List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

45 Unexpectedly Sad Books That People Said Made Them Cry Cathartically

"We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what book was so unexpectedly moving that it made them curl up and cathartically cry. Here are some of the most heart-wrenching recommendations."
Read More
1,912 users · 5,820 views
 
from buzzfeed.com · made by AnnaBoots
avg. score: 7 of 45 (16%)
required scores: 1, 3, 5, 8, 11 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
Reasons to Stay Alive (Matt Haig)
Reasons to Stay Alive
1
Matt Haig
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (Frederik Backman)
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
2
Frederik Backman
Everything I Never Told You (Celeste Ng)
Everything I Never Told You
3
Celeste Ng
Marley and Me (John Grogan)
Marley and Me
4
John Grogan
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
Flowers for Algernon
5
Daniel Keyes
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
6
Alice Walker
Goodnight, Mr.Tom (Michelle Magorian)
Goodnight, Mr.Tom
7
Michelle Magorian
A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara)
A Little Life
8
Hanya Yanagihara
Second Chance Summer (Morgan Matson)
Second Chance Summer
9
Morgan Matson
Norwegian Wood (Haruki Murakami)
Norwegian Wood
10
Haruki Murakami
The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
The Outsiders
11
S.E. Hinton
The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)
The Nightingale
12
Kristin Hannah
The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien)
The Things They Carried
13
Tim O'Brien
All Your Perfects (Colleen Hoover)
All Your Perfects
14
Colleen Hoover
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
Of Mice and Men
15
John Steinbeck
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
16
Khaled Hosseini
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
17
Markus Zusak
Just Kids (Patti Smith)
Just Kids
18
Patti Smith
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein)
The Art of Racing in the Rain
19
Garth Stein
The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
The Glass Castle
20
Jeannette Walls
Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin)
Giovanni's Room
21
James Baldwin
Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson)
Bridge to Terabithia
22
Katherine Paterson
Frankly in Love (David Yoon)
Frankly in Love
23
David Yoon
Night (Elie Wiesel)
Night
24
Elie Wiesel
More Happy Than Not (Adam Silvera)
More Happy Than Not
25
Adam Silvera
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All (Laura Ruby)
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All
26
Laura Ruby
Clap When You Land (Elizabeth Acevedo)
Clap When You Land
27
Elizabeth Acevedo
First They Killed My Father (Loung Ung)
First They Killed My Father
28
Loung Ung
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
The Shadow of the Wind
29
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Light of the World (Elizabeth Alexander)
The Light of the World
30
Elizabeth Alexander
The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein)
The Giving Tree
31
Shel Silverstein
Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls)
Where the Red Fern Grows
32
Wilson Rawls
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Never Let Me Go
33
Kazuo Ishiguro
Call Me by Your Name (André Aciman)
Call Me by Your Name
34
André Aciman
The Things We Cannot Say (Kelly Rimmer)
The Things We Cannot Say
35
Kelly Rimmer
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Middlesex
36
Jeffrey Eugenides
The Buried Giant (Kazuo Ishiguro)
The Buried Giant
37
Kazuo Ishiguro
A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
A Man Called Ove
38
Fredrik Backman
Homes: A Refugee Story (Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung)
Homes: A Refugee Story
39
Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung
Out of My Mind (Sharon M. Draper)
Out of My Mind
40
Sharon M. Draper
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '45 Unexpectedly Sad Books That People Said Made Them Cry Cathartically'
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN