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9 books that will heal your broken heart after a breakup
Stop dwelling and start reading...
Whether you're just going through some shit or are fresh off a breakup, there's nothing like deep diving into some books that can heal you and remind you of your self-worth. Here, nine people share the sanity-saving books that got them over a serious bout of heartache that you should consider reading, too.
All About Love: New Visions (Bell Hooks Love Trilogy (Paperback))
"I was in this phase of loneliness in which I felt like nothing was happening to me and I wasn't ever going to find someone. There was a chapter where hooks talks about how love only happens when you truly open yourself up to it. It's not new advice, for sure: It's why people tell you to work on yourself after a breakup rather than just hop into the next one. But it was extra soothing to hear at the time, and reassured me that I would find something if I really wanted to." —Lori K., 27
"I read Wild right as I broke up with my boyfriend of two years and moved across the country. It helped me remember I have ownership of my life and destiny, and realise how strong women are... and how strong I can be."—Madeline Brewer, 26
"The story is about a young woman whose life spirals out of control due to a sexual relationship, which was similar to what I was going through. I could closely identify with the heroine and could see myself making some of the same bad decisions. It made me feel less alone in my situation, and like (even though I already felt I was at rock bottom) if I didn't pick myself up, things would only get a lot worse. It was the spur I needed to sort myself out."—Elizabeth H., 31
"Playing With Matches really helped me FINALLY get over my five-year relationship. The protagonist's relationship was just like mine: Picture perfect from the outside with SO much love and affection, but with underlying problems that no one wanted to deal with. After finishing the book, I realised I was only with my boyfriend because I was comfortable—which is no reason to continue dating someone. I needed to start saying yes to scary first dates knowing that I wouldn't feel the comfort I had felt with my ex with a new guy for a very long time."—Hannah S., 22
"New Moon, the second book in the Twilight Saga, is the unsung hero of breakup stories. I definitely bawled my eyes out in high school when I read that Edward told Bella he didn’t love her anymore, and thought it was ~so cool~ that Bella was doing shit like jumping off of cliffs to keep her mind off her breakup. Edward left Bella because he was 'too dangerous' to be around her, and my teen self was like, 'Wow, maybe it’s not that this guy I’m destroyed over doesn’t love me… maybe he just can’t be with me right now."—Hannah C, 24
The New York Review of Books, Inc Eve's Hollywood (New York Review Books Classics)
"Eve Babitz is a real character so it reminded me that, one, men are just complementary figures in life, and two, maybe sleeping around is not that bad."—Jiranda T., 31
"I went through a breakup that made me feel absolutely hopeless. I was really hard on myself and thought that I wouldn’t make it on my own. One day, I received a parcel from my brother with this book. In a few short pages, it showed me that people will often change and grow out of relationships. It reminded me that the only way you can find a true partnership is by first finding out who you are as an individual—by living different experiences on your own. I realised how I had always tried to meet my partners’ needs over my own, and how it led to unfortunate endings. From then on, I’ve learned to respect my own needs and enjoy my individuality before finding someone who will respect and love me for who I am."—Julie L, 27
"Nayyirah Waheed's work in salt. is so powerful and moving. In just a few words, she was able to capture the hurt that I was going through. Most of her poems are only three lines long, but they so powerfully–and softly–capture love, identity, pain, and healing. She also successfully writes about the experience of a woman of colour in a way that I've never seen before."—Steph B., 25
"I experienced terrible anxiety after my breakup, and When Things Fall Apart was the first book to help me stop dwelling on all the ways I thought I’d messed up. It reminded me to be a little kinder to myself, and to recognise that I can and should continue to change and grow throughout my life (rather than beat myself up for not being perfect in my mid-twenties). The book also helped me come to terms with the idea that adversity is a part of life."—Nicole M., 27
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Carina Hsieh, MPH, is the deputy features editor of Women’s Health. She has more than a decade’s worth of experience working in media and has covered everything from beauty, fashion, travel, lifestyle, pets, to health.
She began her career as an intern in the fashion closet at Cosmopolitan where she worked her way up to Senior Sex & Relationships Editor. While covering women’s health there, she discovered her passion for health service journalism and took a break to get her Masters in Public Health. Post-grad school, she worked as a freelance writer and as The Daily Beast’s first Beauty, Health, and Wellness Reporter.
Carina is an alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Yale School of Public Health. She and her French Bulldog, Bao Bao, split their time between Brooklyn and Connecticut. She enjoys reformer Pilates, (slow) running, and smelling the fancy toiletries in boutique fitness class locker rooms.
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