You know we’re emo. You know we love rainy, gloomy days. It makes sense that we love a good “sad girl” book. You know, a book that doesn’t necessarily have a sad story (even though they often do) but one that makes you want to listen to Lana Del Rey, Folklore, or some classic 2004 My Chemical Romance. These books are a mood, a feeling; think cottage core but with more dark clouds looming over your head.
5 Sad Girl Books To Put You In Your Feels
1. Paper Houses by Dominique Fortier (Translated by Rhonda Mullins)
We have been obsessed with this book since we first received it from Coach House Books. Emily Dickinson’s life, her obsession with plants, and the scraps of poems she wrote are all intertwined with the author’s recollection of her own move from Montreal to Boston. They both work through their sadness writing and observing the world. Dickinson was the original Sad Girl and I long to be her.
2. Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
This was probably the first “Sad Girl” book I ever read, or at least took note of. Wurtzel’s memoir was published in 1994, taking you through her struggles with depression, surviving college, and working as a writer. It was the first time I had read a memoir or anything dealing with mental health and drugs. It’s where my obsession with Sad Girl books started. Wurtzel passed from cancer in 2020 and in honour of her, I think it’s time for a reread, as well as reading her follow up memoir More, Now, Again.
3. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones is the epitome of a Sad Girl. Her life looks like something we all have dreamed about but nothing is easy. Because it’s told through a series of interviews, you get sucked into being in a famous band in the 1970s. The spiral that the characters encounter with sex, drugs, beauty, and relationships easily sweeps you up too. I absolutely could not put this book down. This is for the Sad Girl who blasts music and gets lost in her daydreams.
4. Gray by Pete Wentz
Yes, that Pete Wentz. While this is meant to be fiction, the story follows a guy in a band, struggling with anxiety and fame. Where have we heard that before…? This is maybe the only book I’ve reread by choice. When the emo is hitting me hard, it’s my go-to. I cry every time. The relationships that aren’t healthy for anyone. The parts of yourself you can’t leave behind. It all just hits so close to home that it gets me out of the emo. I know that doesn’t make sense – you are sad, read a sad book, feel less sad. But it works. As long as I have this book, I know I’ll endure being a Sad Girl.
5. Wes Anderson by Sophie Monks Kaufman
Kaufman uses illustrations to take you into the mind of Anderson and his obsessions with family, failure, death, and more. She pulls in his aesthetic and cultural references, as she goes through all of his films. I still remember the first time I saw The Royal Tenenbaums in the theatre. Margot Tenebaum is the be all and end all Sad Girls, am I right? This book is a little pink pocket book, making it perfect for a Sad Girl nightstand, next to a little succulent, a vintage camera, and a piece of amethyst.
Grab Your Hoodie and Your Black Eyeliner—Let’s Go
Sad Girl books don’t have to be sad books. It’s an aura and a belief. Sad Girl books put you in a mood or help pull you out of one. They’re about taking time alone and being okay with the loneliness because you have the books. It’s emo-adjacent, a little softer, a little less angsty, and a lot more vibe-y.
Share your favourite Sad Girl books and Sad Girl vibes in the comments!
