Most people enjoy a happy ending, but unhappy endings tend to be pretty controversial.

I do like a good happy ending, but I also like a good unhappy one. Not every time. But sometimes. So I wanted to talk about why I like them, and also what I think makes for a good unhappy or bittersweet ending.

(Don’t worry, I’ve avoided mentioning any specific books, so there are no spoilers! Though I am thinking about doing an actual recommendation post at some point.)

Why I Like Unhappy Endings

For one thing, sometimes that’s just the story the author is trying to tell. There are some amazing stories out there that wouldn’t be the same if they ended any other way.

But the other thing is, when I’m struggling (which is all the time now because of health problems), it can affect what I want. Sometimes all I want is happy and cozy and sweet to make me forget reality. Sometimes I want a happy ending, but I want the characters to go through some shit first. But other times, I need sad or bittersweet because I don’t want a book to try and change my mood, I want something that will let me feel what I’m feeling. Or because I just can’t handle reading about saccharine happy endings when I don’t get to have those happy endings. Sometimes I just need a story that acknowledges that reality.

To quote something I said in my review for one specific book, “If anything, I think perhaps the message was simply that sometimes bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it. Because there are shitty people in the world. And it’s unfair. And it sucks. It fucking SUCKS. But it happens. That was sort of the message throughout the whole book. Maybe I’m projecting a lot. But quite frankly that’s a message that speaks to me, and it’s one I actually rarely find in books. So when it’s done well, I appreciate it.”

But, thinking back on my favorite stories (not just books, but also movies and whatnot) from my childhood and teen years, before I was ill, quite a few of those have unhappy endings. So like I said, sometimes a story is just great, and there doesn’t need to be any reason beyond that.

But I also don’t think every book should be unhappy or bittersweet. A book with a perfect, happy ending can be just as amazing and emotional and memorable. I’m just not bothered by any type of ending, as long as it feels like it’s earned and right for the story.

So What Makes for a Good Unhappy Ending?

For clarification, I don’t think main character death is the only way for a book to end unhappily. It could be that a main character dies, or a side character dies, or a couple breaks up, or the characters don’t achieve their goal, or characters don’t reconcile, or any number of things.

And this is just my opinion, of course, but I think what makes a good unhappy ending is that it needs to be earned and fit the vibe of the story. I feel like books (or all stories, really) are somewhat of a contract between the reader and the author. Without spoiling books, here are some examples of that I mean.

If a book is marketed as a cute romance, one of the main characters in the romance shouldn’t die at the end.

If a whole series is giving off certain vibes and leaning heavily into something, and the author changes that at the last minute with a sudden, unforeshadowed “twist,” it’s probably going to leave readers understandably dissatisfied.

If a death is thrown in suddenly as an unearned way to try and make the book more emotional, just to make the reader cry, it feels like poor writing and just annoys me.

One specific book I’ve read was clearly using a death to push what was already a very heavy-handed message with no nuance, and the death only solidified the lack of nuance.

One specific series was building up to two characters being together, and then right at the end, something happened, and they couldn’t be together, and the MC got with this other guy who the book made clear was not right for her, like a shitty consolation prize.

On the other hand, some character’s lives are so sad or dark or fucked up that unhappy or bittersweet is really the only way their story can end. The ending fits the vibe.

Sometimes unhappy things can be thematically perfect.

Sometimes it’s just the thing that makes the most sense with the story, or it has an important effect on the plot or other characters’ development.

My point being, I definitely think there are ways to do it well and ways not to do it well. And again, these are my opinions, it’s all very subjective, and there are exceptions to every rule.

Anyway, I wouldn’t want ALL the books I read to be unhappy, and being in the right mood can definitely play a factor in how the experience goes, but I appreciate unhappy or bittersweet endings when they’re done well!