Books have the power to break our hearts, to make us feel like we’re in the story itself, and to make us care for characters that don’t even exist. These are the books that touched my soul in ways I never knew words could.

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Book #1: Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

I’ve never been more in love with a book than I am with Girl in Pieces. Charlie is a girl whose life has been torn apart by tragedy, leading her to engage in harmful behaviours. Glasgow explores themes of grief, homelessness, addiction, and so much more. She’s not afraid to say the quiet parts aloud—she makes girls around the world feel seen and heard in a world where they think they’re completely alone.

Charlie reminds us that recovery isn’t a straight line; there is no single way to get better, and relapsing doesn’t mean life is hopeless. There’s always hope. This book helped me find mine.

All of Glasgow’s books are absolute masterpieces, each covering different topics that most people don’t dare to touch. Her novels make me fall in love with words by breaking my heart and filling it at the same time.

"I think you are having a different sort of heartbreak. Maybe a kind of heartbreak of being in the world when you don't know how to be.” - Kathleen Glasgow, Girl in Pieces

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Book #2: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

My life will forever be tainted by this book. Violet and Finch are both struggling with their own demons, but they find comfort in each other. They develop a close friendship that blossoms into love, but even Violet is unable to understand the extent of his pain until it’s too late.

I definitely cried the first time I read the ending in this book, not because of how sad it was, but because of how it dealt with trauma and grief in the most comforting, hopeful way. If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, this book will show you all the good they left behind.

"There are bright places even in dark times. And that, if there isn't, you can be that bright place with infinite capacities.” - Jennifer Niven, All The Bright Places.

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Book #3: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of romance books, but Thao showed me a side to romance writing I had never seen before. The love that Julie and Sam share throughout the novel doesn’t focus on physical affection at all, but rather on moments of pure love. The most wholesome, sweet memories Thao describes throughout the story remind me of a romance that modern society seems to have lost in time. Coffee dates, thoughtful gifts, sweet words and a constant compulsion to protect each other, to make everything okay.

The book begins with the story of how they met, before revealing that Sam has passed away and Julie is left feeling alone and at fault. But then she calls him one day, in her grief… and he picks up. This is the only book I’ve ever read that had me crying from the first chapter, all the way to the last. Thao dives into themes of grief, friendship, love and holding on so hard to the past that you don’t realize how much you’re missing the present.

“Life will pass right by you… And you end up missing the little things, the moments you don’t think matter—but they do. Moments that make you forget about everything else.” - Dustin Thao, You’ve Reached Sam

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Book #4: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is about two teenagers diagnosed with cancer, who are faced with the fear of mortality and end up falling in love. I absolutely adore Hazel and her group of friends. My heart was rooting for them from page one, so it tore me apart to see how much they were hurting, both inside and out.

This book talks about death, while at the same time reminding us about the value of life. Hazel’s story made me laugh, cry and love in a million different ways. If you’re looking for a romance that also touches your heartstrings and fills your soul, this is the book for you (but get your tissues ready for the ending).

“Funerals, I've decided, are not for the dead. They are for the living.” - John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

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Book #5: Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I read this book in elementary school, and it has stuck with me ever since. I absolutely love Leslie’s character, how she wasn’t afraid to be unapologetically and completely herself. She made me feel a little more comfortable in my own skin. I often find myself thinking back to this book, how much her character meant to me.

This novel is about fifth graders Jess and Leslie, who end up becoming friends and creating a magical kingdom in the woods, far away from the rest of the world. However, this bubble of happiness shatters when Leslie suddenly passes away, and Jess is left unsure of how to move on.

This is the perfect book for anyone, especially kids, who has lost someone they love. It creates a small kernel of hope at an age when it’s hard to comprehend the concept of death.

“It was up to him to pay back to the world in beauty and caring what Leslie had loaned him in vision and strength.” - Katherine Paterson, Bridge To Terabithia.

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One Book

Never underestimate the power of a single book. I wouldn’t be the same person today if I weren’t an avid reader, and I promise you that there is a book out there that will change you. All you have to do is go out and find it.

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