The Best Divorce Books for Women and Moms

Below, you will find some of the best books about divorce for women, from making the decision to divorce and working through the legal issues, to helping your children cope and starting over. These books are available from Amazon and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

By WomansDivorce.com 

Deciding on Divorce

Should I Stay or Should I Go?: A Guide to Knowing if Your Relationship Can--and Should--be Saved
Considering leaving your relationship? Want to make sure you're making the right decision? Discover a powerful new process that will help you decide what's right for you.

Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay
Should you get a divorce? Only you can answer that question, but reading this will help you make an informed decision. Written by therapist and counselor Mira Kirshenbaum, this book walks you through thought-provoking diagnostic questions to help you work out whether the issues in your marriage can be overcome or not.

Self-Help Divorce Books

Divorce 101: A Woman's Guide to Divorce
Get the facts about divorce before it's too late. Divorce 101 provides the comprehensive information you need to navigate the issues of your divorce and control the outcome.

The Complete Divorce Organizer and Planner 
Brette McWhorter Sember, a retired divorce attorney and mediator, helps guide you through the divorce process, giving you the tools to help you create a complete, accessible record of everything you will need to prepare for divorce, as well track alimony child support, and more after the divorce.

Divorce: Think Financially, Not Emotionally
This guide gives a really good overview of how assets (such as the marital home, retirement assets, and businesses) are evaluated in divorce and what you can expect. Learn about the steps you can take to financially prepare yourself and how to protect your assets so you can secure a sound financial future.

The No-Fight Divorce Book
End your marriage on your own terms and without the cost and heartache of a traditional divorce. This book reveals the advantages of using mediation during your divorce to save time and money while keeping the whole divorce process less combative. Learn how mediation works and if this is a method you should pursue to negotiate the division of assets and debts, child custody and support, and other issues relevant to your divorce. Brette goes into detail on how to find the best mediator for your case, how to overcome difficulties in the mediation process, worksheets and checklists to keep everything organized, as well as information on how to review your final settlement, and what you need to do to make the settlement legal.

Divorce Preparation Manuals - This is another section that includes specific guides on divorce, custody, support, alimony, separation, and property division.

The Best Divorce Books for Parents

A Family No Matter What
Divorce is always painful, but for many families, we want to learn how to co-parent peacefully and keep our family strong and united for the children. This is exactly what Sandrine Perradin aimed to do when her marriage was ending. She had a vision of a Beautiful Divorce where she and her new ex-husband would be able to communicate respectfully and still be a parent team for the children. With her heartfelt memoir, Sandrine takes us through the reality of getting a divorce and the emotions that ensue. She shares the pain and despair, the happy moments and successes, plus the lessons she learned along the way. But most importantly, she shares what is possible when parents commit to doing what is best for their children. 

Joint Custody with a Jerk
Learn how to deal with a difficult ex-husband who makes joint custody hard to handle. From learning about the common problems of parenting with an ex who doesn't want to cooperate, to finding solutions to effectively communicate with each other, this is a good read for anyone who feels that their custody situation is out of hand.

The Custody Lawyer: Divorce Is Difficult - Custody Doesn't Have 
If you are facing a child custody battle, this is the book to read. This guide outlines the process of how the court decides custody and what you can expect at each stage in the litigation process. Written by a custody lawyer, this book highlights how you can present your case so you stand the best chance of retaining custody. It goes over how to choose the best attorney for your case and work with the other professionals in a custody trial, how abuse and issues of alienation can factor into the custody decision, and more. 

Nolo's Essential Guide to Child Custody and Support 
This updated edition provides lots of useful information for parents who are facing divorce. It covers what to expect from the divorce process, the basics of child custody and how it’s determined, and provides sample parenting plans to help you understand your options. It also covers child support, including how it’s calculated, what it’s supposed to cover, and who is responsible for what. You’ll also get insight into alternatives for reaching custody decisions, as well as preparing for a custody trial and what to expect. There are also co-parenting suggestions and tips on living with and enforcing your custody and support orders.

The Co-Parenting Handbook  
If you are looking for inspiration on how to raise well-adjusted kids, this book can help you navigate the difficult co-parenting issues that you will face afterwards after divorce. Learn how to get past the hostility and constant bickering with your ex so that you can truly focus on what's best for your children. As you move from parenting together to parenting apart, you'll learn new strategies for communicating with your ex. The book also provides excellent tips on how to handle transitions and discipline difficulties, how much and what you should tell your children about the divorce, dealing with holidays and special event, as well best-practices for communication.

Helping Children Cope with Divorce

Talking to Children About Divorce
Discussing the divorce and how life will change is often one of the more difficult aspects of going through a divorce when you have children. Learn how to get your kids to open up and the messages you want to convey, how to answer their tough questions, and how to deal with their worries and misconceptions.

It's Not Your Fault, Koko Bear
Even it's been around for a while; this is still a great resource to help children come to grips with their parent's divorce. The main focus of the book is to help children understand that they didn't cause the divorce. With beautiful graphics, children can relate to the pictures of Koko Bear and what he is feeling, helping them realize that their emotions are normal and giving them permission to verbalize what they are feeling. The book also has sections at the bottom that describes what most children experience when their parents' divorce, giving suggestions on how to approach different situations and the right messages to convey about the whole situation.

Two Homes
This book is geared towards young children whose parents are getting divorced. Children will be comforted by the simple message that it's okay to have two different home. And adults will appreciate the opportunity to talk with their children about how they feel about their situation and how to focus on what is gained instead of what is lost. It's definitely a "keeper".

Healing After Divorce Books

Light on the Other Side of Divorce
This book offers powerful and thought-provoking tips to help you start letting go of your pain and begin embracing a new outlook on life. These tips will inspire you to start regaining your sense of control as you begin to accept your new reality and move beyond the negative emotions of divorce. You can use your divorce as a spring-board for creating a life that resonates with who you really are.

Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends...
This book can help keep you grounded as you work through all the swirling emotions that go along with getting a divorce. It tackles the tough issues that women often don't talk about (even with their friends), and helps you move past all the garbage. And it doesn't stop there. It also walks you through transitioning into your new life by helping you develop worthwhile goals that resound with the real you.

Getting Past Your Breakup: How to Turn a Devastating Loss into the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You
This is a great book to help you get through the anguish and devastation you feel when your marriage ends. It's full of practical tips for all women who find themselves single after many years of marriage. It can help you adapt to the changes in your life, make order out of the chaos you're feeling, and help you start rebuilding your life independently.

The Journey from Abandonment to Healing
This book discusses the five stages of abandonment, provides exercises for managing the pain and rediscovering the capacity for love, plus it provides a complete program for abandonment recovery. If you're ready to begin a new life after your divorce, take some time to read this book.

Leaving Him Behind
Learn how to break free from the emotional bonds you had to your husband and the marriage itself. Even though this book has been around for a while, it can help you start putting your life back together after your marriage ends. Isn't it time to move forward and grow into the person you were truly meant to be? 

The Music Box, Secrets Revealed Behind My Door
This is a real-life memoir that sheds light on the painful realities of domestic abuse. Not only is it a story of a battered woman's soul, it is also one of perseverance and inspiration. If you are an abused woman, you'll realize you're not alone in your struggles. Throughout the book you'll read about Amelia as she fights to protect her son and how important it is to never give up hope. 

After the Breakup: Prompts and Practices to Help You Get Over Your Ex
If you're struggling to find closure to your relationship, this self-directed workbook will help immensely. The exercises walk you through your feelings about your ex, allowing you to put the relationship into perspective while pinpointing issues you may have overlooked or down-played. As you get your feelings out in the open (and down on paper), you can come to terms with what happened and begin to heal the wounds in your heart. Plus, there are the extra prompts to help you get on with your life.

God, Divorce & Me
Written by Maya Winters, this a book about healing and recovery for Christian women going through a divorce. The book is written from Maya’s own personal experience and describes her heartbreak, feelings of failure, and her struggle to forgive. She helps the reader find hope by providing quotes and scripture that point you to a place of support and healing. There is also a section on letting go of the anger, so you can forgive your ex and move forward. What is especially beneficial is this book provides space for you to write down what you’re feeling and can serve as a journal to help you organize your thoughts.

Wife Goes On (Fiction)
Leslie Lehr puts it all out there in this deliciously fun and realistic look at starting over and new beginnings. From the uncertainty of being single again, to the everyday demands of single-motherhood, this book touches on so many of the realities of being a divorced woman. With disappointments and hope, heartbreak and laughter, you'll quickly identify with the heroines and rejoice as each learns how to live their life on their own terms. This book gives readers a delightfully funny and true-to-life glimpse into the real world of starting over.

Understanding Men

Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
Understand what is going on when the one you love comes to dominate your life. This is a very thorough guide on the mind set of controlling men that can help you understand why he does what he does.

The Verbally Abusive Relationship
If you're struggling with a controlling husband and feel that nothing you do is right, then this book is for you. In this book you'll find validation about what you're feeling, understanding about your situation, and encouragement to change the situation. Do yourself a favor and read this so that you can understand your situation.