10 Best Tearjerker Movies Fans of 'The Notebook' Will Love

The Sun Never Sets (2026)

The Sun Never Sets, available to stream on October 13, 2026, explores age gaps, second chances, and examines the one question we all have to face one day: how do I know which life is right for me? Wendy and Jack, played by Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson, are a couple navigating an unexpected breakup. Wendy wouldn't change anything about her relationship with her divorced, single-dad boyfriend Jack. That's why she so thrown when he breaks up with her.

When she runs into her ex Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), she starts to question whether she wants to start a family after all. The fact that both men are so different from one another, and the current relationship vs. ex of it all, reminds me a lot of Allie's decision in The Notebook (or Belly's journey in The Summer I Turned Pretty for that matter).The Sun Never Sets is available to stream on platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, following its theatrical run via IFC Films.

We Live in Time (2024)

In We Live in Time, Almut, a chef and former figure skater (played by Florence Pugh), and Tobias, a Weetabix cereal employee (played by Andrew Garfield), unexpectedly cross paths when Almut literally hits him with her car. All it takes is a single trip to the ER, followed by a visit to Almut's restaurant, for the couple to fall for each other. They embrace their newfound romance with reckless abandon, but their vision of the future comes to a screeching halt when Almut's ovarian cancer returns.

Instead of using a typical storytelling arc, the movie actually opens with the diagnosis, taking viewers by surprise almost as much as Tobias and Almut. The story jumps back and forth between their early relationship, the process of starting a family, and life post-diagnosis, highlighting the beauty of both the boring and special moments of a life lived together — and it's way more hopeful than heartbreaking. You can stream We Live in Time on Amazon Prime.

About Time (2013)

Tim Lake (played by Domhnall Gleeson) learns from his father that the men in their family can travel back in time within their own lives. He uses the gift to find love. He meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), an American in London, then accidentally erases their first meeting and has to win her again. They marry and start a family, but Tim discovers time travel can’t fix everything, especially when his father falls terminally ill. His father’s parting advice is to live each day twice, noticing its joys the second time.

Voicemails for Isabelle

Voicemails for Isabelle follows Jill (played by Zoey Deutch), an aspiring pastry chef living in San Francisco who is grieving the loss of her sister, Isabelle, to cystic fibrosis. To cope with her overwhelming grief, Jill begins calling her sister’s old phone number, leaving long, rambling, and hilariously confessional voicemails about her chaotic dating life and career. Unbeknownst to Jill, the phone number has been reassigned to Wes (played by Nick Robinson), a real estate agent living in Austin, Texas. Wes listens to every single message and begins falling in love with her from afar before eventually traveling to San Francisco to meet her.

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Hazel and Gus, played by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, are two teenagers who find each other in a support group in The Fault in Our Stars. Then, they fall into a love that feels larger than their diagnoses.

Their bond is witty, heartbreakingly sincere, and built on shared pain and a wish to live life as fully as possible, even as they face limited time. The Fault in Our Stars will make you laugh, reflect, and cry as you go on a journey of love, mortality, and what it means to leave your mark on someone else's life. You can stream it on Hulu now.

One Day (2011/2024)

Emma and Dexter, played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in the 2011 version and Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall in the 2024 version, are two university graduates whose lives intersect on the exact same date every single year, in One Day. Then, they fall into a love that feels larger than the decades passing between them. Their bond is witty, heartbreakingly sincere, and built on shared history and a wish to live life as fully as possible, even as they face the unpredictable turns of time. One Day will make you laugh, reflect, and cry as you go on a journey of love, mortality, and what it means to leave your mark on someone else's life. You can stream it on Netflix now.

The Longest Ride (2015)

Another Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Longest Ride follows Luke and Sophia, played by Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson. He’s a former champion bull rider attempting a dangerous comeback; she’s a college art student weeks away from a dream internship in New York. After their first date, they rescue Ira, an elderly man trapped in a car wreck, and Sophia begins reading him his old love letters to his late wife, Ruth. As Ira’s decades-long romance unfolds, Luke and Sophia fall into a love that feels larger than their contrasting worlds, and must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for it.

P.S. I Love You (2007)

In P.S. I Love You, Holly Kennedy, portrayed by Hilary Swank, suffers the unexpected death of her young husband, Gerry, leaving her broken and without direction.

However, her late husband was a romantic and actually left behind a series of letters to help her navigate her grief and rediscover life on her own terms, the first of which she received on her 30th birthday. This movie is a story of love and loss that's layered with both sorrow and laughter. It'll remind you just how much love can endure, even in someone's absence. You can rent it on Amazon Prime!

A Walk To Remember (2002)

Based on another Nicholas Sparks book, A Walk to Remember follows Landon and Jamie, played by Shane West and Mandy Moore. He’s a rebellious high schooler sentenced to tutoring and the school play after a prank goes wrong; she’s a sweet minister’s daughter who agrees to help on one condition: he can’t fall in love with her. As Jamie’s quiet faith and kindness transform him, Landon does exactly that, but she’s hiding a secret that will change everything between them. You can stream A Walk to Remember for free with ads on Tubi.

Titanic (1997)

James Cameron’s epic Titanic follows Jack and Rose, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, two young souls from completely different worlds who find each other aboard an ill-fated ship. He’s a penniless artist who won his third-class ticket in a poker game; she’s a first-class passenger trapped in an engagement to a wealthy, controlling man. Their forbidden romance offers Rose a first glimpse of real freedom, until the ship strikes an iceberg and their love faces the ultimate test.