One of Taylor Swift’s many talents is making us relate to every kind of emotion with her impeccable songwriting skills. Whether it’s about young heartbreak, the difficulties of handling fame, or even a fictitious couple of con artists, Taylor has a song for all of it.
Which is why we at Her Campus are calling all fellow bookworms who love Swift’s discography and giving out book recommendations based on her songs!
THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO X THE LUCKY ONE
The “Booktok” sensation written by Taylor Jenkins Reid is about a 1950s Hollywood star, Evelyn Hugo, and the scandals that surrounded her life, such as her seven marriages, and even more jaw-dropping reveals throughout the read.
The song “The Lucky One” from the album Red (Taylors Version of course) feels like it was almost written for Evelyn Hugo, with specific lyrics such as “And they tell you that you’re lucky but you’re so confused ’cause you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used and all the young things line up to take your place” fitting in with the exact experiences that the main character goes through during her years in the acting industry.
NORMAL PEOPLE X CARDIGAN
This novel written by Sally Rooney follows two teenagers, Marianne and Conrad, who live completely different origins but can’t help creating a deep connection and keep coming back to each other no matter what.
If you love the song “Cardigan” from blondie’s Folklore album, this book will be an instant favorite. Lyrics like “I knew you, leavin’ like a father, running like water, I, And when you are young, they assume you know nothing” will hit your feelings as you’re reading this realistic but heartbreaking romance.
BETTER THAN THE MOVIES X YOU BELONG WITH ME
Lynn Painter’s best seller is the closest thing to a 90s rom-com in book form there is. The book follows Liz, your relatable protagonist, who in order to impress a crush, starts fake dating Wes, the typical boy next door who swoops her (and us readers) off our feet.
“You Belong With Me” from the album Fearless (Taylor’s Version) matches the “first love” trope in the books with its young and playful lyrics, such as “Standing by and waiting at your backdoor all this time how could you not know, baby? You belong with me”. They are the moment and they know it.
BEACH READ X CRUEL SUMMER
The contemporary romance written by Emily Henry follows January, a romance writer going through her doubts about true love, and an “eternally pessimistic about love” literary fiction writer Gus, who decide to strike a deal and try to write books in each other’s genre, but also end up finding out answers to questions that have been following them for years.
The pop perfection “Cruel Summer” from the Lover album encompasses the good and the bad feelings that come with the experience of falling in love, with lyrics like “It’s new, the shape of your body, it’s blue, the feeling I’ve got and it’s ooh, whoa, oh it’s a cruel summer with you” which matches the book perfectly.
THE HUNGER GAMES X THE ARCHER
The New York Times’s best-seller written by Suzanne Collins takes place in a dystopian universe, in which the government hosts a deadly game between 24 people annually, where only one of them can survive.
Protagonist Katniss Everdeen is not only an expert at archery but also fits in with the song “The Archer”, from the Lover album. The iconic “track five” tackles deep lyrics about anxiety and insecurities that resonate with Katniss, such as “I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey, screaming, who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?”.
THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME X STATE OF GRACE
Written by Julia Quinn, this regency-era romance is the second in an eight-book series. The Viscount Who Loved Me follows Anthony and Kate, who start off hating each other over principles such as the duties of marriage, but throughout the novel start to learn that they might be more similar than they think they do, all while in the process of falling in love with each other.
The couples’ enemies to lovers trope fits in perfectly with “State of Grace” from the Red (Taylor’s Version) album, which contains lyrics about how worthy facing the struggles to fight for love is. “This is a state of grace, this is the worthwhile fight, love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right“.
THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY X THIS LOVE
One of Jenny Han’s best-selling trilogy follows the protagonist Belly as she heads to one of her best friends Jeremiah (and his older brother Conrad, who she always had a secret crush on) beach house to spend the summer and go through unforgettable memories together.
The re-recording of the track “This Love” from the iconic album 1989 was released by Taylor Swift ahead of the rerelease of the full album in order for the screen adaptation of the book to use it in their soundtrack!
Not only is the track clearly relatable to the emotions that Belly goes through, with lyrics like “Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave. Your smile, my ghost I fell to my knees. When you’re young, you just run but you come back to what you need”, but Taylor herself approves this connection between the book and the song.
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The article above was edited by Giulia De Demo Assis.
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