J.L. Berg: Why do we enjoy heart-wrenching escape?

J.L. Berg, whose latest release, Ready or Not (book four in the Ready Series) is out now, explores why we subject ourselves to the heartbreak of a good story.

J.L.: Heartache.

It's one of the many emotional qualities that make us uniquely human. Whether it's the sting of that first breakup or the loss of a loved one, the hurt and suffering we all feel when life takes a sudden and tragic turn for the worst is universal. It doesn't matter where we're from or what path our lives have taken, no doubt, somewhere along the way, we've all felt loss, pain or betrayal.

Being a writer, I am also an avid reader and in a random conversation awhile ago, someone once asked me why I read. My immediate answer was — to escape. Whether it be from reality, life or simply the laundry. It doesn't really matter, but when I sit down and dive into a book, I want to jump into someone else's life for a few short hours and forget the real world whirling around me and focus on make believe — where anything and everything is possible.

So, why … as readers, do we seem to be so attracted to books that make us cry — those types of books that break our hearts into a million pieces before putting it back together again?

Heart-wrenching novels — what draws us to them and why do we love them so? I have my theories, but rather than just tell you straight out … I must first offer up a story. I am a writer after all — it's my thing. So, here we go.

At the tender age of 20, my husband and I were married. We were obviously very young and still in college, so money was tight.

I know what you're thinking at this point — bitter divorce leads to bestselling author who makes readers cry. But no, just hold tight … I'm getting to my point.

Since money was tight — being the poor, starving college students we were, our honeymoon was, well — frugal, to say the least.

For two days, we drove down the California coast, leaving our hometown of Morro Bay, stopping in places like Solvang and Santa Barbara. Our hotels were quaint and a little quirky, but we made the best of it as we traveled back to Thousand Oaks where our first apartment awaited.

Are you ready? The point of this story is about to happen.

As we were on the final leg of our journey, on Highway 101 between Santa Barbara and Ventura, we got stuck in horrible traffic. Being a resident of Southern California, I was used to traffic … but this was particularly bad. The highway was basically shut down and as we slowly inched forward, I could see plumes of smoke billowing in the distance.

Now, I'm not proud to say this, but when you live in a heavily populated area, you become a bit desensitized to accidents, and sometimes the first thought when seeing a traffic accident is, "Oh crap, I'm going to be late."

Not this one. My heart stopped as we were diverted off the highway onto an exit to go around the pileup. Even from afar, I could see just how bad it was — burned cars and an overturned tractor-trailer truck filled my vision. Suddenly my need to be home, unpacking wedding gifts, didn't quite matter anymore.

Who were those people trapped in those cars? Did they have families? Were they a family?

Would they survive?

My heart ached just thinking about it as we made our way down the coast to Thousand Oaks. I never found out what happened to the victims of that accident, but I always hoped they'd recovered and found happiness once again.

And there is the point of my long-winded story.

Hope.

The reason why I think we, as readers, put ourselves through the sorrows and sufferings of heart-wrenching storylines. The hope that somehow … it will all work out.

Real life is messy, and I think we can all identify and relate to that in a storyline, but there is something inspiring about seeing strong-willed characters who undergo so much finally reach their own happy ending.

Isn't that what we all want in the end? Our own version of happily ever after? Even Cinderella had a rough go at life before she found her prince. Life isn't easy — it's filled with rough patches and plenty of ups and downs, but if you dive into the right book, you'll constantly be reminded there is inspiration and hope along the way.

Here are a few of my favorite sob-inducing books that deliver awe-inspiring HEAs:

• Better by Carey Heywood.

• Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan.

• I Love You to Death by Natalie Ward.

Here's the blurb about Ready or Not (book four in the Ready Series):

Born into wealth and privilege, free-spirited Liv Prescott left it all behind when she realized there was more to life than living off of trust funds and barely skating by. Since then, she's worked and fought for everything she's earned and never looked back at the world or the family she left behind.

Jackson Reid is starting over with a new job in a brand new city. A single father to his son Noah, he hopes the change will help strengthen the bond that has seemed to suffer since puberty reared its ugly head. What he hadn't planned on was Liv—his exotic next-door neighbor who drives him insane with her wild, new age lifestyle, but still manages to leave him aching for more.

As challenges arise and feelings intensify, will these neighbors be able to look past their differences and find a middle ground? When love comes knocking, will they be ready, or not?

Find out more about J.L. and her books at jlberg.com.