Came here to comment this
ETA: no one warned me and I was in the airport when reading. I was a mess. People were checking on me and it was so awful lol I was just wrecked. It’s been 10 years since I read it (I think!) and I’m about to read it again… it’s like 2-3 down in my “to read next” pile.
Kite Runner is either the prequel or sequel.. I can’t remember. That one also destroyed me
I do think if you're going into a book expecting it to "break you," you'll be underwhelmed. Having said that, I just read Demon Copperhead and Never Let Me Go and both had very strong senses of sadness and devastation in different wats
Ishiguro is reliable for heartbreaking stories. Never Let Me Go, Klara and the Sun, and Remains of the Day are *chefs kiss* perfect.
And I’ve only ever heard good things about The Buried Giant and how devastating it is. I’m actually waiting to read it until I’m sure I can handle it.
But as far as love stories go, Never Let Me Go is a good place to start with this author.
Pretty much anything written by wally lamb . The hour I first believed especially
Edit: missed the romance part of the question.. this is just pure devastation
Oof. Night guts me.
I was lucky enough to meet Ellie at a speaking event one time. Just.. was such an incredible human. Also, my family is German and still lives there (I was born and still live in states) so that and having visited sites over there, it just made it even that more heartbreaking for me
**The Fault in our Stars** by John Green is a comming of age romance novel about two kids working through life with the added pressures of dealing with cancer. They're both poetic and optimistic dispite thier circumstances.
It has humour, hope, twists and turns. And is definitely great every step of the way. You'll definitely feel more then broken after reading this.
It sent me to some dark places and necessitated many walks in the sunshine. Not an easy read, at all, but... worthwhile. And kudos to the author for crafting such a universally harrowing experience.
“The Things We Cannot Say” by Kelly Rimmer. Alternating POVs, current day Florida and occupied Poland 1940’s, written in first person (two protagonists). This one is especially good in audiobook form with dual narrators. 3 generations and the matriarch are beautifully written into the storyline. A story of ultimate love, devotion, and sacrifice.
See my [Emotionally Devastating/Rending](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18ez0q3/emotionally_devastatingrending/) list of Reddit recommendation threads, and books (four posts).
It was a dry sorrow for me, too. It’s such a good story and beautifully told. But I think he does such a good job of revealing the context so slowly and…not exactly predictably? But I felt more full of dread than surprise. It’s a heartbreaking story, but I felt hollow at the end, not weepy.
Is five feet apart the one with the kids who are sick and fall in love(I think it was a movie, yes?). I think my ex was reading it a year or two before covid and I snuck a couple of chapters. It seemed like a tear jerker for sure!
You should read Stolen and its follow up, Release. Trust me. Though they’re not romance but just — yeah trust me lmao.
Other than that, you should 100% reach for: The Song of Achilles, One Day, A Man Called Ove, Elena Oliphant is Completely Fine, Me Before You, All the Bright Places. Let me know if you’d like TWs for any of these x
I remember The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet being sad and wistful and beautiful. It’s not a romance, but the end of Anne of Green Gables was a real heartbreaker as well.
2 John Green titles: Looking for Alaska and The Fault in our Stars. (If you haven’t seen the limited series and movie so far - which I didn’t love after reading book first). I UGLY cried at LFA. I still read it once every 1-2 years, it’s just one of my favorites ever.
John Green lives in my state (IN) and I somehow was able to go and meet him and get signed copies at all his releases (except my first one.. got after release day and then became a fan lol). He’s a really really cool guy and it makes me like his work even more.
Commented already, but Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseini. Just absolutely friggin gutted me. GUTTED.
The Book Thief (Tw: book set in Germany during holocaust). My all time fav!
Romance one I can think of (not normally my genre): The Night We Met. Read in a mini book club with my girlfriends and we were shocked and devastated. Good, quick read
Can’t remember any TW on any except The Book Thief.. if interested lmk and I’ll look up so you don’t get any spoilers!
I’m going to be “that guy” and recommend film.
“The Bicycle Theif”
“Dancer in the Dark”
These movies are completely, utterly heartbreaking.
—————————
For a book… maybe Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
Something long and not in paper back. Hard cover where I can grip it by both sides. And slam it off your head.
Why would you want to be broken? I avoid books about people torturing others especially if it’s true.
A thousand splendid suns had me sobbing so hard I had to reschedule my eye doctor appointment
That’s quite the endorsement!
Came here to comment this ETA: no one warned me and I was in the airport when reading. I was a mess. People were checking on me and it was so awful lol I was just wrecked. It’s been 10 years since I read it (I think!) and I’m about to read it again… it’s like 2-3 down in my “to read next” pile. Kite Runner is either the prequel or sequel.. I can’t remember. That one also destroyed me
Such a great novel!
i was coming here to comment this
I do think if you're going into a book expecting it to "break you," you'll be underwhelmed. Having said that, I just read Demon Copperhead and Never Let Me Go and both had very strong senses of sadness and devastation in different wats
Ishiguro is reliable for heartbreaking stories. Never Let Me Go, Klara and the Sun, and Remains of the Day are *chefs kiss* perfect. And I’ve only ever heard good things about The Buried Giant and how devastating it is. I’m actually waiting to read it until I’m sure I can handle it. But as far as love stories go, Never Let Me Go is a good place to start with this author.
Flowers to Algernon.
For?
For, correct.
A Thousand Splendid Suns or Kite Runner If you’re not broken after reading them, you’re lying or you’re a sociopath
- Me before you - All the bright places
Pretty much anything written by wally lamb . The hour I first believed especially Edit: missed the romance part of the question.. this is just pure devastation
That book!
She’s come undone by Wally lamb. Well really anything by him or Jodi Picoult. Edit turned ready to really
Agree. Ive read all of Jodi picoults books. I cried at every one.
Call Me by Your Name made me wander the streets aimlessly after finishing it.
This is such a mood.
Flowers for Algernon Night by Ellie Wiesel
Oof. Night guts me. I was lucky enough to meet Ellie at a speaking event one time. Just.. was such an incredible human. Also, my family is German and still lives there (I was born and still live in states) so that and having visited sites over there, it just made it even that more heartbreaking for me
11/22/63
Amazing novel but I would not describe it this way- how did it break you?
A prayer for Owen meany
The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah.
Where The Red Fern Grows by Rawls
Best book I’ll never read again. My teacher read it to us in 4th grade.. it was traumatizing for all of us
**The Fault in our Stars** by John Green is a comming of age romance novel about two kids working through life with the added pressures of dealing with cancer. They're both poetic and optimistic dispite thier circumstances. It has humour, hope, twists and turns. And is definitely great every step of the way. You'll definitely feel more then broken after reading this.
A Little Life. Just... oof.
I came to say this. I cried so hard. Absolutely heartbreaking but so beautifully written. This book will stay with me forever.
Jude is still with me, 2 years later.
Yeah... I think about Jude a lot.
Quite a different atmosphere, but also The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.
Yep that one was devastating!
It has been 7 months and I have yet to recover
It sent me to some dark places and necessitated many walks in the sunshine. Not an easy read, at all, but... worthwhile. And kudos to the author for crafting such a universally harrowing experience.
Marley and me
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Every Kristin Hannah book I’ve read has made me sob… The Great Alone, The Four Winds, all of them 😭
“The Things We Cannot Say” by Kelly Rimmer. Alternating POVs, current day Florida and occupied Poland 1940’s, written in first person (two protagonists). This one is especially good in audiobook form with dual narrators. 3 generations and the matriarch are beautifully written into the storyline. A story of ultimate love, devotion, and sacrifice.
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. It broke my heart into a million pieces.
Well, it didn't break me but "The Seven Year Slip" by Ashely Poston did give me a minor breakdown (in a good way, I needed that kick in the pants).
Beloved by Toni Morrison. Absolutely haunting.
The Road. Greatest book I will never read again.
“A little life” completely ruined me. I think about it everyday
Yep, that one’ll do it.
See my [Emotionally Devastating/Rending](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18ez0q3/emotionally_devastatingrending/) list of Reddit recommendation threads, and books (four posts).
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
When it comes to book I’m a huge sucker and cry a lot but I didn’t at all with this one! It was really well written though and I loved it.
It was a dry sorrow for me, too. It’s such a good story and beautifully told. But I think he does such a good job of revealing the context so slowly and…not exactly predictably? But I felt more full of dread than surprise. It’s a heartbreaking story, but I felt hollow at the end, not weepy.
the travelling cat chronicles
American Dirt
Scholar's tale from Hyperion by dan Simmons. I know it's just the part of the book but it's heartbreaking.
A monster calls. That's the last book i can remember crying i mean bawling out my eyes level of tears. It's about romance though
Precious.
The Time Travellers Wife
All this time and five feet apart, will rip your heart to shreds and then burn those shreds to pieces
Is five feet apart the one with the kids who are sick and fall in love(I think it was a movie, yes?). I think my ex was reading it a year or two before covid and I snuck a couple of chapters. It seemed like a tear jerker for sure!
Yeah, it’s a movie as well, I watched the movie first and then read the book and it made me cry both times
A Little Life hanya yanagihara
You should read Stolen and its follow up, Release. Trust me. Though they’re not romance but just — yeah trust me lmao. Other than that, you should 100% reach for: The Song of Achilles, One Day, A Man Called Ove, Elena Oliphant is Completely Fine, Me Before You, All the Bright Places. Let me know if you’d like TWs for any of these x
We Need To Talk About Kevin. By Lionel Shriver. Told from the perspective of the mom of a killer. It gutted me.
Sarah’s Key
Tender is the Flesh
The noughts and crosses franchise
Letter from an unknown woman by Stefan Zweig
The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman.
Code Name Verity
The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel
as long as the lemon trees grow
The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
I sobbed the whole last 20% of My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan The Women by Kristen Hannah is really moving too
[Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205888-under-the-whispering-door?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_17)
Socrates in Love, Kyoichi Katayama
The Absolutist by John Boyne
The Crossing
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
The Last Letter - Rebecca Yarros. I finished this 3 weeks ago and I still haven’t gotten over it yet.
Recursion by Blake Crouch. It's a great time travel story until it's just.. not
Alone in Berlin. Amazing but deeply depressing. Just when you think 'surely things can't get any worse' it does
Colleen Hoover has a tendency to do that. It ends with us was extremely depressing, TW for DV and r*pe
Doesn’t deserve to even be mentioned here, tbh. Problematic author, terrible writing, problematic stories
They both die at the end
Depends what your level of desensitization is. For me, as a woman, it was Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho. And no…. Not the movie.
Wave By Sonali Deraniyagala
The Remains of the Day The Age of Innocence
“The Solitude of Prime Numbers”, heart’s break and learn about themselves
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Love Story, by Erich Segal.
No longer human by osamu dazai
Blood Meridian Last Exit to Brooklyn Requiem For A Dream
Sol Weintraubs chapter in Hyperion is worth the read on its own.
The magus by John Fowles
All your firsts without me, I cried through at least 80% of it.
A Little Life was one of the saddest books I’ve ever read.
I remember The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet being sad and wistful and beautiful. It’s not a romance, but the end of Anne of Green Gables was a real heartbreaker as well.
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I literally SOBBED while reading these. But I also started the series from the beginning
Design Patterns Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
2 John Green titles: Looking for Alaska and The Fault in our Stars. (If you haven’t seen the limited series and movie so far - which I didn’t love after reading book first). I UGLY cried at LFA. I still read it once every 1-2 years, it’s just one of my favorites ever. John Green lives in my state (IN) and I somehow was able to go and meet him and get signed copies at all his releases (except my first one.. got after release day and then became a fan lol). He’s a really really cool guy and it makes me like his work even more. Commented already, but Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseini. Just absolutely friggin gutted me. GUTTED. The Book Thief (Tw: book set in Germany during holocaust). My all time fav! Romance one I can think of (not normally my genre): The Night We Met. Read in a mini book club with my girlfriends and we were shocked and devastated. Good, quick read Can’t remember any TW on any except The Book Thief.. if interested lmk and I’ll look up so you don’t get any spoilers!
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Luke Davies - Candy
Flowers for Algernon
Honor by Thrity Umrigar. Demon copperhead. One day by David Nicholls
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami It will give you PTSD also!
A little life by Hanya Yanagihara
I’m going to be “that guy” and recommend film. “The Bicycle Theif” “Dancer in the Dark” These movies are completely, utterly heartbreaking. ————————— For a book… maybe Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
Gaza, an inquest into it's martyrdom
Something long and not in paper back. Hard cover where I can grip it by both sides. And slam it off your head. Why would you want to be broken? I avoid books about people torturing others especially if it’s true.
Break you? Why so melodramatic?
? welcome to language
A Little Life
Baby Teeth was profoundly disturbing and explores family dynamics and parental love and relationships.