Novels that Made Me Feel Less Alone in My Grief

Stories help us feel less alone. It’s the reason I write, and I think it’s the reason most of us read. Because, when life gets heavy and we lose sight of what really matters, stories becomes a lifeline.

The stories we read provide not only an escape from reality, but a hope that maybe we’re not as alone as we thought we were. The moments where I’ve found myself in characters are some of my favorite because they proved that I wasn’t the only one who could experience loss, or grief, or pain.

Those characters showed me that I get to make choices after disaster and I get to choose how I move forward. Those stories showed me that the darkness doesn’t last forever, even if it feels like it will. Because everything is seasonal, including grief.

I don’t know what season you’re in right now, my voyagers. But, in case you’re looking for someone to see you and help you feel a little less alone as you walk through grief or a season of loss, I want to share some of my favorite grief stories with you. Because stories are powerful, and stories can change the way we view not just ourselves but the world. And, I really think these stories can help you find hope and remember to reach for the light.

---

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

This is my grief novel. It’s the story I talk about the most when I discuss grief because it’s the story that made me feel seen in a season when I felt invisible in my grief. Is it a perfect book? No. It has its flaws just like every other book. But, for me, this will always be the book that I hold close to my heart because it showed me that experiencing loss doesn’t have to stop us from living our life. We can grieve, and perhaps we will always grieve, but we must also chase life. I think this is a great fit for anyone who needs a heavy read that offers a light at the end of a really dark road.

Click here to read my full review.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Sandwiched between two exceptional siblings, Taylor Edwards never felt like she stood out—except for her history of running away when things get too complicated. Then her dad receives unexpected, terrible news, and the family makes the last-minute decision to spend the summer together in the cramped quarters at their old lake house.

Taylor hasn’t been to the summerhouse since she was twelve, and she definitely never planned on going back. Up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she had left behind, like her former best friend Lucy, and Henry Crosby, her first crush, who’s all grown up…and a lot cuter. Suddenly Taylor is surrounded by memories she’d rather leave in the past—but she can’t run away this time.

As the days lying on the beach pass into nights gazing at the stars, Taylor realizes she has a second chance—with friends, with family, maybe even with love. But she knows that once the summer ends, there is no way to recapture what she stands to lose. From Morgan Matson, the PW Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, this is a remarkable new novel about hope in the face of heartbreaking grief.

This was one of the first summer romance books I remember reading. It’s not strictly a story about grief, but grief is so entangled with the story that it’s impossible to talk about them as separate things. It’s a beautiful story about how loss and love are forever interlinked and how joy and grief can exist in the same breath. I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for hope in a season of loss.

Click here to read my full review.

If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer Armentrout

A single choice can change everything.

Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications, and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic—one of opportunities and chances.

Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything.

Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened.

For what she let happen.

With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when she and her friends’ entire existences have been redefined? How can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?

This book has some of my favorite lines about grief because it’s such an odd experience that leaves us wondering how things could ever be okay again when nothing will ever be the same again. It’s a story about friendship and struggling to find healing and how to move forward when all you can feel is survivor’s guilt because maybe you could have changed the outcome if you’d made a different choice. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s looking for a friends-to-lovers with deep themes.

Click here to read my full review.

I Loved You In Another Life by David Arnold

Evan Taft has plans. Take a gap year in Alaska, make sure his little brother and single mother are taken care of, and continue therapy to process his father’s departure. But after his mom’s unexpected diagnosis, as Evan’s plans begin to fade, he hears something: a song no one else can hear, the voice of a mysterious singer . . .

Shosh Bell has dreams. A high school theater legend, she’s headed to performing arts college in LA, a star on the rise. But when a drunk driver takes her sister’s life, that star fades to black. All that remains is a void—and a soft voice singing in her ear . . .

Over it all, transcending time and space, a celestial bird brings strangers together: from an escaped murderer in 19th century Paris, to a Norwegian kosmonaut in low-earth orbit, something is happening that began long ago, and will long outlast Evan and Shosh. With lyrical prose and original songs (written and recorded by the author), I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE explores the history of love, and how some souls are meant for each other—yesterday, today, forever.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to everyone, as it has some content that I don’t love to see in books. But, I also think this is a really unique and special book. It tackles loss in a way that crosses both space and time, and it captures the rawness of grief in stunningly vivid moments. I’d honestly recommend this book to the people who love the idea of the “I’ll find you in every lifetime” concept because this book definitely lives up to the that.

Click here to read my full review.

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer Armentrout

A story about friendship, survival, and finding your voice.

Growing up, Mallory Dodge learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime. Now, after years of homeschooling, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at a public high school. But she never imagined she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day. 

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet soon it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.

This has been one of my favorite books ever since I read it a few years back. It perfectly captures the complex nuances of childhood abuse and grief and how those experiences shape you into the person you become. The characters are raw and so unbelieveably messy, but it’s in that mess that we start to see elements of our own souls reflected back at us. I’d recommend this to anyone who feels invisible and doesn’t know how to find their voice again.

Click here to read my full review.

This Is Not The End by Chandler Baker

I wonder if for the rest of my life, I’ll be haunted by beautiful days.

On one cloudless, radiant summer afternoon, Lake Devereaux lost everything. The car crash claimed the lives of her best friend and boyfriend, the people who had become her family after her own fell apart. But she doesn’t have to lose them both.

The development of resurrection technology has changed the world. Under the new laws regulating the process, each person gets one resurrection to be used or forfeited on their eighteenth birthday. Mere weeks away from turning eighteen, Lake faces an impossible choice.

Envisioning life without one of the people she loves most is shattering enough, but Lake carries an additional burden: years ago, under family pressure, Lake secretly—and illegally—promised her resurrection to someone who isn’t even dead yet.

The search for answers about her future draws Lake more deeply into the secrets of her past until she begins to question everything about those closest to her. Betrayals and hurts both new and old threaten to eclipse the memories she once cherished.

Then Lake meets a boy unlike anyone she’s encountered before, who unflinchingly embraces the darkest parts of her life . . . and who believes that all resurrections are wrong.

Which path is the right one? And how can Lake start to heal when she can’t move on?

I read this book on a complete whim, and it’s still the best spontaneous purchase of my life. It has such an interesting premise, but it doesn’t let the plot consume the internal conflict of the characters. We get to watch as these teenagers face impossible decisions while wrestling with moral dilemmas that make them question everything. If you like books that make you feel and think deeply, I’d recommend this one.

Click here to read my full review.

Let’s Talk!

Do you read a lot of books about grief? Which ones have made you feel seen in those moments of darkness? Have you read any of these books? Let’s talk all things grief in fiction down in the comments below!