Divorce can leave many feeling disillusioned with the concept of marriage as a whole. And with good reason: Marriage isn't for everyone, even though society tells us it's what all of us should want. In This American Ex-Wife, journalist Lyz Lenz examines the state of modern marriage alongside her own personal experience with divorce. From imbalanced gender expectations to changing last names to media portrayal of divorcées, it's a nuanced look at the realities of divorce told through a relatable personal perspective.

Divorce can be a painful experience, but it can also make way for an incredibly meaningful period of self-discovery and growth. You Could Make This Place Beautiful is a stunning exploration of the end of a marriage and the beginning of a new period of self-love, written and narrated by poet Maggie Smith. Through vignettes and stories from her marriage and journey through motherhood, Smith takes listeners through the full range of human emotions involved in divorce and invites them onto a path toward a better future.

In this hilarious and relatable mini-memoir, author Firoozeh Dumas laughs through the tears as she recalls the worst year of her life, which she describes as "a bouillon cube of grief." In 2022, Dumas was shocked by the end of her marriage to the person she thought she'd be with for the rest of her life. But through this change of plans, she found new meaning in unexpected places. Narrated by Dumas, it's a funny, touching, and inspirational tale of moving through grief.

Writer Leslie Jamison fell out of love with her husband as she fell in love with someone else—her newborn daughter. In her intimate, deeply reflective memoir, Splinters, Jamison shares her complicated journey of going through a divorce while opening a new part of her heart to motherhood. She also explores her parents' complicated marriage and how it shaped her understanding of love, as well as the connection between love and art. It's a gorgeous audiobook, narrated with vulnerability and heart by Jamison herself.

In this bold tell-all memoir, author Hannah Pittard chooses to laugh at the dramatic turn her life took when she found out her husband was having an affair with her best friend. Told in a nonlinear format and primarily through remembered conversations, Pittard reexamines 10 years of marriage and friendship gone off the rails. She also looks for hope in the chaos and lays the groundwork for a better future. It's a powerfully vulnerable memoir, narrated by the award-winning author herself.

Societal expectations around gender roles impact women and men in different ways. As men are often discouraged from getting vulnerable and expressing their emotions, we very rarely hear about the experience of going through a divorce through a man’s perspective. In this memoir, Hollywood screenwriter Chris Easterly breaks the silence to discuss his own pain, grief, and path to healing after learning of his wife's affair and subsequently going through a divorce. Narrated movingly by voice actor Ron Butler, it's an important personal perspective.

Sarah Cooper is a comedian who has built a career on making people laugh at complicated, often painful topics. In her memoir Foolish, Cooper pokes fun at some of the messiest and most embarrassing moments of her life, including her use of the internet to replace the two marriage counselors who had given up on her and her spouse. (The result? Google Docs knew Cooper was getting a divorce before she did.) If you're ready to laugh at your own marital woes, there's no one better to do it with than Sarah Cooper.

This is another memoir that, while not completely centered on divorce, tells the true story of someone at the end of a marriage who finds meaning somewhere unexpected. The cracks in Abraham Verghese's relationship with his wife were already apparent when they moved with their two sons to Texas for Verghese's job as a physician at a county hospital. As Verghese moved into his own apartment, trying to figure out how to be present for his sons through the divorce, he found companionship with David, a med student at his hospital who was recovering from a drug addiction and who shared Verghese's interest in tennis. The two men grow closer over regular tennis matches and learn perspective-shifting things about each other and themselves. Narrated by Neil Shah, it's an unforgettable story about finding solace in relationships of all kinds.

The protagonist of A Separation is a young woman in need of a fresh start after agreeing to separate from her unfaithful husband, Christopher. But Christopher asked that they keep their pending divorce a secret—which becomes a problem when the protagonist's mother-in-law calls to say she hasn't heard from Christopher, who claimed to be going on a couples' trip to Greece. Suddenly she's off on a trip into the Grecian wilderness, forced to search for her ex while still grappling with the end of their marriage. With poignant narration by actress Katherine Waterston, it's a layered story about how divorce changes the way we relate to the world.

Divorce can impact whole families, not just the two people involved. And while they can cause pain, they can also inspire others to live their best lives. In Deepa Varadarajan's Late Bloomers, Suresh and Lata Raman's decision to get divorced after 36 years of marriage rocks their worlds, as well as those of their two adult children. As Suresh tries his hand at online dating and Lata flirts with a college professor, their daughter and son deal with plenty of marital problems of their own. It's a hilarious and heartfelt story about relationships and second chances, with dynamic narration by a full cast.

Honestly, do I even need to tell you anything beyond "written by Nora Ephron, narrated by Meryl Streep"? Well, if you must know more, this hilarious novel from a legendary rom-com writer is a perfect way to find joy in the messy pain of divorce. Rachel, a cookbook writer, is seven months pregnant when she learns her husband has fallen in love with another woman. Stuck between wanting him back and never wanting to see him again, Rachel embarks on a journey to figure out where to go from here.

When going through a divorce, doesn't it sound nice to be with other people going through the same thing? While it could be helpful, it could also get a bit messy, as Ellen Meister's juicy novel Divorce Towers attests. Former matchmaker Addison accidentally tanked her career when she cheated on her fiancé with a client. Now she's taken a job as a concierge at Divorce Towers, an apartment complex in California for the newly single. But between the toxic exes, financial woes, love triangles, and other personal dramas, it's anything but peaceful. Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen brings this scandalous romance to gasp-inducing life.

Terry McMillan's novel about a divorcée looking for new love was turned into a beloved film starring Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Regina King, and Whoopi Goldberg. Listen to the audiobook that inspired the film to get the full scoop on Stella Payne. Stella hasn't had much energy for romance since her divorce. Instead, she's focused on balancing her intense career and being a single mother. But when a whirlwind trip to Jamaica leads her to an unexpected connection, she starts to see herself in a new light.