20 Books That Will Make Your Heart Ache in the Best Way

A Polish immigrant with a permanently lovesick heart — even in his old age — narrator Leo Gursky's tale of love and loss will leave you in a puddle. The History of Love is brilliant in its intricacies.

In Dear John, the titular character enlists in the army, meets the woman of his dreams, and then re-enlists upon 9/11. The separation finds his love falling for another. This book basically tore my heart out and left it to shrivel up and die.

In The Divorce Party, two women come together: one is engaged and one is in her final days of marriage. Both search for the answer to the singular question of when to fight for a relationship and when to let it go.

Jessica falls for her best friend's brother Gabe in Unbreakable, but a tragedy strikes that forces Jessica and Gabe to question everything — ultimately threatening to break them.

Based on Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary features existential crises, a cheating loser (go away, Daniel Cleaver!), and a beacon of hope in the form of Mr. Mark Darcy.

Set in the 19th century on the gloomy Yorkshire Moors of Northern England, Heathcliff and Cathy of Wuthering Heights are soul mates who come together by fate, and yet, grim circumstance stands in their way.

In Me Before You, Louisa becomes Will's caretaker after an accident leaves him wheelchair bound. She falls in love, but is Will's spirit too broken to concede? This one will have you drowning in your own sobs.

A Summer vacation rental on a lake seems like the perfect remedy to heal the wounds left by Sadie's cheating ex-husband in Crazy Little Thing. NO MORE MEN. Right?

The Notebook is something of a modern legend, exploring the depths of a passionate first love and the heartbreak thereafter. Noah + Allie 4ever.

Can two teenage girls who fall in love make it work, despite the odds against them? Annie on My Mind was a 1980s trailblazer.

Oh Daisy, why'd you have to go and break Gatsby's heart? The Great Gatsby is a 20th century American classic.

Georgie is forced to question her marriage with Neal when she realizes she has a magic phone that calls into the past. Landline is campy delight.

An unforgettable love and a secret that destroyed everything — Me Without You has rave reviews.

For Once in My Life confronts one of the most human of questions: what if you never meet your soul mate? Will the two main characters of the novel, Tess and George, ever cross paths?

One of the most famous broken love stories of all time, Gone With the Wind controversially explores the hardships and heartbreaks of Southern living during the Civil War.

While there's no formal relationship and no formal breakup between the two main characters in Looking For Alaska, heartache unfolds abundantly throughout. Warning: serious character attachment ahead!

Moving on from an ex-husband by basking in the ray of light that is her sister's marriage may not have been the wisest of choices for Jenny in If You Only Knew, since her sister's marriage is faltering, too, due to a sexting spouse. Facing big issues and secrets of the past could be the ticket to the sisters' happiness.

No shame in the Twilight game; New Moon is the second novel in the saga and features a heart-wrenching, soul-shattering split between Edward and Bella.

Imagine waking up after an accident and realizing you're no longer 29 — you're actually 39 — and the perfect life you thought you had with a husband you're crazy about is, in reality, far from it. What Alice Forgot is an affecting narrative.

I remember reading this book when I was 12, before I had ever experienced any heartbreak, and Summer of My German Soldier still devastated me. Forbidden love in a time of war? Pure magic.