Hi there darlings! I thought today I’d grace you with a few of my favourite books that have had me sobbing myself to sleep. I’m a mood reader. So I have weeks where all I want to read are exhilirating thrillers, or deep, character rich fantasy stories. It also depends on the time of the month…lol. But every so often, I just fancy a good cry. I’ll crave books that unleash pent up emotions I have kept hidden for weeks. Sometimes you just want to FEEL. And this is where I come in to help those of you looking to release a couple of tears over some fictional characters.
These book suggestions are a mix of romance and fantasy. I haven’t ranked them in any way. They all made me feel intense emotions, and I hope they do the same for you!
1. The Assassins Blade by Sarah J Maas
Okay, we’re gonna start with 1 out of 2 of the books that made me cry the most. For those of you who haven’t read the Throne of Glass series (first of all, stop what you’re reading and pick up this series NOW!!!) “The Assassins Blade” is the novella. People either start the series reading this book first, or reading it after book 2.
I read this book first because a friend of mine who had been nagging me for months to read this series had read The Assassins Blade First and told me to start with it, and I’m glad I did. I would recommend anyone to read the novella first if you want to go into the series feeling all the emotions.
Because you start the series knowing the fmc’s backstory, you go on an emotional journey together knowing exactly why she may say, do or think certain things…
All you need to know about Throne of Glass, is that this fantasy series is set in the Sarah J Maas universe (books from different SJM series interconnect at certain points…shh I didn’t tell you that), the fmc is an assassin named Celeana Sardothien who goes through so much trauma you will spend most of the series asking yourself how this girl is still standing.
I don’t want to reveal too much because it’s one of those stories you just need to dive into and the puzzle pieces will slowly fall into place.
Now for the part that made me cry… I’m obviously not going to spoilt it, but you have to trust me when I saw it was one of the most heartbreaking endings I have ever read. So go into it with tissues at the ready!
2. Blood & Betrayals by Rose Jeanette
So the book title speaks for itself, cause girl my feelings were BETRAYED!!! Blood and betrayals is based in Avalon University, a magical college. The fmc Summer never actually applied to the college, someone unknown signed her up to attend… Throughout the book there are some of my favourite tropes including found family, black cat x golden retriever and murder mysteries!!!
Oh and I forgot to add. She has a stalker.
Not the psycho killer kind of stalker though dont worry, just the obsessive, pining kind…
Let me just say, I LOVED this book. I gave it 6 stars. I mean anything with an academy setting I will EAT up. The pace was good, I loved the secondary characters and the mysteries really kept me hooked.
Now, did I cry in this book? GIRL I SOBBED TO MY SISTER ABOUT IT. The ending broke me. And it will break you too.
No spoilers here of course, but all I can say is good luck.
3. House Of Earth And Blood by Sarah J Maas
We are back in the SJM universe. Now this book has a special place in my heart.
I put the Crescent City series off for a while because I wasn’t really sure if I was going to like it (boy how wrong was I). Crescent City is an urban fantasy. We have angels, fae, and all sort of creatures. You defintely do just get thrown right into the story, so it can be a little confusing in the beggining to understand what’s actually going on, but once you’re in you’re in.
Bryce Quinlan is one of my top fmc crushes. She’s a baddie. She’s hot. And she’s badass.
This book has hidden powers, a murder mystery, and some of the BEST book boyfriends you’ll be swooning over.
Out of all the books that have made me cry, this book would have to be ranked number 1 in terms of how many tears I shed (let’s called it the tearmeter). So on a tearmeter scale of 1 (no tears) to 10 (tear ducts fully dried out) I would rank House of Earth And Blood a heartbreaking 10.
I’m not going to say anymore, besides go get this book and cry your eyes out.
4. Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh
Redeeming 6 is book 4 in the Boys of Tommen series written by Chloe Walsh (which is also being adapted into a TV show on PRIME VIDEO!). The first 2 books are about Johnny and Shannon, and then book 3 and 4 are about Aoife and Joey.
This series isn’t some happy, roses and fairies love story. It’s a YA heartbreaking emotional story that follows multiple character’s lives as they experience different real life situations and trauma, and how they slowly learn to heal and grow with the the help of their own strength, love and friendships. A big part of the series is the found family and the strong friendship dynamics between the characters.
Joey and Aoife’s story deeply affected me. I knew going into book 3 Joey was going to break down my emotional barriers, and he did so very easily (*inserts multiple crying emojis).
All you need to know is Joey and Aoife are childhood friends, she’s the sunshine to his cloudy days. Joey struggles deeply with addiction and his mental health, all why Aoife is that one constant in his life he knows will always be there for him…
I don’t think there was one specific scene from this book that made me cy, it was more just the overall vibe and emotion I was feeling that just made me sob through out.
5. Alchemised by SenLinYu
Now I was terrified going into this book. I had never really read extremely DARK fantasy, but it was so hyped online I just had to give it a chance.
Alchemised is no sweet, romantasy story. It’s extremely DARK and traumatic. The book was originally a Harry Potter (Dramione = Draco + Hermione) fanfiction called Manacled, which then became traditionally published into Alchemised in 2025.
When I started Alchemised, I’d say it wasn’t until 20% through that I really started to understand what was happening in the story, and then around 50% in I was like YEP OKAY THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BREAK ME.
Let me tell you, it DID NOT disappoint!
My heart broke so much for the main characters. I couldn’t get this book out of my head for a long time.
Alchemised has heartache, heavy trauma, war. It’s definitely not for everyone so please check the content warnings!!!
Which Books Have Made You Cry?
If you know any other books that are emotionally damaging to the psyche, please don’t hesitate to drop some recommendations in the comments!
Looking for more Romance or Fantasy book recommendations? Explore the Darling Book Finder.
Thanks Darlings 🙂
