Whether you just walked out of the theater or finally closed the back cover, Reminders of Him is the kind of story that stays with you. Following Kenna Rowan as she returns to a town that isn't ready to forgive her, all while trying to reach the daughter she barely knows, is an emotional gauntlet. Add in a complicated connection with a local bar owner like Ledger, and you have that classic Colleen Hoover recipe for a story that simultaneously feels impossible and inevitable.
If you're looking for more stories that explores redemption, messy pasts, and the kind of grief that tirelessly follows you, these six books are the perfect place to start.
The Light We Lost
After meeting on a day that changes the world, Lucy and Gabe spend the next thirteen years caught in a cycle of missed connections and cross-continental longing. While Gabe pursues a dangerous career as a photojournalist and Lucy builds her life in New York, they remain anchored to one another by the what-ifs of their first love.
The Light We Lost is a sweeping story of dreams, betrayals, and the thin line between fate and the choices we make. If you’re looking for a devastatingly romantic read with an ending you won't see coming, this is the one.
One True Loves
Emma Blair built a life of adventure with her high school sweetheart. But everything is shattered when her husband, Jesse, disappears in a tragic helicopter crash. Years later, she finally finds the courage to start over and is blissfully engaged to an old friend when the impossible happens: Jesse is found alive.
Caught between the husband who fought to return to her and the fiancé who helped her heal, Emma must confront the gut-wrenching reality of who she has become and where her heart truly belongs. One True Loves is a powerful exploration of whether you can have more than one true love in a single lifetime.
Before We Were Strangers
After a decade and a half apart, a chance encounter on a subway platform reignites a connection that started in a cramped NYU dorm room. What began as a whirlwind year of music, photography, and young love in New York City fell apart when life pulled them in opposite directions.
Now, a heartfelt Craigslist post about a missed connection serves as a desperate bridge to the past, asking if two people can truly pick up where they left off. It’s a nostalgic and hopeful look at second chances and the people who never really leave our memories.
All Your Perfects
Quinn and Graham once seemed like the perfect match, but the weight of years of secrets and unfulfilled hopes has left their marriage hanging by a thread. As they struggle with the painful reality of their current relationship, their only path to survival lies in the forgotten promises they made at the very beginning.
Hoover delivers a raw, emotional look at how a beautiful start can get lost in the wreckage of real life, forcing a couple to decide if their love is worth the fight. This story is a deep dive into the grit required to keep a commitment when the happily ever after starts to fade.
Me Before You
Louisa Clark leads a small, predictable life until she’s hired to care for Will Traynor, a wealthy former thrill-seeker who is now paralyzed and ready to give up on everything. Despite his moody exterior and her lack of experience, Lou’s quirky spirit begins to break through his defenses, turning a professional arrangement into a profound, life-changing connection. When she discovers Will’s devastating plans for his future, she dedicates herself to proving that life is still beautiful, even when it looks nothing like you expected.
Like Reminders of Him, this tear-jerker explores how love can transform us even when the ending isn’t what we hoped for.
Maybe in Another Life
At twenty-nine, Hannah Martin is back in Los Angeles and standing at a literal crossroads: stay at the bar with her high school sweetheart or head home early with her best friend. Through alternating timelines, we see how this one split-second hesitation ripples into two completely different lives with vastly different consequences.
This fascinating narrative questions whether our destiny is fixed or if we’re just one small choice away from a totally different world. Ultimately, it explores the idea of soulmates and whether the right person will find us regardless of the path we take.
Featured image: Kseniya Lapteva / Unsplash
