Books That Will Make You Cry

Do you ever choose a book solely to have a good cry? Or am I just overly bleak? Anyhoo, I decided to write up a post of the books I'd recommend you to pick up if you crave a good ole sob. Yay for emotional reads!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This story within a story is a tell-all into the life and many, many husbands of Hollywood scarlet Evelyn Hugo. She approaches a young woman who is trying to make it in the reporter world, and offers to give her the first ever exclusive into her life. Is this fictionalised? Regrettably so, but that doesn't take away any of the magic that these characters bring to the pages.  This was my introductory book into the wonder that is Taylor Jenkins Reid and it made me immediately download all her other books. I cried so many tears by the time I neared the end to this story that I had to down a few hydration tablets. This book is everything and I urge absolutely everyone to pick it up.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles
by Hiro Arikawa
This a story of an unlikely friendship between an older man and his cat as they travel across Japan to visit people who defined periods of the man's life. I went into this book expecting a few laughs (it's mostly written from the cat's POV) and heartbreak. It gave me both, but it also offered a beautifully pure story of companionship that I would recommend to near enough anyone. This isn't a fictional travel memoir, which the synopsis made it seem. It's a book with heart and though I think you'd get more from this read by being a cat lover, it is also filled to the brim with wonderfully written characters who each hold up on their own. I sobbed multiple times reading this, so it definitely deserves a place on this list.

A Monster Calls 
by Patrick Ness
In this story we follow 12-year-old Conor as he struggles with high school invisibility and more importantly, his unwell mother. One night, he gets a visit from a monster (think of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, but less friendly.). The monster promises to tell the boy three stories, and says that the young man will tell him the fourth when it's time. Did Conor dream this? Or are nightmares now in his real life? With his mother's health deteriorating with every turn of a page, the young boy tries to make sense of everything. Though technically middle-grade, this book is one that any person can read, no matter their age. It's a timeless story with such a beautiful narrative, if you aren't wiping away tears as the story comes to a close, you're reading it wrong.

Firefly Lane

by Kristin Hannah

Kate and Tully were always more sisters than best friends. Having found each other in that crucial period of adolescence when you think nobody understands you, they practically kept the other going. But as with most friendships, their relationship took a hit when adulthood and life continuously seemed to pull them apart. Can they get back what they once had? This is a hunk of a novel, both in size (over 500 pages) and story. You can't not care about both women as they equally struggle with the difficulties that life throws at us with age. However, the story does sound simple. I get that, but it's so much more than what it seems on the cover. Without giving away a spoiler, this book takes such a heartbreaking turn that you'll find yourself pulling an Anne and reading the last few chapters sobbing on the bathroom floor. In comparison to TV, this is a mix between the girlhood of Gilmore Girls and the agony of This Is Us. If you like either of this, give this book a try. The sequel Fly Away is also very good, albeit not as good as Firefly Lane.

When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decades worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. This is the only non-fiction on this list, but that's mainly because I rarely find myself picking up anything of this genre. However, this book broke me. It's such an impactful book that really shows the hardships of being diagnosed with such a terrible illness. It was very interesting reading about his transition from surgeon to patient, and the foreword by his wife shred my heart. This is the epitome of bad things shouldn't happen to good people.

What was the last book you read that made you cry?