15 Sad Romance Novels That Hit You Right in the Feels

Anna Bolles has been through a lot lately, seemingly God's favorite target for all manner of tragedy, including a diagnosis of relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis. It's led her to essentially give up on her future and any possible chance of romance. She watches the world from a distance but stays far away from others, terrified of getting close to someone and being burned once more by life's harshness. 

Aside from her mother, who she relies heavily on and is coddled by, Anna sticks to herself. Joe Malone, however, is tough to ignore. He thinks he wants a life with Anna no matter what and seems willing to risk everything to be with her, but he's hardly short of his own problems.

Reporter Caroline James thought her life was over after she tragically lost her fiancé to a suicide bomber. She returned home to St. Louis to heal, but wasn't prepared to meet David Sloan, the brother of the man she loved.

David quickly develops feelings for Caroline, but doesn't know how to act on them. But maybe they were brought together for a purpose.

When Jenny Simpson returns to the seaside town of Borteen, the picturesque place where she grew up, it's not for happy reasons. Still, she's hopeful that she can start a new chapter of her life, even if Borteen Bay comes with some heavy memories. 

A new job leads to her working for Carver Rodgers, a man who lives alone in a vast house that looks perfect from the outside. That only barely conceals the disaster zone inside, a physical representation of his own troubled mind. As Jenny gets to know Carver she begins to unravel the sadness that has led to his chaotic existence.

Though Buddy Helms is a successful executive in his family business, nothing he does ever seems good enough for his father. Finally, he decides to take a break and retreats to Moondust Lake.

Psychotherapist Kimberly Sturgiss uses her own troubled past to help better connect to her patients. She's familiar with the Helms family and their challenges, and Buddy is the most compelling challenge of all. The two have much more in common than Kimberly is willing to admit—perhaps he can finally help her heal, too.

Deep in the heart of the breathtakingly beautiful Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Lydia Cunningham felt at home, but she left for Atlanta after splitting from her husband and hasn't returned since. It wasn't John's fault she fled. In truth, she still loves him dearly, but his terrorizing mother and her endless criticism drove a wedge between them. 

Now, thanks to a job offer at her alma mater, Lydia is moving back, renting the old country house where she and John lived as newlyweds. The spark between her and her ex is still there, but so is all the baggage that tore them apart in the first place. Is it possible to overcome such barriers?

Nolan Grainger left his small Minnesota hometown with big dreams, and it didn't take long for him to become a wildly successful concert pianist, traveling the world and performing with some of the greatest musicians in his field. And then it all came crashing down around him, and soon he found himself returning to Pelican Bay as an industry disgrace. 

To make matters worse, his father has suffered a stroke, and Nolan is forced to take on the role of caregiver, spending the last of his money to keep from losing the family home. He's desperate and will do what it takes to look after them, which sends him running to the town's golden boy, Dallas Kent. He also found himself back home after falling from grace, rejected by his former friends and living a reclusive life surrounded by animals and speaking to nobody. Will two men who’ve been fleeing from the past finally come home together and find the peace they deserve?

Lily has had a tough life with some darkness in her past that she's done everything in her power to get away from. Nowadays, she's living in Boston and has started her own business, eager to establish a future for herself on her own terms. That does, however, involve a "no dating" rule, which is made somewhat more complicated by the presence of Ryle Kincaid, a gorgeous and arrogant neurosurgeon who she can't stop thinking about. 

She's ready to abandon her rule for him, if only he wasn't so strangely averse to relationships. Their mutual issues threaten to get in the way of their burgeoning feelings, as well as the return of one Atlas Corrigan, Lily's first love and a link to her past she'd rather not bring back.

Sophie Shaw has always dreamed of owning a vineyard, especially near Blue Moon Lake, where she grew up, fell in love, and had a tragic loss. She's about to sign the paperwork—and then Duncan Jamieson makes an offer on the property that blows hers out of the water.

Duncan has known Sophie since childhood, and he still has a crush on her. They both want the property—and though she should resent him, Sophie finds herself inexplicably drawn to Duncan.

Ella Harper is a born survivor, a woman used to doing whatever it takes to get on with life, whether it's taking any job that passes her way, including stripping, or acting as the emotional crutch to her flighty mother. Nothing will crush her dreams of making something of herself. 

But then Ella's mother dies, and she's plucked out of poverty by the exceedingly rich Callum Royal. He transplants her into his vast mansion, populated by his five sons, each of whom hate her. It's Reed Royal, however, who seems to despise her the most, and he's determined to send her back to the gutter. Soon, however, his hatred turns to something else, and he's desperate to protect Ella at all costs.

Anne is 16 when she meets Serey, a Cambodian student who left home during the rise of the Khmer Rouge. She never thinks about what she would do if he were to leave her, choosing instead to savor their love in Montreal's jazz clubs and Serey's small bedroom. But when Cambodia's borders reopen, Serey returns to search for his family, breaking Anne's heart.

A decade later, Anne will travel around the world to find him once more.

Once upon a time, Tate and Jared were the best of friends, but one day, he turned on her and went from being her closest confidante to her most vicious bully. For years, Jared made Tate's life hell and she has no idea why. She even escaped to France for a year just to get away from his ceaseless torment. 

She's determined to enjoy what's left of her senior year, Jared's horrid cruelty be damned. She won't let him bully her anymore. But she's not prepared for what happens next between them.

In a remarkable debut that's as heartbreaking as it is hopeful, author Estelle Laure tells the story of Lucille Bennett, a young woman who must take on the mantle of parenthood for her younger sister. Focused on her love for Wren, Lucille knows that now is no time to be distracted.

But Lucille finds that love isn't always convenient when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend's brother. A book full of longing and difficult choices, This Raging Light is "a funny, poetic, big-hearted reminder that life can—and will—take us all by surprise” (Jennifer E. Smith).

Santa Montefiore's The Daughters of Ireland follows three young women in the year of 1925. As Ireland recovers from the first World War, young Celia Deverill is devastated by the destruction of her ancestral home and has decided to restore it. Her cousin, Kitty, longs for a childhood sweetheart she knows she can't have. Across the sea, a cook's daughter turned New York socialite is haunted by her past and swears vengeance. 

New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes says, “Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore. Everything she writes, she writes from the heart.”

In a post-World War II world, Rosie is the chief provider for her family. One rare bright spot in Rosie's life is her sweetheart Adam, but when he's sent to war and the silence between them grows, Rosie begins to worry she'll never hear from him again. Adam's supposed best friend, Doug, is only too happy to seize his opportunity and shoot his shot while Adam is away. Isolated and alone, Rosie's choices lead her to carrying Doug's baby. Just as it looks like she'll be forced to marry Doug, she receives a letter from Adam, telling her he's on his way back to her …

The New York Times listed Ian McEwan's Atonement as one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, and it's not hard to see why. The plot is absolutely heartbreaking, detailing one defining moment and a child's mistake with far-reaching consequences. A story of love and guilt, forgiveness and class dynamics, this masterpiece tells the sweeping story of an ill-fated romance during World War II and one woman's attempt to fix what can't be mended.