20 Best Books About Heartbreak (2023 Update)

Almost no one gets through life without, at some point, having their heart broken. advice at such a dark moment tends to focus on letting time do the healing. but there is also a vital role for understanding and perspective. our thoughts make our sorrow a great deal more intense than it could be.

Fierce, funny and raw, this unflinchingly honest exploration of heartbreak is so much more than a book about one single break-up 'arresting and vivid, raw and breathtaking…told with stunning originality.' dolly alderton 'painful while it sloughs away the dead romantic ideals, leaving you cleansed, reborn and gorgeously satisfied.' pandora sykes 'a beautiful tender messy brilliant generous open-hearted book.' emma gannon this is a love story told in reverse. it's about the best and worst of love: the euphoric and the painful. the beautiful and the messy. reeling from a broken heart, annie lord revisits the past – from the moment she first fell in love, the shared in-jokes and intertwining of a long-term relationship, to the months that saw the slow erosion of a bond five years in the making. it is an unflinchingly honest reminder of the simultaneous joy and pain of being in love that will resonate with anyone that has ever nursed a broken heart. 'an electrifying debut.' caroline o'donoghue 'annie lord tells us a story at once both specific and universal.' shon faye

“keen observer [and] deft writer” (david quammen) florence williams explores the fascinating, cutting-edge science of heartbreak while seeking creative ways to mend her own.when her twenty-five-year marriage suddenly falls apart, journalist florence williams expects the loss to hurt. but when she starts feeling physically sick, losing weight and sleep, she sets out in pursuit of rational explanation. she travels to the frontiers of the science of “social pain” to learn why heartbreak hurts so much—and why so much of the conventional wisdom about it is wrong. soon williams finds herself on a surprising path that leads her from neurogenomic research laboratories to trying mdma in a portland therapist’s living room, from divorce workshops to the mountains and rivers that restore her. she tests her blood for genetic markers of grief, undergoes electrical shocks while looking at pictures of her ex, and discovers that our immune cells listen to loneliness. searching for insight as well as personal strategies to game her way back to health, she seeks out new relationships and ventures into the wilderness in search of an extraordinary antidote: awe. with warmth, daring, wit, and candor, williams offers a gripping account of grief and healing.

Jennette mccurdy details how she overcame harrowing struggles as a child tv star—including anorexia and bulimia, addiction, severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and a traumatic relationship with her mother. a heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by icarly and sam & cat star jennette mccurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life. jennette mccurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. so she went along with what mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. she endured extensive at-home makeovers while mom chided, “your eyelashes are invisible, okay? you think dakota fanning doesn’t tint hers?” she was even showered by mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. in i’m glad my mom died, jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. cast in a new nickelodeon series called icarly, she is thrust into fame. though mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“hi gale!”), jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. these issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the icarly spinoff sam & cat alongside ariana grande, her mother dies of cancer. finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants. told with refreshing candor and dark humor, i’m glad my mom died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

One of the toughest things is going through a heartbreak and feeling as though you're all alone. when you know there are others that have pushed through, survived and healed from their heartbreak, it gives you a sense of freedom in knowing things will be okay. she shares her experiences and breakthroughs during some of her hardest battles to find the meaning of self-love.

There's no doubt about it breakups suck. but in the first few hours or days or weeks that follow, there's one important truth you need to recognize: some things can't and shouldn't be fixed, especially that loser who dumped you or forced you to dump him. it's called a breakup because it's broken, and starting right here, right now, it's time to dry your tears, put down that pint of ice cream, log out of his e-mail, and open this book to chapter one–and start turning your breakup into a breakover.

I fell in love with him when i was thirteen years old.he was older, mysterious, and unattainable. the guy i could never touch.then one night changed everything for us. but there was one huge problem.he belonged to her.

It's over–and it really hurts. but as unbelievable as it may seem when you are in the throes of heartache, youcan move past your breakup. forget about trying to win your ex back. forget about losing yourself and trying to make this person love you. forget it! starting today, this breakup is the best time to change your life for the better, inside and out.getting past your breakup is a proven roadmap for overcoming the painful end of any romantic relationship, even divorce. through her workshops and popular blog, susan elliott has helped thousands of clients and readers transform their love lives. now, she'll help you put your energy back where it belongs–on you. her plan includes:the rules of disengagement: how and why to go "no contact" with your ex how to work through grief, move past fear, and take back your life the secret to breaking the pattern of failed relationships what to do when you can't stop thinking about your ex, texting, calling, checking social networking sites, or driving by the housecomplete with inspiring stories from real people and strategies to jump-start the moving-on process,getting past your breakup is the most effective plan for getting permanently past a breakup, getting your confidence back, and opening yourself to true love.

On divorce, the break up, and a broken heart – originally published in 1987, and continuously in print since then, coming apart has been an important resource for hundreds of thousands of readers experiencing painful breakups. whether going through a divorce, separation, or break up, bestselling author, daphne rose kingma, offers the tools and validation needed to move forward. – bad breakups and stressful situations. love is great; a broken heart, not so much. usually accompanied by insomnia, loss of appetite, and depression, the end of a relationship is a hard time for anyone. getting over a break up requires grit and understanding. this breakup first aid kit helps you get through heartbreak without falling apart and with your self-esteem intact. – uncoupling and understanding. while only time can heal wounds, understanding what transpired in each of our relationships is what allows us to finally let go and move on. – what relationships are really about – the life span of love – how to get through the end – a personal workbook to process and move forward – with a foreword by the author of conscious uncoupling, katherine woodward thomas, this new edition is sure to impress fans of, how to survive the loss of a love, getting past your breakup, the breakup bible, uncoupling, and other divorce books for women.

A lambda literary award winnerteenage baker syd sends ripples of heartbreak through austin’s queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical—and makes everyone who eats them break up.“ what’s done is done.” unless, of course, it was done by my brownies. then it’s getting undone.syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking. being dumped is no different, except now syd is baking at the proud muffin, a queer bakery and community space in austin. and everyone who eats syd’s breakup brownies . . . breaks up. even vin and alec, who own the proud muffin. and their breakup might take the bakery down with it. being dumped is one thing; causing ripples of queer heartbreak through the community is another. and harley believes syd’s magical baking can fix things, too—one recipe at a time.

As seen in the new york times – reader's digest – spirituality & health – huffpostfeatured on npr's radio times and wisconsin public radio when a painful loss or life-shattering event upends your world, here is the first thing to know: there is nothing wrong with grief. "grief is simply love in its most wild and painful form," says megan devine. "it is a natural and sane response to loss." so, why does our culture treat grief like a disease to be cured as quickly as possible? having experienced grief from both sides—as both a therapist and as a woman who witnessed the accidental drowning of her beloved partner—megan writes with deep insight about the unspoken truths of loss, love, and healing. she debunks the culturally prescribed goal of returning to a normal, "happy" life, replacing it with a far healthier middle path, one that invites us to build a life alongside grief rather than seeking to overcome it. in this compelling and heartful book, you’ll learn: – why well-meaning advice, therapy, and spiritual wisdom so often end up making it harder for people in grief – how challenging the myths of grief—doing away with stages, timetables, and unrealistic ideals about how grief should unfold—allows us to accept grief as a mystery to be honored instead of a problem to solve – practical guidance for managing stress, improving sleep, and decreasing anxiety without trying to "fix" your pain – how to help the people you love—with essays to teach us the best skills, checklists, and suggestions for supporting and comforting others through the grieving process many people who have suffered a loss feel judged, dismissed, and misunderstood by a culture that wants to "solve" grief. megan writes, "grief no more needs a solution than love needs a solution."

An interactive guide to help you work through the overlooked grief of a breakup.breakups are messy. they’re emotional. they’re raw. but all of that pain doesn’t go away after the initial break. it sticks around—sometimes for a long time, sometimes forever—like grief. with questions that hit all of the stages, from shock and anger all the way to sort-of-acceptance, you will learn more about yourself and what you want in a relationship. and most important, you will learn that the love you gave was never—and will never be—a waste.

A smart, sexy, and witty romantic comedy—perfect for fans of christina lauren and sally thorne—about a twentysomething who lives out every woman’s fantasy: getting paid to give men who do us wrong a taste of their own medicine. but when a previous target unexpectedly shows up at her office, she’s forced to rethink her life as a professional heartbreaker.brinkley saunders has a secret. to everyone in the academic world she left behind, she lost it all when she dropped out of grad school. once a rising star following in her mother’s footsteps, she’s now an administrative assistant at an insurance agency—or so they think. in reality, brinkley works at heartbreak for hire, a secret service that specializes in revenge for jilted lovers, frenemies, and long-suffering coworkers with a little cash to spare and a man who needs to be taken down a notch. it might not be as prestigious as academia, but it helps brinkley save for her dream of opening an art gallery and lets her exorcise a few demons, all while helping to empower women. but when her boss announces she’s hiring male heartbreakers for the first time, brinkley’s no longer so sure she’s doing the right thing—especially when her new coworker turns out to be a target she was paid to take down. though mark spends his days struggling up the academic ladder, he seems to be the opposite of a backstabbing adjunct: a nerd at heart in criminally sexy sweater vests who’s attentive both in and out of the bedroom. but as brinkley finds it increasingly more difficult to focus on anything but mark, she soon realizes that like herself, people aren’t always who they appear to be. with sonia hartl’s “bitingly funny” (publishers weekly) prose, heartbreak for hire is a clever romcom you and your girlfriends won’t be able to stop talking about.

What if your greatest heartbreak catapults you to your greatest growth? jodi rosser is no stranger to grief. she loses her best friend to pancreatic cancer, suffers a miscarriage, and endures a heartbreaking divorce. none of her stories get tied up with a red bow, yet god is faithful to bring purpose to her pain. in depth: growing through heartbreak to strength, jodi offers hope to anyone with a hurting heart. she encourages you to discover spiritual depth as god redeems your pain. in this book, you will replace the belief that your shattered heart can never be whole with the truth that god can restore the broken pieces into something beautiful; stop doubting god's goodness and trust that he has a purposeful plan beyond what you can understand; expand your limited perspective into god's bigger picture to cultivate deep roots as he redeems your pain; combat the lie that god is distant when you feel alone and cling to the truth that he is close to the brokenhearted; overcome shame by remembering that your brokenness has the power to change the trajectory of someone else's hurting heart. to the woman whose heart has just been shattered into a million pieces, to the hurting heart whose whole world was changed in an instant, to the grieving soul who struggles to get out of bed-you are understood. you are seen. and this book is for you.

"a relationship expert whose work is like that of a scientific carrie bradshaw." –the observera self-affirming, holistic guide for everyone–single or married, divorced or dating–to transforming heartbreak into healing by the founder of the innovative and revolutionary renew breakup bootcampamy chan hit rock bottom when she discovered that her boyfriend cheated on her. although she was angry and broken-hearted, chan soon came to realize that the breakup was the shakeup she needed to redirect her life. instead of descending into darkness, she used the pain of the breakup as a bridge to self-actualization. she devoted herself to learning various healing modalities from the ancient to the scientific, and dived into the psychology of love. it worked. fast forward years later, amy completely transformed her life, her relationships and founded a breakup bootcamp helping countless women heal their hearts.in breakup bootcamp, amy chan directs her experience as a relationship columnist and as the creator of renew breakup bootcamp into a practical, thoughtful guide to turning broken hearts into an opportunity to break out of complacency and destructive habits. dubbed "the chief heart hacker," amy chan grounds her practical advice and tried and tested methods rooted in cutting-edge psychology and research, helping first her bootcamp attendees and now her readers most effectively heal and reclaim their self-love. breakup bootcamp comes at the perfect time, when many are feeling the intensity of being in or out of a relationship, lonely or suffocated, and flirting with old toxic relationships they've outgrown. relatable, life-changing, and backed by sound scientific research, breakup bootcamp can help anyone turn their greatest heartbreak into a powerful tool for growth.

"a relationship expert whose work is like that of a scientific carrie bradshaw." –the observera self-affirming, holistic guide for everyone–single or married, divorced or dating–to transforming heartbreak into healing by the founder of the innovative and revolutionary renew breakup bootcampamy chan hit rock bottom when she discovered that her boyfriend cheated on her. although she was angry and broken-hearted, chan soon came to realize that the breakup was the shakeup she needed to redirect her life. instead of descending into darkness, she used the pain of the breakup as a bridge to self-actualization. she devoted herself to learning various healing modalities from the ancient to the scientific, and dived into the psychology of love. it worked. fast forward years later, amy completely transformed her life, her relationships and founded a breakup bootcamp helping countless women heal their hearts.in breakup bootcamp, amy chan directs her experience as a relationship columnist and as the creator of renew breakup bootcamp into a practical, thoughtful guide to turning broken hearts into an opportunity to break out of complacency and destructive habits. dubbed "the chief heart hacker," amy chan grounds her practical advice and tried and tested methods rooted in cutting-edge psychology and research, helping first her bootcamp attendees and now her readers most effectively heal and reclaim their self-love. breakup bootcamp comes at the perfect time, when many are feeling the intensity of being in or out of a relationship, lonely or suffocated, and flirting with old toxic relationships they've outgrown. relatable, life-changing, and backed by sound scientific research, breakup bootcamp can help anyone turn their greatest heartbreak into a powerful tool for growth.

From #1 bestselling irish novelist cathy kelly, one woman’s journey to truly know the family she’s always loved…lessons in heartbreak.izzie silver—a warmhearted irishwoman with a mane of chestnut hair and a zest for life—is a new york success story, a highly successful booking agent at a top-notch modeling agency. but while she dreams of starting an agency for plus-sized models, at heart she's still the convent schoolgirl from the exquisite irish coastal town of tamarin. which is why falling in love with a married man is something izzie couldn't possibly imagine herself doing—until it happens. and it's something she feels she could never tell her beloved family. meanwhile, back in tamarin, there's heartache, too. izzie's aunt anneliese is trying to hide her pain at her husband's betrayal of their marriage. and lily—family matriarch and still feisty despite being nearly ninety—is taken ill. in her hospital bed, she reveals a tantalizing hint of a secret she has kept for decades, from her time as a 1930s servant girl at the local big house, before she ran off to london during world war two to train as a nurse. will the family be torn apart by the secrets they can't reveal…or will they have the courage to share their heartbreak and their joy?

From #1 bestselling irish novelist cathy kelly, one woman’s journey to truly know the family she’s always loved…lessons in heartbreak.izzie silver—a warmhearted irishwoman with a mane of chestnut hair and a zest for life—is a new york success story, a highly successful booking agent at a top-notch modeling agency. but while she dreams of starting an agency for plus-sized models, at heart she's still the convent schoolgirl from the exquisite irish coastal town of tamarin. which is why falling in love with a married man is something izzie couldn't possibly imagine herself doing—until it happens. and it's something she feels she could never tell her beloved family. meanwhile, back in tamarin, there's heartache, too. izzie's aunt anneliese is trying to hide her pain at her husband's betrayal of their marriage. and lily—family matriarch and still feisty despite being nearly ninety—is taken ill. in her hospital bed, she reveals a tantalizing hint of a secret she has kept for decades, from her time as a 1930s servant girl at the local big house, before she ran off to london during world war two to train as a nurse. will the family be torn apart by the secrets they can't reveal…or will they have the courage to share their heartbreak and their joy?

"healing from a heartbreak: a journey to focusing on you after a breakup" helps readers navigate through various emotions from past breakups using encouraging words of healing through the word of god. through this book, readers will feel empowered to go from pain to purpose and live their best lives. in this book, you will discover: – stages of mourning a breakup- breaking soul ties- do's and don'ts after a breakup- keeping the faith- forgiving and loving yourself- closure- starting a new chapter

Stop checking your ex’s social media page and start moving on with this guided workbook to help you get over your past relationships.breakups are hard, but the good news is that there are real, tangible ways to ease the pain and help you through it. this workbook starts off with advice for the breakup itself, followed by the recovery stage and how to move through it as painlessly as possible, and then determining what you really want in a relationship (and in yourself) before getting ready to get back out there. with fun exercises like detox your ex-checklist as well as self-care practices, expert advice, and journal prompts, this workbook is the tool you need to start living your best life today!