13 Amazing Books That Will Help You Mend Your Broken Heart

”The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains” ~ Chiyo Sakamoto

We want glossy happy endings with our soulmate, but it’s often the opposite that keeps us turning the page. Breakups are hard and messy. And all of us have been there. You’ve curled up on your couch with your favorite tub of ice cream and crying your eyes out. Often, you vent out your feelings to your best friend.

But how about you confide in and bond with some relatable authors instead of venting your heart out to any X or Y? Check out these awesome books that will help you through this heartbreak phase:

1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Image Source

This story is about a divorced woman and her soul-searching journey to India, Italy and Indonesia. Every woman going through a breakup would totally relate to the situation and the desolate phase that comes later when your heart is broken. An inspiring story that will teach you that life does NOT end after a breakup; it starts!

 

2. Him, Her, Him Again, The End of Him by Patricia Marx

Image Source

It’s a satirical story that is based on the author’s own life incident. It revolves around a girl who has spent 10 years to attract a pretentious PhD student. Finally, she understands how wrong she was and how much she wasted as a result. This is one of my favorite quotes from this book:

I came to understand that you cannot make someone fall in love with you. But by arguing and pleading and screaming and crying and throwing plates and phoning a lot and buying gifts and doing unsolicited favors and remembering a birthday and being nice and declaring your abiding love and trying hard or sometimes merely by being present, you can make someone who was hitherto lukewarm really detest you.

 

3. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Image Source

This book will allow you to cry, mourn as much as you want, completely break down, and finally, to feel powerful and empowered. Normally, when you go through a breakup, you don’t feel the last two emotions. This book will make you feel that!

 

4. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Image Source

This book revolves around an ambitious psychiatrist marrying his rich mental patient. It is hauntingly evocative. But it’s a must read because it teaches you that people change. It teaches you that even if, at one time you cared for someone, doesn’t mean you should drag the relationship as it ultimately amounts to a terrible one.

In any case, you mustn’t confuse a single failure with a final defeat. – This is one of my favorite quotes from this book.

 

5. Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak by Larry Smith

Image Source

How would you describe your breakup in six words?

Composed of hundreds of nuggets of silver wisdom revolving around stories of love and loss, this is a must read for a broken heart. It’s a wonderful collection of six-word stories. In the end, it also teaches you that a bad breakup shouldn’t affect your views on love and you should always remain optimistic on the concept of love. Because love is beautiful 🙂

 

6. What Was I Thinking? 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories by Barbara Davilman and Liz Dubelman

Image Source

For all the ladies who ignored the red flags that were waving wildly in her face, this book is for you. Many woman and men come together and share their heartbreak stories which are filled with humor. You’ll get a good laugh after reading such stories.

 

7. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

Image Source

It’s a story of Min Green and Ed Slaterton when they’re breaking up. Min writes a letter to Ed on why they broke up and puts it in a box. You should definitely read this book because it will help you put your finger on the actual causes of your breakup that proved to be catastrophic. In short, it’ll help you deal with your breakup.

I started making plans, thinking we would get that far.  This is one of my favorite quotes from this book.

 

8. Love The One You’re With by Emily Giffin

Image Source

The book revolves around Ellen and Andy’s perfect relationship. But one day, Ellen’s past knocks at the door – her ex-boyfriend, who broke her heart. Ellen is now filled with long-dormant emotions and reevaluates her life choices.

You should read this book because even if you have a nasty breakup in the past, don’t let that affect your present relationship if it’s filled with love and respect.

 

9. Under the Wild and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan

Image Source

Your ex was not the last and only person in your life. This book will make you realize that. The story of a woman who escapes from her cheating husband with 3 children and picks up a new and cool man is a must-read for you to understand that the next love is already waiting, and it can find you at the most unexpected places sometimes.

 

10. He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

Image source

One wake-up call at a time, this book will recharge and inspire your dating outlook. It’s primarily for the ladies which will tell them to notice the red flags in the relationship – when a guy doesn’t like you enough, how not to wait for a dead relationship.

Ladies, you are going to meet, and have already met, many, many men in the years that constitute your dating lifespan. And I hate to tell you this, but some of these men will simply not be attracted to you.

 

11. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Image Source

You might be knowing about this book when you saw its movie adaptation. It’ll make you realize two things:
a. There are many people who are going through the same phase as yours.

b. Don’t try to be the person that somebody else wants you to be.

 

12. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Image Source

The author mines the hearts and psyches of 4 lost souls confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections that were formed and broken, thumping regrets and the grace of second chances. 🙂

 

13. You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Image Source

An experienced couples therapist is the last one to know that her husband is cheating on her. Moreover, he could be connected to a murder. Read this psychological thriller to realize that it could have been much worse than just a simple breakup with your boyfriend.

Remember: Breakup is not the last remnant of your life.It’s very hard to accept and move on with life, but I promise you, your new love is waiting just around the corner.

Open up your heart and mind while reading this book, it will help you in these tough phase. 🙂

If you feel that there should be more books that I have missed out on, let me know in the comment section.

Cover Image Source 1 & 2

📣 Storypick is now on Telegram! Click here to join our channel (@storypick) and never miss another great story.