To be honest I hardly find HONY anywhere near "inspiring" or "warm". IMO 80% of the stories are sad or filled with confusion and pessimism. The people he meets is one thing, but the tone of the story is set by the writer himself. I feel he is somehow intentionally making them melodramatic and sad. This I really dislike.
And there exist so many "love of the life" stories which on the first sight might seem sad but upon further inspection feel totally dubious. I always think the so-called "love of your life" stuff is just an invented escapism. When some people meet difficulties in their lives they immediately imagine something "perfect but out of reach" as a consolation of sorts. If they really got together with their so-called "love of life" then probably their lives will turn out to be as problematic. Not to mention how much both would have changed and out of sync when they meet each other again. This is totally irrational thinking. Better dispose of it.