5 Books That Will Rip Your Heart Out (In A Good Way.) When it comes to reading, I'm a bit of a masochist. I love books that break my heart a little. The stories that simultaneously crush your soul & renew your faith in the world. (Sappy chick-lit does not fall into this category.) Books that turn something on inside you & make you feel like the world can't move forward until everyone reads them. Here's a handful of books that stand out because they ripped my heart out. & I liked it.