonor. As their relationship unravels, Hugo faces heartbreak, illness, and eventually rediscovers affection through friendship and a renewed bond with his father. Amid the cafés and melancholy of Buenos Aires, he learns that love can reinvent itself — and that every relationship, even those that end, leaves something that endures. It’s a story about finding beauty in what fades and understanding that moving forward is also a form of love.
- The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
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The Wedding People follows Phoebe, a woman who checks into a hotel in Rhode Island, planning to spend her last day alive after a painful breakup — but she’s mistaken for a guest at a wedding taking place there. What unfolds is an unexpected encounter between Phoebe and the bride, exploring chance meetings, renewal, and the unexpected connections that can alter a life. Through this twist of fate, the novel reveals how serendipity can pull us back to life when we least expect it. Amid grief and laughter, Phoebe rediscovers what it means to stay — and proves that even a broken heart can learn to beat again.
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
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Before the Coffee Gets Cold centers on a café in Tokyo where visitors can travel back in time — but with strict rules: they can only meet someone who has been to the café, they can’t change the present, and the trip lasts only as long as the coffee remains hot. The stories follow people seeking reunion, forgiveness, or closure rather than rewriting their pasts. Between steaming cups and fleeting moments, each tale reminds us that while we can’t undo what has happened, we can transform how we carry it. Life, after all, happens once the coffee grows cold — and starting over is the most human act of all.
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V. E. Schwab
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In 1714, a young French woman named Adeline LaRue makes a pact with darkness to escape an unwanted marriage, gaining immortality but being cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. For 300 years, Addie lives a life of invisibility — until one day, in a bookstore in New York, a man remembers her name. Her story unfolds across centuries, weaving art, memory, and the human longing to leave a mark on the world. Addie’s solitude becomes her strength, and her persistence turns her curse into a form of creation. This is a tale about the resilience to keep living, loving, and remaking oneself, even when the world refuses to remember.
In the end, starting over can be a fantastic experience. It’s painful to think about the end of a reality we once knew, but what if you try to change your focus? Have you ever stopped to think that a whole new range of possibilities has just opened up? New chances? New dreams waiting to be dreamed? You’ve just finished a chapter in the book of your life — take this opportunity to start writing a brand new one!
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The article above was edited by Maria Clara Polcan.
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