I know a lot of people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder in the colder seasons, but I have the blessing of being depressed year round! The sun is out, it’s a beautiful day, and it’s the perfect time for a book that will rip your heart out and toss it around like a beach ball. If you’re like me and you manage to be melancholic year-round or you know recognize the value of a good cry in any season, boy, do I have the books for you.
Disclaimer: Despite the list being called Sad Girl Summer, these books can be enjoyed by readers of any gender. Proof: I am a man.
1. Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
This literary thriller follows the story of a serial killer on Death Row, primarily from the perspectives of all of the women in his life, many of whom narrowly avoided becoming one of his victims. In the hours before his
execution, we learn how Ansel Packer became the monster the world knows him as, and exactly what each of his murders cost the world.
This is really the kind of book where you finish it and then just stare at the wall for twenty minutes with tears drying on your face. It’s a really poignant critique of this concept of a charming psychopath serial killer, and also of the media’s fascination with stories about men hurting women. It will make you cry but also make you think about why we consume content like True Crime. Kukafka conveys these ideas in a really brilliant, insightful way that’s sure to stick with you.
This book was also mentioned in my 2025 Best & Worst Books video!
2. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
This is a contemporary novel about a small town called Beartown which once had a successful hockey team but they’ve since fallen from grace. The town’s aspirations are relit by a young hockey prodigy
named Kevin, who together with the other boys on the junior team carries the crushing weight of the town’s hopes. One fateful night changes the town forever, creating rifts that threaten to tear its residents apart.
I promise you don’t need to know or care about hockey to enjoy this book, because it’s not really a story about hockey at all. It’s a story about people and hate and belief and friendship, and who the crowd will side with when they have to face an ugly truth. I’ve loved every one of Backman’s books, but Beartown was my first and is still the one I think about the most. There are just countless meaningful character relationships and arcs, and I really consider this a masterpiece. Also I cried like…ten times or something. I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it.
This book was also mentioned in my 2024 Best & Worst Books video!
3. Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
This is a literary magical-realism novel about a newly-wed couple, Lewis and Wren. Lewis is diagnosed with a condition just a few weeks into their marriage that will gradually turn him into a great white shark. Wren takes
on the role of caregiver even as Lewis becomes increasingly dangerous, and we learn that this is not the first time Wren has had to care for a loved one with this kind of illness.
On the surface the premise sounds kind of silly, but I promise you that this book is absolutely devastating. It’s really a monument to all of the caregivers who have experienced trauma or been put in danger or just had to give up everything to take care of a loved one. It’s an extremely difficult position to be in, and I think Habeck does it justice.
This book was also mentioned in my 2025 Best & Worst Books video!
4. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
This is a YA contemporary novel following a young woman named Salama living in Syria who is studying to become a pharmacist when the Syrian Revolution breaks out. In the war that follows,there are few doctors and a
seemingly endless number of injured and dying civilians, forcing Salama into the role of a first responder despite her lack of training. Salama loves her country, but the escalating violence and needs of her family soon become overwhelming, and she must decide if she’s willing to risk trying to escape for the promise of a better life.
Don’t let the fact that this book is YA mislead you into believing that it pulls any punches, because holy fuck this book is intense. It’s deeply disturbing, emotional, and so incredibly raw. I don’t know how anyone could get through this book with dry eyes.
5. Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves
Meet Death. He goes by Travis at the moment and when he isn’t sitting beside people in their final moments he likes to wander or sit in his apartment restoring old photos. His life of peaceful detachment is interrupted when
Layla, the little girl in the apartment across the hall, tries to befriend Travis.
This was my most recent 5-star and to be frank it’s an absolute sobfest. It’s a book about death, which is often sad, but I think Reeves really gets at why death is sad from a lot of angles. Sometimes death is sad because of the people left behind. Sometimes death is sad because a person put off living life until it was too late. Sometimes death is sad because it’s a mercy, and it’s often sad when something ends even if what’s ending is pain. There is something for everyone in this book, and if you think you can handle it, I urge you to read it.
Usually I sign off with “Happy reading!” but in this case I actually hope you are not particularly happy while reading these books, because it’s good to feel sad sometimes. If you have read any of these books or end up reading them because of this post, let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Cathartic reading!
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