Heartbreaking books that were worth the pain

If Past Lives had you weeping into your popcorn, prepare yourself for Almost Life. Spanning across cities and decades, this is a story of the lives we almost live, the chances we miss and the choices we don't make. It's a heartrending read both in itself and in the introspection and contemplation of your own choices it's sure to provoke. Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her Ph.D. at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman. When they meet on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur, they form an undeniable connection that will determine the course of their lives – almost. 

Berlin, 1928. Hannah is new to the pleasures and freedoms of the city. She is a fledgling artist, a runaway, building a new life for herself in its galleries and clubs, and, at last, loving without boundaries. But people around her are disappearing, and the shadows of something unspeakable are growing darker. Hannah’s art could be the thing that secures her survival – or denies her any chance of escape. While it's Hannah's reckless affair with her married patron, Elke, that threatens to drag her under, it's her other lovers, Charlotte and Saul, that form the emotional centre of this story, and underpin its unforgettable ending.

How much of our identity is defined by the grief we carry? In 1938, a family is torn apart by war, scattered across the globe and through time itself. As their separate lives unfold across parallel realities – from Nazi-occupied Vienna to 1960s Montreal and beyond – the threads that tie them together refuse to break. This is an epic, heart-stopping story of hope, loss, and the possibility of finding what was lost.

What would you change if you could go back in time? Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first book in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful series about a coffee shop which offers its customers the chance to travel back in time. You’ll become emotionally invested in the different endearing characters as you follow their wistful attempts to change their respective pasts, whether that be seeing a loved one again for the last time or confronting someone who did them wrong. Tragic, relatable, wonderful. . . you’ll be left with a heart full of empathy and hope.

James Hynes’s engrossing coming-of-age story introduces us to one of the most powerfully affecting and memorable characters of recent fiction. Sparrow is a young boy raised in a brothel at the edge of a dying Roman Empire. But a hard fate awaits him, one that involves suffering and the scattering of the little community that has been his whole world. But your heartbreak at Sparrow’s plight will be soothed somewhat by his touching relationship with his ‘mother’ Euterpe, a beautiful showcase of how love can shine through even during the hardest of times. Sparrow's story continues in Peacock.

Soon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale has captured the hearts of millions. Whether you’ll be reading this on holiday or on your morning commute, don’t forget your tissues. Packed with action and emotion, this story celebrates the resilience of women during World War II. You’ll be fighting back tears as you follow sisters Vianne and Isabelle embarking on their individual journeys towards survival, making impossible choices in the name of love and freedom. Make space in your heart for this beautifully tragic novel that everyone is gushing over.

One of the most important stories about a non-binary teen finding their voice you will ever read. When Ben De Backer comes out as non-binary, it doesn’t go as planned. All Ben can do is try to keep a low profile in a new school, but as a friendship with charismatic Nathan grows, their feelings begin to change. You’ll feel all the feels when what started as a disastrous turn of events becomes a chance to start a happier, new life. At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is a sweet celebration of friendship and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

Laura Price's Single Bald Female is the literal definition of a book that breaks your heart while simultaneously putting it back together again. Drawing from the author’s personal experience of battling cancer, the protagonist Jessica Jackson’s shock diagnosis of breast cancer turns her content life completely upside down. But then she meets Annabel, another cancer patient who may not have long left. Together, the two women set out to make every day count — life doesn’t stop for a second just because you’re ill. Simultaneously devastating yet surprisingly funny, it will take you on the most profound journey of emotions leaving you appreciating life and friendship with the fullest heart.

Coming to the West End in March, A Little Life is an immensely powerful and poignant novel about  love and the limits of human endurance. At the centre of the story is Jude, a victim of unresolved trauma of which Hanya Yanagihara spares us no mercy in revealing. Despite finding some comfort from his relationships with Willem, Malcolm and JB, he never finds true relief from his suffering. This is ultimately one of the most addictively heartbreaking books you’ll ever read, so prepare yourself for a gut-punch on each page of beautifully explored misery.

One For My Enemy is your heart-wrenching story of star-crossed lovers who are forced to put family honour and reputation before their love. In New York City, two rival witch families fight for the upper hand. Bad blood carries them to the brink of disaster, even as fate draws together a brother and sister from either side. An exhilarating, agonising read where each characters’ thoughts and emotions come alive and will pull you into their narratives. This is for fans of a Romeo and Juliet-esque love story, but with a sprinkling of the fantastical.

Eric Ly is struggling with the overwhelming loss of his best friend, finding solace in the imaginary scenarios he creates in his mind. But when Haru Tanaka, a boy he met one summer, suddenly reappears and sits beside him in a coffee shop – visible only to Eric – the line between imagination and reality begins to blur. As Eric clings to this connection, Haru offers comfort in Eric's darkest moments. Yet, the deeper their bond grows, the harder it becomes for Eric to confront the truth. When Haru Was Here is a heart-wrenching exploration of grief, healing, and the power of letting go.