When people are on the hunt for their next read, it’s easy to be gravitated towards novels with happy endings and books with storylines that wrap up nicely with a bow. Others are fans of the dramatics of thrillers or the feeling of getting lost in the world of fantasy books. However, there are some readers who love a book that gives them a good cry. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the usual and get lost in a book that will get you fully in your feels and will touch you so deeply, you’ll never forget the feeling of reading it for the first time. For anyone looking for this type of read, below are four books that are almost guaranteed to make you shed a tear or, if not, will at least make your heart tug.
Yolk by Mary H.k. Choi
Everything about this book felt so deeply personal, honest, and raw. Mary H.K. Choi has such an authentic way with words and an ability to write a character driven novel where everything just seems so real and lived in.
The story follows Jayne and her relationship with her estranged sister, June. Jayne, poor, single, and suffering from an eating disorder, feels totally inadequate when compared to her picture perfect sister. That is, until her sister is diagnosed with uterine cancer. June’s diagnosis puts the sisters’ relationship to the test and proves that family prevails above all. It’s a touching story, and although somewhat hard to read at times, it’s truly worth the read.
One Last stop by Casey mcquiston
This book is a good one. Funny, cute, magical (literally), and perhaps the only book I’ve read thus far where the representation was fantastic (and not at all forced) in every sense of the word. While this book definitely has a “wrapped with a bow” ending, it was the journey and the connection to the characters that will for sure cause a few tears to fall.
It tells the story of twenty-three year old August Landry and her strange encounters with Jane, a grunge rockstar type who is displaced in time from the 1970s. While the premise feels silly, I promise this sapphic novel will tug at every reader’s heartstrings.
Daisy jones & the six by taylor jenkins reid
Obviously I couldn’t write this without including this book. Everytime I think about this masterpiece written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I feel my heart physically throb. When talking about moving character driven novels, Taylor Jenkins Reid is always one the first authors to come to mind, and Daisy Jones & The Six is no exception.
Written in interview format, it’s a captivating novel about the rise of a fictional 1970s rock group and Daisy Jones’s claim to fame. The story takes readers through the group’s highs and lows and the lifestyle of a rockstar in L.A. during the 70s. If you are a fan of strong female characters, this is undoubtedly for you.
transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi
This book is definitely not for everyone. It tells the tale of Gifty, a Ghanian student studying neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine, and her complicated relationship with her family’s history: her brother who died of a heroin overdose, and her suicidal mother with whom her relationship has always been difficult.
In this novel, Gifty struggles to come to terms with her faith and often turns to hard science to try to explain her life’s mishaps. Yaa Gyasi’s phenomenal penchant for crafting deeply moving, heartbreaking, and intellectually challenging narratives is truly incredible. It’s so well written, it’s often hard to remember that it is, in fact, fiction, and not an autobiography. For those who can relate to this character and her conflicting feelings towards her faith, science, family, and love life, this will truly tear you apart.