7 Heartwarming Stories That Earn Their Happy Endings

I’ve always been a sucker for stories where love isn’t handed to the characters on a silver platter—where they have to become the people worthy of the happy ending before they get it.

It started when I was fourteen and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast hit theatres. I was obsessed. Not just with the music or the animation, but with the way Belle and the Beast changed each other. She softened him; he expanded her world. They grew up together, and by the end, they’d earned that ballroom dance.

My next obsession was the musical (and novel) The Phantom of the Opera—essentially the same story with a darker outcome, since that particular “beast” never finds redemption—or, rather, his redemption comes in finally letting the object of his obsession go live her best life with someone else. But the emotional core hooked me the same way: two people who see something in each other that no one else does, pushing each other toward transformation.

Around the same time, I started devouring classic novels—Les Misérables, Wuthering Heights, Little Women, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to name only a few. These stories didn’t always end happily, but they ended satisfyingly. They handled deeply human themes—grief, redemption, sacrifice, longing—with honesty and weight. They touched my soul in ways that lighter fare couldn’t.

That’s still what I look for today: stories with warmth and substance. A happy ending that feels earned because the characters clawed their way there. Romance that heals old wounds rather than just providing a meet-cute. Found family. Second chances. People choosing each other in ways that matter. And all of them light on the steam, please.

These are the stories that shaped my taste—and, eventually, the stories I wanted to write.

If you love the same kind of thing, here are seven of my favourite heartwarming clean or low-spice movies and shows (plus a bonus I keep hearing about and clearly need to watch).

Note: This post includes affiliate links to buy the DVDs of these movies on Amazon, which means if you click through and make a qualifying purchase, I’ll make a few cents at no extra cost to you.

Onward!

Photo by Joelle Khaled.

1. Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

The premise: Melanie Carmichael has reinvented herself as a New York fashion designer engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. But before she can say “I do,” she has to return to her Alabama roots and get a divorce from the husband she married at eighteen—and never quite got around to leaving properly.

What I love: This film is comfort viewing for me, and not just because of the gorgeous Southern settings and the killer cast. It’s the dynamic between Melanie and Jake that gets me every time. Their chemistry crackles, but what makes it work is how Jake’s steadiness calls Melanie back to her authentic self. He’s hurt by what she did, but he never mistreats her. And here’s the thing I really appreciate: Andrew, the New York fiancé, is genuinely a good guy. He’s not a villain. So Melanie’s choice isn’t about escaping a bad situation—it’s about choosing her roots, her heart, and the person who knows the real her.

Why it resonates: Second-chance romance is my bread and butter, and a recurring theme in my Peace Crossing series*. In Every Star that Shines, Delanie returns to Peace Crossing after a career disaster and reconnects with Caleb, the high school sweetheart she left behind. Like Melanie, she has to figure out who she really is—and whether the life she thought she wanted is the life her heart actually needs.

2. Raising Helen (2004)

The premise: Helen Harris is living her best life as a glamorous modelling agency assistant in Manhattan—until her sister dies and leaves her as guardian to three kids. Suddenly she’s trading club nights for school lunches, moving to Queens, and trying to prove she’s capable of a responsibility she never asked for.

What I love: Helen is not qualified for this job, and she knows it. She makes mistakes. She struggles. But she fights for those kids, and watching her grow into the mother they need—while grieving and reinventing her entire life—is genuinely moving. I also love that her romance with Dan, the Lutheran pastor next door, develops naturally out of mutual respect and shared struggle.

Why it resonates: The tension between the life you planned and the life that chooses you runs through all my Peace Crossing books. Delanie has to decide whether she’ll sacrifice her dreams for love. Caleb has to weigh his responsibilities as a single dad against his feelings for the woman who left once before. Growing up isn’t optional if you want the happy ending.

3. Where the Heart Is (2000)

The premise: Seventeen-year-old Novalee Nation is abandoned by her boyfriend at an Oklahoma Walmart—while seven months pregnant. With no money, no family, and nowhere to go, she secretly moves into the store. And then she builds a life.

What I love: This movie is quirky in all the best ways (the Walmart birth! The names! The tornado!), but underneath the Southern charm is a story about resilience, found family, and refusing to let your circumstances define you. Novalee never loses her optimism or her tenacity, and the community that rallies around her gives her the foundation to build something better. And Forney—the prickly librarian who believes in her when no one else does—is exactly the kind of hero I root for. He sees her. He waits. And when she’s finally ready to see him back, it’s earned.

Why it resonates: I love writing characters who are fighting for a better life against real odds. Novalee’s journey reminds me of Stephanie in Every Bell that Rings—someone who’s built walls for good reasons and has to learn that letting people in isn’t weakness. And small towns that show up for their own? That’s Peace Crossing in a nutshell.

4. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

The premise: Lucy, a lonely Chicago transit worker, saves her secret crush from an oncoming train. When he falls into a coma and his family mistakenly believes she’s his fiancée, she doesn’t correct them—because for the first time in years, she has somewhere to belong. Then she falls for his brother.

What I love: What’s not to love? This movie is warm and funny and surprisingly tender about loneliness. Lucy doesn't keep up the charade because she’s scheming—she does it because the Callaghans welcome her in a way no one has since her father died, and she’s starving for connection. The romance with Jack works because he gets her. He sees through the awkwardness to the person underneath. And when the truth comes out, he doesn’t stay angry, because he understands why she did it.

Why it resonates: Most Cinderella stories promise that happiness comes from finding a rich prince. This one says happiness comes from finding people who feel like home—and having the courage to be honest about who you are. That’s the kind of love story I want to write. Found family. Healing through connection. Choosing each other not because it’s convenient, but because it’s right.

5. Life as We Know It (2010)

The premise: Holly and Eric can’t stand each other—but when their best friends die in an accident, they’re named co-guardians of baby Sophie. Now they’re sharing a house, raising a child, and trying not to kill each other. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan.

What I love: The premise forces two people who would never choose each other into a situation where they have to figure it out—and watching them stumble through co-parenting, grief, and their own immaturity is both funny and genuinely affecting. They earn that happy ending through sacrifice, compromise, and learning to put Sophie first. It’s messy and real, and by the time they finally get together, you believe it.

Why it resonates: I’m a sucker for relationships that start with friction and end with mutual respect. In Every Bell that Rings, Noel ghosted Stephanie after one date four years ago, and he has to work to earn her trust before she’ll give him another chance. Growth isn’t optional. You have to become the person worthy of the relationship you want.

6. Music and Lyrics (2007)

The premise: Alex Fletcher, a washed-up ’80s pop star, gets a shot at a comeback when a current superstar asks him to write her a song. Problem: he writes music, not lyrics. Enter Sophie Fisher, the neurotic plant-waterer with a gift for words and a past betrayal that’s left her afraid to put herself out there.

What I love: As a songwriter who became an author, this movie hits every note for me. Alex and Sophie both have Impostor Syndrome—he thinks his best days are behind him; she’s convinced her words aren’t worth anything after an ex exploited her story. Watching them create together, challenge each other, and ultimately confront the people who hurt them is deeply satisfying. And “Way Back Into Love” is a genuinely great song. This one’s a 5/5 for me.

Why it resonates: Overcoming Impostor Syndrome and believing you have something to offer? That’s Luke in Every Rose that Blooms. He’s a gifted ceramic artist who can’t see his own potential. It takes Maddie’s belief in him—and his own hard-won growth—to help him get out of his own way. I love writing characters who learn to back themselves.

7. Sweet Magnolias (Netflix series, based on the novels by Sherryl Woods)

The premise: Three lifelong friends in the small South Carolina town of Serenity support each other through divorces, new romances, business ventures, and the chaos of raising teenagers—all while launching a spa together and navigating a town that’s equal parts ally and gossip mill.

What I love: I watched the show first and fell hard for the dynamic between Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen. Their friendship is the backbone of the story, and it’s refreshing to see women supporting each other through genuinely difficult situations without unnecessary drama between them. The show handles divorce, single parenthood, and teenage struggles with compassion and realism. Faith is present but doesn’t overpower the narrative. The whole cast—including the meddling, loving, exasperating townspeople—feels lived-in. And the lush, colourful aesthetic is pure comfort viewing. (I later read the first book, Stealing Home, and while the dialogue and characters are strong, I found the description sparse and the romance less earned than in the show. The adaptation improved on the source material—which is rare.)

Why it resonates: Sweet Magnolias is probably the closest comp to what I’m trying to do with Peace Crossing. Supportive small town. Diverse cast with real issues. Faith that informs but doesn’t preach. Second chances, forgiveness, and people growing each other up. If you love Serenity, I think you’ll feel at home in Peace Crossing.

Bonus: Virgin River (Netflix series, based on the novels by Robyn Carr)

The premise: A nurse practitioner moves to a remote California town to start fresh after personal tragedy—and finds a community full of complicated people, unexpected connections, and a gruff bar owner who might just be worth sticking around for.

What I’ve heard: I haven’t watched or read this one yet—I know, I know—but multiple people have told me it aligns with both my taste and my books. From what I understand, it shares DNA with Sweet Magnolias: hopeful tone, tight-knit small town, real-life issues handled with heart, and personal growth that earns the romantic payoff. It’s on my list, and if you’ve seen it, I’d love to know what you think.

If You Love These Stories...

The threads that run through all of these—second chances, found family, earning your happy ending, love that heals old wounds—are exactly what I’m trying to capture in my Peace Crossing series.

If you’re looking for clean small-town romance with big heart and a bit of grit, I’d love for you to check out the series. Every Star that Shines and Every Bell that Rings are available now, and the third book, Every Rose that Blooms, releases this spring.

*Formerly the Peace Country Romance series.