Hi friends :)
You guys have asked for more books recs and I am more than happy to provide. I love sharing what I am reading and honestly wish we could all sit in the same room and have a book club. I could talk about books all day.
I shared a whole lot of feel good/romances so far, but I wanted to pull together the not-so-bright books. The books that break your heart and slowly piece it back together. The books that are tough to read and make you go through a whole range of emotions. The books that sometimes have happy endings. Sometimes bittersweet. Sometimes sad. These books are just beautiful, even if they are on the darker side. If you want to feel some feelings, here’s what you should pick up.
1. The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali: A story of true love taking place in 1953 Tehran. Boy and girl meet in a stationery shop and from there, a messy story unfolds. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and soul lifting. The epilogue had me in tears.
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: I can’t sing enough praises for this book (it was in my top 3 favorite novels in 2020). Follow Kya’s life story as she grows up without guidance in a marsh — and eventually has two men pining for the Marsh Girl. This coming of age story will break your heart and sew it back up. There is nothing I can say about the storyline that will do it justice. Just read it.
3. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren: I talk about this book a lot because it really stuck with me. I remember this kept me up until about 1 AM because I couldn’t put it down. It’s a story about childhood sweethearts that fall apart and then meet again as adults. Come along for the ride as they figure out what went wrong. This book made me feel a whole range of emotions in less than 24 hours and I think that is why it stuck with me. And I just really fell in love with the two main characters.
4. All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover: A story of a couple who’s marriage may seem perfect but it is completely falling apart. This one was a fast read and had me in tears by the end.
5. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah: While this story was truly haunting and heavy, it had me on the edge of my seat the entire ride and I fell in love with many of the characters. Definitely a book that you will not forget.
6. November 9 by Colleen Hoover: Yes, there are two Colleen Hoover books on here because it is really hard to narrow down. Nearly all of her novels will fall into this category of heartbreaking & beautiful. This one in particular was such a unique story. It kept me wanting more and I think I finished it within a day.
7. Euphoria by Lily King: Three anthropologists are caught in a love triangle. King’s writing is stunning – I felt like I was living among the tribe at parts. But my God, this story REALLY stuck with me. It is one of the most unique books I have ever read. Bittersweet and beautiful.
8. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver: A unique take on love and loss. The main character Lydia loses her fiancé in an accident. You follow her as she goes through the grief of it and trying to piece her life back together with help of her sister and best friend, Jonah Jones. Good luck trying not to swoon over Jonah Jones. ;)
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: Of all the books I have mentioned on this list, I would say this was the toughest one to read for me personally but also one of the most overwhelming stories I have ever read (in a good way). A moving story of family and friendship among strong women. And holy hell, you’ll never forget these characters. Truly haunting.
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: This coming of age novel is YA but tackles some heavy issues. It is one of those books that will stick with you for a very long time.
