20 Feel-Good Books to Get You Through Tough Times

Feel-good books that’ll give you warm fuzzies

Whew! It’s been a tumultuous few years, and you (and likely everyone you know) have been through it. Luckily, reading is an inexpensive and fun way to take a break, slow down and relax. And while horror novels and thrillers may put you on edge, and dystopian fiction can hit a little too close to home these days, there are plenty of feel-good books that’ll help you forget your worries from the first page until you hit the end.

Like life, the best books have some kind of conflict. But it’s the way feel-good books handle the discord that matters most. They should have happy endings, uplifting themes and characters whose optimism, even in the face of difficulty, will inspire you. Take fantasy books for instance. They usually deal with strife and struggle, but feel-good fantasies transport you to imaginary lands with characters who triumph. Meanwhile, beach reads and romance novels may elicit a tear or two, but they’re usually happy tears.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled the best feel-good novels, from award winners and bestsellers to cozy classics and debuts with scores of five-star reviews. We also asked experts in the book world—authors, booksellers, book influencers and even Reader’s Digest editors—for their favorite happy books, so you’re getting personal recommendations that we guarantee will make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Read on for our absolute favorite feel-good books. They’re not entirely free of conflict, but you know that in the end things will be OK. And so will you.

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