Tortured Love Stories To Read Like Wuthering Heights
For over a century, Heathcliff and Catherine’s tragic story has haunted readers across the globe. With brilliantly evocative prose, Emily BrontĂ« brings to life one of the greatest romances in literary history. Regarded as one of the greatest Gothic reads of all time, Heathcliff’s broken heart leads him down a path of ruinous revenge that changes everyone’s lives. In its latest screen adaptation, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi play the doomed couple. There’s no better time to dive into some intense, obsessive, and unsettling reads!
From stories that shed light on the pressure that societal constraints put on true love to suspenseful psychological thrillers that’ll have you questioning reality, here are a few reads to keep the dark vibes flowing.
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Add to BookshelfWuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte
Nothing beats the original source material! Before you watch Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi work their magic, take the time to read (or re-read!) this classic novel. A literary staple, Brontë captures the raw emotion, psychological depth, and dark intensity of the tragic story of Heathcliff and Catherine. Class drama, destructive revenge, and a love that borders on obsession are all rolled into a haunting, unforgettable story that no adaptation can fully capture.
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Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
Emily wasn’t the only Brontë sister with writing chops! Her sister Charlotte penned a dark, gothic literary classic of her own. After a lonely and traumatic childhood, Jane Eyre grows up to become the governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls for her cynical employer, Edward Rochester. But Edward has a dark secret, and what Jane finds has her questioning everything about their relationship and her future. Reflective and powerful, the novel emphasizes the importance of self-worth and power imbalances in relationships.
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Agnes Grey
by Anne Bronte
In her debut novel, Anne Brontë, aka the youngest Brontë sister, draws inspiration from her own life as she tells the story of Agnes Grey. After a failed business investment, Agnes’s family is left in financial ruin. Determined for a fresh start and to assert her independence, Agnes takes a post as governess to the Bloomfield children. She may be smart and educated, but disciplining the unruly children is no easy feat. Brontë’s debut novel was quite radical at the time and shone a light on the struggles unmarried women in Victorian society faced.
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Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
If you love Wuthering Heights for its sharp social commentary, you’ll adore Pride and Prejudice. In her most popular novel, Jane Austen – aka the Queen of Social Comedy – offers a slow-burn romance between the witty Elizabeth Bennet and the brooding Mr. Darcy. Where Wuthering Heights is dark and intense, Pride and Prejudice is humorous and sparkling. Austen trades obsession and revenge for irony and growth, delivering a love story rooted in self-awareness and change. Set in the same rigid social world, these two novels show opposite sides of love – one destructive and one transformative.
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Normal People
by Sally Rooney
From the New York Times bestselling author of Conversations with Friends comes a sharp, fresh story about Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, two Irish teenagers from different social backgrounds. They hail from the same small town, and as they head to Trinity College Dublin, their connection evolves from friendship to love to longing. Rooney expertly explores themes of class pressures, emotional inhibition, and miscommunication shaped by social conditioning. Named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Ten Best Novels of the Decade, this novel is a portrait of how love can quietly destroy.
Oh, did we mention it’s been adapted into an Emmy-nominated Hulu original series starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal?!
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The Favorites
by Layne Fargo
Drawing inspiration from Brontë’s classic and set in the cutthroat world of elite figureskating, this passionate, gut-wrenching story follows Kat, a young skater determined to take home Olympic gold, and Heath, her partner both on the ice and in love. Their bone-deep obsession with each other made them champions, but it can also lead them to their demise. With captivating drama and characters driven by fierce passion, Layne Fargo delivers a love story that will haunt you long after the final page is turned.
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Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
The novel opens with Daphne du Maurier’s heroine working as a paid companion for the wealthy Mrs. Van Hopper. While in Monte Carlo, she’s swept away in a romance with the dashing Maxim de Winter. He surprises her by proposing, and she quickly accepts. But things take a dark turn when he whisks her away to Manderley, his dark and isolated estate. Strange things keep happening; it’s almost like the place is haunted. And Mrs. Danvers, the menacing housekeeper, isn’t helping. With its suspenseful plot, countless twists, and immersive prose, it’s easy to understand why this psychological read was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time.
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The Makioka Sisters
by Junichiro Tanizaki
Set in Osaka, a few years before World War II, the once-prominent Makioka family’s social standing slowly declines. The four Makioka sisters struggle to navigate a world where long-held traditions are eroding as Japan is Westernized and modernization takes hold. Steeped in history, this thought-provoking novel is a poignant exploration of the women’s roles in society, as each sister travels down a different path under society’s rigid system, revealing the limitations women face, often disregarding their intelligence, ambition, and even their agency.
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The Lady of the Camellias
by Alexandre Dumas fils
Serving as the inspiration for the opera, La Traviata, and the hit movie, Moulin Rouge! – now also a smash hit Broadway show – Alexandre Dumas fils drew inspiration from his own relationship with the famous Marie Duplessis. Marguerite Gautier is the most beautiful and beloved courtesan in Paris. She falls hard for the young Armand Duval. But as a member of the bourgeoisie, Armand is bound by morality and reputation. Their love is surpassed only by their intense passion, but is it enough to keep them together? Revered as one of the best love stories of all time, the story highlights themes of social hypocrisy and the suffering endured by women who existed outside its bounds.
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The Impossible Us
by Sarah Lotz
By chance, Nick and Bee’s paths cross. Their instant chemistry is undeniable, but life’s happenings don’t always align with our desires. Geography, personal struggles, and emotional baggage make their relationship next to impossible. Can two people who are so out of sync find a happy ending? Named one of The New York Times’s Best Fantasy Novels of the Year, Lotz delivers an original, emotional rollercoaster of a novel that examines what happens when someone meets the right person at the wrong time.
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Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel GarcĂa Márquez
Written by Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel GarcĂa Márquez, this modern classic shines a light on how society’s high expectations corrode love. Teenagers Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall in love. But Fermina’s father disapproves, and the two are torn apart. At her family’s insistence, Fermina Daza marries the wealthy Dr. Juvenal Urbino, and Florentino is devastated. Fueled by his undying devotion, Florentino heads down a self-destructive path as he pines for his one and only. Heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful, this romance features evocative prose and spotlights how love can easily turn into obsession.
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The Sorrows of Young Werther
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Considered one of the great works of European literature, Goethe’s epistolary novel illustrates how unrequited love can chip away at a soul. Werther, a young artist, falls hard for Charlotte. With their mutual interests and easy conversations, they share a close bond. Despite his crush, Charlotte is promised to another man. Consumed by heartache, Werther isolates himself and wallows in his despair. Get your tissues ready, because this emotionally charged story is a wild ride and will leave you haunted.
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