It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is a heart-wrenching love story that resonates with many fans. If you’re looking for books like It Ends With Us, look no further! These ten books will have you sobbing into your pillow all night long.
1. Verity
Verity is a story about love, relationship conflict, and child abuse. The story begins with Lowen Ashleigh accepting a writing job to finish the work of famed author Verity Crawford. While sorting through the notes and journals, she unravels the secrets behind the death of Verity’s daughter.
Torn amongst keeping her current relationship afloat and falling in love with Verity’s husband Jeremy Crawford, what will Lowen do?
2. Me Before You
The story between ordinary girl Louisa Clark and rich quadriplegic Will Traynor will set your heart on an emotional rollercoaster ride. If you have heard or seen the movie adaptation of this best-seller, you will be thrown off guard by the novel. In the book, Louisa is more than a sweet girl; she is also a survivor of a horrific gang-rape incident in her teenage years.
3. Swear on This Life
What happens if you pick up a book by the latest up-and-coming writing genius only to discover it is the story of your dark childhood and your relationship with the boy next door? This is what happens to the protagonist Emiline.
If you would like to join Emiline on her journey to find out why her long-lost friend J. Colby is writing the novel from her perspective, be prepared — the story will keep you spellbound till the end.
And, for any readers who share similar broken childhood experiences of being abandoned by a parent or left in the care of an alcoholic parent, this story may allow you to gain some closure to a constant struggle of finding self-worth and allowing yourself to be loved.
4. Love and Other Words
Have you ever wondered about a past relationship? What would you do if you had a second chance at it? For the protagonist Macy who seems to have it all (brains, looks, prestigious medical professional job, and rich banker finance), her perfect world breaks apart when she clashes into the “one” that got away. Lauren’s clever weave of the present and past timeline between the two lovebirds will make you giddy with love one moment and ugly sob the next.
5. Things We Never Said
This story is about love, hope, facing death, and the relationships left behind. The author confronts cancer from the perspectives of the cancer patient, her spouse, her daughter, and her best friend. This novel is one of the books similar to It Ends With Us, in which a woman finds her identity and triumph over cancer by being brutally honest with herself and her spouse.
By leaving her husband a series of letters, notes, and videotapes, she reveals her deepest thoughts and secrets to him. Other than hoping to help her husband gain closure to her death, she yearns to remember her precisely as a real human being and not some idealized woman who succumbed to cancer.
6. One True Loves
This book is a must-read, especially if you are a Hoover fan because she recommended this book on her website. One True Loves is one of the books like It Ends With Us because the protagonist uses a traumatic event as a growing experience.
Marrying in her twenties, suddenly becoming a widow, and relearning how to live alone, Emma is torn between her new love and her reappearing husband. In a way, Emma is the symbol of a budding young woman navigating through a relationship that no longer evolves with her as she ages.
7. Bright Side
This book is about mental health, suicide, homosexuality, surviving cancer, and having hope even during the darkest times.
If you are looking for positive energy and inspiration, you will love the protagonist Kate, a.k.a. Bright Side. Why? She is a breathing example of being brave in the face of all adversity and living life to the fullest. And, for the same reason, you can’t help but break your heart for her.
What is unique about this novel is that the story is told by Kate, her best friend, and her boyfriend. It is an interesting way of portraying the experience of being diagnosed with cancer at a young age and how other people react to the cancer patient.
8. The Last Letter from Your Lover
Jojo Moye’s The Last Letter From Your Lover will not disappoint if you love stories with a European backdrop.
Spanning between two time periods, this story finds two women investigating a mysterious letter from someone named “J” from “Boot.” It is one of the books like It Ends With Us that deals with domestic abuse and a woman’s decision on her relationship based on her obligation towards her child.
The interesting aspect of this novel is that, unlike Lily from It Ends With Us, women had much fewer opportunities to restart their lives and provide for their children. When trapped within an abusive relationship, many women suffered in silence. Others who rebelled against their husbands were judged and forced to live the rest of their lives as outcasts. It is a reminder that women now have much more power to fight for their freedom and rights.
9. Northanger Abbey
It is often in oldies that we find the rarest gems. As a lesser well-known Austen classic, Northanger Abbey is one of her earlier works written as a Gothic novel parody.
Like other Austen’s heroines, Catherine Morland begins as an impressionable young lady who has an unrealistic view of life and relationships. Through her many mishaps in interacting with other characters in the novel, she learns her lessons and finds true love.
If you are a Jane Austen fan, you can expect the story to be filled with high-strung emotions. It also includes a constant impending fear of losing one true love.
10. The Kiss Quotient
Imagine a world where people with disabilities can live a vibrant life as part of our society and have opportunities. In this novel, Stella, a woman with Asperger’s Syndrome, deeply yearns to learn how to kiss. After much consideration, she hires escort Michael to teach her how to kiss. What starts as a business arrangement soon blossoms into something more, and the two must confront their feelings for each other. This is one of the books like It Ends With Us that sheds light on how a positive romantic relationship can be powerful and help both parties to grow from the love and support for each other.
Conclusion
If you have read and loved It Ends With Us, be sure to check out these ten books similar to It Ends With Us in terms of story and themes. From love and loss to mental health and hope, each of these novels will touch your heart in its unique ways.
Prices last updated on 2023-12-04
