tall tale
a story or fact that is difficult to believe
success story
a story about someone that achieves great success, often by making a lot of money
hard-luck story
a story intended to make you feel sympathy for someone
feel-good story
a story that causes happy and positive feelings about life
tearjerker
a book, movie, play, etc. that has a sad story intended to make people cry or be sad
coming-of-age story
a story that focuses on a person's growth
personal tragedy
an event or situation, affecting someone close to the storyteller, that is very sad, often involving death
human interest story
a story with details about people's experiences and feelings
family saga
a story about the lives of a family or several connected families over a period of time